Episode 470: From Posts to Purpose: Evolving Thought Leadership with Long-Form Storytelling

Liam Darmody 00:00
Social selling should always feel more like socializing than selling, and I think a lot of people struggle with that. Some people are intimidated by the word “sales.” Some people are intimidated by being pitched. Welcome to the Making Sales Social podcast, featuring the top voices in sales, marketing, and business. Join Brynne Tillman and me, Bob Woods, as we bring you the best tips and strategies our guests are teaching their clients so you can leverage them for your own virtual and social selling. Enjoy the show.

Brynne Tillman 00:38
Welcome back to Making Sales Social. I’m Brynne Tillman, and today we’re diving into the evolution of thought leadership, from social platforms to long-form storytelling. My guest today is my friend Liam Darmody. He built a powerful presence on LinkedIn, becoming known for his bold insights and authentic approach to personal branding.

What’s really exciting right now is the next chapter of his journey: The Fold, his Substack newsletter at the intersection of brand, business, and technology. Liam is making waves by taking conversations that once lived in short-form posts and expanding them into deeper, more reflective writing that challenges how we think about authenticity, creativity, and the role of AI in business growth.

Liam, I can’t wait to talk to you about how Substack has become such a big part of your voice, and how The Fold is shaping your next era of thought leadership.

Liam Darmody 02:25
Thank you so much for having me. What a wonderful introduction. I’m very excited to chat with you today.

Brynne Tillman
Well, I’m very excited. We’ve had some wonderful conversations at LinkedIn in New York. I’ve been following you for years—I love your content. When you started on Substack, I thought, maybe I should check this out. I’m on Substack a little bit because I was watching you, so that’s really exciting. Before we dive into your genius with Substack, we ask all of our guests the same first question: what does Making Sales Social mean to you?

Liam Darmody
It’s a wonderful question. To me, social selling should feel more like socializing than selling. Many people struggle with that. Some are intimidated by the word “sales.” Some are intimidated by being pitched. There’s that elephant in the room when you connect with somebody: How long until they pitch me on something?

If you can make your sales strategy and tactics feel more like socializing, you will be more effective at sales, in my opinion. It’s basically the idea that sales should be social. I love that, and it really has, in some ways on LinkedIn, become automated—not social—so we need to bring it back.

I always say LinkedIn is not the platform you want to hack. It’s a long-term investment in your personal brand, sales strategy, and business. It’s traditional, relationship-based sales.

Brynne Tillman 03:37
I love that. There’s no easy button to sales, but this is a fun button. We’re going to talk about your journey from LinkedIn to Substack, because I am absolutely fascinated. Talk to me about why you chose Substack—you could have gone with Medium, Reddit, or a hundred other platforms. Why Substack?

Liam Darmody 04:08
Ironically, I signed up for Substack in 2017 when they first launched, then ignored it for seven years, which I regret. I was trying to figure out where to move my newsletter—I wanted a direct relationship with my network, which meant emails. There were several options, including Beehive and Substack.

The reason I failed the first time is that I didn’t want to be just another newsletter in someone’s pile. Substack allows me to give my audience more than just a newsletter. I returned to Substack in February 2025 and noticed it had evolved—it’s way more than a newsletter platform. They have a feed now, called the Notes feed, which is like a mini social feed.

I did deep research, including using ChatGPT, to evaluate all platforms and Substack’s uniqueness. Their ethos is that every human should have a subscriber base, and they provide multiple ways to build that base: the newsletter, the Notes feed for smaller conversations, podcasts, live sessions, and more.

Substack combines the best features of other social platforms in an elegant way. When you publish, they provide graphics to promote your newsletter on social media. By inviting my network there, I’m giving them access to a community of thoughtful content creators. It’s a community-first platform, which is why I love it.

Brynne Tillman 07:36
I want to clarify: you started with the newsletter, built a following, but it capped because you reached everyone you knew. Notes, then, is how you build a new following—is that accurate?

Liam Darmody 08:06
Yes. I think of Notes as the top of the funnel on Substack. I treat it like I would have treated Twitter back in the day—throwing out random ideas and sharing broader content. On LinkedIn, there’s an algorithm, audience, and business promotion constraints. Substack allows me to be more myself and share more of my brain with people.

Brynne Tillman 09:11
How do you get in front of the right people? On LinkedIn, you can search deeply. How does that work on Substack?

Liam Darmody 09:33
It requires more effort. You comb through profiles and focus on verticals you care about. I check best-seller lists in my categories and see what other newsletters those authors recommend. Substack’s networking mechanics are still developing, so you have to be intentional.

Brynne Tillman 10:11
I’m on that list now—LinkedIn Edge with Jet Blount.

Liam Darmody 10:17
Yes, I noticed I was #26 on the rising business list recently—the first time Substack recognized me. The platform also allows analytics on subscriber overlap, which helps in recommending newsletters strategically. Many people list their LinkedIn profiles, so subscribing on Substack often leads to following on LinkedIn, building relationships across both platforms.

Brynne Tillman 12:01
I love that. My LinkedIn call-to-action is to subscribe to my Substack. I feed this podcast into Substack as well.

Liam Darmody 12:32
It reminds me of LinkedIn in 2020 when I was starting—huge potential. Substack allows direct access to your subscriber base, which is valuable.

Brynne Tillman 13:06
Substack has also helped you develop The Fold newsletter: brand, business, technology. What does Fold mean, and how does it help your subscribers?

Liam Darmody 13:35
Fold stands for Friends of Liam Darmody. I created it to explore deeper topics beyond personal branding. My background spans 20 years in operations, sales, revenue operations, and brand marketing. Many in personal branding are creatives or marketers, but I bring operational and tech expertise.

Substack allows me creative freedom: I post notes frequently about topics I find interesting, then compile insights into a weekly newsletter. I share links, articles, and content without worrying about penalties or distribution limits. It’s liberating and allows me to provide more value to my subscribers.

Brynne Tillman 15:32
I did a search on Substack’s algorithm—it’s very different than LinkedIn.

Liam Darmody 15:42
Very, very different.

Brynne Tillman 15:44
So tell me a little bit about what you know about it, and then I’ll tell you what ChatGPT told me.

Liam Darmody 15:53
Essentially, the algorithm is actually very hard to define. There’s no concrete element to it, as far as I understand. It exists, but much of it feels like it’s behind the curtain, a bit like the Wizard of Oz.

Substack is very long-tail. Content can stay in play for months, and they might bring articles from eight or nine months ago back into your Notes feed. There’s not the immediate, chronological boost you get elsewhere. People on Substack often hear, “For the first six months, it will feel like you’re talking to nobody.” But consistency matters. You have to keep showing up.

I have Notes and Fold articles that are still getting impressions and engagement three or four months later. That’s valuable because as Substack grows, new people start paying attention, and you don’t have the problem of old content being buried.

Brynne Tillman 17:34
That aligns with what I learned. Substack focuses on recommending content that matches a reader’s interests. If someone is reading content related to something you wrote months ago, Substack will push your article to them. That’s phenomenal. On LinkedIn, multiple topics can confuse the algorithm. On Substack, content is siloed to the audience interested in it.

Liam Darmody 18:53
Yes, “silo” is a great word. Substack strongly believes in free speech, so there are publications I avoid entirely—I don’t agree with them, and I never see them. The recommendations are purely algorithmic.

This is powerful. Unlike Twitter, where your feed can be filled with content you dislike, Substack allows guardrails to maintain positivity, knowledge, and learning. People often view silos negatively, thinking “echo chamber,” but here it works exceptionally well.

Brynne Tillman 20:10
I love it. You’re known for spicy takes. Talk about the scroll-stopping concept and how that works for you.

Liam Darmody 20:34
Over the last five or six years on LinkedIn, I’ve noticed that most people see their personality as a liability online. They fear putting themselves out there, worried someone won’t like it or opportunities will be lost.

For me, sharing my curiosity publicly has been incredibly rewarding. People come to me because of the topics I share—AI, Web3, health goals, even hot sauce. That’s where the spicy takes come from.

Many people only talk about sales, but most of your network may not buy from you. You need to give them content that keeps them interested and encourages them to share it. If you share what genuinely interests you, you never know who will resonate with it and what opportunities might come.

Brynne Tillman 22:37
I think that’s amazing.

Liam Darmody 22:42
I also got my first dog this year—one of the biggest unlocks in my life. It makes me so happy.

Brynne Tillman 22:59
For those listening, not viewing, say hello to Liam. I love that approach because you’re attracting the right people who care. If we’re afraid to show up as ourselves, we lose the opportunities we most want.

Liam Darmody 23:42
Completely.

Brynne Tillman 23:45
Sharing personal experiences—like your weight loss journey—helps people connect with you as a human. It’s no longer just “Who do you know?” It’s “Who knows you?”

Liam Darmody 24:08
Exactly. If you stop approaching the internet with fear and scarcity, and instead think, what if somebody loves it?, your life can change dramatically. I’ve pivoted my career, launched a business, and bought a house because of LinkedIn connections. The internet can be a place to manifest serendipity, strategically and naturally.

Brynne Tillman 24:59
When we met in person—maybe two years ago—it reinforced that connection.

Liam Darmody 25:06
Yes, before I launched my business.

Brynne Tillman 25:11
I loved your backpack! Meeting in person felt natural because we’d already built rapport online.

Brynne Tillman 26:22
You have both short- and long-form content. Why is storytelling—blending business and personal brand—the thought leadership people are looking for?

Liam Darmody 26:22
Business is personal, even though we’ve been told otherwise. We spend 40–60 hours a week on our jobs—it’s personal. Sharing your personality helps build networks and authentic connections.

I advise treating your personal brand like a journal you’d share with family, friends, and colleagues. That helps determine what to share while maintaining boundaries. Online, think of your network not as what you’ve already cultivated, but as an opportunity to build something new.

Brynne Tillman 28:37
Brynne Fanzo says, “Social media does not take the place of a handshake, but it turns a handshake into a hug.”

Liam Darmody 28:56
I love that.

Brynne Tillman 28:58
For those ready to evolve from social media to substantial writing, how should they find their unique voice? Is Substack a good place to start?

Liam Darmody 29:17
Yes. Substack is lower-pressure—you’re starting from scratch and attracting people based on content. People overthink personal branding and thought leadership, especially on LinkedIn.

Substack allows you to write for yourself, get comfortable sharing, and start developing your voice. Don’t overthink it—your personality is an asset. Be yourself, paired with strategy and intentionality.

Brynne Tillman 31:05
I often say, treat the person on the other side as if they were sitting across from you at a table. We wouldn’t talk business the whole time—we’d get to know each other.

Liam Darmody 31:34
Why invest in personal branding and thought leadership? The internet lets you build a network beyond geography, meet your people, and qualify them before even introducing yourself. It builds opportunity and self-confidence.

Brynne Tillman 33:03
Listeners are probably thinking, “How can I work with Liam?”

Liam Darmody 33:13
I’m on LinkedIn—the only Liam Darmody in North America. Visit my website, liamdarmody.com, or liamdarmody.substack.com to explore my work. I love helping people find their “why” and start sharing it.

Brynne Tillman 33:47
You’re amazing at it—go subscribe to Fold.

Liam Darmody 33:51
Thank you, I appreciate that.

Brynne Tillman 33:53
Thanks for being here. Don’t forget to make your sales social.

Outro 34:01
Thanks for watching. Join us again for more guest instructors sharing marketing, sales training, and social selling strategies. Subscribe for the latest episodes of the Making Sales Social podcast. Give this video a thumbs-up and comment what you want to hear next. You can also listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other platforms. Visit our website, socialsaleslink.com, for more information.