Episode 483: The LinkedIn Algorithm, Revisited

Bob Woods 00:00
Small networks can outperform large ones because it really depends on the engagement density your posts get. Welcome to the Making Sales Social podcast, featuring the top voices in sales, marketing, and business. Join Brynne Tillman, Stan Robinson Jr., and me, Bob Woods, as we each bring you the best tips and strategies our guests are teaching and using, so you can leverage them for your own virtual and social selling. Brynne, welcome to the show.

Bob Woods 00:33
Greetings, everyone, and thanks for joining us for Making Sales Social Live, coming to you from the Social Sales Link virtual studios. I’m Bob Woods. Brynne Tillman and Stan Robinson Jr. are here. How are you all doing today?

Stan Robinson Jr. 00:47
Great. Thanks, Bob.

Brynne Tillman 00:50
I’m good. Sorry—I got distracted trying to see how many people are on.

Bob Woods 00:55
How many people are on live, as opposed to the podcast, obviously.

Brynne Tillman 00:59
Right now, I know it’s not awful. I was opening my app, thinking, “Wait, wait, wait.” I didn’t do what I usually do. I’m normally prepared, but that’s okay. For those of you listening, yes, I was ignoring Bob—but not anymore.

Bob Woods 01:13
You can’t ignore me. I’ll get hurt.

Brynne Tillman 01:16
You know what? I would never really ignore you. You’re too worth not ignoring.

Bob Woods 01:24
Well, I had so many jokes come to mind, but we’re just going to forget about all of those. Today, we’re going to talk about 20—count them, 20—things you should know about the ever-changing, always-evolving LinkedIn algorithm.

When it comes to all things LinkedIn-algorithm related, we’re basing what we discuss on the excellent work that Richard van der Blom and his team of researchers do on the algorithm. Full credit to him and his team for that work. If you’re not following him on LinkedIn already, you should—it’s well worth it.

In our pre-show planning, before we went live, all three of us decided there’s one thing on this list of 20 that we should really go in depth on. I’ll quickly hit the other 19, and then we’ll go deep on number 20. Sound good?

Brynne Tillman 02:29
It sounds awesome. I’ll just piggyback on number 20 in case I forget—although much of it comes from Richard, a lot of what we’ll talk about in number 20 is based on our findings as well.

Bob Woods 02:44
Yes, very good point. I like that one a lot. All right, buckle up, folks. Here we go.

Number one: Dwell time is now the primary signal. It’s actually been this way for a while. The algorithm measures how long people stop and read, not just whether they react. Staying and reading your content is more important than clicking “like” or leaving a generic “great post” comment—which you shouldn’t be doing anyway.

Number two: Comments outweigh reactions by a wide margin. Likes are fine, but one meaningful comment can outweigh dozens of likes. You want insightful comments on your content, and you should be leaving them on other people’s content as well.

Number three: Replies to comments extend distribution. Each reply can trigger a new micro-distribution cycle. When someone comments on your post, always reply. It’s good practice, it acknowledges the person, and now it’s even more important for the algorithm.

Number four: Original text posts outperform reshared links. External links reduce reach unless they’re placed in the comments.

Brynne Tillman 04:36
I want to add something quickly. We’re talking about the algorithm and how you get found, but not all content should be built for the algorithm. Sometimes I’ll share my Substack post with a link back, knowing the algorithm won’t be my friend. However, I can use the little paper airplane icon to send it directly to 10 people via blind copy. That makes it worth sharing, even if the algorithm isn’t prioritizing it.

So as you go through this list, remember: sometimes the algorithm isn’t the priority.

Bob Woods 06:01
Exactly. Not every piece of content needs to be written for the algorithm. You should have a goal for each post—whether it’s broad reach or targeted sharing. Goals matter. Stan, anything to add?

Stan Robinson Jr.
Nope, that’s great.

Brynne Tillman 06:38
Can we answer two quick questions? Richard teaches us to comment first and then react. Also, Antoinette asked about CC—if she means sharing, you can send content to up to 10 people at a time using blind copy.

Bob Woods 07:25
All right, back to it.

Number five: The first 60 minutes after you click “Post” matter the most. Early engagement determines whether the post expands beyond your first-degree connections.

Number six: Small networks can outperform larger ones. Engagement density matters more than follower count.

Number seven: Posting daily does not increase reach. Optimal cadence for most profiles is three to five times per week.

Number eight: Consecutive low-performing posts suppress future reach. The algorithm evaluates recent performance history.

Brynne Tillman 09:25
I’ve heard—not from Richard—that if a post gets very little or no engagement, deleting it might help. I don’t have stats to prove it, but I wanted to share it.

Bob Woods 09:56
That’s interesting.

Number nine: Native documents—carousels or uploaded PDFs—drive high dwell time. They consistently outperform single-image posts because people spend more time engaging with them.

Number ten: Videos must hook viewers in the first one to two seconds. Autoplay scrolling behavior heavily impacts completion rates. We’ve all doom-scrolled.

Brynne Tillman 11:15
Antoinette asked about free versus premium accounts. I don’t think it matters for the algorithm.

Bob Woods 11:23
Agreed.

Number eleven: Hashtags are discovery tools, not reach boosters. Use three to five niche hashtags. Broad hashtags dilute relevance and positioning.

Brynne Tillman 12:12
I recommend having your own hashtag. For example, we use #SSLInsights. If someone clicks it, they see all related content in one stream. It’s more about search and organization than reach.

Bob Woods 13:19
Good point.

Number twelve: Edits after posting reduce reach. The algorithm treats edits as a reset, especially in the first hour. Make sure your post is ready before publishing.

Brynne Tillman 14:00
Luis Carlos, hello! I’ve seen people repost five posts in less than a minute. That doesn’t look authentic.

Bob Woods 14:13
Agreed.

Brynne Tillman 14:17
Reposts are great when they’re authentic. If you add your own thoughts, it benefits both you and the original poster.

Bob Woods 14:43
Exactly. It reinforces thought leadership, even if it’s not algorithm-perfect.

Brynne Tillman 14:57
Antoinette asked if you should react to your own posts. Not first. Let others comment and react before you do. React and reply to comments instead.

Bob Woods 15:32
Great question. Here we go—lucky number 13. Tagging people does not increase reach by default. Only meaningful engagement from tagged users helps distribution. I also believe it’s still the case that if you tag someone you don’t know just to get more reach and they untag themselves, that negatively impacts you in the algorithm. Regardless, you shouldn’t do that anyway. It’s impolite, and if you’re trying to game the algorithm, just don’t. It’s annoying, if nothing else.

Brynne Tillman 16:14
So, tag authors of posts. If you’re reposting, please tag them—that’s appropriate. I tag Bob and Stan all the time, and that’s appropriate. I already have permission to do that. I strongly agree with what you said, Bob. If someone untags themselves, not only does it hurt that post, but I believe it can hurt posts for up to two weeks.

Bob Woods 16:50
Then definitely don’t do that. Very good point.

Number 14: Posts with a clear point outperform motivational content. I find this interesting because motivational content is still everywhere. According to Richard van der Blom, educational and experience-based insights travel further than purely inspirational content. Considering LinkedIn is a professional platform where people are there to learn, that makes perfect sense.

Brynne Tillman 17:29
Motivational content may do great on Facebook or Instagram, but LinkedIn is B2B. Bringing direct value matters. Motivation isn’t without value, but education performs better here.

Bob Woods 17:55
Exactly—bringing direct value to a specific audience. The algorithm favors clearly defined audiences, so speaking directly to them makes sense.

Number 15: Saves. When people save your post, that’s a strong secondary signal. It tells the algorithm the content is educational or framework-based and has long-term value. I just saw a post from Richard where he literally included “Save for future reference” at the bottom. That’s intentional.

Brynne Tillman 18:53
We’re definitely going to start doing that. A networking friend of mine, Jody Mernick, had a post that reached over 100,000 views. When we looked at the stats, it had about 30 saves. I believe those saves drove the reach. The content was excellent—she helps college students get internships and jobs—but I think the saving behavior is what pushed it further.

Also, many people don’t know this: if you click the three dots at the top of a post, there’s a bookmark option so you can save it for later.

Bob Woods 20:12
I just wish you could organize saved posts.

Brynne Tillman 20:16
You can organize them in a spreadsheet if you want.

Antoinette asks: Are the first 210 characters still what hooks the reader on mobile?

Bob Woods 20:34
I remember seeing in Richard’s research that clickbait-style hooks aren’t working as well as they used to. You should entice people without being clickbaity.

Stan Robinson Jr. 21:13
The first 210 characters are what you see before clicking “See more” on mobile.

Brynne Tillman 21:15
I also saw research suggesting 40 to 80 characters for a hook, but 210 characters is what people see while scrolling.

Bob Woods 21:37
That makes sense.

Number 16: Polls are no longer favored for reach. They still drive interaction, but they have limited sustained distribution. That’s strictly from an algorithm perspective. We still love polls because they provide insights you can’t get from regular posts. The tradeoff is worth it.

Brynne Tillman 22:29
You can also send polls directly to people. Pick 10 at a time, click the paper airplane, and invite them to vote. Polls used to perform well without engagement; now they need engagement to do well.

Bob Woods 23:08
Number 17: Link clicks are a negative signal unless offset by engagement. If people click out but don’t comment, reach will shorten.

Brynne Tillman 23:24
LinkedIn prioritizes engagement over outside clicks. There’s still a time and place for links, but focus on high-quality content that your prospects care about. Engagement creates a flywheel effect.

Bob Woods 24:31
Number 18: Profile credibility influences content reach. Complete your profile and turn it from a resume into a resource. The algorithm is finally rewarding this.

Stan Robinson Jr. 25:03
Your profile content should be consistent with what you post and comment on.

Brynne Tillman 25:23
Carmella asked about linking to recorded videos on other platforms. Native video performs better, but sometimes driving people to YouTube matters more than reach. The algorithm shouldn’t be the only factor you consider.

Bob Woods 26:45
LinkedIn isn’t about going viral. It’s about reaching your audience—being “viral” within your niche.

Number 19: Conversation depth beats virality. Fewer posts with real dialogue outperform frequent posting with shallow engagement. Conversations lead to real relationships and eventual calls.

Brynne Tillman 27:50
We said we’d spend the most time on this.

Bob Woods 27:54
Number 20: Outbound behavior affects inbound reach. Brynne, take it away.

Brynne Tillman 28:06
This is where we have control. There’s a two-week window we learned from Richard. Based on our experience, when you connect with someone, engage with their content, or view their profile, they start seeing your content for about two weeks. If they engage, the window resets.

If you post three times a week, you’ll likely hit new connections and people you’re engaging with.

Here’s the big tip: go to LinkedIn, click the search bar, hit Enter, and choose “Posts,” not “People.” Filter by industry, authors, first-degree connections, people you follow, and most recent. Bookmark it. You now have a custom engagement feed.

Don’t rely on the homepage—it’s full of ads.

If you want to learn how to do this, we offer free coaching every third Thursday. Visit socialsalslink.com/events. Our next session is February 19. It’s free, every month, forever.

Stan Robinson Jr. 31:40
This has been awesome. Just understand how the algorithm works so you can work with it.

Bob Woods 31:50
The algorithm shouldn’t always be top of mind. Sometimes your goal is simply to reach a specific audience. Don’t live and die by the algorithm.

Bob Woods 32:24
Thanks for joining us for Making Sales Social Live. Whether you joined us live or on the podcast, we appreciate you. Subscribe, follow, and check out socialsalslink.com/podcast for more episodes.

When you’re on LinkedIn, make sure you’re making your sales social.

Brynne Tillman 33:13
We nailed that one.

Bob Woods 33:17
Bye, everyone. Thanks for watching. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other platforms. Visit our website, socialsaleslink.com, for more information.