EIf you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn lately, you’ve probably seen people talking about the algorithm.

Someone’s reach is down. Someone else’s post went viral.

A new theory emerges about the best time to post, the ideal content format or the latest change LinkedIn supposedly made behind the scenes.

It’s easy to understand why people become fixated on the algorithm. When a post performs well, we want to know why. When it doesn’t, we want an explanation.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that many professionals ask the wrong question when they evaluate their LinkedIn performance. They focus on how many people saw the content. I think a more useful question is who saw it. That distinction may sound subtle, but it often changes the entire conversation.

Every time someone tells me their LinkedIn content isn’t performing well, I usually ask a few questions before we talk about the algorithm.

  • Who is engaging with your posts?
  • Who is viewing your profile?
  • Who has started following you recently?
  • Who is reaching out after seeing your content?

They know how many views a post received. They know how many likes it generated. They know whether the number was higher or lower than the previous post. What they often haven’t looked at is whether the audience paying attention to their content aligns with the audience they actually want to reach.

I’ve reviewed hundreds of LinkedIn profiles over the years and this issue comes up constantly. A lawyer wants to attract private equity clients but most of the engagement on their posts comes from other lawyers. A consultant wants visibility among law firm leaders but has built an audience made up largely of independent consultants and marketers. A recruiter wants to connect with decision makers but spends most of their time creating content that attracts job seekers.

When that happens, people often assume LinkedIn isn’t working.

In many cases, LinkedIn is working exactly as designed. The platform is distributing content to people who have demonstrated interest in similar topics and similar conversations. The challenge is that the content being created may not be attracting the audience the author ultimately wants.

That’s why I think professionals spend too much time worrying about views and not enough time thinking about audience development.

A post can receive thousands of impressions and contribute very little to business development. Another post can receive a fraction of that engagement and lead to a referral, a speaking opportunity, a client conversation or a new relationship. The number itself doesn’t tell you much without understanding who is behind it.

This is where I encourage people to slow down and look more closely at their audience. Spend a few minutes reviewing who regularly comments on your content. Look at the people who consistently like your posts. Review your profile visitors. Pay attention to the followers you’re attracting. Then ask yourself a simple question: if every one of these people reached out to schedule a call tomorrow, would they be the kinds of relationships I’m trying to build?

The answer often explains far more than engagement metrics ever could.

The Audience You Build Is Often a Reflection of the Content You Create

Content plays a significant role in shaping who follows you. Over time, people begin to associate you with the topics you discuss most frequently. If your content focuses on broad workplace observations, you’ll likely attract a broad audience. If your content consistently addresses healthcare, cybersecurity, private equity, legal recruiting or executive leadership, you’ll attract people interested in those subjects.

One challenge I see frequently is a disconnect between the work professionals want more of and the content they create. Someone may spend most of their time advising healthcare clients but rarely discuss healthcare online. Another professional may focus on private equity transactions while publishing mostly generic leadership content. Others hope to become known for cybersecurity, employment law or executive recruiting but seldom share insights related to those areas.

Over time, this makes it harder for people to associate them with the expertise they’re actually trying to build.

You don’t have to write about the same thing every week. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend it. What helps is identifying a handful of areas where you have expertise and continuing to explore them from different angles.

  • Talk about industry trends.
  • Share observations from your work.
  • Address common misconceptions.
  • Answer questions clients frequently ask.
  • Discuss challenges you’re seeing in the market.

When someone visits your profile or reads several of your posts, they should have a clear understanding of what you do, who you help and what topics you know best.

Comments Are One of the Most Overlooked Visibility Tools on LinkedIn

Many people think of LinkedIn primarily as a publishing platform. In reality, it is a networking platform. Publishing content is important, but participation is equally important.

The people you engage with influence the audiences that discover you. The conversations you join help shape your visibility. The communities you participate in affect how others perceive your expertise.

This is one reason I spend so much time talking about commenting. A thoughtful comment allows you to contribute to a discussion, demonstrate expertise and build relationships without creating an entirely new piece of content. It also places you in front of audiences that may not already know who you are.

Many of the professionals who have built strong LinkedIn presences spend just as much time engaging as they do publishing. They’re participating in industry conversations, supporting colleagues, sharing perspectives and building relationships in public.

I often tell clients that comments are content. They’re simply shorter and attached to someone else’s post.

Timing Is Rarely the Biggest Issue

Whenever I speak about LinkedIn, someone inevitably asks about the best time to post.

I understand why. People want certainty. They want a formula. They want to know that if they publish on Tuesday at 8:07 a.m. their content will perform better than if they post on Wednesday afternoon.

The reality is usually much less exciting. A post that doesn’t resonate with the audience is unlikely to perform dramatically better because it was published at a different hour. Likewise, strong content often performs well because it addresses relevant topics and reaches people who care about them.

I’ve seen excellent posts published at unconventional times generate meaningful conversations and business opportunities. I’ve also seen carefully timed posts produce very little.

Content quality, audience alignment and relationship building tend to have a much greater influence on long-term success than posting schedules.

What I’d Review Before Blaming the Algorithm

If your LinkedIn content isn’t producing the results you’d like, I’d start by reviewing a few things.

  • Does your profile clearly communicate what you do and who you help?
  • Does your content reflect the work you want more of?
  • Are you attracting the kinds of followers you want to build relationships with?
  • Are you actively engaging with clients, referral sources and industry leaders?
  • Are you paying attention to profile views, conversations and opportunities, or only likes and impressions?

Those questions often lead to much more useful insights than studying platform updates and algorithm rumors. Every time someone tells me LinkedIn isn’t working for them, I want to look at two things: their content and their audience.

Most people focus entirely on the first one. The second one is usually where the answers are.

The people who follow you, engage with you and pay attention to your content tell a story about how you’re positioned in the market. If that audience doesn’t align with your goals, no amount of tweaking post formats or posting times is going to solve the problem.

That’s why I always come back to the same advice: spend less time trying to figure out the algorithm and more time understanding the people you’re trying to reach. Everything else tends to get much easier after that.

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