Podcast Summary: LinkedIn Content Strategy – Achieving Sustainable Growth
Social Media Marketing Podcast | Host: Michael Stelzner (Social Media Examiner)
Guest: Gus Bandal (Founder, Mguru)
Date: September 11, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode dives deep into crafting a sustainable, engaging, and effective content strategy for LinkedIn. Host Michael Stelzner interviews Gus Bandal, LinkedIn marketing strategist, who outlines a unique “album and tracks” metaphor for diversifying your LinkedIn content to boost visibility, humanize your brand, and nurture business growth. Key takeaways include mindset shifts, practical content types, and tips for making content that connects, sells, and builds sustainable relationships.
Gus Bandal’s Journey to LinkedIn Authority
- [03:19 – 06:16]
- Gus started with a marketing degree and a broad marketing career, later running a pub, which gave him real-world business experience.
- Pivoted to his own agency in 2017, became a social media generalist, then specialized in LinkedIn during the pandemic when he saw direct business success from his content.
- Emphasizes LinkedIn as the go-to social platform for professionals and B2B growth, offering untapped opportunities for connection and client acquisition.
“I kind of leaned into LinkedIn because that’s the thing that was working for me. So I took my learnings, my theories, my strategies and all that kind of stuff and applied it to, quite frankly, to other businesses, a range of other businesses.” — Gus Bandal [05:45]
Why LinkedIn, and Why Rethink Content Strategy?
- [06:16 – 08:55]
- LinkedIn’s 1.2 billion business-focused users are on the platform to build professional relationships, making it a unique space for revenue and brand building.
- The platform supports diverse content types: text, image, video (short and long form), giving maximum reach to a variety of audiences.
- Opportunity: Most marketers are still using outdated methods or ignoring LinkedIn altogether.
“It's one of the world's only business-focused platforms... It’s a prime platform to make money, build relationships, get clients, etc., and really amplify their business.” — Gus Bandal [07:20]
The Importance of Mindset and Storytelling
- [08:55 – 10:44]
- Many professionals hesitate to post out of fear or lack of confidence.
- Gus encourages authenticity, vulnerability, and storytelling as the foundation for deep connections and building personal brand.
- Stories bring like-minded opportunities, connections, and relationships.
“If they don’t pay your bills, you shouldn’t worry about what they say... it’s about having the confidence to create that long-term, sustainable success, not only in our businesses but actually for us.” — Gus Bandal [09:50]
The Weekly Journaling Approach
- [10:44 – 13:28]
- Gus recommends “journaling your week” as a great starter or ongoing tactic—share what you did each week both professionally and personally.
- This builds relatability and keeps you top of mind for new business, connections, or media opportunities.
“When you create that content on LinkedIn, it kind of resonates with others… and when you create that content, people start reading that content and thinking, oh, actually, I need somebody that does this.” — Gus Bandal [13:12]
- Practical Example: Turning a ‘boring’ HR page into a lively diary by including personal interests and weekly highlights.
The “Album and Tracks” Content Strategy Explained
- [14:22 – 17:00]
- Instead of static “content pillars,” Gus advocates for using the metaphor of music albums and tracks:
- An album contains many songs (tracks), each with a distinct role and vibe.
- Your LinkedIn should not be “that person” who posts the same thing all the time.
- Varied content (tracks) resonates with different parts of your audience and keeps engagement high.
- Instead of static “content pillars,” Gus advocates for using the metaphor of music albums and tracks:
“You don’t want to be the guy or the girl that just posts one kind of track... What I talk about is basically having multiple tracks.” — Gus Bandal [15:42]
The Core Content “Tracks” for LinkedIn Success
Track #1: The Intro Track
- [17:00 – 22:49]
- A recurring, evergreen post introducing who you are, what you do, both professionally and personally.
- Should live in the LinkedIn “Featured” section for ongoing visibility.
- Personal and professional details humanize your brand and entice profile visits.
“The featured section can be your best foot forward. It’s very much like a mini website. So creating an introductory track which basically talks all about you.” — Gus Bandal [19:26]
Track #2: The Ballad (Soft Sell)
- [24:12 – 28:21]
- Content that sells without overtly selling.
- Share testimonials, case studies, reviews, and stories that highlight results you or your business produced.
- Help your audience see you as the solution, without hard selling.
- Example: Accountant sharing anonymized client success stories.
“The ballad is normally, for example...testimonials, case studies, reviews, the social proof, etc. Essentially telling the world how great you are without actually saying, ‘I am great’.” — Gus Bandal [24:18]
Track #3: The Rock Track (Celebratory Content)
- [28:38 – 33:55]
- Announce wins, milestones, new ventures, hitting targets, partnerships, or successful events.
- Celebrate yourself to encourage your audience to celebrate with you, but balance humility with pride—no need for bragging or specifics.
- Telling the journey and struggles enhances relatability and prompts applause and conversations.
“It's the rock track where people can celebrate us...You know, when we go to a rock gig...we think, oh, I really want to be Tommy Lee...It's the kind of content we create where we celebrate ourselves.” — Gus Bandal [29:47]
- **Practical Tips:**
- Focus on the journey, not just the destination.
- Share relatable stories: “I thought I couldn’t do this, but I took the leap, and here’s what happened.”
Track #4: The Experimental Track (“Bohemian Rhapsody” Approach)
- [37:14 – 39:59]
- Use pattern interrupts: try a new content medium or approach (e.g., try video if you usually write, run a poll, create a visual carousel).
- Address new or adjacent topics that interest your audience.
- Experimentation keeps your feed fresh and helps you find new avenues that might “stick.”
“We have to try things, right?...But I talk about experimental tracks...it’s a pattern interrupt.” — Gus Bandal [37:23]
Track #5: The Floor Filler (Engagement Magnet)
- [40:36 – 43:54]
- Write content specifically crafted for audience engagement and participation.
- Share relatable business setbacks, host discussions, ask for feedback, or post about shared experiences and company culture.
- Designed to get people ‘on the dance floor’—opening up, sharing, commenting.
- Example: Law firm mixing in team and charity event stories draws high engagement, helping all their posts reach more people.
“It’s content that resonates with others where they then want to come along with you for the ride, where they get on the dance floor with you.” — Gus Bandal [41:15]
Ideal Content Mix for Sustainable Growth
- [43:54 – 47:09]
- Intro Track: 10% (repost/update every 3 months)
- Ballad/Soft Sell: 10%
- Experimental Track: 20% (every 2–3 weeks)
- Rock Track (Wins) & Floor Filler: 30% each (together, 60%)
- Most creators do only floor fillers; sustainable growth requires the full “album experience.”
“You want to make sure you have this cacophony or variety of different songs on your album so that you can grab people at different phases and at different stages and humanize your brand.” — Michael Stelzner [46:03]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Mindset:
“If they don’t pay your bills, you shouldn’t worry about what they say...it’s having the confidence to create that long-term sustainable success.”
— Gus Bandal [09:50] -
On Storytelling:
“The only person that can ever journal your week is yourself...when you create that content on LinkedIn, it kind of resonates with others.”
— Gus Bandal [10:59] -
On Content Variety:
“You can’t listen to the same track over and over again...It’s mixing that up to resonate with different parts of our audience.”
— Gus Bandal [46:49] -
On Celebrating Wins:
“What we have to remember about LinkedIn is the audience we curate...should be people that want to hear about our wins.”
— Gus Bandal [31:05] -
On Engagement:
“Their generic law-based content...is good...but the stuff that they intersperse with in terms of the floor fillers is where they get people to engage with them.”
— Gus Bandal [42:38]
Key Actionable Takeaways
- Diversify your LinkedIn content like tracks on a music album for greater impact.
- Regularly “introduce yourself” and pin your intro post to the top for maximum visibility.
- Mix soft sells (testimonials, case studies) with celebratory content and engagement posts.
- Experiment to break patterns and try new themes, mediums, and formats.
- Embrace authenticity and storytelling for confidence and deeper audience connection.
- Aim for a balanced content distribution by percentages to sustain long-term growth.
Where to Find More & Connect
- Gus Bandal: Connect on LinkedIn (search ‘Gus Bhandal’ or ‘Mguru’)
- Website: dmguru.co.uk
- Social Media Examiner’s Show Notes: socialmediaexaminer.com/683
For those looking to revitalize their LinkedIn approach, this episode provides a thorough, actionable, and memorable framework to guide sustainable, authentic content creation and audience growth.