Fred is joined by Mark Young, whose LinkedIn headline says it all: "A cat person helping technical AI founders earn trust before the first call."

This episode is a lively (and refreshingly sceptical) conversation about why so much LinkedIn advice is formulaic, outdated, or simply irrelevant - especially for technical founders and specialists who need trust, not vanity metrics.

What you'll learn

Why a lot of LinkedIn "best practice" is recycled templates and pseudoscience
The danger of chasing quick wins like "20,000 followers in 90 days" claims (and what's actually behind them)
What LinkedIn's algorithm shift has changed (and why "do every format every week" can hurt reach)
Why the people who "do best" on LinkedIn are often… the ones selling LinkedIn
How to build trust with the right audience without trying to game the platform

The LinkedIn Audit: what Mark looks at

Mark explains the simple profile elements that matter most if LinkedIn is going to work as a sales tool:

Banner (top real estate): quickly signals "you're in the right place"
Headline: follows you everywhere—comments, search, connection requests

should clearly show who you help + how you help
and can include a small "human hook" (yes, like cats or Mary Poppins)

About section: should read more like a landing page than a CV

clear ICP, clear outcomes, easy to contact you

Credibility signals: proof, continuity, trust markers (without making it all about you)
ICP clarity: pick a focus for your campaign (even if you can sell wider)
Call-to-action strength: what you want people to do next, made simple

Trust on LinkedIn: what actually works

Engage properly (not spam comments, not "AI parroting")
Use LinkedIn like a real-world networking event: show up, contribute, be relevant
Build familiarity and credibility before you ask for time or a call
Avoid "potato-style" engagement hacks that create noise, not trust

Connect with Mark Young

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markyoungsocial
Email: Mark.young@lovesocialmedia.com
Want an audit? Comment POTATO 🥔

Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KTJSIrxcHWY

Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers

Useful resources

Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard – free Check how well your sales approach fits today's buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/

LinkedIn Is Not a Template Factory (Here's What Actually Works)