Five practical ways to turn everyday professional judgement and existing work into evidence others can assess.
You use your expertise every day, but how much of it can someone see when they look you up? A job title, a list of services and years of experience provide context. Someone considering your work also needs examples that show how you think and what you contribute.
In this episode of The Visibility Advantage, LinkedIn® strategist Lynnaire Johnston shares five practical ways to demonstrate expertise using questions, decisions and work you already have. The episode is for professionals and business owners who want their value to be easier to understand without adding an overwhelming content workload.
Drawing on her own work, including two assessments of Out There Branding’s Company Page, Lynnaire explains how to connect a clear professional description with evidence that supports it. You’ll hear how a question can reveal judgement, why explaining a decision matters and how a useful resource can demonstrate your approach. You’ll also learn how to describe outcomes accurately and make your strongest evidence easier to find. The starting point is manageable: choose one area of expertise and one example that supports it.
Five key takeaways
Chapters
2:43 – Choose the expertise you want recognized
4:10 – Answer a question using your judgement
6:48 – Explain a decision
9:21 – Show a useful piece of work
11:49 – Describe your contribution and what changed
15:55 – Make your evidence easy to find
18:21 – Choose one thing to do next
In this episode
The episode begins with a question about relevance: what expertise do you want another person to recognise? A long career can produce many examples, but the most useful evidence supports the work or opportunities you want now. A clear description gives someone a starting point; a specific example helps them assess your contribution.
The first approach starts with a question you regularly answer. Lynnaire uses the choice between LinkedIn articles and posts to illustrate how the purpose and substance of the communication inform the recommendation. Explaining what you consider before answering gives people a way to understand your judgement and make a better decision themselves.
The second approach examines decisions. The options you considered, the compromise you accepted or the reason you changed earlier advice can reveal expertise that a finished recommendation conceals. Lynnaire discusses revising her advice on video format as feed presentation changed. The point is to explain the context behind advice and when it needs reviewing.
The third approach involves sharing a useful piece of work. A checklist, framework, annotated extract or part of an assessment can demonstrate your approach when accompanied by a clear explanation. Lynnaire uses the Link∙Ability Authority Audit as an example of turning a strategic question into something a professional can examine for themselves.
The fourth approach uses the problem, contribution and change as the structure for a concrete example. Out There Branding’s July assessment found that its content communicated a more focused strategic approach than its formal Company Page description. By September, the banner, tagline and Overview were clearer and more consistent. The next recommendation was to broaden the evidence published directly by the business, alongside material shared from founder Roy Kowarski. The documented improvement concerns positioning and communication; the assessments do not establish increased sales or enquiries.
The fifth approach considers how easily someone can find the evidence. Relevant examples can have a deliberate place in Featured, Experience or a website. Specific recommendations can also provide useful context about your contribution. The episode closes with a small next step: identify one area you want to be known for, find an existing example and explain what it demonstrates.
Put one idea into practice
Start with something you have already done. Write down a question you answered this week, a recommendation you made or a resource you use to clarify a problem. Identify the part that reveals your judgement, then explain it in language someone outside the project can understand.
Before sharing, check that the example supports your current direction and that you have the right to publish it. Remove confidential material, make hypothetical illustrations clear and describe other people’s contributions accurately. If the outcome is qualitative, explain the observable change. There is no need to invent a number to make the example worthwhile.
Give the example an appropriate home and enough context for its value to be understood. You can begin with one item rather than attempting all five approaches at once.
Resources mentioned
Link∙Ability Authority Audit
A practical diagnostic for examining whether the evidence attached to your name supports the expertise you claim and the opportunities you want. Use it alongside this episode to review your existing evidence and choose a useful next step.
linkability.biz/linkability-authority-audit
Out There Branding
The episode mentions Link∙Ability’s LinkedIn Company Page assessments. The example of Australian exhibition company Out There Branding shows how clearer positioning and stronger evidence can be separate stages of improvement.
linkedin.com/company/out-there-branding/
About Lynnaire Johnston
Lynnaire Johnston is a LinkedIn strategist and founder of Link∙Ability. She works with professionals and organisations to make their expertise clearer and easier to discover on LinkedIn and through AI. She hosts The Visibility Advantage podcast and is the author of Link∙Ability and co-author of Business Gold. Her work includes profile positioning, coaching, training and Company Page assessments.
Explore more from Link•Ability
Find podcast episodes, practical LinkedIn® and AI guidance, videos, articles, books and Link•Ability guides – all in one place: linkability.biz/about-us/resources
