Using LinkedIn’s algorithm to increase engagement

There are lots of benefits to having a LinkedIn account than just a professional profile. Utilising LinkedIn to share posts and content increases your visibility and promotes your personal brand, reaching your target audience and demonstrating credibility and expertise within your industry. If you are in the process of job searching, setting up or your own business or even changing direction, LinkedIn is a fantastic resource for professional visibility. However, to get the most from the platform, its vital you understand LinkedIn’s algorithm so you can maximise exposure and gain as much reach as possible. Here are some simple steps to improve engagement on LinkedIn.

What is LinkedIn’s algorithm and how does it work?

A social media algorithm is an automated calculation that decides which posts make it to the top of your feed. Each social media platform has a different prioritising algorithm. LinkedIn has multiple measuring factors; firstly the platform ranks and assesses the quality of your content accordingly to determine if your content is relevant to your network. If your post attracts attention and gains momentum straight after posting, it’s a lot more likely to perform well and achieve high levels of engagement. If your audience is liking, sharing, and commenting on your post, your content will become more visible and continuous engagement will maintain attraction in your network’s news feed.

Key Considerations:

• LinkedIn prioritises content from users who you have engaged with in the past and who post consistently.
• Make sure if you post content or share an article, you respond and react to every comment on your post as soon as possible.
• Optimum posting times on LinkedIn are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 8 am – 4 pm.
• LinkedIn is great platform for visibility, however, consistent posting is key: the more you post on LinkedIn, the more likely your content will be showcased at the top of new feeds.
• LinkedIn prioritises content from accounts that get large amounts of engagement. Ensure you are growing your network of connections so you can reach more connections.
• LinkedIn’s algorithm does not automatically send video content to the top of the news feed as it did before. Videos must get strong engagement to become prioritised.
• LinkedIn prioritises content with lengthy comments over a high volume of reactions.
• Tagging other people pushes up views on content, try and tag up to 5 professionals/colleagues who would be interested in your post.

LinkedIn has recently launched ‘Creator Mode’ which you can switch on under your LinkedIn profile dashboard. This is a great tool if you are looking to grow your reach and expand your influence on LinkedIn. As a LinkedIn creator, you can share the topics you post about the most and select up to 5 key themes. This will make it easier for other LinkedIn members to discover your content and follow you.