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Overview

On this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, John Jantsch interviews Lorenzo Johnson, Director of Revenue Management and partner at Socially In, a leading US‑based social media agency. As a LinkedIn Learning instructor and expert in B2B social selling, Lorenzo unpacks what’s changed on LinkedIn heading into 2026: from the rise of video and carousel posts to algorithm shifts, authentic engagement, and practical uses of AI. Discover how to optimize your profile, build real relationships, and avoid the common pitfalls that hold most sellers and brands back on LinkedIn today.

About the Guest

Lorenzo Johnson is the Director of Revenue Management and a partner at Socially In. He’s a B2B social‑selling strategist, LinkedIn Learning instructor, and content creator for Madcraft. Lorenzo has helped thousands of professionals and organizations drive revenue on LinkedIn through practical, authentic, and modern tactics.

• LinkedIn: Lorenzo Johnson

• Agency: sociallyin.com

Actionable Insights

• Video and carousel posts are the best way to stand out from the flood of average AI‑generated content on LinkedIn in 2026.

• Social search is merging with traditional search—hashtags, long‑form posts, and engagement matter for discoverability on and off LinkedIn.

• Your Social Selling Index (SSI) score is built on four pillars: building your brand, finding the right people, engaging with insights, and building trusted relationships.

• LinkedIn’s algorithm penalizes mass outreach, low‑quality networks, and shallow engagement—focus on quality over quantity.

• Use all profile features (professional mode, microsites, newsletters) to get more algorithmic “love.”

• Social selling is a long game: expect 300+ days from first connection to closed deal if you’re doing it right.

• Automation and AI can help with research, outreach, and follow‑up, but don’t shortcut real engagement—be careful with scraping and gray‑hat tools.

• Measure success by impressions, views, and engagement rate—not just meetings booked or sales closed.

• Quality engagement, DMs, and real conversation trump cold outreach every time.

Great Moments (with Timestamps)

• 01:11 – LinkedIn’s 2026 Landscape – Always Engine Optimization (AEO), search integration, and the new content game.

• 02:52 – How to Beat the AI Flood – Why video, carousels, and true insights win over “prompted” content.

• 04:40 – The Four Pillars of LinkedIn Success – SSI explained: brand, audience, insights, and trusted relationships.

• 08:06 – Tools & Features for a Strong Profile – Why professional mode and new features matter for reach.

• 10:16 – Relationship Building, Not Just Outreach – Why real engagement is the only way to win in social selling.

• 12:57 – Where AI and Automation Help (and Hurt) – Tools for scale vs. the risk of bans, and finding the “gray hat” balance.

• 19:22 – What Metrics Matter Most – How to track what’s really working in your social selling strategy.

Insights

“If you approach LinkedIn for quick wins, you’re playing the wrong game—social selling is about long‑term relationship building.”

“Use every feature LinkedIn offers—profiles that leverage newsletters, video, and professional mode get algorithmic priority.”

“The best outreach is rooted in value: personalized video, insightful comments, and real conversation—not mass DMs.”

“Quality impressions and engagement are leading indicators of future sales—don’t just measure meetings or bookings.”

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Transcript

John Jantsch (00:00.11)

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast. This is John Jantsch. My guest today is Lorenzo Johnson. He's the Director of Revenue Management and a partner at Socially In, a leading US social media agency. He's a specialist in social selling, helping B2B professionals and SMEs leverage LinkedIn to drive revenue. As a content creator for Madcraft and an instructor on LinkedIn Learning, Lorenzo teaches thousands worldwide.

Lorenzo Johnson (00:33.467)

Appreciate you and thanks for having me today, John. I'm very, very excited to be here.

John Jantsch (00:37.76)

Awesome. So did I say the name right—Socially In? I had to kind of stumble over that. There's a lot of letters together.

Lorenzo Johnson (00:40.857)

You did. No, you said it correctly. You said it better than a lot of people when they call us and they say “social lion” and other things like that. So you hit it right on the head, John.

John Jantsch (00:50.345)

Awesome. So let's start. We're going to talk mostly about LinkedIn today. So let's set the table going into 2026, which we're there. What's changed? What do we need to pay attention to? What's gotten worse or better? Just give us the lay of the land for 2026 on LinkedIn.

Lorenzo Johnson (00:52.507)

Yes, sir.

Lorenzo Johnson (01:11.483)

Well, there are a few things happening on LinkedIn that I think everyone should be excited about, not necessarily fearful about, but absolutely kind of thinking about what they're going to be shifting and changing. One of the biggest things is this term AEO—Always Engine Optimization, or Always Everywhere Optimization. You’re hearing all of these different names, and LinkedIn is actually one of those social platforms that’s also starting to be incorporated a little bit more into that. Content is starting to be indexed when you get into search inquiries and queries. Technical things like leveraging hashtags are also showing up in search functions on Google and other platforms.

The first thing you’re seeing is that, like all social, you’re starting to see integration between social search and traditional search. Those avenues that used to be very separate are now working together. Long‑form content and thought‑leadership pieces that used to be strong on LinkedIn got watered down when ChatGPT made everyone an “expert” overnight, but we’re starting to see that quality content come back.

John Jantsch (02:40.96)

All right, so let’s dive into that flood of very average AI content. How does somebody take their content and make it stand out?

Lorenzo Johnson (02:52.505)

One of the biggest things is video content. Video can’t be crafted just with words; it lets people see your voice and personality. Carousel posts are another format that keeps people on a post longer, similar to video.

John Jantsch (02:55.438)

Yeah.

Lorenzo Johnson (03:20.707)

Both video and carousels have a big impact. Of course, AI can be used to script videos, but the genuine human element still wins. Video is by far the best way to position yourself as a thought leader and separate yourself from the “newsletter‑style” posts that are clearly generated by a prompt.

John Jantsch (03:58.35)

I’m actually using an AI avatar for this interview. I’ve had people ask me to be interviewed by an AI avatar, but I haven’t done it yet—it feels too experimental.

Lorenzo Johnson (04:02.715)

It’ll get there soon.

John Jantsch (04:26.85)

I was going to say, a lot of people look at LinkedIn and wonder, “What am I going to post?” That’s how the day starts. Let’s talk about a LinkedIn blueprint and unpack the pillars.

Lorenzo Johnson (04:40.355)

There are essentially four pillars that LinkedIn uses to define if a profile is being…

(The conversation continues, covering the four pillars, profile features, relationship building, AI tools, and metrics.)

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