At DealCon in Miami, Dennis Yu sat down with Joshua B. Lee to discuss something most business owners still overlook: how LinkedIn content is being indexed inside AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot.
The conversation focused specifically onhow to format LinkedIn content so that AI tools recognize you as the answer.
For local service business owners and agency operators, the implications are significant. Search behavior is shifting. Instead of browsing ten blue links, users increasingly receive a single AI-generated response. If your name, company, or expertise is embedded in that response, you gain authority at scale.
Joshua outlined exactly how he is engineering that visibility.
The Shift From Search Engine Optimization To Answer Engine Optimization
Joshua described the evolution from traditional SEO to what he calls Answer Engine Optimization, or AEO.
In the old model:
- You competed for page-one rankings.
- Users clicked through to your website.
- Traffic determined visibility.
In the AI model:
- A user asks a question.
- The system generates a direct answer.
- Often, no click happens.
Authority now depends on whether the model selects you as the source.
Joshua argues that LinkedIn plays a powerful role in this shift for several reasons:
- LinkedIn carries strong domain authority in search engines.
- It is integrated into Microsoft’s broader ecosystem.
- Its article format provides clean structure for AI extraction.
Rather than treating LinkedIn as just a networking platform, he treats it as a long-form publishing layer designed for indexing.
Why LinkedIn Articles Outperform Standard Posts
During the discussion, Joshua emphasized that articles, not posts, are the primary engine for AI visibility.
While posts may gain engagement inside LinkedIn, articles provide:
- A structured headline.
- Clear formatting.
- Long-form context.
- Multimedia support.
- Newsletter distribution.
- Backlink capability.
Most importantly, they allow for precise question-and-answer formatting.
Joshua shared that he has seen LinkedIn articles appear in AI search results within hours of publishing. In most cases, indexing occurs within 24 hours.
The takeaway is not frequency. It is format.
The Q&A Block Strategy
The core of Joshua’s approach is what he calls the Q&A block.
The structure is simple:
- The headline is a direct question.
- The first lines immediately answer that question.
- Supporting paragraphs expand on the answer.
For example:
How Do You Make Your LinkedIn Content Show Up In ChatGPT?
You structure your LinkedIn articles as clear question-and-answer blocks so AI systems can extract the answer instantly.
This format benefits both human readers and AI systems. The answer appears immediately, rather than being buried deep in a paragraph.
Dennis compared this to early digital advertising, where load speed determined whether an ad even displayed. Today, clarity and structure determine whether your answer is selected.
Reinforcing Authority With Monthly Themes
Joshua does not publish randomly.
Each month, he:
- Searches major AI tools to see what he ranks for.
- Identifies the topics where he appears.
- Reinforces those themes inside his LinkedIn About section.
- Builds his content calendar around a single monthly focus.
That focus is broken into weekly sub-themes, creating consistency over time.
AI systems reward stability. If someone consistently publishes about LinkedIn authority for years, that signal strengthens. If they pivot topics every week, the signal weakens.
For business owners, this reinforces a simple truth: clarity of identity compounds faster than variety.
A Sustainable Publishing Cadence
Joshua also addressed posting frequency.
Rather than recommending daily content, his typical cadence includes:
- Three posts per week.
- One video post weekly.
- Two LinkedIn newsletter articles per month.
Each piece reinforces the same monthly theme.
The strategy is not about volume. It is about cohesion.
The 3-2-1 Recency Framework
Another practical tactic Joshua shared is his 3-2-1 method for tying expertise to current events.
He monitors LinkedIn’s trending news section and structures posts as:
- Three lines explaining what is happening.
- Two lines offering perspective.
- One outcome or prediction, followed by a question.
This allows professionals to stay relevant without abandoning their niche.
AI systems weigh authority alongside recency. Connecting expertise to timely events strengthens relevance signals.
Visibility Growth And What Actually Matters
Joshua shared that his LinkedIn visibility increased from roughly 2.5 million views one year to nearly 50 million the next.
He attributes that growth to:
- Structured Q&A articles.
- Consistent thematic reinforcement.
- Newsletter leverage.
- Recency alignment.
However, he emphasized that impressions are not the goal.
The real objective is meaningful engagement and relationship depth.
High visibility without trust does not convert into opportunity.
Authority Is Built On Trust, Not Just Algorithms
The conversation concluded with a broader discussion about reputation.
Both Joshua and Dennis have spent decades in digital marketing. They have seen tactics come and go. What endures is credibility.
Joshua described the current environment as a trust recession. Attention is fragmented. Skepticism is high.
In that environment:
- Connection matters more than automation.
- Consistency matters more than intensity.
- Relationships matter more than reach.
AI visibility can amplify authority, but it cannot replace trust.
What This Means For Local Service Business Owners
For local service businesses building authority, the lessons are clear:
- AI search is compressing visibility into fewer answers.
- Structured LinkedIn articles can influence how AI describes you.
- Clear positioning compounds over time.
- Consistent themes strengthen authority signals.
- Relationships remain the foundation of long-term growth.
The shift toward AI-driven answers is already underway.
Business owners who understand how their content is structured, indexed, and reinforced will have a long-term advantage.
Those who ignore it may find that their competitors are being described as the authority instead.