LinkedIn algorithm secrets (June update)

All you need to know and what I didn't

Getting reach on LI is an algorithm game. And that changes every few weeks. What was hot and happening back then has now completely reversed (June 2023). It's never a dull moment with LinkedIn.?

Since my last post in February, some updates based on my personal experiences of flirting and interacting with the ever-unpredictable and picky algorithm.

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June update

Based on my gut feeling: LinkedIn decides very quickly whether to push your post or not. If you don't have engagement within the very first moments, you'll not be pushed and have no reach.

For my own posts, my reach goes into thousands, or I'm stuck below a few hundred. The only difference between the posts is whether someone comments or likes instantly or not.

This aligns with the growing and louder overcrowdedness in the timeline. It feels like there's more content every day, and everyone is getting noisier in blasting their messages.?

• If you want to boost someone else's post, comment first and like second. If you like first, it's the like that counts for the algorithm and not your more valuable comment. (podcast)
• Looks like you can edit your post without a penalty in reach (source)
• LinkedIn still hates it if you post twice in 18h; this includes if you repost from others
• LinkedIn still loves it if you engage with others; it's a social platform, not a one-way stuff-the-timeline channel
• Videos and external links are still not favored by the algorithm, yet I'm not really sold on this as some of my regular posts with an external link get more push by the algorithm as my newsletter content posts (these are obligatory with publishing my newsletter)
• Documents and native, including those annoying look-at-me selfies, still rank high. I still hope this trend will extinct.?
• The reach of the newsletter in the timeline declines superfast: therefore, I focus more on the email you get and not the (obligated) post. And this email is also due to changes by LinkedIn

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Honestly, I was absolutely ignorant about using an external link or posting twice within 18h. And that so much-loved video content is the worst.?

A collection of three amazing sources in a simple bullet list. Please check the sources for all details before jumping to conclusions.?

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Read also ‘10 lessons learned on 50 LI newsletter posts’

A recap of my?ten lessons learned from fifty LinkedIn Newsletter posts, in a nutshell, ‘An unpredictable algorithm can always be trusted to be unpredictable’.?Posting on LinkedIn and building an audience looks easier and more complicated than it is.?

Please stay away from the obvious, don’t do what everyone else is doing.?

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Do, to favor the LI algorithm

• Use 1200-1600 characters for your post; that's about ~170 to 400 words
• With the ‘catch’ at the start, before the ‘read more’ cut-off after three lines
• Use three to five #. Check the sources for all details to balance between the big trending # and more personal ones.?No dependency on where in your post you use the #; it can be anywhere
• Personal stories and employer branding work best?
• Emoticons rock; maximum ten in total, with a maximum of four per line
• Use selfies (yes, ugh) (+80 to 90% reach)
• If you tag and it's a company, make sure the company reacts within one hour (2x the reach as when a person is tagged and reacts). This is especially relevant for recruiters and employees who (re)post a job vacancy
• For companies: use the option: ‘notify employees' or ‘recommend to employees’ via the three dots. If they share within four hours, you have +30% growth

Don't annoy the LI algorithm

• Don't edit within the first ten minutes after posting; this destroys your reach?(updated in May)
• Don't comment on your own post within the first two hours (-20% reach if it’s within)
• Don't post twice in 18h (-15%) or three times in 18h (-30%)
• Don't add a link in the comment after one hour (-20%) or edit a post after one hour (-10%). If you need to, wait a bit longer

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What about LI engagement?

• Engagement and reach of your post are defined in the first 90 minutes; a comment within two hours is 7x the value of a like (after two hours is 4x)
• So, your timing matters. Indication; Monday 10 am to 1 pm, Tuesday to Wednesday 8 am to 11 am, Friday 1 pm to 3 pm, Saturday 10 am to 1 pm, and Sunday 1 pm to 3 pm. This can vary per market
• If you comment, use five or twelve words (+4% reach). The opinions differ if it's five or twelve; at least make sure it is two lines
• Reply to comments by others within one hour after publishing (+20%)
• Relaunch your post by commenting two to four times on your own post after 24h (+25%)
• After posting, engage with three other posts before you post again (+20% reach)

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Video posts are the worst; documents are the best, and no external links

• Best posts: documents (2.2 - 3.4 x reach), polls (2.1 - 2.9x), carousel (1.8 – 2.3x), or a text with several visuals (1.2 - 1.6x)
• Adding one external link equals -40% reach (or 0.4 – 0.5x); adding two external links is even worse (0.2 – 0.4x)
• Worst posts: video (0.5 – 0.8x)
• If you do a video: add a caption (+25%), native upload, square, people in video, 30 to 60 sec, don’t start with the logo
• Good to know: people who like your post have +30% more visibility on your next post; if they comment, it's +70%, and if they share or repost, it's +80%

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Nobody said LI content was easy.?Give your content some love and care, and LI will reward it.?

LI expells the lazy ones who simply drop the content and never look back. The days are over for those who copy-paste an URL (external link) without sharing why it matters. Or they who simply repost without framing and sharing their own thoughts in 170+ words and tagging the OP (original poster).?

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Sources

Check out?Richard; he's got great insights on LinkedIn reach.?

LinkedIn cheat sheet below via?Alexander Greb?

Credits to?Auke van der Grinten, via the link how you can ask him to send you the Nextfields B2B LI handboek?

And big thanks to?Sam Browne?for his?LinkedIn secrets of the algorithm V2?

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