One LinkedIn “best practice” that’s actually a waste of time

Summary

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Podcast Summary

MarTech Podcast ™ // "One LinkedIn 'Best Practice' That’s Actually a Waste of Time"

Host: Benjamin Shapiro
Guest: Adam Rich (CEO, Known4; Founder of Thrillist)
Date: May 29, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of a widely-held LinkedIn “best practice” in B2B marketing. Guest Adam Rich joins host Benjamin Shapiro to dissect the belief that consistency — specifically, posting on a strict schedule — is the recipe for thought leadership success on LinkedIn. Together, they discuss how and why LinkedIn authority is shifting from brands to people, and emphasize the importance of substance over frequency in content creation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Misaligned Publishing Schedules on LinkedIn

• The “Best Practice” in Question: The episode focuses on the advice often given to LinkedIn users: to publish frequently and on a set schedule in order to build authority.
• Why It's Flawed:
  • Benjamin Shapiro explains that forcing yourself to post on a schedule can “waste a lot of time and probably turn people off of you and your message.”
  • Authenticity and relevance should dictate content frequency, not arbitrary cadences.
  • Quoting Benjamin Shapiro:

    “You'd love to have something great to say every day, but if that's just not the frequency with which you're finding you've got stuff that's really must read, you're better off publishing less and having it be better.”
    (02:57–03:16)

• Quality Over Quantity:
  • Posting infrequently but thoughtfully is more valuable than frequent, less meaningful posts.

2. The Difference Between Consumer and Professional Social Networks

• Adam Rich draws a distinction:
  • On Instagram (a consumer network), spontaneous, moment-driven shares (e.g., grapevine pictures from his backyard) are celebrated.
  • On LinkedIn (a professional network), successful posts require time, thought, and value for the audience.
• Key quote from Adam Rich:

  “I want LinkedIn to be like that. I am inspired by this beautiful thing I’m working on, let me just quickly throw it out there [...] It doesn’t effing work that way.”
  (03:49–04:31)

• Effort Matters:
  • Adam emphasizes that crafting valuable LinkedIn posts takes effort and intentionality.
  • The spontaneity that works on other platforms rarely translates to LinkedIn engagement.

3. The Shift from Brand to Individual Authority

• As context at the episode’s start, Shapiro notes that “LinkedIn authority in B2B marketing is shifting from brands more to people,” highlighting the increasing importance of personal profiles and voices over company pages.
• Consistency ≠ Relevance: Both hosts agree that "consistent" doesn’t mean “scheduled”—it means consistently valuable and relevant.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Content Frequency:

  “Feeling like you’ve got to publish at some schedule that is misaligned with your brand or your pace of insights is a really quick way to waste a lot of time and probably turn people off of you and your message.”
  — Benjamin Shapiro (02:57–03:16)

• On the Difference Between Platforms:

  “I want LinkedIn to be like that. I am inspired by this beautiful thing I’m working on, let me just quickly throw it out there [...] It doesn’t effing work that way.”
  — Adam Rich (03:49–04:31)

• On Craft and Value:

  “It takes work. It takes effort to craft the message and to write something that is considerate and thoughtful and useful for the audience, as opposed to... Here’s a screenshot of this new deck standard that I have right here. Everything. I might love it. No one else cares.”
  — Adam Rich (04:35–04:51)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:53 — Main Prompt: “What’s one LinkedIn best practice that is actually a waste of time?”
• 02:57–03:16 — Shapiro explains why forced publishing schedules are counterproductive.
• 03:35–04:31 — Adam Rich draws parallels and contrasts Instagram spontaneity with LinkedIn’s professional expectations.
• 04:35–04:51 — Adam Rich on the work required to make posts valuable on LinkedIn.

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Episode Flow & Tone

The conversation is candid, direct, and tinged with humor as both speakers share their personal routines and frustrations with common LinkedIn advice. The episode delivers tough love to marketers, discouraging “me-too” posting habits and encouraging careful, audience-first communication.

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Actionable Takeaways

• Don’t post just to post: Let genuine, thoughtful insight dictate frequency on LinkedIn.
• Craft over cadence: Prioritize content that delivers real value.
• Personal > brand: Authority is increasingly tied to individual expertise, not organizational presence.

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Connect with Adam Rich

• LinkedIn: [Link in show notes]
• Website: getknown4.com

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Summary

This episode debunks the myth that LinkedIn rewards relentless posting. Instead, Adam Rich and Benjamin Shapiro advocate for mindful, meaningful engagement aligned with personal expertise and audience needs—urging marketers to focus on substance and authentic value in every post.

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Transcript

[Podcast Announcer]

The Martech Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

From advertising to software as a service to data across all of our programs and clients, we've seen a 55 to 65% open rate. Getting brands authentically integrated into content performs better than TV advertising.

[Adam Rich]

Typical lifespan of an article is about 24 to 36 hours. We're reaching out to the right person with the right message and a clear call to action.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

Then it's just a matter of timing.

[Podcast Announcer]

Welcome to the Martech Podcast, a member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. In this podcast, you'll hear the stories of world class marketers that you technology to drive business results and achieve career success. Here's the host of the Martech Podcast, Benjamin Shapiro

[Adam Rich]

I'm Benjamin Shapiro and today I'm joined by Adam Rich, the CEO of Known for, which turns professional expertise into consistent executive content using an Expert in the Loop editorial system. Adam was also the founder of Thrillist, which he scaled to 300 million monthly users before its acquisition by Vox Media. And today Adam is going to explain why LinkedIn authority in B2B marketing is shifting from brands more to people.

[Shift Paradigm Sponsor]

Today's interview is brought to you by Shift Paradigm. Marketing today is buried in complexity. You've got the tech, you've got the tools, but moving the needle feels harder than ever. And the last thing us marketers need is another consultant pitching digital transformation. Enter Shift Paradigm Shift is an integrated team of experts who help enterprise brands turn complexity into traction. Their work is insight led and strategically grounded, designed not to sell you a service or a piece of tech, but to actually solve real business challenges. What makes them different? Well, they're AI enabled but not AI dependent. They're human first, but plugged into the latest tools and models in the moments those models need to go through to prove themselves. They get techy without losing sight of the real person behind every click. And they don't just hand you a deck, they build the blueprints and stay to develop, deploy and run the engine. Growth isn't one size fits all, so stop settling for strategies that collect dust and start working with a team that actually builds for you. Visit ShiftParadigm.com to see how they can help you connect meaningfully with your audience. That's shiftparadigm.com let's move on to the next question.

[Adam Rich]

What's one LinkedIn best practice that is actually a waste of time?

[Benjamin Shapiro]

Well, I mean, this is gonna kind of get back to the consistency conversation we were just having, but I think that feeling like you've got to publish at some schedule that is misaligned with your brand or your pace of insights is a really quick way to waste a lot of time and probably turn people off of you and your message. You'd love to have something great to say every day, but if that's just not the frequency with which you're finding you've got stuff that's really must read, you're better off publishing less and having it be better.

[Adam Rich]

I think there's a big difference between what I'll call the consumer social networks and the professional social networks. And often, at least I have this desire I can, like, be inspired by something mostly on Instagram. The only thing I ever post anymore is pictures of the grapevines that I grow in my backyard because we make a whopping five bottles of wine a year. That's pretty good. Thank you. Just getting through the process is the fun part. The volume doesn't matter. But I will take a picture and write a quick thumbnail and be like, all right, this is an inspirational. The moment has hit me. I'm just going to post some content and it's a snapshot and I want LinkedIn to be like that. I am inspired by this beautiful thing I'm working on. Let me just quickly throw it out there on the web and people will shine the light on it and see my brilliance. It doesn't effing work that way.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

Are you concerned that you're maybe not doing enough beautiful stuff?

[Adam Rich]

No, I got plenty of stuff going on. That's not the problem. It takes work. It takes effort to craft the message and to write something that is considerate and thoughtful and useful for the audience, as opposed to. Here's a screenshot of this new deck standard that I have right here. Everything. I might love it. No one else cares.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

Yeah, look, I mean, that's a little bit of. Some of. That is the. Is the medium, right? Like the. The taking a photograph of something that's going to mean something in a moment to the people that follow you on Instagram is a much more natural way of conveying your thoughts and sharing.

[Adam Rich]

All right, Adam, great to have you on the podcast. Thanks for coming on and being my guest. And that wraps up this episode of the Martech podcast. Thanks to Adam Rich, the CEO of Known4, for joining us.

[Shift Paradigm Sponsor]

A special thanks to Shift paradigm for sponsoring this podcast. Shift is an integrated team of experts who help enterprise brands bridge the gap between strategy, data and customers. Human first, AI enabled and execution led. They build the blueprints, then stay to develop, deploy and run the engine you need. So stop settling for decks that collect dust and start working with a team that actually builds for you. Visit ShiftParadigm.com to see how they can help you connect meaningfully with with your audience.

[Adam Rich]

If you'd like to get in touch with Adam, you could find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our show notes or on martechpod.com you can always visit his website, which is getknown4.com and if you haven't subscribed yet and you want a daily stream of marketing and technology knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed next week. All right, that's it for today, but until next time, my advice is to just focus on keeping your customers happy.

[Podcast Announcer]

Thanks for listening to the Martech podcast and I hear everything. Production Looking to launch or scale a podcast like this one for your brand? Then visit iheareverything.com.