Episode Overview

In this episode of It's A Yes! Making It In Media, Jo Wood and Debra Sharron explore how LinkedIn has evolved from optional to essential—especially in a post-pandemic world where it's become the go-to place for creating connections. With over two billion accounts and only 1% of users actually posting content, there's a massive opportunity to stand out if you know what you're doing.

Jo and Debra break down the fundamentals: why your profile picture matters more than you think, how to write connection requests that actually get accepted (hint: make it about them, not you), and whether you should use that green "open to work" circle. They explore the polarising debate about how personal versus professional LinkedIn should be, the mysterious algorithm that rewards engagement 15 minutes before and after you post, and why video content gets 20 times the engagement of written posts—even when you hate the sound of your own voice.

Listener questions come from Liam, who's updating his profile for job hunting, and Maya, who posts regularly but gets barely any engagement. Plus, industry expert Chris Turner-Green (Technology Advice) shares how his team turns LinkedIn connections into real sales conversations by adding value in every message, comment, and opinion—not just pitching.

Whether you're using LinkedIn to land your next role or generate new business, this episode delivers the strategies, tools, and mindset shifts you need to go from zero to hero.

What This Episode Covers

• How LinkedIn went from "what do I need that for?" to impossible to live without
• Why LinkedIn is the only major player in its space—and what that means for users
• The commercial vs. personal debate: finding the right balance for your brand
• Why posts with your photo outperform other content types (even if you hate looking at yourself)
• Social Selling Index (SSI) scores: measuring your LinkedIn proficiency against your sector
• The algorithm mystery: engaging 15 minutes before and after you post for maximum reach
• The green "open to work" circle: why it's a no-brainer if you need a job
• Why only 1% of LinkedIn users actually create content—and how that sets you apart
• Video gets 20x the engagement of written posts (but it takes you out of your comfort zone)
• Connection requests: the art of flattering without full-blown pitching
• The power of "you" in sales communication: flipping the script from me to you
• The LinkedIn police: what happens when you connect with too many third-degree contacts
• Top tips for job hunters: profile pictures, correlating CV dates, skills, achievements, and recommendations

Guest Expert

Chris Turner-Green — MD at Technology Advice

Chris explains how his team turns LinkedIn connections into real sales conversations by becoming "LinkedIn warriors" who add value in every message rather than just pitching.

YES List

Atomic Habits — James Clear

Debra recommends this Sunday Times bestseller as potentially the most important book for your media sales career. Clear's premise: tiny changes lead to remarkable results. Instead of "I need to completely overhaul my prospecting," you might start with "I'll make three new LinkedIn connections every morning." That's manageable, but over a year, that's 750+ new connections. Her favourite concept is habit stacking—linking new habits to existing ones, like "After I finish my morning coffee, I'll review my pipeline for 10 minutes."

Top takeout: Stop relying on motivation and start building systems. Identify one small habit you can do consistently—prospecting, follow-ups, LinkedIn engagement—and make it automatic. Small habits compound into big results.

More here: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits

Get In Touch

Send your questions to hello@makingitinmedia.com

Upcoming Workshops

Debra runs live, interactive online media sales training workshops focused on building commercial confidence and capability, including how to use LinkedIn effectively for business development.

Details of upcoming sessions can be found here: https://makingitinmedia.com/sales-training-courses/

Subscribe & Share

Follow the show for conversations about building a career in media, and share this episode with someone navigating the recruitment process or looking to sharpen their personal brand.

More from Jo & Debra

• Subscribe to Jo and Debra’s newsletter, to get your FREE guide to the Top Media Sales Tips for 2026
• Join one of Debra’s upcoming media sales workshops
• Follow Jo on LinkedIn here
• Follow Debra on LinkedIn here

About the Hosts

It’s A Yes! Making It In Media is hosted by Jo Wood and Debra Sharron.

Jo is Managing Director of The Media Exchange, a specialist media recruitment consultancy working closely with candidates and employers across the industry.

Debra is founder of Media Sales Training, where she designs and delivers training for media sales teams, supporting professionals at every stage of their careers.

Together, they combine recruitment insight and sales expertise shaped by decades of experience inside the media industry.

Disclaimer: The views shared on this podcast are for general information only and reflect personal experience. They should not be taken as specific career, legal or financial advice.

Episode Overview

In this episode of It's A Yes! Making It In Media, Jo Wood and Debra Sharron explore the rapid rise of AI in media sales and recruitment. With 68% of UK businesses now using AI in their screening processes and 55% of sales professionals using it to write emails, the landscape has transformed dramatically since November 2022—and not everyone is using it well.

Jo and Debra tackle the reality of "AI slop"—generic, robotic content that screams chatbot—and share how to customise AI tools to sound authentically like you. From creating personas and refining prompts to spotting the telltale signs of AI-generated content, they reveal practical strategies for making AI work for you rather than replacing you.

Listener questions come from Paul, who's frustrated that his AI-written emails sound generic, Chloe, who wants to know which AI tools to learn before her next interview, and Raj, who's worried about job security in the age of AI. Three industry experts join the conversation: Claire Kearney (News UK) on AI proficiency and attitude, Josh Barnett (Lumen Research) on why effective communication matters more than ever, and Chris Turner-Green (Technology Advice) on the AI workflows that actually enhance B2B selling.

What This Episode Covers

1. The shocking speed of AI adoption: 68% of UK businesses using it for recruitment screening
2. Spotting AI-generated content: American spelling, emojis, capital letters, and em dashes
3. Creating AI personas: teaching your chatbot to write like you with tone, style, and voice
4. The art of prompt engineering: why clarity in instructions determines quality of output
5. AI hallucinations: why you can't trust everything AI tells you without critical thinking
6. How AI is impacting recruitment processes
7. AI-accelerated, people-powered: using AI to save time, not replace human connection
8. Account research acceleration: reducing half-day research to 3-4 minutes
9. Call recording and AI summaries: never missing a follow-up action again
10. Why Gen Z needs to practice face-to-face communication more than any previous generation

Get In Touch

If there's a media career question, challenge or experience you'd like us to explore, email hello@makingitinmedia.com

Upcoming Workshops

Debra runs live, interactive online media sales training workshops focused on building commercial confidence and capability, including how to use AI effectively without losing your human touch.

Details of upcoming sessions can be found here: https://makingitinmedia.com/sales-training-courses/

Subscribe & Share

Follow the show for conversations about building a career in media, and share this episode with someone who's navigating the AI revolution in sales or recruitment.

More from Jo & Debra

1. Subscribe to Jo and Debra’s newsletter, to get your FREE guide to the Top Media Sales Tips for 2026
2. Join one of Debra’s upcoming media sales workshops
3. Follow Jo on LinkedIn here
4. Follow Debra on LinkedIn here

About the Hosts

It’s A Yes! Making It In Media is hosted by Jo Wood and Debra Sharron.

Jo is Managing Director of The Media Exchange, a specialist media recruitment consultancy working closely with candidates and employers across the industry.

Debra is founder of Media Sales Training, where she designs and delivers training for media sales teams, supporting professionals at every stage of their careers.

Together, they combine recruitment insight and sales expertise shaped by decades of experience inside the media industry.

Disclaimer: The views shared on this podcast are for general information only and reflect personal experience. They should not be taken as specific career, legal or financial advice.

Episode Overview

In this episode of It's A Yes! Making It In Media, Jo Wood and Debra Sharron tackle one of the most crucial skills in media sales and recruitment: negotiation. The moment a client asks "can you do it for less?" determines whether you're seen as a partner or just another vendor. How you negotiate shapes your entire relationship—and of course, your income.

Jo and Debra explore why some people relish negotiation while others find it vulgar and avoid it entirely. They break down the two essential stages of any negotiation: preparation (knowing your like, intend, and must outcomes) and execution (having the skills to pace the conversation while building credibility). From salary negotiations to handling steep discount requests, they reveal the strategies that separate average closers from top billers.

Listener questions come from Josh, who's negotiating for the top end of a salary band, and Sophie, whose client loves the proposal but wants a 30% discount. Jo and Debra provide practical frameworks including the "value menu" approach—a creative alternative to caving on price. Plus, three industry experts share their takes: Emma Cranston (The Ozone Project), Steve Filler (ShowHeroes), and Rimi Atwell (Netmums) on what agencies respect, how to avoid racing to the bottom, and holding your nerve when clients push back.

What This Episode Covers

1. Cultural taboos around discussing money—and why salespeople hide behind email
2. How to pitch for the top end of a salary band without pricing yourself out
3. The value menu approach: adding value instead of dropping price
4. Why face-to-face negotiation is more powerful than email back-and-forth
5. The "one shot" theory: why you might only get one chance at the pitch
6. Trial closing in the first conversation—don't wait for a follow-up that may never come
7. What agencies respect in negotiation (integrity, bespoke responses, collaboration)
8. How to avoid a race to the bottom on CPMs when selling challenger solutions
9. Taking a beat: why pausing before responding gives you control

The YES List

Dragon's Den — Series 22, Episode 12 (BBC iPlayer)

Debra recommends this specific episode featuring an entrepreneur who handles objections from five incredibly tough investors simultaneously.

Watch here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001w0z0/dragons-den-series-22-episode-12

Get In Touch

If there's a media career question, challenge or experience you'd like us to explore, email hello@makingitinmedia.com

Upcoming Workshops

Debra runs live, interactive online media sales training workshops focused on building commercial confidence and capability, including negotiation skills.

Details of upcoming sessions can be found here: https://makingitinmedia.com/sales-training-courses/

Subscribe & Share

Follow the show for conversations about building a career in media, and share this episode with someone who needs to hold their ground in tough negotiations.

More from Jo & Debra

1. Subscribe to Jo and Debra’s newsletter, to get your FREE guide to the Top Media Sales Tips for 2026
2. Join one of Debra’s upcoming media sales workshops
3. Follow Jo on LinkedIn here
4. Follow Debra on LinkedIn here

About the Hosts

It’s A Yes! Making It In Media is hosted by Jo Wood and Debra Sharron.

Jo is Managing Director of The Media Exchange, a specialist media recruitment consultancy working closely with candidates and employers across the industry.

Debra is founder of Media Sales Training, where she designs and delivers training for media sales teams, supporting professionals at every stage of their careers.

Together, they combine recruitment insight and sales expertise shaped by decades of experience inside the media industry.

Disclaimer: The views shared on this podcast are for general information only and reflect personal experience. They should not be taken as specific career, legal or financial advice.

Episode Overview

In this episode of It's A Yes! Making It In Media, Jo Wood and Debra Sharron tackle one of the most frustrating experiences in both sales and recruitment: ghosting. Whether you've had a brilliant pitch meeting followed by radio silence, or you've sailed through three interview rounds only to be left hanging, ghosting is a demotivating reality that over half of UK employers admit to doing.

Jo and Debra decode what silence actually means—from "I'm too busy" to "I'm avoiding an awkward no" to "this was never happening." They share practical strategies for preventing ghosting before it happens, including next-step hygiene, trial closing techniques, and multi-channel follow-up approaches. You'll learn when persistence pays off and when it's time to walk away with dignity.

Listener questions tackle real scenarios: Tom's been waiting five weeks after three promising interviews, James has been ghosted after sending a detailed proposal, and Mel struggles with closing in person versus on video calls. Jo and Debra provide actionable scripts, timing guidance, and the all-important buying signals you need to recognize before you waste time on proposals that go nowhere.

What This Episode Covers

1. Why over 50% of UK employers admit to ghosting candidates—and why silence isn't always personal
2. The three types of silence: genuinely busy, avoiding confrontation, or never happening
3. Next-step hygiene: how to build accountability into every meeting or call
4. Trial closing techniques that reveal true interest before you invest time in proposals
5. Multi-channel follow-up strategies—why WhatsApp often gets the fastest response
6. The "if they wanted to, they would" rule and when to walk away
7. Recognising buying signals: what they are and how to respond immediately
8. Why you should never offer to "send an email and call back" without locking in next steps
9. How to ask for commitment to a follow-up meeting before writing any proposal
10. Video vs. in-person closing—and why Mel closes better on calls
11. Professional etiquette: remembering how ghosting feels when you're on the other side

YES List

The Challenger Sale — Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson

Debra recommends this game-changing book that revolutionized her approach to selling and training business development teams. The research is fascinating: the authors studied thousands of sales reps and found that in complex B2B sales, one type dramatically outperformed all the others—the Challenger. Challengers teach clients something new about their own business, tailor their message to each stakeholder, and aren't afraid to challenge the client's thinking. This was transformational because the best salespeople create constructive tension. They bring insights clients haven't considered. It's not about being aggressive—it's about being assertively helpful.

Top takeout: Come to every client meeting with a tailored insight about the client's business or market, not just your solutions. Teach them something they don't know about their customers, competitors, or industry trends. That's what transforms you from vendor to trusted advisor.

More here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/205086/the-challenger-sale-by-matthew-dixon-and-brent-adamson/

Get In Touch

If there's a media career question, challenge or experience you'd like us to explore, email hello@makingitinmedia.com

Upcoming Workshops

Ghosting Power Hour — 27th February 2026

Debra is running a live, interactive Ghosting Power Hour on 27th February focused on mastering follow-up strategies, reading buying signals, and knowing when to walk away. Get practical scripts and techniques you can use immediately.

Register here: https://makingitinmedia.com/sales-training-courses/

Debra also runs regular online media sales training workshops focused on building commercial confidence and capability. Details of all upcoming sessions can be found at the link above.

Subscribe & Share

Follow the show for conversations about building a career in media, and share this episode with someone who's been left on read or needs help navigating the ghosting game.

More from Jo & Debra

1. Subscribe to Jo and Debra’s newsletter, to get your FREE guide to the Top Media Sales Tips for 2026
2. Join one of Debra’s upcoming media sales workshops
3. Follow Jo on LinkedIn here
4. Follow Debra on LinkedIn here

About the Hosts

It’s A Yes! Making It In Media is hosted by Jo Wood and Debra Sharron.

Jo is Managing Director of The Media Exchange, a specialist media recruitment consultancy working closely with candidates and employers across the industry.

Debra is founder of Media Sales Training, where she designs and delivers training for media sales teams, supporting professionals at every stage of their careers.

Together, they combine recruitment insight and sales expertise shaped by decades of experience inside the media industry.

Disclaimer: The views shared on this podcast are for general information only and reflect personal experience. They should not be taken as specific career, legal or financial advice.

Episode Overview

In this episode of It's A Yes! Making It In Media, Jo Wood and Debra Sharron tackle one of the biggest questions facing media professionals: should you stay in your current role, look for internal opportunities, or make a move to a new company?

Despite negative headlines about the media job market, Jo reveals the reality is far more optimistic than LinkedIn would have you believe. While some roles have become more competitive, ad spend in the UK continues to climb toward £40 billion, creating ongoing demand for talented salespeople. The challenge isn't whether jobs exist—it's knowing when and how to make your next move.

Jo and Debra explore the critical milestones when salespeople typically get itchy feet, the emerging importance of data literacy and portfolio selling, and why "stay interviews" might be more valuable than exit interviews. Plus, special guest Jo Redfern Evans from Education Cubed joins to share her insights on getting promoted, including the powerful "Yes, But" framework for identifying and addressing career obstacles.

Whether you're feeling restless in your current role, frustrated about promotion prospects, or weighing up a competitor's offer, this episode delivers practical frameworks for making informed career decisions.

What This Episode Covers

1. The real state of the media job market—beyond the doom and gloom headlines
2. The 18-month itch: when high performers start looking for their next challenge
3. Essential skills for 2026: portfolio selling, data literacy, and ROI conversations
4. Specialist vs. generalist—which path serves you better at different career stages
5. How to evaluate internal opportunities before looking externally
6. The "Yes, But" framework for understanding what's blocking your promotion
7. Culture vs. cash: how to decide when a competitor comes calling
8. Stay interviews and why managers need to proactively retain top talent
9. The three-choice framework: change it, live with it, or get out of it

Guest Expert: Jo Redfern Evans

Jo Redfern Evans is the founder of Education Cubed, a niche agency operating at the intersection of education, data and insight. She brings valuable perspective on carving out a specialism and building new business in media. In this episode, Jo shares her hard-won lessons on internal politics, influence, and getting promoted—including the promotion she didn't get and what she learned from it.

YES List

Mad Men (Netflix)

Debra recommends this iconic American drama series set in the 1960s New York advertising world—not for the workplace behavior (absolutely not), but for masterclass-level pitch craft. More here: https://www.netflix.com/title/70136135

Get In Touch

If there's a media career question, challenge or experience you'd like us to explore, email hello@makingitinmedia.com

Upcoming Workshops

Debra runs live, interactive online media sales training workshops focused on building commercial confidence and capability.

Details of upcoming sessions can be found here: https://makingitinmedia.com/sales-training-courses/

Subscribe & Share

Follow the show for conversations about building a career in media, and share this episode with someone who's at a career crossroads or looking to future-proof their skillset.

More from Jo & Debra

1. Subscribe to Jo and Debra’s newsletter, to get your FREE guide to the Top Media Sales Tips for 2026
2. Join one of Debra’s upcoming media sales workshops
3. Follow Jo on LinkedIn here
4. Follow Debra on LinkedIn here

About the Hosts

It's A Yes! Making It In Media is hosted by Jo Wood and Debra Sharron.

Jo is Managing Director of The Media Exchange, a specialist media recruitment consultancy working closely with candidates and employers across the industry.

Debra is founder of Media Sales Training, where she designs and delivers training for media sales teams, supporting professionals at every stage of their careers.

Together, they combine recruitment insight and sales expertise shaped by decades of experience inside the media industry.

Disclaimer: The views shared on this podcast are for general information only and reflect personal experience. They should not be taken as specific career, legal or financial advice.

In this episode of It's A Yes! Making It In Media, Jo and Debra reveal how to position yourself effectively throughout the media recruitment process. Whether you're applying for media sales roles, transitioning from client services, or preparing for interviews, this episode shows you how to build and showcase your personal brand.

Discover what makes CVs stand out to hiring managers, why the recruitment process is your first sales pitch, and the interview techniques that get you remembered for the right reasons. Jo and Debra answer listener questions about breaking into media sales, making career transitions, and standing out from other candidates. They also discuss how to succeed in media sales as an introvert, plus share practical frameworks like the STAR method for talking about achievements.

If you're looking to land your next media role or help someone navigate the application process, this episode delivers actionable insights on selling yourself with authenticity and confidence.

What This Episode Covers

1. Why the recruitment process is your first sales opportunity—and how most candidates miss it
2. What actually makes a CV work
3. The questioning and closing skills that showcase sales capability in interviews
4. How to prove your skills are transferable when moving from client services to sales
5. Using the STAR method to tell achievement stories that land
6. How to answer "why should we hire you?" without cringing
7. The power of memorable moments
8. The introverted sales person: how to succeed in media sales when networking doesn't come naturally

The YES List

To Sell is Human — Daniel H. Pink

Debra recommends this essential read for anyone in a modern sales role. Pink's core argument is that we're all in sales—whether we realise it or not. Pink delivers science-backed techniques for modern persuasion, from asking better questions to cutting through information overload.

More here: https://www.danpink.com/books/to-sell-is-human/

Get In Touch

If there's a media career question, challenge or experience you'd like us to explore, email hello@makingitinmedia.com

Upcoming Workshops

Debra runs live, interactive online media sales training workshops focused on building commercial confidence and capability.

Details of upcoming sessions can be found here: https://makingitinmedia.com/sales-training-courses/

Subscribe & Share

Follow the show for conversations about building a career in media, and share this episode with someone navigating the recruitment process or looking to sharpen their personal brand.

More from Jo & Debra

1. Subscribe to Jo and Debra’s newsletter, to get your FREE guide to the Top Media Sales Tips for 2026
2. Join one of Debra’s upcoming media sales workshops
3. Follow Jo on LinkedIn here
4. Follow Debra on LinkedIn here

About the Hosts

It’s A Yes! Making It In Media is hosted by Jo Wood and Debra Sharron.

Jo is Managing Director of The Media Exchange, a specialist media recruitment consultancy working closely with candidates and employers across the industry.

Debra is founder of Media Sales Training, where she designs and delivers training for media sales teams, supporting professionals at every stage of their careers.

Together, they combine recruitment insight and sales expertise shaped by decades of experience inside the media industry.

Disclaimer: The views shared on this podcast are for general information only and reflect personal experience. They should not be taken as specific career, legal or financial advice.

They discuss their career transitions from pharmacy and English literature into media recruitment and magazine sales, exploring why neither initially saw themselves as "salespeople". This episode tackles common questions about professional development in media, including how to refine your CV, what drives promotion decisions when you're already hitting targets, and why job satisfaction can shift around the 18-month mark.

Why do top performers sometimes get overlooked for advancement? What role do team dynamics and communication skills play in sales success? Jo and Debra explore what's often happening behind the scenes in sales management and career progression.

What This Episode Covers

How people actually find their way into media sales

1. Why sales roles are often misunderstood across the industry
2. What commercial experience gives you that other roles don’t
3. How progression and recognition tend to work behind the scenes
4. What influences job satisfaction and motivation throughout a media career
5. CVs and recruitment - and why human judgement still matters
6. Communication skills, team dynamics and adapting your approach for career success
7. Critical turning points where media professionals rethink their next move

The YES List

Surrounded by Idiots — Thomas Eriksson

Debra recommends this bestselling book on communication styles, based on the DISC personality model. It explores why people communicate differently at work and how adapting your approach can improve working relationships across teams, clients and managers.

More here: https://www.surroundedbyidiots.com/en/

Get In Touch

If there’s a media career question, challenge or experience you’d like us to explore, email hello@makingitinmedia.com

Upcoming Workshops

Debra runs online interactive media sales training workshops focused on building commercial confidence and capability.

Details of upcoming sessions can be found here: https://makingitinmedia.com/sales-training-courses/

Subscribe & Share

Follow the show for conversations about building a career in media, and share this episode with someone who would find it relevant.

More from Jo & Debra

1. Subscribe to Jo and Debra’s newsletter, to get your FREE guide to the Top Media Sales Tips for 2026
2. Join one of Debra’s upcoming media sales workshops
3. Follow Jo on LinkedIn here
4. Follow Debra on LinkedIn here

About the Hosts

It’s A Yes! Making It In Media is hosted by Jo Wood and Debra Sharron.

Jo is Managing Director of The Media Exchange, a specialist media recruitment consultancy working closely with candidates and employers across the industry.

Debra is founder of Media Sales Training, where she designs and delivers training for media sales teams, supporting professionals at every stage of their careers.

Together, they combine recruitment insight and sales expertise shaped by decades of experience inside the media industry.

Disclaimer: The views shared on this podcast are for general information only and reflect personal experience. They should not be taken as specific career, legal or financial advice.

Series 1 is coming soon. You can hear it here, on this feed. Subscribe now to be notified automatically when new episodes drop in early 2026.

Questions? Email hello@makingitinmedia.com