Informed: the podcast for LinkedIn® users
John Espirian
"Informed" is for you if you'd like to understand more about how LinkedIn works so that you can be an effective user of the platform.
It's hard to know whom to believe with so many self-appointed gurus out there telling you the latest hacks for going viral and earning 7-figure deals. And even LinkedIn's own publications often don't speak to the reality of using the platform.
But for those who see past superficial promises and sanitised reports, this podcast provides evidence and thoughtful opinion. With a track record of more than 10 years of sensible, no-nonsense advice about honest best practice for LinkedIn, Informed is a trusted source of insight by many thousands of regular listeners.
The show was created by Mark Williams, who's affectionately known as "Mr LinkedIn". Mark retired in late 2025 and handed over the reins of the show to John Espirian, the relentlessly helpful® LinkedIn nerd. John is a LinkedIn trainer and consultant, the founder of the Espresso+ community, the creator of the UpLift Live conference (the UK's original event dedicated to LinkedIn best practice), and the author of the personal branding handbook Content DNA.
John's reputation is for getting to the point and for not being a salesy douche canoe, so you can expect short, sharp episodes with zero ads or sponsored slots. This also is NOT an interview show, so if you've read this far then please don't pitch yourself for a guest appearance. However, you're welcome to get in touch if you have a LinkedIn question you'd like John to cover on the show. (To do that, search for the "Informed podcast" company page on LinkedIn and send a message.)
This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the LinkedIn® corporation. John Espirian is an independent trainer and does not work for LinkedIn® – while it would be great to have LinkedIn's endorsement, the show's independence from the corporation means you, the listener, are never fed an airbrushed political spiel.
It's hard to know whom to believe with so many self-appointed gurus out there telling you the latest hacks for going viral and earning 7-figure deals. And even LinkedIn's own publications often don't speak to the reality of using the platform.
But for those who see past superficial promises and sanitised reports, this podcast provides evidence and thoughtful opinion. With a track record of more than 10 years of sensible, no-nonsense advice about honest best practice for LinkedIn, Informed is a trusted source of insight by many thousands of regular listeners.
The show was created by Mark Williams, who's affectionately known as "Mr LinkedIn". Mark retired in late 2025 and handed over the reins of the show to John Espirian, the relentlessly helpful® LinkedIn nerd. John is a LinkedIn trainer and consultant, the founder of the Espresso+ community, the creator of the UpLift Live conference (the UK's original event dedicated to LinkedIn best practice), and the author of the personal branding handbook Content DNA.
John's reputation is for getting to the point and for not being a salesy douche canoe, so you can expect short, sharp episodes with zero ads or sponsored slots. This also is NOT an interview show, so if you've read this far then please don't pitch yourself for a guest appearance. However, you're welcome to get in touch if you have a LinkedIn question you'd like John to cover on the show. (To do that, search for the "Informed podcast" company page on LinkedIn and send a message.)
This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the LinkedIn® corporation. John Espirian is an independent trainer and does not work for LinkedIn® – while it would be great to have LinkedIn's endorsement, the show's independence from the corporation means you, the listener, are never fed an airbrushed political spiel.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 2, 2021 • 1h 11min
LinkedIn Creators
LinkedIns new initiative to support creators is now in full swing. Is it any good?Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Sep 25, 2021 • 1h 8min
Does The CAP Fit?
LinkedIn are putting their money where their mouth is regarding their initiative to support creators with the announcement that they are offering $15,000 (c£11,000) grants plus other support to 100 creators in the US. I take a deeper look into what this means and how it might be used in practice.Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Sep 11, 2021 • 1h 9min
The Fear of Engagement & Posting
Welcome to LinkedInformed 336. This week I chat with fellow LinkedIn Trainer Teddy Burris about the challenges we all face with the posting and engaging…the fear factor! What stops us from engaging more on LinkedIn? Is it really a time thing, or is it for normally more complex and deeper reasons.Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Sep 4, 2021 • 44min
Are LinkedIn Being Straight with us?
Why don’t they tell us the truth? Why do LinkedIn keep things hidden from us? LinkedIn have no obligation to tell us what is going on, they are a private organisation and are perfectly entitled to their secrets…but is it clever to keep your users second-guessing? What impression do we form of a company when they lack authenticity in this way? Does it matter to you? LinkedIn will continue to evolve but they could achieve so much more by adopting a more open style of communication.Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Aug 28, 2021 • 1h 3min
Permission Based Social Selling
This week I chat with Brynne Tillman about Social Selling and her take on how to conduct a successful outbound strategy without being ‘icky’ or pushy. Those of you who listen to the podcast regularly will know that I favour a more inbound focussed approach to social sales on Linkedin but I have always admired the different approach adopted by Brynne and believed that having her on the show would provide a great balance to what you normally hear…she didn’t disappoint!Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Aug 21, 2021 • 1h 7min
Preparing for LinkedIn Marketplace
The news that LinkedIn were launching a Freelancer booking service similar to the likes of Fiverr and Upwork was originally broken in February this year…since then we have heard very little until last week when a number of people reported a new feature allowing them to ask for reviews of their services. With the full Marketplace feature planned for launching in Autumn/Fall this year, I thought it was time to start planning for its arrival.Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Aug 7, 2021 • 1h 12min
Being Sherlock
Welcome to your weekly dose of all things LinkedIn. This is the first installment in a new series focusing on the subject of social selling. I believe that we all need to understand this subject in order to succeed on LinkedIn, whether we be directly in a sales role or not. Marketeers, job seekers, recruiters, business owners, and anyone wanting to enhance their career by becoming more influential should master social selling. In this first episode, I chat with Ian Moyse, an experienced Sales Leader in the Cloud industry who has been involved with social selling for many years, he was even a guest on one of the first episodes of the LinkedInformed podcast back in 2014!Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Jul 31, 2021 • 1h 3min
$10 Billion!
From humble beginnings in May 2003, LinkedIn has become a global phenomenon and one of the true social media powerhouses with over 774 million members and a turnover now in excess of $10 billion a year. In this edition, I’m going to look into why and how they have achieved such success.Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Jul 24, 2021 • 59min
A Catch-up
Welcome to this weeks dose of all things LinkedIn. I've struggled through the heatwave that has hit the UK this week to bring you this episode, I hope you appreciate it! Having missed last week, I have a number of things to cover but no one topic that dominates this edition, hence why I’m calling it a catch-up!Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Jul 10, 2021 • 59min
A Company Page Discourse
Welcome to a special edition of LinkedInformed where I debate with Michelle J Raymond the merits or otherwise of LinkedIn company pages. Michelle is a big fan of Pages and has built her business by helping her clients to successfully win business through their company pages, I say that her clients would be far more successful if they focus the vast majority of their time on developing their personal content, engagement, and relationships…you can make up your own mind as to who won the argument!Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
