Help Wanted – "How to Connect on LinkedIn”

Podcast by Money News Network
Hosts: Jason Feifer (Entrepreneur Editor-in-Chief) & Nicole Lapin (Money Expert)
Guest: Julia Cabral (Product Marketing Lead, LinkedIn)
Release Date: August 19, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Jason and Nicole welcome Julia Cabral from LinkedIn's Product Marketing team for an in-depth conversation about how to use LinkedIn effectively: how to build an authentic presence, navigate the platform’s unique algorithm, and leverage personal voice for professional content. Julia draws on more than a decade of experience at LinkedIn—and her own personal content journey—to offer concrete tips and illuminating stories. Along the way, Nicole and Jason get their own approach to LinkedIn lovingly “roasted” and workshopped.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introducing Julia Cabral & Her LinkedIn Journey

[02:26–03:31]

• Julia has nearly 12 years at LinkedIn, working on core consumer features and creator products.
• She recently started her own LinkedIn content creation, motivated by trying out the products she markets.
• Her first challenge was simply “getting over myself and hitting post.”

  “So many people are held back by this stage fright… You just gotta get out there and start posting.” (Julia, 03:48)

2. What’s the ‘Point’ of LinkedIn?

[05:12–07:27]

• LinkedIn’s core purpose: sharing knowledge and learning from real professional experience ("10 billion years of experience" across 1B+ members).
• Best content is authentic, insightful, and helps others solve work problems.
• Pitfalls include being too casual (going off the 'professional’ rails) and chasing gimmicks.
• Consistency beats trying to hack the algorithm.

3. The Algorithm – Myths and Truths

[07:27–09:25]

• Yes, LinkedIn has an algorithm, but it’s designed to spotlight knowledge sharing, not viral tricks.
• The platform rewards “deep knowledge, insight, opinion.”
• Virality-for-virality’s-sake doesn’t work; engagement is smaller but more meaningful.
• "The engagement that you do get is so much richer." (Julia, 09:25)

4. Voice and Content: What Works?

[10:13–13:40]

• Repurposing content is fine, but reframe it for a professional context.
• Example: Julia shares a fitness playlist on Instagram as a funny story, but on LinkedIn she frames it as a marketing/career tool.
• Your LinkedIn persona should focus on showing a consistent, authentic side relevant to your audience.

5. Defining Your “5% Character” (Who Are You on LinkedIn?)

[13:40–18:00]

• Jason’s theory: public success requires you to “drill down into this 5% character… the part of you most relevant to your audience.”
• Julia’s pillars: competent businessperson, supportive of junior talent, inspiring/engaging.
• Show, don’t tell—content should illustrate your value, not just state it.

  “Once I got those pillars in my head, I just started seeing inspiration everywhere… it became pretty easy to jot down ideas.” (Julia, 17:42)

6. Content Audit & Workshop: Jason’s Approach

[18:00–24:32]

• Jason built a following with marketing ad breakdowns: he picks viral, attention-grabbing ads, then adds smart commentary.
• The secret: combining scroll-stopping visuals (ads) with value-add analysis.
• Downside: being pigeonholed. Jason isn’t a marketing consultant but gets pegged as one.
• Julia suggests diversifying content buckets and experimenting with new frameworks/topics.

7. The Challenge of Consistency and Algorithm Shifts

[24:32–29:33]

• Content performance can change due to algorithm tweaks and audience fatigue.
• Having a few varied “buckets” can help keep your feed fresh and engaging.
• Experiment with new content categories (e.g., bad email breakdowns, career advice, etc.), while still valuing what works.

8. Nicole’s LinkedIn Audit

[26:29–32:13]

• Nicole brings knowledge and some personal touch but could amplify her unique "voice" more.
• Identifying your signature tone/personality (e.g., Nicole’s “educational, sassy” brand) and letting that come through in posts is key.
• Bring personality, not just personal details.

  “There’s a distinction between personal and personality.” (Julia, 28:34)

9. Engagement Tactics: Discussion, CTAs, and Tagging

[29:33–32:41]

• Inviting discussion (“comments as gold”) boosts engagement; ask specific questions or provoke debate.
• Tagging relevant people (not spamming blocks of 60) naturally can encourage participation.

10. Avoiding Gimmicks: AI Comments and Mass Tagging

[32:41–35:01]

• Gimmicks like mass mentioning, or using AI to auto-comment, are discouraged and under scrutiny from LinkedIn’s engineers.
• Authentic engagement (“your authentic voice”) is the long-term path to growth.

11. Balancing Personal & Professional Content

[35:01–39:33]

• Julia praises Nicole’s vulnerable Mother’s Day post but notes that successful personal sharing remains work-relevant.
• The difference in post performance often comes down to the hook—write for clarity and curiosity.

  “The professional context really matters… there’s a way to share parts of your personal life in a way that is very professional and sits in that professional context." (Julia, 36:49)

12. Writing Great Hooks for LinkedIn

[39:33–41:12]

• A strong hook signals relevance, teases payoff, and compels clicks (“show, not tell”).
• Use tools like typegrow.com for formatting and previewing post layouts.

13. Series, Experimentation, and When to Move On

[41:29–43:42]

• Content series do well until audience fatigue sets in.
• Treat every post as an experiment; don’t get too attached to likes or failures.

  “Experiment mindset, be consistent, and look at how things are performing on a longer time horizon.” (Julia, 43:29)

14. Handling Underperforming Posts or Negative Feedback

[43:49–44:51]

• Deleting posts: only for brand mis-steps—otherwise, let the data accrue.

15. Technical Questions & Video Best Practices

[44:59–47:41]

• Editing images in posts isn’t possible yet (“on an engineering list somewhere”).
• Video is powerful—especially if it’s original, not just cross-posted TikToks.
• Frame every video (and its text) professionally; LinkedIn is pushing video among creators.

16. Connection Strategy

[48:17–48:58]

• Only connect with people you know or want to know in real life; otherwise, use the ‘follow’ feature.

17. Constructing a High-Impact LinkedIn Post

[48:58–50:50]

• Elements: Great hook, professionally relevant question, visually engaging content, and detailed explanatory text for context/algorithm.
• Tag involved parties and invite debate.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [03:48, Julia]:
  "I'm gonna give you an honest answer, which is just getting over myself and hitting post. I think so many people are held back by this stage fright when it comes to post on LinkedIn."

• [09:25, Julia]:
  "The engagement that you do get is so much richer. It's people's real identities… more value, even though some of the numbers are smaller."

• [13:40, Jason]:
  "To be successful in public in any way is to drill yourself down into this 5% character—what's the 5% of me that's most relevant to the people that I want to reach and then inhabit that over and over again."

• [17:42, Julia]:
  "It's a show, not tell... I started seeing inspiration everywhere… jot down ideas of what to post, shoot a quick video."

• [28:34, Julia]:
  "There's also a distinction between personal and personality. Bringing personality into your content is great. Getting overly personal is where people tend to get into trouble."

• [36:49, Julia]:
  "Everything that happened and being a mom has an impact on how you show up professionally... there's a way to share parts of your personal life in a way that is very professional and sits in that professional context."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:07 – Julia Cabral introduces herself and her LinkedIn role.
• 03:48 – Biggest challenge: just posting and overcoming fear.
• 05:12 – LinkedIn’s mission and ‘content thesis’.
• 07:30 – Algorithm facts: what works and what doesn’t.
• 10:13 – Repurposing content for LinkedIn vs. other platforms.
• 13:40 – Defining your “5% character” and audience focus.
• 18:00 – Jason’s content strategy (marketing ad breakdowns).
• 24:29 – Algorithm shifts and audience fatigue.
• 26:34 – Julia's feedback on Nicole’s profile and voice.
• 29:33 – Inviting engagement: driving comments and conversation.
• 32:41 – Avoiding AI/gimmicky engagement tactics.
• 35:01 – Personal vs. professional content: finding balance.
• 39:33 – Crafting high-impact hooks.
• 41:29 – When to drop a content series and why.
• 44:59 – Technical limitations and video content best practices.
• 48:17 – Connection strategy.
• 48:58 – Building a post that pops on LinkedIn: Step-by-step.
• 50:22 – Recap of best posting practices.

Takeaways & Actionable Advice

• Just Start Posting: Overcome hesitation by starting, learning, and iterating.
• Align Content with Professional Persona: Identify your professional ‘character’—the 5% others need to see.
• Focus on Value and Insight: Deliver knowledge that helps others, not clickbait.
• Engagement Over Virality: Smaller but more valuable interactions trump big numbers.
• Mix Content Buckets: Diversify to avoid audience fatigue, and experiment regularly.
• Drive Conversation: End posts with open-ended, specific questions or tag individuals for input.
• Leverage Video Authentically: Use video to humanize your brand, but always frame it for a professional LinkedIn audience.
• Don’t Chase Gimmicks: Resist mass tags, AI auto-comment tools, and other short-term hacks.
• Use Data Thoughtfully: Track your best-performers, but approach every post as an experiment, not a life-or-death test.

Episode’s Spirit and Tone

Conversational, playful (including mutual “roasts”), and rich with tactical, real-world advice. Julia offers “inside” perspective with humility and enthusiasm, while Jason and Nicole trade both practical career-building banter and personal anecdotes.

End Summary