The LinkedIn Algorithm ?? Your Personal Brand and Company Growth - Part 1

Social media can feel like a family game night—fun and engaging—or like you’re completely lost or incapable when someone’s explaining the rules (not speaking from experience).

If you’re feeling like the latter when it comes to keeping up with trends and algorithm changes, especially across multiple platforms, you’re not alone.

That’s why I’ve taken a deep dive into Richard van der Blom’s thorough 100-page LinkedIn algorithm report. Yep, you heard that right—100 (and something) pages. I’ve done the heavy lifting so you don’t have to, and I’m breaking it down into three digestible parts.

Welcome to Part 1, where we’ll cover:

• Understanding Your Audience: Discover how to personalise your content to resonate with your target audience and keep 'em coming back for more.
• Building a Relevant Feed: Learn how to curate your feed and engage with content that matters to you and your network.
• The Power of Visuals: Find out how to use images and videos effectively to enhance your LinkedIn presence.
• The Rise and Fall of Polls: I’ll break down how to use them wisely and what to avoid.
• The Perfect Hook: I’ll share tips on creating hooks that grab attention and drive engagement.
• Video Content: Learn how to make the most of this format to capture and retain your audience’s attention.

Understanding Your Audience

It may not be the sexiest of terms, but to truly tap into LinkedIn’s potential, you need to be aware of shifts in user engagement and content trends. Here’s a snapshot:

• Larger Company Pages (500+ employees): These pages are ramping up their activity, with 81% sharing content weekly—a notable increase from 74% last year. This regular posting helps maintain their presence and keeps them engaged with their audience. It shows that consistency in content delivery is key to staying top-of-mind.
• Smaller Company Pages (<500 employees): Even smaller teams are stepping up their game. Now, 62% of these pages are posting weekly, compared to 57% previously. This rise highlights that even compact teams recognise the value of frequent updates and engagement.
• LinkedIn Events: Engagement with LinkedIn Events has doubled recently. This spike underscores the growing importance of virtual networking and how it’s becoming an integral part of professional interactions.
• Live Video Content: The use of live video has surged by 25% year-over-year. This indicates a clear shift toward real-time, interactive engagement. Live videos foster a sense of immediacy and connection, making them a powerful tool for engagement.
• Mobile Usage: With 65% of LinkedIn engagement happening on mobile devices, ensuring your content is mobile-friendly is more crucial than ever. Optimising for mobile helps you reach your audience where they are most active.

Building a Relevant Feed

Creating content that resonates involves understanding which formats and presentations work best. Here’s a breakdown of how different post types perform:

• Regular Posts: These are your standard updates that show up in your network’s timeline. This basic reach metric helps gauge how visible your post is to your audience. Regular posts keep your brand in front of your connections and can drive ongoing engagement.
• Articles/Newsletters: Tracking the number of clicks to open your article gives a clearer picture of reader engagement and interest. Articles and newsletters allow for deeper dives into topics and can establish you as a thought leader in your field.
• Native Video Content: Videos that capture attention for at least six seconds reflect high engagement and relevance. This metric shows that your content is resonating and keeping viewers interested.

The Power of Visuals

Visuals aren’t just eye candy—they’re essential for driving engagement. Here’s how to make visuals work for you:

• Relevant Images: Images that align with your content can boost reach by 15-20%. Including a relevant selfie could increase this by up to 30%. Visuals grab attention and make your posts more engaging.
• Personalised Images: Custom images outperform generic stock photos, increasing engagement by 45%. Personalized visuals help establish a stronger, more authentic connection with your audience, making your posts stand out.
• On Brand: Using brand colors and themes in images can help make your brand more memorable by 15%.

The Rise and Fall of Polls

Remember the time 4 years ago (you know the time) when we saw in influx of polls asking if we preferred WFH, Hybrid or In The Office? All the time. This was the fall of polls, where people were just copy and pasting the same information with no intention behind it.

Polls can be a bit of a mixed bag, but when used correctly, they can drive engagement.

• Broad Questions: Asking questions that appeal to a wide audience ensures better engagement and more reliable results. Broad questions can spark interest and participation from a larger group.
• Context and Objectives: Clearly state the purpose of your poll to boost engagement by at least 35%. This transparency helps participants understand the value of their input and encourages more meaningful responses.
• Poll Options: Three answer choices are ideal. Offering four options can reduce reach by 10%, while two options might lead to a 25% drop in engagement. A balanced number of choices helps keep the poll engaging and effective.
• Duration: One-week polls are the flavour currently. Shorter or longer durations can result in decreased reach and engagement. A week gives enough time for participation without losing interest.

Crafting Your Hook & CTA

We've all heard the terms 'hook' and 'CTA' one way or another in our personal branding and businesses journey's. Confirming, they're not buzzwords but in fact important to engaging the generation of short attention spans and leading your audience to the next step. Here’s how to open and close effectively:

• A Provocative Question: Engage your audience with a question that sparks curiosity, like "Ever wondered why some LinkedIn posts go viral while others barely get noticed?"
• A Bold Statement: Make a bold claim to catch attention, such as "Most LinkedIn content fails because it lacks relevance and authenticity."
• A Unique Insight: Share a lesser-known tip or insight, like "Here’s a little-known secret to dramatically increase your LinkedIn engagement."

A strong CTA (Call to Action) encourages your audience to take the next step:

• Ask a Thought-Provoking Question: "What’s your biggest struggle with personal branding? Drop your thoughts in the comments!"
• Encourage Specific Actions: "Want more tips like this? Subscribe to my newsletter for exclusive LinkedIn strategies and insights."
• Promote Interaction: "If this post was helpful, give it a thumbs up and share it with your network!"

LinkedIn Video Posts

LinkedIn are finally catching up to the importance of short form video content. It might not ever compare to Instagram Reels and TikToks, they’re a powerful engagement tool and a great way to show up more authentically on the platform. Here’s how:

• Video Length: Keep your videos between 1 and 2 minutes. This duration is proven to boost engagement by 40%. Videos longer than 3 minutes might see a 15% decrease in engagement. Short and snappy content holds viewers’ attention better.
• Popularity: LinkedIn’s algorithm currently favors videos, ranking them high in reach and engagement metrics for both personal profiles and company pages. Incorporating videos can significantly enhance your content strategy.

External Links in Posts: Yes or No?

Including external links in your posts can affect reach. Here’s how to handle them:

• Direct Inclusion: Posting a link directly may reduce reach by 40-50% for personal profiles and 25-35% for company pages. This approach is best for driving immediate conversions.
• Links in Comments: This method avoids initial reach reduction but might hide links as less relevant. Comments can get buried, making it harder for viewers to find the link.
• Editing Post: Adding a link to your post after publishing can be effective if done right. However, this forfeits link previews, so attaching an image can help maintain visual appeal.

You might not be able to outsmart the algorithm, but you can certainly learn how to make it work for you.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where I’ll dive even deeper into optimising your LinkedIn strategy.

?? Hi, I’m Abbey. I help professionals, leaders, and brands overcome limiting beliefs and build their personal brand to increase their influence and revenue on LinkedIn.

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