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
Mar 6, 2021 • 60min
How to get more LinkedIn Followers
Welcome to your latest dose of LinkedIn news, tips, and discussion. Thus weeks I’m returning to the subject of Followers, in many respects, these people are the key to our success on LinkedIn so I want to look more deeply into how we attract more of them.Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Feb 27, 2021 • 1h 4min
LinkedIn Analytics (part two)
Welcome to this weeks LinkedInformed which is primarily going to be a continuation of last weeks chat with Andreas. I would recommend consuming that before continuing as it will provide you with more context for what is about to followMentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Feb 20, 2021 • 52min
LinkedIn Analytics with Shield (part 1)
A special episode this week as I chat with Andreas Jonsson, the CEO of the LinkedIn analytics company Shield. Sit back and enjoy listening as we get into all sorts of details about the LinkedIn algorithms, what types of posts engage, and plenty more.Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Feb 6, 2021 • 59min
Driving LinkedIn Group Engagement
We know LinkedIn groups aren't what they should be and that LinkedIn have left the functionality woefully short of Facebook groups but that doesn't mean that we can't make them work for us. It's time start taking responsibility ourselves and stop waiting for LinkedIn to pull their socks up. Dylan Jones is doing just that!Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Jan 30, 2021 • 1h 2min
Communication & Listening
Welcome to another LinkedInformed. This week I want to focus on how we communicate on LinkedIn. There are lots of ways to communicate with others on LinkedIn and I will cover them all but the overriding principle of effective communication is that it needs to be a two-way process. Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Jan 16, 2021 • 46min
Is it time for a connections cull?
One of my first tasks every year involves disconnecting with people who are no longer relevant or adding value to my LinkedIn network. Why do I and others do this and what are the benefits?Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Jan 9, 2021 • 1h 13min
Looking back at 2020
Whilst many of us would prefer to forget about last year, I do think we can learn a lot from our experiences on Linkedin across the last 12 months. With contributions from Mark Lee and John Espirian, I take a look back at 2020Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Dec 19, 2020 • 1h 10min
My Predictions for 2021
This is the final episode of 2020...and good riddance to it, what a year! I thought it would be fun to give you my predictions for next year but also to look back at some of my previous predictions to see whether I'm a visionary or not!Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Dec 12, 2020 • 1h 10min
Is it time to reconsider Groups?
By reputation, most LinkedIn users believe groups to be the place where people pitch their wares but don't start or engage in round-table discussions. Is this still true and should we be taking a closer look at groups again?Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Dec 5, 2020 • 1h 5min
Video & Content with David Kilkelly
Native video posts have become a popular way to share ideas, provide helpful tips and build relationships with your followers, and with the recent addition of Stories, where video typically features heavily, I thought it would be worth revisiting the topic. David Kilkelly is one of my favourite video experts on LinkedIn. I have followed him for some time for a source of inspiration and helpful tips so I thought I would have a chat with him about LinkedIn video. Interestingly our chat was as much about content as it was specifically about video.Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
