Episode 506: Why LinkedIn Isn’t Broken (And How to Optimize the New Algorithm)

Bob Woods [0:05]: Hey there, 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. What’s going on, people?

Brynne Tillman [0:19]: Hey, excited to talk about what’s not broken.

Bob Woods [0:23]: Yeah, tell me about it. So, let’s just get right into it. LinkedIn’s algorithm is driving change in how we as sales pros use it to start sales conversations. Passive exposure is out; intentional interaction is in. Vanity metrics are out—thank God—and relevance and engagement are in. So, we are going to talk about how all of this is working now with the new LinkedIn algorithm. We have a free ebook that details all the stuff about the new algorithm. It’s at socialsaleslink.com/newalgo But today, we’re going to help you understand the new algorithm because once you understand the shift, you’ll regain control over your presence on LinkedIn. That’s something a lot of people are talking about—they don’t feel like they’re being seen everywhere. And you know something? That’s right, they’re actually not being seen everywhere. But when you do things the way that we’re going to teach you, you’re going to be seen by the people you want to have sales conversations with. That’s why I said all the vanity metrics are just not good anymore, because you don’t want vanity metrics. You want to be that micro-influencer that we used to talk about a while ago. In fact, it’s kind of funny, all of that micro-influencer stuff is now coming back. We talked about that what, like two years ago or something like that?

Brynne Tillman [2:01]: I mean, probably for the last 12 years we’ve been talking about it, in some form or another.

Bob Woods [2:08]: True, yeah. So yeah, I mean, micro-influencer is really a powerful term when you think about how you’ve got your network and your community. If you’ve curated it smartly, you can now influence it, and that’s really the key. I’m excited to talk about this.

Brynne Tillman [2:34]: Yeah, 100%. So, we’re going to get the QR code up there if you want access to the ebook, as well as the link down there: socialsaleslink.com/newalgo We’ve already kind of covered this shift from a broadcast mentality. Being in broadcast journalism once upon a time myself, I am completely familiar with that kind of one-way broadcasting. Now, it is really about sharing what is important to your audience so that you can have a two-way conversation instead. I can’t tell you how many times in the newsroom we’d get calls from people after a broadcast and we’d say, “No, just leave them, go to voicemail,” or whatever. It’s the exact opposite here; you want to have conversations. Like I said before, the new algorithm rewards relevance, engagement, and behavior that signals real interest between you and other human beings. This ain’t about bots, and this ain’t about automation.

Brynne Tillman [3:50]: Yeah, I mean, I’m excited to dive in. Let’s dive in.

Bob Woods [3:54]: All right, let’s do it. Do you want to start with how it’s really relationship-first visibility now?

Bob Woods [4:01]: Yeah, and that’s what I was rolling into with that. You really want to shift your mindset, getting away from broadcasting and moving toward starting conversations. Relationship-first visibility is what it’s all about. It’s about relationships. Go ahead, Bryn.

Brynne Tillman [4:20]: Yeah, I’d love to start on this. I think this is critical. What is relationship-first visibility? Well, first of all, it starts with a consistent message to your intended relationships, right? So, we want to make sure that we’re attracting the right people and that the content is resonating with the right people. LinkedIn’s new algorithm, this 360 Brew, is designed to ensure that your profile tells a consistent story. Your engagement, the content you’re sharing, and the people that you’re connecting with—all of that has to really fall under one umbrella that LinkedIn can define clearly. Those are the folks that you want to grow a relationship with. The key here is to bring it down to the lowest common denominator, right? When we work with some folks, they’re like, “But I work with large companies and Chief Revenue Officers, and I also work with small business owners.” For us, we kind of brought that down to “revenue-driven professionals.” When you’ve got this big list of who you are serving, you need to approach this with the lowest common denominator so that every single person you serve will relate to that message. To me, that is where relationship-first visibility comes in. I have defined who it is that I want to engage with so that when they show up on my profile, in my newsfeed, or based on a message I may have sent them, every single one of them will see themselves in it.

Bob Woods [6:21]: Yep, and that’s important throughout everything. We’re going to be talking about the profile and things like that in just a minute. But overall, the way that you really need to think about it is that we all used to chase reach once upon a time. On other social networking platforms, you’re still chasing reach. I mean, the algorithms are definitely kicking in and helping out, but on platforms like Instagram and X, you’re still chasing reach. Here, your mindset really needs to change. You need to have deliberate interaction so that you are earning the people who are seeing your content, just like you are earning the right to have a sales conversation with someone. It’s the exact same thing; it’s all about earning. You have to work for it, and you have to be clear, just like Bryn said, about what it is that you are looking for. I think that dovetails really well into the second point, which is why “good” content fails—and I’m putting “good” in air quotes here. It might be good, it might be excellent content—absolutely crisp, clear, and well-written. All of that stuff can be very good, but all content has to invite action. That is why all of these good posts get zero engagement. Now, should we go to Stan and ask him what his thoughts are around that?

Stan Robinson Jr. [8:02]: Well, the things that come to mind immediately are relevance and consistency. As Bryn was talking about, you have to be super clear on who your audience is in order to make sure that you’re relevant to them. Your profile needs to be consistent with the content that you’re both posting and engaging with. As Bob was just talking about, great content alone is not enough unless you encourage people to engage with it, because those are the signals that LinkedIn is looking for.

Bob Woods [8:44]: Yeah, because the algorithm, the 360 Brew, really can’t reward silent appreciation. You know, if you’re reading a post and you’re like, “Oh yeah, that’s a good one,” and then you keep scrolling, LinkedIn doesn’t capture that—well, there is dwell time, there is definitely dwell time.

Bob Woods [9:05]: Yeah, that is true, there is dwell time. But it highly values the interaction between you and your target audience. The 360 Brew draws on that signal to keep distributing the post. So, your content has to function as part of a conversation, and every post should lead the reader to some kind of action—reacting, definitely commenting, voting if you’re running a poll, or even just clicking that all-important “see more” when they see the first part of the post. We have a ton to cover.

Bob Woods [9:46]: So yeah, we do. Let’s quickly go through the next one because we’ve touched on it a little bit.

Brynne Tillman [9:53]: Um, I’ll jump into “your profile is an algorithmic asset.” Ultimately, your content can show up in lots of different areas, right? Your About section is content, and your Featured section has content. All of your profiles should be written like a landing page—an asset page—not as a resume. Then, it obviously has to align with your audience. Should we move to the next one, Bob?

Bob Woods [10:27]: Yeah. I mean, the only minor point I would add there is that if you’ve listened to us for a long time, we’ve always talked about how important the profile is. But now, because it directly influences the 360 Brew algorithm, it is more important than ever.

Brynne Tillman [10:46]: Yeah, absolutely, 100% more important than ever. So, don’t sleep on your profile, everyone. We have Profile Makeover Week coming up on April 16th if you’re here live, so ask us about that. Awesome. Next.

Bob Woods [11:05]: This is the controversial one that we’re going to get pushback on.

Bob Woods [11:10]: Hopefully we will, because that means we’re having a conversation. With that, we’re going to talk a little bit about the death of the cold call. Here we go.

Brynne Tillman [11:28]: Yeah, I’m happy to jump in just for the sake of time because we’ve got so much. The death of the cold call does not mean that cold calling is dead in the way that people say you can never cold call again. But why would you cold call when you could warm it up first, right? Here’s the thing: when you start engaging with people, interacting with their content, viewing their profile, connecting with them, and then reaching out, you have now turned a cold call into a lukewarm call. Then you’ve got the follow-up message once you’ve talked with them. That back-and-forth messaging in the inbox actually plays into the algorithm, which is amazing to me.

Bob Woods [12:14]: Yeah, LinkedIn is really—and pardon the pun, but I can’t think of another way to put it—brewing up all of this stuff together. Once upon a time, these elements were either separate or the platform wasn’t even looking at them. So, instead of giving you a black drip coffee, it’s giving you this beautiful, well-made latte that has all types of ingredients in it so it all comes together to help you start sales conversations without being salesy. That’s something we forgot to say, but we should always be doing that, too. Overall, it’s all about using content to remove resistance. What’s the first thing that happens on most cold calls? Resistance.

Brynne Tillman [13:01]: I love it. So, we’re going to talk about what really works in the algorithm. Stan, you want to jump into that one?

Stan Robinson Jr. [13:06]: Yeah. Even when you connect with someone for the first time, just keep in mind that when you make that connection, a window opens where they will be much more likely to see the content that you’re posting. So, just be cognizant of that.

Brynne Tillman [13:24]: It’s a two-week window. Knowing that, you can plan strategically around when you accept their invitations, and then, in turn, what you post and what you engage with. So, what is it tracking, Stan?

Stan Robinson Jr. [13:52]: It tracks all types of engagement. Likes are easy, but they’re lightweight as far as the algorithm goes. Comments count for much more because when you comment, you’re actually adding something substantive to the conversation. As we always say, it should not be promotional; it needs to add value to the conversation. If someone saves your content, that’s the gold standard. Bren and Bob, you may be experimenting with this also, but when you publish content that people can refer back to as a reference, you could encourage them at the bottom: “Hey, if you don’t have time to read through this now, go ahead and save it so you can always refer back to it. Just click the save button.”

Brynne Tillman [14:48]: I love that. Except for when I talked about how to use the save button, I don’t really see that. Do you think that’s a good CTA in a post? “Click the three dots and click the bookmark to save.”

Stan Robinson Jr. [15:01]: I think Brad Pierce has tried that, and he got some good results. So, it’s something that’s worth testing.

Brynne Tillman [15:10]: I’m now saving it myself, but I wonder if saving your own content gives it any boost?

Stan Robinson Jr. [15:19]: It does add to the save count. I would say let’s try it—go in and save your own content and see what happens. It can’t hurt.

Brynne Tillman [15:31]: Yeah, I don’t think it will hurt at all. I love that. Is there anything else that they’re tracking, like consistency?

Stan Robinson Jr. [15:44]: Yeah, just making sure that you’re in contact with people who are relevant in terms of DMs and engagement—people who fit your ICP, your Ideal Customer Profile. That’s where you want to spend most of your time. LinkedIn’s algorithm is tracking so many things we don’t even think of, even who is looking at your profile and whose profiles you’re looking at, which is so interesting.

Bob Woods [16:14]: Yeah, all that stuff really brings things together. Also, getting back to consistency, that’s about how often you post. We never suggest posting multiple times a day and doing all that crazy stuff. The most recent insights I’ve been seeing suggest that three times a week is ideal. You really don’t need to be going absolutely bat-crazy on this stuff.

Brynne Tillman [16:43]: That’s interesting because that is also the number I’m learning is the ideal frequency for blog posts on your website—three a week. Not every day, which actually takes a little bit of pressure off of you. You can actually devote some of the time that you would have spent writing—even if you’re using AI to help you out—to do those other things, like commenting on other people’s posts. That can really help you more directly than just putting out a post. Although posts are definitely still important, don’t get me wrong. But like Bob said, if you stick to three times a week, you can start devoting the rest of that time to these other interactions.

Brynne Tillman [17:31]: Can I share just a quick little side tip on engagement? You can get lost in the homepage newsfeed really fast, right? You could go down that rabbit hole looking for great content. You might also start engaging with content just because you recognize someone, but doing that can confuse the algorithm’s brain. For example, if you sell telephone systems, but you go in and engage with a multi-level marketing post, LinkedIn gets confused, which is so interesting to me. What most people don’t realize you can do is go to the search bar in the free version of LinkedIn and just hit enter. You can filter by posts, see the latest posts from the industries you serve, and even filter by first-degree connections and people you follow. If you bookmark that search, you can go there every day and get a list of the right content from the right people so you don’t get sucked down a rabbit hole. It provides a very clear path of engagement with the right content that can really help you master this 360 Brew.

Bob Woods [19:03]: Yeah, that’s a golden tip that’s worth going back and listening to again because it will save you so much time.

Brynne Tillman [19:12]: Yeah, or you can come to our open office hours. Every third Thursday at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, we have a complimentary session. For our members, we have coaching twice a week. Anyone can become a free member by going to socialsaleslink.com/membership Every third Thursday, you can come in and say, “Show me that little trick on how to create my custom post feed,” and we’ll help walk you through it. You can share your screen, and we can do it with you. So hopefully you’ll join. Interestingly, Kenny Madden said that saving your own posts has the same impact as liking your own post. It actually has a little bit of an impact, but less than if someone else does it. So that’s interesting. I would also make sure that for every comment you get on your content, you respond to it. If I see a comment come in but I’m in the middle of something, I’ll go in and like it, and then at the end of the day, I’ll go back and reply to each of those comments. It is incredibly important that we are responsive to the people engaging with our stuff, especially within that first 60 to 90 minutes.

Bob Woods [20:38]: Yeah, I’m hearing 90 minutes as well. So, LinkedIn is giving us a little bit of space there, which is a good thing. Trying your best to reply to comments on your post within the first 90 minutes is what we’re talking about here. You might want to be strategic in terms of when you’re actually posting your content as well. You don’t want to post a major piece and then realize, “Oh my god, I have to go to a five-hour meeting immediately afterwards.” I pity you if you have five-hour meetings, but really be intentional about when you post so you know you have time afterward.

Brynne Tillman [21:24]: LinkedIn also tracks who you’re sending posts to via the little paper airplane icon. If you post content, click the paper airplane, and blind copy up to 10 people at a time to get it in front of them, the algorithm evaluates who those people are, too. It looks at whether those individuals are the type of people who would like this content and if it matches your point of view. That’s the whole point of the 360 Brew—it’s a 360-degree view of everything you’re doing. We started by saying LinkedIn isn’t broken, and as we close this out, I want to address why people come to us daily saying, “My views are down, my engagement is down, LinkedIn is broken.” It’s not broken; it has leveled the playing field. Even influencers—people who naturally got an enormous amount of views simply because of their follower count—have to follow the exact same rules right now. Because the playing field is leveled, we can control this. That’s why we created this ebook as a team. People are saying it’s broken, but there are just new rules, and it allows all of us to leverage them at the same level. If you go out and engage with enough people, using a 10-to-1 ratio as the minimum—meaning you engage with 10 people for every one post you publish—you will achieve a similar reach to someone with 100,000 followers who just drops a post and leaves. It’s all about proactively going out and building that relationship-first visibility. It’s not just about vanity metrics; it’s about who is engaging and who you are engaging with. A relationship is a two-way engagement, to Bob’s point. Influencers who are not active and are just broadcasting are going to think it’s broken, while you, who know how to do this, will outplay some of the bigger names in the industry. Okay, end of my rant. Any final thoughts, Stan?

Stan Robinson Jr. [24:21]: That’s just a great example of knowledge being power. When you know what the new rules are, you’re able to take advantage of them and make them work for you, instead of simply getting slapped around by them, which often happens.

Bob Woods [24:37]: Exactly. You remember that old commercial that used to say, “No rules, just right”? I think for us, it’s “New rules, just right.” Love that. I think what all this comes down to is a fundamental mindset shift when it comes to LinkedIn. It goes back to something you’ve heard us say a lot if you’ve been following us for a while: detach from what the prospect is worth to you, and attach to what you are worth to the prospect. There’s no better way to do this than by practicing everything we just said. Don’t chase vanity metrics; chase the people you want to have conversations with. When value leads, engagement follows. When engagement follows, visibility compounds. As a final reminder, you can get that ebook at socialsaleslink.com/newalgo—all one word. I think it’s time to bring us in for the proverbial landing here. Thank you for joining us on Making Sales Social Live. We are here live every week on Mondays at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Go ahead and put a block on your calendar for us; we’d love that. If you’re listening to this as a recording on our podcast and haven’t subscribed yet, give us a subscribe or follow, and drop us a like and a comment. Besides these LinkedIn Lives, we also interview leaders and experts in sales, marketing, business, and many other areas, so be sure to catch those episodes as well. socialsaleslink.com/podcast is a great place to start to find all of our stuff. When you’re out and about, be sure that you’re making your sales social.

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