What to Know About the LinkedIn Algorithm and How to Perform Well

LinkedIn has evolved beyond a professional networking site into a full-featured business publishing platform. Companies in all industries can demonstrate their brand authority and engage their employees and customers. It's also a powerful prospecting and inbound marketing tool — when used well!

As with any social network, your content's success depends largely on the algorithm. However, it's not possible to "hack" the LinkedIn algorithm. LinkedIn has overtly declared they will de-prioritize pages that try to game the system.

The key to LinkedIn success is to understand the algorithm. Then, your business can publish high-quality posts that resonate with your target audience.

 

How the LinkedIn algorithm works

Like any social media algorithm, LinkedIn's algorithm evaluates your posts and decides whom to show them to. Unlike some other networks, LinkedIn has been quite transparent about the process. Here's how their algorithm responds when you publish content.

 

LinkedIn categorizes your content by quality

The first step is to determine whether your content is spam, low-quality or high-quality. Obviously, you want all your posts to land in the last category!

LinkedIn is more likely to categorize posts as spam or low-quality if:

 

  • Your copy has heavily promotional or sales-y language.
  • Your content contains grammatical or spelling errors.
  • Your content is sparse or vague, or you're sharing links without commentary.
  • You're directly asking for likes, comments, or follows. (This includes using the hashtags #comment, #like, or #follow.)
  • You use multiple links in your post.
  • You're tagging more than 5 people or using more than 5 hashtags.

 

In sum, create genuine, valuable content that encourages people to respond. Take it easy on the hashtags and tags. LinkedIn is all about conversation and knowledge-sharing. Keep that in mind, and you'll create content that's more likely to be deemed "high-quality."

 

Per LinkedIn's guidelines, that means:

  • The copy is easy to read. (Aim for a grade 8 Flesch-Kincaid reading score.)
  • The content includes a question to encourage comments rather than a direct ask.
  • The post uses three or fewer hashtags.
  • The post includes only one link — if that. (Tip: It's often more effective to omit the links. If you must add an outbound link, post it in the comments.)

 

If your post meets most of these guidelines but also raises a red flag, LinkedIn might mark it as "low-quality." In that case, what happens next in the algorithm can make or break the post's success.

 

LinkedIn test-drives your content

After the LinkedIn algorithm categorizes your content as "not spam," it shows it to some of your followers. Then, it evaluates how much engagement you receive. Engaging content can then go out to a broader audience.

This happens quickly — within an hour after you post. So, it's critical to publish your content at a time when your audience is most active.

 

If you're not sure when that is, here's a quick-and-dirty guide:

 

  • Timeframe for the most clicks and shares: Tuesday 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
  • Best times of day to post: 7-8 a.m., 5-6 p.m.
  • Peak use 12 p.m., 5-6 p.m.
  • Overall best timeframe to post: Tuesdays or Wednesdays at 9 a.m.

 

Those hours refer to your target audience's time zone. Keep that in mind when planning content.

 

Ideally, a portion of your audience will see the post and engage with it. The more they do, the better the algorithm will reward your content. Each like, comment, or share gives you points toward a broader audience. Shares are the largest boost factor as LinkedIn sees that your content is popular. If your post gets enough points, LinkedIn shows it to more people.

Otherwise, the algorithm may de-prioritize your content — even if it met all the "high-quality" checkboxes. That's why it's so important to publish at a time when you can expect good engagement. More importantly, make sure your content is primed for responses!

And of course, be ready to respond to any comments as well. Stay active on other people's pages, too. LinkedIn thrives on its community, and the algorithm rewards users who regularly contribute value.

 

LinkedIn shows your content to more people

 

Assuming you pass the initial evaluation and test, the LinkedIn algorithm will deliver your post to a broader audience. However, that audience isn't random. It's primarily your followers, especially those who have previously engaged with you or your content. The fewer degrees of separation between you, the more likely they are to see your posts.

The rest of your audience comprises people who've shown interest in your topic. The LinkedIn algorithm is constantly collecting data points about every user. What pages do they follow? What kind of content do they comment on? What groups have they joined?

LinkedIn will detect keywords and hashtags in your post to make these decisions. So, be sure to include some relevant keywords in your copy. (And remember to keep it readable and engaging!) Also, you can only have a few hashtags, so choose wisely!

 

Tips for Optimizing Your LinkedIn Content

Keep the algorithm in mind as you craft each LinkedIn post. In general, you should prioritize readability and value. Focus on how you can serve your target audience. Talk with them, not "at" them!

Your overall strategy matters, too. Spend time engaging with other content on LinkedIn. Plan to publish your content regularly and consistently. Eventually, people will learn to recognize your name and expect your posts.

That's the groundwork for LinkedIn success. It helps you earn that all-important "high-quality" label. But if you'd like to boost your post's likelihood of earning a broader audience, follow these tips:

 

  • Add an image to your post. According to HootSuite, this will fetch twice as many comments as text-only posts.
  • Post video content. People love videos and are more likely to engage.
  • Remove the link preview from your post. Better yet, put the link in the comments.
  • When sharing an article, publish a screenshot with your comment. Again, save the link for the comments.
  • Avoid cross-posting (i.e. publishing the same caption and link to both LinkedIn and another network).
  • Have your employees engage with posts within the first hour of publishing. This helps the post make it past the algorithm's test drive.

 

Bottom line: treat LinkedIn as a social network. Its algorithm is designed as such, so make your content as likable and shareable as possible!

 

Wrapping Up

Ultimately, you can't beat the algorithm. And that's not the point, anyway.

Your prospects, customers, and stakeholders want to see genuine, valuable content. You have value to share, so let it shine! LinkedIn will reward your efforts as long as you're consistent and responsive.