In late 2023, the LinkedIn algorithm shifted based on a couple of years of explosive growth.
From 2021 to 2023, the platform saw a 42% increase in content shared, which is huge! During Covid the style of content changed dramatically to a more personal platform.
Stats & info taken from this article on Entrepreneur.com
I was one of those people who joined in 2020 while the platform was still very much old-fashioned; selfies were frowned upon, and anything with personality was labeled as “too Facebook” and hated.
The algorithms were not too smart, and there was a ton of polarizing content during these years, it worked well for me as I am a polarizing person.
However, as a result of this dramatic shift, there was a lot of feedback (from the old farts, let's call it like it is), and as a result, LinkedIn decided to change the algorithm.
<aside> 💡 The algo is now focused on educational content, not just engaging and polarizing content.
Here’s the basic understanding of how the algorithm currently works:
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So what does this mean?
LinkedIn wanted to prioritize content that educates and shares knowledge and advice.
So if you want to grow the fastest and get the most reach on LinkedIn…..
You need to build mindfully and understand what the platform wants to push.
Here are a couple great posts on understanding the kind of content that LinkedIn is prompting and what the algorithm loves to see in 2024:
https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:7168114433293053953
https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:share:7167887726028013568
Anyways, here’s the deal….
During the last year, LinkedIn has shifted towards educational, useful content, and the algorithm has gotten much much tougher. Year over year, my reach is down quite a bit, and across the platform, I’m seeing much lower engagement numbers overall.
LinkedIn crossed 1 billion users this year, and there’s more competition and less reach to go around. So, if you want to compete, you’ve got to know the game and know what works and doesn’t work….
If you want to share your opinions, stories, and personal thoughts on matters, you have to know how to outsmart the algo.
Here’s my quick guide!
1. Use a positive hook about a popular subject
What is the hook? (I hope you aren’t asking this question at this stage of the course tbh) The hook is the opening line of a post.
You want to make sure your hooks include the right keywords to attract attention. Use popular subjects related to your niche, and be sure to consider using “how to” or “how I” to increase reach.
The reason I suggest avoiding negative hooks is simply just my own analysis of the platform, my clients and what LinkedIn themselves say about the kind of content they want shared on the platform.
As mentioned above, the algorithm is not pushing polarizing/irrelevant content.