I wish achieving success on LinkedIn was just about writing great posts. There is so much more to it, and the more you know about LinkedIn’s algorithm, the more you can use it to your advantage.
Here are some things about LinkedIn’s algorithm that will help raise your visibility and increase the effectiveness of your posts.
- Don’t assume that your connections see all your posts. When you post a LinkedIn status update, it appears in the feeds of select connections for a few hours to test out their reactions to it. If there is little to no engagement with your post, it won’t go much further than that. That’s why it’s so important for people to engage with your posts in the critical first few hours and why you need to be available to reply to comments.
- There is a big difference in post reactions by your audience. This may initially seem superficial, but the more reactions and comments you receive on your post, the more people it will reach. However, not all engagement is created equal. Because a comment takes a bit more effort than a reaction, it will go further in increasing the reach of your post.
- Posting updates regularly favorably impacts your search results on LinkedIn. Building a brand on LinkedIn requires a consistent effort. Not only does posting helpful, value-added content on a regular basis help you to stay top of mind with your connections, but LinkedIn’s algorithm rewards those who consistently post high-quality content. But this doesn’t mean you need to post every day especially if you’re struggling on what to say. Remember quality over quantity always when it comes to your LinkedIn posts.
There are so many other factors that go into LinkedIn success that also impact the algorithm such as:
- The day of the week and the time of day you post to LinkedIn
- The cadence of your posts
- Your actions in the critical first few hours after posting an update
- The hashtags you use (or don’t use)
- The image you use (or don’t use)
- The size of your network
- The people who comprise your network
- The way you structure your posts
- Your interaction with others on the platform
And I cover all of these topics here on my blog and on LinkedIn and the channels below.
And join me for an all new free LinkedIn Master Class webinar on April 27, where I will explore these topics and much more (including how to now put links in your posts without hurting its performance!).
If you’re looking for tips on how to grow your network and presence on Linkedin, here are some ideas.
Stefanie Marrone advises law firms of all sizes, professional service firms, B2B companies, recruiters and individuals on the full range of marketing and business development consulting services designed to enhance revenue, retain current clients and achieve greater brand recognition. She also serves as outsourced chief marketing officer/marketing department for small and mid-size law firms.
Over her 20-year legal marketing career, she has worked at and with a broad range of big law, mid-size and small firms, which has given her a valuable perspective of the legal industry. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, sign up for her email list and follow her latest writing on JD Supra.