Episode 128

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Published on:

10th Sep 2016

LinkedIn Advertising Revisited

Welcome to episode 128, this week I want to revisit the subject of advertising.

Firstly some interesting stuff I saw this week;


A company called We are Flint interviewed just over 2000 UK adults to determine the level of social media usage. The results for LinkedIn make interesting reading;


LinkedIn Advertising


This still seems to be a thorny issue for LinkedIn with another set of less than inspiring results announced recently. In Q2 marketing revenue was $181, just 19% of their income and over 60% of this came from sponsored updates.


You may recall we covered advertising in episodes 85. 92 and 94 when listener Peter Gold experimented with LinkedIn ads. The conclusion wasn't very positive!


So I was intrigued when I came across someone who describes himself as a ‘LinkedIn ads evangelist’!


AJ kindly gave up some of his time to chat with me this week about LinkedIn ads. How they work and who should and who shouldn’t be using them. It’s a fascinating insight and finally puts to bed the question once and for all. Summary If your typical customer has a high lifetime value (tens of thousands plus) then LinkedIn ads can be very powerful (if done correctly). So it seems that, as usual LinkedIn are solely targeting large enterprises.


Does having an email address in your headline still penalise you in search results?


This questions relates to a blog post I wrote in 2014; LinkedIn Search is Changing


The answer is yes, nothing appears to have changed since that post. I have just checked this on 5 different searches and on every occasion the person who either has an email address or a telephone number in their headline or name fields comes either last or last page in a search result - even though they were active (key factor in the search algorithm) and 1st tier connections

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This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.

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About the Podcast

Informed: the podcast for LinkedIn® users
A podcast for anyone interested in LinkedIn® best practice
"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.
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About your host

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John Espirian

Relentlessly helpful® LinkedIn® nerd, trainer and consultant who specialises in LinkedIn best practice for individuals, small businesses and corporates. I wrote the personal branding handbook Content DNA, I founded the Espresso+ online community for small business owners and I'm the creator of the UK's original independent conference on LinkedIn best practice, UpLift Live.