Podcast Summary: Lessons – From Zero to $5M Company | Hala Taha, YAP Media CEO

Podcast: Success Story with Scott D. Clary
Air Date: February 7, 2026
Host: Scott D. Clary
Guest: Hala Taha, CEO of YAP Media

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on how Hala Taha, CEO of YAP Media, built her company from scratch to a $5M business—centered on the overlooked power of LinkedIn for organic growth, content virality, and business monetization. Scott and Hala dive deep into the specifics of designing content for LinkedIn, nuances of its algorithm, and actionable strategies for leveraging LinkedIn to drive both audience and revenue—dispelling myths, especially around repurposing content from other platforms.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Unique Power of LinkedIn (00:00–01:42)

• LinkedIn is Underutilized:
  Hala repeatedly returns to LinkedIn as the strategic platform for organic business growth, contrasting it with the focus many marketers have on Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok.
• Why LinkedIn?
  • Hala is "the number one podcaster on LinkedIn"—significant because business brands specifically want to sponsor her.
  • Most speaking engagements and client leads (especially authors) originate from LinkedIn, not Instagram or Twitter.
  • Hala uses LinkedIn Live as a monetization tool—simulcasting podcasts across her platforms and creating lucrative 360° deals.

  "I’m one of the first podcasters that have monetized LinkedIn Lives. I sell my podcast as a simulcast across my podcast, my YouTube and my LinkedIn. I’m the first one to do that." – Hala Taha [01:42]

Cross-Platform Content & Algorithm Essentials (02:45–05:31)

• Platform-Specific Strategy is Vital:
  Every platform is designed to maximize user time spent. Using the wrong content format (ex: horizontal images or plain text) loses favor with the LinkedIn algorithm.

  • Big vertical images with people “take up more real estate” and generate dwell time.
  • Viral actions (stopping the scroll) are crucial for success.

  "If you do anything that brings users off the platform...you’re never going to win. You want to stop the scroll, you want people to spend time on your posts, take viral actions." – Hala Taha [02:46]

• Don’t Mindlessly Copy Influencers:
  Scott points out the mistake of copying high-follower influencers like Gary Vee, whose results rest on massive built-in audiences—not content strategy alone.

  "You cannot equate what he has, which is critical mass of an audience versus what you’re doing, which is no audience." – Scott D. Clary [04:41] "Gary has well over a million followers on LinkedIn, and his engagement’s the same as me, and I have 200,000 followers. He actually has a very poor engagement rate..." – Hala Taha [05:31]

Content Design & Editorial Alignment (05:31–07:28)

• Make Content Skimmable:
  Chunky paragraphs and outbound links are penalized; concise, readable, and native content wins.
• Human Editors:
  LinkedIn is unique—viral posts are reviewed by real editors. If your content aligns with LinkedIn’s current editorial agenda (careers, milestones, DEI topics, etc.), it’s amplified further.

  "My content is actually aligning to the LinkedIn editorial agenda...they’re going to pour gasoline on [it]." – Hala Taha [06:31]

Organic Sales & Promotional Balance (08:41–09:16)

• Sales Happen in DMs:
  LinkedIn’s algorithm deprioritizes anything overtly promotional; instead, use content to generate inbound interest.

  "Sales happen in the DMs. Always, always. LinkedIn is deprioritizing sales and promotional stuff." – Hala Taha [08:41]

• Only 6% of LinkedIn Users Create Content:
  Huge room for dominance in any professional niche.

The LinkedIn Algorithm: Breakdown & Secrets (09:28–15:18)

• LinkedIn Judges Your 10–15 Most Recent Posts:
  Salesy content too often can reduce your total reach for all content.
• Four Critical Steps of LinkedIn’s Algorithm:

  1. Spam Filters:

     • Three buckets: spam, low quality, high quality
     • Use only three hashtags; over five is penalized.
     • Avoid excessive tagging (spamming followers).

     "If you tag too many people, if you tag celebrities...you get flagged for spam, it’s not going to go anywhere." – Hala Taha [11:09]

  2. Sub-Sample Testing:

     • Posts are first shown to a small segment of your audience (emphasizing the need for active, quality followers).
     • Clean out inactive or irrelevant connections to improve virality odds.

  3. Content Scoring:

     • Looks at both post engagement (“viral actions”) and author engagement (“author stickiness”).
     • Most viral actions: shares > comments > likes.
     • Engaging on others’ content post-publish increases your reach.

     "The most viral thing you can do on LinkedIn is...lots of shares...not about comments, not about likes, it’s about shares." – Hala Taha [13:22]

     • Responding to comments and engaging with those who share your post are key.

  4. Human Editorial Review:

     • Top-performing posts are reviewed by LinkedIn editors, who amplify those that fit the broader platform agenda.
     • Content misaligned with editorial priorities (careers, DEI, employment milestones, etc.) stalls before reaching wider virality.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You have to play at the level that you’re at to eventually get to where [big influencers] are." – Scott D. Clary [04:41]
• "Only 6% of people who are on LinkedIn are actually content creators. So there’s a huge opportunity for everybody to be that dominant person in their niche." – Hala Taha [09:00]
• "LinkedIn actually judges your last 10 to 15 posts in the algorithm." – Hala Taha [09:28]
• "Shares are worth 4 points, a share with caption is 4.5—by far the most viral thing you can do on LinkedIn is to create a post that gets lots of shares." – Hala Taha [13:12]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–01:42 – Introduction to why LinkedIn is uniquely powerful for organic and business content
• 01:42–02:45 – How Hala leverages LinkedIn for monetization and 360 deals
• 02:45–04:41 – Cross-platform content mistakes and critical differences on LinkedIn
• 05:31–07:28 – Skimmability, editorial agenda, and tips for content optimization
• 08:41–09:16 – Why sales should happen in DMs and the rarity of content creators
• 09:28–15:18 – In-depth breakdown of the LinkedIn algorithm and actionable best practices for organic growth

Actionable Takeaways

• Go Native: Adapt your content specifically for LinkedIn instead of reposting formats from Instagram or TikTok.
• Maximize Shares: Design posts that your audience wants to share, as shares drive virality far more than likes or comments.
• Prioritize Skimmability: Use line-by-line formatting and avoid large blocks of text.
• Limit Hashtags and Tagging: Stick to a maximum of three hashtags and avoid mass tagging.
• Stay Active Post-Publish: Engage with commenters and those who share your post—this “author stickiness” matters for amplification.
• Monitor Editorial Themes: Align content to LinkedIn’s editorial agenda (careers, milestones, DEI) for wider reach.
• Keep Promotions Subtle: Use content for brand-building; take sales conversations to DMs to avoid algorithmic penalties.