The Popularity Contest is Over

LinkedIn is Trying to Solve a Problem

I may follow the algorithms like the Geek Squad, but honestly? I could care less what the algorithms are doing.

Why? Good content always wins.

I create content for a few select clients. With my favorite clients, it's been 4 years now. Her content always does well. No matter what the algorithms are doing. 4 years.

Consistent great performance

(Someday, I should figure out how to do that for myself)

I post for humans, not the algorithms. I don't try to game them, that only works for so long and it's such an effort. I don't need 100,000 followers. I'm more concerned about the RIGHT connections.

So here's the "Problem"

Many people have been complaining to LinkedIn that it's a popularity contest. And, the content is very subpar.

All the time I am asked, "Is LinkedIn turning into Facebook?"

OMG, I hope not!

Formerly, any post that received a lot of activity in the 1st hour gained a lot of favor in the algorithms. Easy to game. "Hey, I just posted something. Can you like and comment on it?"

Posting Parties and Posting Pods became a thing.

Here's the problem with that. LinkedIn HATES them. So they adjusted the algorithms so that the same 10 people that always comment on your stuff didn't count. And, other tactics. Posting Pods are suppressed.

"When things go viral on LinkedIn, usually that's a sign to us that we need to look into this, because that's not celebrated internally," says?Dan Roth , LinkedIn's editor-in-chief.

"Want to go viral on social media? LinkedIn has a message for you:?Try that somewhere else."

So what?is?celebrated?

LinkedIn activity surged during the pandemic. It saw a 42% year-over-year increase in content shared from 2021 to 2023, and a 27% increase in content viewed.

During those years, the lines between work and personal life became very blurry, and the sharing on LinkedIn reflected that.

Personal shares became the new norm.

LinkedIn calls those "selfies." Membership has complained loudly and consistently that they want to see far less of that.

One of the last algorithms was called "Relevant Content" and it punished "selfies" and the complaining decreased by 80%.

Here's the kicker. I posted a selfie for my favorite client and it exceeded 5000 views. I did one for myself last week and it performed very highly, 3000 views and still gaining likes, and comments.

Good content always wins?- no matter what the algorithms are doing.

Selfies must tell the right story and relate it back to business principles. All those lunch with your networking group, and your nephew graduating from college, I'm so proud - need to go a little deeper.

So what's the new algorithm??Knowledge and Advice

What does that mean?

#1. People that "follow" you want to see your content. That's the point of following. So they are a preferred audience.

#2. The formula works to determine if a post contains Knowledge and Advice and then presents that post to people that would benefit from it.

LinkedIn has always prioritized content based on your main piece of content - your profile. How well your profile is optimized will determine who sees your content.

If you don't mention your current target audience in your profile, good luck. They won't see it.

If your post is generic, the algorithms can't decide who to show it to. If your post is done well, they can figure out exactly who to serve it up to.

LinkedIn's goal is to create more community around content.

I see one potential flaw in that. If I talk about content marketing, will only other content marketers see my post? That makes no sense.

That's why I left Twitter 4 years ago. It was all the marketing people preaching and bragging to each other.

That's not Business Development.

#3. LinkedIn amplifies posts that receive "Relevant" comments. Things like, "Love this idea!" and "I agree" won't cut it. You need to add relevant information to the conversation.

LinkedIn is also evaluating who the commenters are. Are they Influencers, experts in the same field, random people, or from a specific group?

LinkedIn hates Virality. This is not TikTok. They want you to reach the right people for the right reasons. Relationship. Opportunity. Collaboration. It is not a Popularity Contest.

Virality is a Vanity Metric that doesn't drive business objectives. Get over yourself.

My advice?

• Keep your content Super Simple and Focused on a specific problem or audience
• Name your audience in your headline if you can
• Clean up your LinkedIn Profile so it screams what you do, who you serve, and your credibility
• Share relevant comments on posts that would appeal to your target audience
• Get some updated recommendations on your profile from your target audience

Get your name into the RIGHT conversations. During my Staycation I made a point of commenting on at least 3 posts a day relevant to my audience. My posting enjoyed a boost and I received 3 new Coffee Chats.

Here's the song I've been singing for a decade -

Who do you serve?

What problem do you solve?

What is the benefit of working with you? (Results)

What sets you apart? (Differentiation)

Why are you qualified to do what you do? (Credibility)

That's how to win on LinkedIn and off.

I think that will win with the algorithms, too.

Until next time...

Angela

#LinkedInAlgorithms #DrivingBusinessGrowth #VanityMetrics #RelevantContent #ValueAdd #BusinessDevelopment

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Angela calls herself The “Accidental Entrepreneur,” having moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with her shiny new MBA and dreams of being a CMO. Instead, she started her own business. Angela is the #LinkedInBadass sharing her expertise in Business Development, Professional Branding, Visibility & Optimization on LinkedIn. Without a website, she built her entire vibrant business using free LinkedIn! She is a former Rock Climbing Guide and lives in Marin where the hiking and the weather are fabulous. Being from Wisconsin, she is a diehard Packer Fan and shareholder. It's all about Love #10!