The Dave Gerhardt Show – Episode Summary
Podcast: The Dave Gerhardt Show
Host: Dave Gerhardt (Founder, Exit Five)
Episode: How to Master LinkedIn for B2B
Date: January 1, 2026
Guests:
- Dasha (Head of Marketing, Proton AI)
- Finn (Founder, Project 33)
- Emeric (Co-founder & CEO, AgoraPulse)
Episode Overview
This episode dives deep into strategies for mastering LinkedIn as a B2B marketing channel in 2026. Dave Gerhardt and his expert panel discuss why LinkedIn is no longer just a digital résumé platform but the most powerful tool for B2B marketers to drive awareness, employer brand, demand, and long-term sales. Throughout the discussion, they cover who should post on LinkedIn, content best practices, thought leader ads, measurement techniques, and the evolving role of AI and ghostwriting.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Transformation of LinkedIn for B2B (07:51–10:33)
- LinkedIn’s shift: Once a digital résumé and professional networking site, LinkedIn has become a true social media platform where thought leadership and expertise are front-and-center.
- Dasha: "It is the only social media channel where the barrier to entry is pretty low...it feels professional to scroll LinkedIn while you're at work.” (07:54)
- Finn’s anecdote on adoption: “My father...didn't have a LinkedIn account. Three years ago, he created one, now regularly likes my posts. If the head of IT at a German, partly government owned company who's 60 years old is on LinkedIn, you can reach all kinds of people.” (08:38)
- Emeric: "It's really for any kind of professional...it's everywhere now. It's for every profession, every industry and every type of professional need.” (09:38)
Memorable Quote:
"Let's first accept that this is [...] not the social network of old. This is the new way of doing PR." — Dave Gerhardt (10:33)
2. Should You Use Personal Accounts or Company Pages? (12:54–16:23)
- People outperform brands:
- Finn: "People with the profiles with the same amount of followers as a company page...get five to ten times more engagement." (12:54)
- Three pillars: Subject matter expertise, customer proximity, the 'X-factor' of personality.
- Dasha: “From even just an employer branding perspective...it can attract people who care about what you're doing and be the reason that they apply to work at your company.” (14:00)
- Emeric: “Even if you're posting for a brand or a company page, make sure people show up. Use images and videos of people.” (14:48)
- Consensus: Authentic personal content from execs/staff—especially those close to customers and expertise—performs best. Employer brand is a key parallel benefit.
3. Defining the Goals & Value of LinkedIn (16:23–18:51)
- LinkedIn is not for quick, direct sales:
- Dave: “LinkedIn is more of a PR and reputation and awareness channel that if you do it right, you will get sales from that stuff over time." (16:23)
- Relatable, personable content works:
- Sharing workplace quirks, memes, and light stories builds followership so ‘serious’ posts land better.
- Dasha’s example: “Am I perfect? No, but do I always remember to move stuff out of my personal Google Drive…?” (17:16)
Memorable Moment:
Finn explains the need for patience:
"It needs to be at least 12 months in your head." (18:51)
4. Content Creation: Who and What to Write? (21:47–29:05)
- How to start:
- Dasha: Begin with the most relevant expert (in her case, the CEO), share distilled industry insights only executives hear, use stories from customer interactions. Use humor/relatability as comfort grows. (22:12)
- Emeric’s advice: Immerse yourself in LinkedIn. For a month, note every post that grabs your attention—then analyze what works and why (topic, tone, etc.). (24:47)
- Dave: “You have to have taste…let's become really in tune with what content is working on LinkedIn, and then let's form opinions on what might work for us.” (25:30)
- Iterate freely: Don’t fear flops. Content volume and experimentation matter, as there’s little risk.
Best Practice:
Choose one person (usually CEO/founder) with deep expertise for consistent posting, but cultivate a culture of sharing content company-wide.
5. AI, Ghostwriting, and Scaling Executive Content (30:27–33:17)
- Ghostwriting is legitimate:
- Finn: "Is [founder-written content] the best case scenario? No. Is [ghostwriting] better than your CEO never posting anything? Yes." (30:38)
- Leveraging AI:
- Dasha: Train chatbots on internal content (emails, Slack, etc.) to mimic voices, then edit for authenticity. (31:22)
- Engagement matters:
- Emeric and Dave emphasize unique perspective and consistent CEO involvement in comments, replies, and discussions.
6. Comments & Community: Relationship Building (35:42–38:06)
- Real engagement vs. AI comments:
- Finn: "Automating comments...is one of the worst decisions that you can make...you're not just not building relationships. You're probably building negative relationships." (35:42)
- Start with comments:
- Finn and Dave suggest executives begin by commenting on others’ posts before publishing their own, building presence and comfort. (36:28)
- Authenticity in interactions:
- Dasha: Company comments feel faceless; personal comments build affinity. (43:27)
- Emeric: Brands can comment if they have a distinct personality or mascot (e.g., Wendy’s); not necessarily black-and-white. (44:48)
7. Crushing It with LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads (38:06–43:16)
- What are they?
- Personal posts (especially by execs), boosted as “thought leader ads.” These perform much better than traditional "company" ads.
- Metrics and effectiveness:
- Dasha: "For us, thought leadership ads are three times as effective as all of our other ads combined...we get three more dollars back if it's a thought leader ad." (39:52)
- Finn: Combine cold/retargeting with conversation ads and use tools like Fibler for tracking—“a no brainer for almost any company.” (39:52)
- Why they work:
- Emeric: “It looks like a person. It doesn’t look like an ad.” (40:31)
- Dave: Always test posts organically; only boost content that proves effective in the wild. (40:54)
Memorable Quote:
"You should basically never run ads...that you haven’t tested organically first." — Dave Gerhardt (41:00)
8. Operationalizing Content: Ideation, Process, & Measurement (46:00–52:10)
- Switch your brain on:
- Dave: Everything is potential content—internal comments, customer insights, sales calls, trending industry topics. (45:33)
- Sourcing ideas:
- Emeric: Keep a running “content ideas” doc/task list. Don’t rely on creativity in the moment. (48:01)
- Dasha: Slack channel "Stuff Customers Say" is a gold mine for inspiration. (50:23)
- Posting schedule:
- Dave: Best results with one high-quality post per day (morning), but “everything works”—test what resonates. (48:55)
- Leverage AI for drafting, not for final copy:
- Dave: “I love the AI stuff but something is still off...it helps me go from zero to one.” (51:06)
9. Overcoming Internal Objections & Piloting LinkedIn (54:50–55:44)
- Pitch it as an experiment:
- Dasha: Test for a quarter, set clear (measurable) goals, pre-draft some posts—it’s less overwhelming. (54:50)
- Stack the deck:
- Dave: “Not maybe right out of the gate, but when you can feel [LinkedIn’s effect] for the first time, that’s how you get buy-in.” (55:44)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
Finn (on patience):
"If you want to do this, it needs to be at least 12 months in your head." (18:51) -
Emeric (contrarian take):
“If you don't have a short-term satisfaction for the people who are doing it or paying for it or promoting it or supporting it, then you take the risk of giving up or shutting down the budget…” (52:17) -
Dave (on content as a long game):
"Founder brand...what wins, I think, especially in B2B, is like having expertise." (29:05)
Segment Timestamps
| Topic | Speaker(s) | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------|-------------------| | Why LinkedIn? | All | 07:51–10:33 | | Who should post, people vs. brands | Finn, Dasha, Emeric| 12:54–16:23 | | Goal of LinkedIn in B2B | Dave | 16:23–18:51 | | Content creation strategy | Dasha, Emeric, Dave| 21:47–29:05 | | AI, ghostwriting, and exec content | Finn, Dasha, Emeric| 30:27–33:17 | | Community, comments, and brand personalities | All | 35:42–38:06 | | Mastering LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads | Dasha, Emeric, Finn| 38:06–43:16 | | Content ideation and operational process | Emeric, Dasha, Dave| 46:00–52:10 | | Pitching LinkedIn to your company, getting started | Dasha, Dave | 54:50–55:44 |
Actionable Takeaways
- Don’t limit LinkedIn to recruiters or HR—it's the modern B2B media and brand platform.
- Prioritize authentic personal voices, preferably execs subject-matter experts.
- Leverage ghostwriting (with insight portals), but keep execs involved in comments and discussions.
- Treat comments as a starting point and relationship builder; avoid automated “slop.”
- Experiment, iterate, and document what resonates—test content organically first.
- Thought leader ads outperform classic ad formats—boost personal posts that work.
- Keep a documented workflow for capturing and developing content ideas, especially from customer interactions.
- Pitch LinkedIn as a time-bound experiment first to get internal buy-in.
Closing Thoughts
The landscape for B2B marketers on LinkedIn has never been richer or more complex. Standing out requires authenticity, an experimental mindset, and buy-in from visible company leaders. But with the right process, patience, and personality, LinkedIn remains unrivaled as the platform for building authority, brand, and long-term pipeline.
Panel's Final Words:
- Emeric: Balance long- and short-term goals; find immediate wins to keep momentum.
- Finn: “Everything works on LinkedIn”—lean into your unique strengths and keep showing up.
- Dasha: Keep it simple, structure as an experiment, “Stack the deck” to create early wins and foster adoption.
Connect with the panelists:
Join the Exit Five community for more resources: exitfive.com
For all B2B marketers looking to make LinkedIn a cornerstone of your 2026 strategy, this episode provides a no-nonsense, practical playbook.