Gaetano DiNardi didn’t go all in on LinkedIn with a 7-day posting strategy, a ghostwriter, or growth hacks. He took the opposite approach—posting twice a week, saying exactly what he thinks, and letting his track record speak louder than any thread formula ever could.

From scaling Sales Hacker and Nextiva to building a high-leverage consulting business off referrals alone, Gaetano has quietly grown one of the most respected voices in B2B marketing. He’s built a powerful network, driven client work without a website for years, and built a brand by being honest, sharp, and (when necessary) controversial.

In this episode, Gaetano joins Brad to unpack why he never chased virality, how comment sections create clients, and why your follower count doesn’t matter if the right people aren't watching.

If you want to grow a presence that attracts opportunity—and still sleep at night—this episode is your playbook.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
→ Why Gaetano never used pods, templates, or scheduling hacks
→ How he built a strong network of 1st degree connections through content collaborations
→ The pros and cons of being “too visible” inside a company
→ How he filters his LinkedIn connections to stay relevant
→ The hidden power of comments
→ Why brand search may become the SEO unlock in an AI world
→ The reason he finally launched a website after 4 years of consulting
→ Why posting to the right 500 people beats reaching 50,000 strangers

Memorable Quotes:

• “You can’t capture demand for something that doesn’t exist.”
• “I didn’t have a goal. I just wanted to bring visibility to what we were doing at Sales Hacker.”
• “I’ve never gotten a single client through SEO. Every one of them came from LinkedIn or a referral.”
• “If you're faking your way through content, people will feel it. Just post what you actually think.”
• “The ROI of LinkedIn is insane. It’s the best thing I ever did for my career.”
• “Everybody wants to copy Chris Walker. But the truth is, you can’t copy.”

Tactical Takeaways:
→ Don’t overthink posting—just start and get reps in
→ Repurpose long-form content into LinkedIn posts weekly
→ Avoid gimmicks and comment bait if you want real credibility
→ Track engagement by referrals, DMs, and intros—not just likes
→ Prune your first-degree network to increase signal over noise
→ Use LinkedIn to build leverage, not just to grow a following

People, Tools, and Resources Mentioned:
→ Sales Hacker
→ Nextiva
→ Aura
→ SEMrush
→ ChatGPT
→ Otter.ai
→ Substack

Follow Gaetano DiNardi:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaetanodinardi
• Website:https://cxl.com/

Stay Connected.

Want to connect or share feedback? Brad welcomes connection requests from listeners—reach out on LinkedIn and share your thoughts!

• Brad Zomick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bzomick
• Spectamur website: https://spectamur.com
• LinkedIn Famous LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedinfamous
• Subscribe to LinkedIn Famous on Substack: https://linkedinfamous.substack.com

Kathleen Booth, the CMO of Pavillion, didn’t become one of LinkedIn’s top B2B voices by chasing attention, she earned it by showing up every single day. What started as a year-long experiment turned into speaking gigs, job offers, and eventually a seat in LinkedIn’s official Creator Program. And she did it without pods, hacks, or engagement bait—just honest content, a clear point of view, and relentless consistency.

If you’re a founder, marketer, or exec looking to build long-term credibility without compromising your integrity, this episode is your blueprint.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
→ Why Kathleen started posting daily out of sheer defiance—not strategy
→ How her LinkedIn presence led directly to job offers, clients, and consulting gigs
→ The exact workflow she uses to go from voice note to published post
→ Why she hit a posting slump—and what helped her break out of it
→ How to evolve your content as your role shifts from doer to leader
→ Why she doesn’t chase virality—but still gets 500+ comment posts
→ The underrated power of engaging like a human, not a brand
→ How LinkedIn changed her career (and could change yours too)

Memorable Quotes:
→ “I wasn’t selling a course. I wasn’t trying to build up my resume. I just didn’t want the guys to have all the fun.”
→ “I’m just using ChatGPT to help me write a LinkedIn post. I don’t think I’m out there killing literature.”
→ “There were times when I had a CEO say to me, ‘I’m hiring you because of your LinkedIn presence.’”
→ “It felt weird to post about wins that weren’t mine anymore… that was a shift I had to navigate.”
→ “The content that lands? It usually starts with: ‘If I’m feeling this, then other people must be too.’”
→ “Your edge in an AI-saturated world is original data, a unique POV, and real human connection.”

Tactical Takeaways:
→ Commit to consistent posting—even if you don’t know the end goal
→ Use Otter + ChatGPT to speed up creation without losing your voice
→ Evolve your voice as your role evolves (from “doing” to “observing”)
→ Don’t rely on engagement pods or hacks—build real trust
→ Measure impact in opportunities, not likes
→ Show up for the people who need to see someone like you doing it

People, Tools, and Resources Mentioned:
→ LinkedIn B2B Creator Program
→ Otter.ai
→ ChatGPT
→ Marketing AI Institute

Follow Kathleen Booth:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenbooth
Pavilion: https://www.joinpavilion.com/

Stay Connected.

Want to connect or share feedback? Brad welcomes connection requests from listeners—reach out on LinkedIn and share your thoughts!

• Brad Zomick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bzomick
• Spectamur website: https://spectamur.com
• LinkedIn Famous LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedinfamous
• Subscribe to LinkedIn Famous on Substack: https://linkedinfamous.substack.com

Ryan O’Hara doesn’t sound like anyone else on LinkedIn—and that’s the point. A former sales exec turned creator-founder, Ryan built his brand by doing what most people are too afraid to try: showing up as a full-blown character with jokes, skits, and saxophones.

In this episode, Ryan joins Brad to talk about how he went from cringey outreach videos to viral growth, what creators get wrong about “value,” and why building a memorable presence isn’t about perfection—it’s about consistency, creativity, and tone.

If you're tired of trying to game the algorithm or fake your way to influence, this episode is for you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

→ Why LinkedIn is a stage—not a resume
→ How Ryan creates content while walking 6 miles a day
→ What happened when one of his videos hit 200K+ views in beta
→ The difference between content and media (and why it matters)
→ How Pitch Fire was inspired by steak dinners and Saturday Night Live
→ Why “entertain first, educate later” is his golden rule
→ The easiest way to stand out without fancy equipment
→ What to avoid if you don’t want to look like a LinkedIn clone
→ The power of creating a consistent character online
→ Why familiarity builds faster than virality

Memorable Quotes:

→ “The trick with LinkedIn is you have to build up your character.”
→ “Your content should feel like a show, not just a feed of random posts.”
→ “Most sales content is awful. It’s not made for buyers—it’s made for marketers to feel smart.”
→ “You don’t need gear. You need tone.”
→ “I hate comment farming. It drives me crazy.”

Tactical Takeaways You Can Apply Today:

→ Build a personality, not just a presence
→ Use repeatable formats to simplify content creation
→ Record short videos on the go—no script, no pressure
→ Hook with humor, then teach once you’ve earned attention
→ Post consistently so your audience feels like they know you
→ Avoid comment-bait tactics that dilute your credibility
→ Make content people would actually want to follow

People, Tools & Resources Mentioned:

→ Pitch Fire – Ryan’s video-based sales platform

→ LeadIQ – Where Ryan built his early brand

→ Google Slides – His go-to tool for DIY video content

→ 90s Sitcoms & SNL – The creative influence behind his video style

Follow Ryan O’Hara:

→ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanohara
→ Pitch Fire: https://www.pitchfire.ai

Stay Connected.

Want to connect or share feedback? Brad welcomes connection requests from listeners—reach out on LinkedIn and share your thoughts!

• Brad Zomick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bzomick
• Spectamur website: https://spectamur.com
• LinkedIn Famous LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedinfamous
• Subscribe to LinkedIn Famous on Substack: https://linkedinfamous.substack.com

Mandy McEwen started her career blogging about roofing contractors and hacking SEO in a male-dominated industry. Today, she runs two thriving businesses—Mod Girl Marketing and Luminetics—and is one of LinkedIn’s go-to voices on personal branding, social selling, and scalable content strategy.

In this episode, Mandy sits down with Brad to talk about what it really takes to grow on LinkedIn in 2025. From batching video in a Hawaii Airbnb to converting lurkers with voice notes and comments, Mandy brings battle-tested tactics and unfiltered stories from inside the content trenches.

If you're a founder, consultant, sales pro, or marketer trying to grow a personal brand that actually drives results, this episode is your blueprint.

📚 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

→ Why having 50K followers doesn’t mean the leads come easy
→ The real story behind Mandy’s 4.1M-view viral video
→ How to build a “repurpose-first” content machine
→ Mandy’s 25/25/25 rule for consistent engagement
→ What she regrets about her early LinkedIn outreach
→ How she blends SEO, AI, and social to scale brand reach
→ Why commenting > posting when you’re just starting out
→ How her donut-vaccine poll backfired during COVID
→ The underrated ROI of silent lurkers and profile views
→ Why she’s done chasing impressions—and focused on outcomes

💬 Memorable Quotes:

→ “Most prospects are lurkers.”
→ “I batch content. I’m not creating one video a day—I can’t do that.”
→ “Don’t get caught up in likes and impressions. It’ll drive you crazy.”
→ “Show your personality. Make yourself look like you know what the hell you’re talking about.”
→ “People think I get loads of inbound leads… that’s not true.”

🔧 Tactical Takeaways You Can Apply Today:

✅ Use the 25/25/25 rule: 25 DMs, 25 comments, 25 connection requests per week
✅ Repurpose top-performing content before creating anything new
✅ Batch-create video content and stretch it across months and platforms
✅ Watch your profile views—they’re often better signals than likes
✅ Focus on warm touchpoints: voice notes, video DMs, and personalized outreach

🧰 People, Tools, and Resources Mentioned:

→ Mod Girl Marketing
→ Luminetics
→ Veed for video editing
→ Sales Navigator for comment targeting
→ Aware App for LinkedIn analytics
→ AI Profile Builder & Post Writer (launching soon on GoLumi)

👋 Follow Mandy McEwen:

→ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandymcewen
→ Website: https://golumi.io

Stay Connected.

Want to connect or share feedback? Brad welcomes connection requests from listeners—reach out on LinkedIn and share your thoughts!

• Brad Zomick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bzomick
• Spectamur website: https://spectamur.com
• LinkedIn Famous LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedinfamous
• Subscribe to LinkedIn Famous on Substack: https://linkedinfamous.substack.com

Nick Bennett didn’t start posting on LinkedIn to become an influencer—he started because his boss offered a spiff. Fast forward five years, and he’s built a highly engaged audience, landed a book deal in his DMs, and co-founded a 7-figure go-to-market advisory… all without ever using a content calendar.

In this episode, Nick joins Brad Zomick to break down what it actually takes to build a LinkedIn presence that opens doors, drives revenue, and outlasts algorithm shifts. From posting with fat thumbs to getting paid by ZoomInfo and Google, Nick shares the raw, behind-the-scenes reality of going from lurker to LinkedIn leader—without selling your soul.

Whether you’re a founder, solo creator, or brand-side marketer, this one’s a blueprint for building something real on the internet’s most business-card-shaped platform.

📚 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

→ Why Nick posted for six months without getting a single like—and why that was a good thing
→ The moment a cold LinkedIn DM turned into a book deal
→ How he built a business and a brand without “optimizing for engagement”
→ Why most B2B influencer campaigns fail before they start
→ What makes someone worth partnering with as a creator
→ Why Nick turned down one-off deals in favor of long-term collabs
→ His take on growth hacks, ghostwriting, and the cringe side of creator life
→ What he’d do differently if he had to start his LinkedIn journey today
→ How LinkedIn replaced his resume—and changed the trajectory of his career
→ Why creator-driven GTM is the future of B2B marketing

💬 Memorable Quotes:

→ “I haven’t used a resume in like five years. I’ve gotten jobs created for me.”
→ “I can write a post in five minutes. Half the time I don’t even proofread it.”
→ “If your brand’s whole strategy is one LinkedIn post, you don’t have a strategy.”
→ “There’s always going to be haters. But don’t let that stop you from showing up.”
→ “I’m not an influencer. I’m a creator with an engaged audience.”

🔧 Tactical Takeaways You Can Apply Today:

→ Post 2–3x a week about what you actually do—not what you think people want to hear
→ Treat comments and DMs as your most valuable engagement—not likes
→ Skip the pods and hacks—just be consistent, useful, and real
→ Track the ROI of your content by mapping it to pipeline, not vanity metrics
→ Focus on long-term relationships, not short-term brand deals
→ Post like a person, not a marketer—your imperfections are your differentiator
→ Use LinkedIn as a strategic channel—not just a soapbox
→ Build a presence before you need it—your future self will thank you

🧰 People, Tools, and Resources Mentioned:

→ B2B Influencer Marketing (Nick’s book, published by Kogan Page)
→ TACK (Nick’s go-to-market consultancy)
→ ZoomInfo, Google Cloud, Common Room (brands Nick has partnered with)
→ AuthoredUp, Clay, Limelight (tools discussed for creator workflows)

👋 Follow Nick Bennett:

→ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nbennett615
→ TACK Website: https://www.tackgtm.com/

Stay Connected.

Want to connect or share feedback? Brad welcomes connection requests from listeners—reach out on LinkedIn and share your thoughts!

• Brad Zomick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bzomick
• Spectamur website: https://spectamur.com
• LinkedIn Famous LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedinfamous
• Subscribe to LinkedIn Famous on Substack:

Alina Vandenberghe didn’t set out to build a LinkedIn presence. She was a technical founder, a product builder, and (in her own words) “the geek with no friends.” But today, she’s one of the most recognizable and unfiltered founder voices on the platform—and her content has helped grow Chili Piper into a category-defining company.

In this episode, Alina joins host Brad Zomick to unpack the emotional, messy, and surprisingly strategic reality of building a personal brand on LinkedIn. From posting through grief during the Ukraine war to tracking revenue tied directly to her posts, Alina shares how honesty—not optimization—became her growth engine.

Whether you’re a founder afraid to show up online or a marketing leader trying to get your execs to post, this episode is your blueprint for cutting through the noise with content that actually connects.

📚 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How a global crisis launched Alina’s LinkedIn journey overnight
• Why “writing to your past self” is the ultimate content strategy
• The surprising ROI of being raw, emotional, and imperfect online
• Why she rejects batching, ghostwriting, and over-polished content
• How she built a demand gen flywheel through founder-led content
• What happened when her political posts sparked internal pushback
• The moment LinkedIn stopped being scary—and started feeling like home
• How she connects engagement data to open pipeline in Salesforce
• Why she only spends 30 minutes a day on the platform
• The reason she believes silence can be more damaging than posting
  
  

💬 Memorable Quotes:

“I post to learn. Not to teach. Not to perform. To learn with my audience.”

“My team tracked it—49% of open opportunities had someone who engaged with my LinkedIn.”

“I felt guilty when I stayed silent. If I only post about wins, I’m doing my audience an injustice.”

“It started with rage. I didn’t care if it was strategic. I needed to be useful.”

“If I don’t post what’s alive inside of me, I lose my edge. That’s what makes me, me.”

🔧 Tactical Takeaways You Can Apply Today:

✅ Start posting before you feel ready—your fear fades after your first few reps
✅ Don’t plan to go viral. Post what’s emotionally real right now
✅ Write to a past version of yourself—it keeps your voice focused and human
✅ Track who’s engaging with your posts—and map it to pipeline
✅ Don’t worry about perfection. Imperfect posts often perform better
✅ Post even when it feels raw, controversial, or unpolished
✅ Limit your LinkedIn time to 30 minutes/day to stay consistent
✅ Use comment sections to deepen relationships and create community
✅ Own your voice—even if people inside your company disagree with it
✅ See LinkedIn as an emotional outlet, not just a marketing tool

🧰 People, Tools & Resources Mentioned:

• Chili Piper – Alina’s company
• Notes app – Her go-to content capture tool
• Salesforce – Where Chili Piper tracks influence from LinkedIn engagement.

Follow Guest:

• Alina Vandenberghe on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinav/
• Chili Piper Website → https://www.chilipiper.com/

Stay Connected.

Want to connect or share feedback? Brad welcomes connection requests from listeners—reach out on LinkedIn and share your thoughts!

• Brad Zomick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bzomick
• Spectamur website: https://spectamur.com
• LinkedIn Famous LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedinfamous<

Alex Boyd is not just a LinkedIn power user—he's building tools to support the modern creator economy on the platform. In this episode, Alex joins Brad Zomick to unpack how he transitioned from sales to running an SEO agency to launching Aware, a tool that helps creators and brands scale their engagement by solving the broken comment experience on LinkedIn.

Alex doesn’t hold back. He shares unfiltered insights on why commenting outperforms posting, how to rebrand yourself in public, and the real systems behind consistent content creation. Whether you're a founder, executive, or creator—this episode is a blueprint for making LinkedIn your highest-ROI channel.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. Why LinkedIn comments are a bigger growth lever than posts
2. How to rebrand yourself by simply showing up differently
3. The inspiration and product-market fit behind launching Aware
4. Alex’s lightweight, repeatable content creation system
5. Why “half-baked ideas” outperform polished thought leadership
6. How LinkedIn drove millions in revenue and product direction
7. The philosophy behind participation > publishing
8. How custom GPT models and tools can scale your personal brand
9. Predictions on LinkedIn's future and the rise of creator infrastructure
10. Why treating LinkedIn like infrastructure—not media—is the winning mindset
    
    

Memorable Quotes:

“More of my profile’s appearances across LinkedIn are from my comments than from my posts.”

“You can just say, ‘Dear LinkedIn, I am something else now’—and if you say it for three months, it becomes true.”

“Most creators don’t have a content problem. They have a workflow problem.”

“People can learn a ton from half-baked ideas, works in progress, and learnings from failed experiments.”

“All functions of the business grew because of LinkedIn. I can’t be grateful enough for it.”

Tactical Takeaways You Can Apply Today:

• Post about your evolving identity consistently to reposition your brand
• Dedicate time daily to commenting on content your target audience sees
• Build a simple content workflow: bullet points → rough drafts → polished posts
• Don’t wait to go viral—be helpful and visible instead
• Share unpolished or “in-progress” ideas to foster authentic conversation
• Use metrics like profile views and DMs—not just likes—to track ROI
• Train a GPT model on your posts for scalable voice-consistent content
• Treat LinkedIn as a strategic business channel, not a side hustle
• Use commenting tools like Aware to manage your engagement workflow
• Focus on participation over perfection—show up, reply, connect

People, Tools, and Resources Mentioned:

• Aware – LinkedIn engagement tracking and comment surfacing tool
• RevenueZen – Alex’s former SEO and demand gen agency
• The State of LinkedIn Report – A 50-page research report by Aware
• ChatGPT + AI LLMs – Used for voice modeling and content ideation
• Modern Sales Pros, Sales Hacker – Where Alex was recognized as a top leader
• LinkedIn’s comment UX – Pain point that sparked the idea for Aware

Follow Guest:

• Alex Boyd on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexlboyd
  
  
• Aware Website → https://useaware.co

Stay Connected.

Want to connect or share feedback? Brad welcomes connection requests from listeners—reach out on LinkedIn and share your thoughts!

• Brad Zomick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bzomick
• Spectamur website: https://spectamur.com
• LinkedIn Famou

In just over a year, Becca Chambers exploded from 4,000 to 60,000+ followers and became one of the most engaging creators on LinkedIn—with a viral post that pulled in over 17 million impressions in a single week. But her rise wasn’t just about luck or timing—it was about saying the things others wouldn’t, showing up vulnerably, and turning her neurodivergence into a creative asset.

In this episode, Becca opens up about what it really takes to grow fast on LinkedIn, how ADHD impacts her process, why masking is a survival tool, and how her viral moment wasn’t part of some grand strategy—but a two-second post that just hit a nerve.

📚 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How Becca grew from 4K to 60K+ followers in one year
• The story behind her 17M-impression viral post
• How ADHD and neurodivergence influence her content creation
• What “masking” looks like in the professional world
• Why being an introvert doesn't disqualify you from being visible
• The exact moment she knew LinkedIn would change her career
• Her raw, chaotic approach to ideation and posting
• How to use storytelling to shape your professional narrative
• Her advice to people afraid of being “cringe” on LinkedIn
• Why personal brand matters more than ever in the AI era

💬 Memorable Quotes:

• “People assume I’m an extrovert. I’m not. I’m just really good at pretending to be one.”
• “All the stuff people feel when they start posting? I feel that too. I just do it anyway.”
• “I didn’t have a content strategy. I had ADHD and opinions.”
• “That viral post? It wasn’t even strategic. I just said the quiet part out loud.
• “If you’re not telling your story, someone else is shaping it for you.”

🔧 Tactical Takeaways You Can Apply Today:

• Use your discomfort as fuel—posting doesn’t feel natural for most people at first
• Write posts to your past self—if it helped you, it will help others
• Capture ideas the moment they come, even in the shower
• Authenticity > perfection. Raw, real posts win attention
• Don’t wait until you have it “figured out”—start posting and iterate
• Say the quiet part out loud—unspoken truths resonate deeply
• Use LinkedIn as a personal PR engine: it beats any keynote stage
• Being vulnerable is not weakness; it’s your brand differentiator
• Build your personal brand before you need it
• Don’t confuse visibility with vanity—it’s a business tool
  
  

🧰 People, Tools, and Resources Mentioned:

• Favicon (influencer ranking tool)
• ADHD and masking in neurodivergent professionals
• beccachambers.com / beccahasadhd.com
• Schitt’s Creek GIFs, used frequently in her posts
• LinkedIn content hooks and authenticity-first strategy

Follow Becca Chambers:

→ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beccapchambers/

→ Becca’s website: www.beccahasadhd.com
→ Under Embargo podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_WZuf1G-14j0vmCR2KDAGg

Stay Connected.

Want to connect or share feedback? Brad welcomes connection requests from listeners—reach out on LinkedIn and share your thoughts!

• Brad Zomick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bzomick
• Spectamur website: https://spectamur.com
• LinkedIn Famous LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedinfamous
• Subscribe to LinkedIn Famous on Substack: https://linkedin