I base many of my insights on Richard van der Blom's yearly LinkedIn Algorithm Report: the most thorough, data-driven breakdown of how the platform actually works. Format performance, posting patterns, engagement mechanics. 

Tactical gold. If you or your team create content on LinkedIn, get the report. Full disclosure: affiliate link. You get the best LinkedIn data available. Richard buys me lunch. 

1. How the algorithm builds its profile of you, which influences your reach
2. Your connections are no longer your distribution
3. Specificity beats authenticity
4. Nurturing: the work after you publish
5. The 9 rules for commenting effectively
6. LinkedIn's algorithm is basically a nightclub bouncer, deciding who gets in and who does not
7. The 5 LinkedIn tips no one tells you
8. LinkedIn’s new 2026 algorithm, what changed?
9. LinkedIn is in 2026 of the most cited sources in AI-generated answers
10. The power of dark reach, the invisible spread of your content
11. How to control what you see in your feed; your dwell time
12. Be aware of the ‘Pod policy’ for friends and co-workers
13. Reposting, ‘instant’ is still the best, and reposts from employees have -30% impact
14. How to set up employee advocacy and employee-generated content
15. ‘Open to work’ as a red flag
16. Your profile matters and makes a huge difference
17. Sources and who to follow

→ How to make your resume ATS-proof.  Around 75% of companies use ATS to scan and auto-reject resumes, meaning if yours isn’t formatted properly, it might never get seen by a human.

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Read more below. And please, before jumping to any conclusions, check the original sources for all insights, nuances, and details. As with everything, these secrets have context.

1. How the algorithm builds its profile of you, which influences your reach

The algorithm sees more than your posts, it has built a model of you. Based on your profile, your posting history, your engagement patterns. 

And your reach is directly connected to that. It's about what the algorithm expects from you. When you post, it checks your content against that model. A match means distribution. A mismatch means suppression.

→ Your topics are your territory. One post outside your lane won't kill you. A pattern of drift will.

Three types of posts that destroy your reach becasue the algorithm didn't expect from you: 

• You announce you're renting out your summer house. Available in August. The algorithm built a model of a senior leader. It finds a property listing. 

• You share your morning routine. 5am. Cold shower. Gratitude journal. The algorithm built a model of a strategy leader. It finds a lifestyle account. 

• You share three lessons from your weekend run. Your audience followed you for industry insight. They're getting a training log.

It can also be more subtle: I’ve built authority around brand marketing, content strategy and AI. Then I start posting about sales funnels and performance marketing. 

Still marketing. Still professional. Still wrong. The algorithm has a model of me. My detour into demand gen reads as noise and a disconnect. 

2. Your connections are no longer your distribution

LinkedIn's feed is no longer built around who you know or follows you. It is built around what the platform thinks you care about. Relationship graph to interest graph. That shift changes how reach works.

→ For companies, it is a warning. Your logo won't carry you. Your executives and subject matter experts are your reach engine. 

The ones who post with clarity and a real point of view and post with sharp topical focus, they can reach people who have never heard of you. If your LinkedIn presence depends solely on your company page, you are building on a foundation that is actively losing ground.

In 2026, 4 separate algorithm teams evaluate and rank every company and personal post before it travels anywhere. Each post is scored across all simultaneously. The ones that travel furthest score well across the board.

• News. Mission: Be first, be credible. Rewards: Breaking news reactions within 60 min. Penalties: Late takes on stale news.
   
• Engagement. Mission: Quality over quantity. Rewards: 12 real comments, 200+ likes. Penalties: Shallow reactions, no discussion.
   
• Trust & Safety. Mission: Keep it human. Rewards: Authentic, distinct voice. Penalties: Spam, bait, AI-generated filler.
   
• Design & UX. Mission: Stay on platform. Rewards: Docs, carousels, text + image. Penalties: External links, off-platform redirects.

3. Specificity beats authenticity

Reach is the old game. Engagement is the current game. And relevance and specificity is how you win it.

The audience hasn't stopped engaging. They've stopped accepting anything less than something worth their time.

In 2024–2025, showing up personally and honestly on LinkedIn was an edge. By late 2025, it had become one of the most overused patterns on the platform. Templated, frequently AI-assisted.

The feed was full of "here's what I learned from failure" posts that look and feel identical. These so-called authentic posts no longer stand out. They're everywhere. That vague vulnerability is now invisible.

What stops the scroll in 2026 is concrete: a real client, a specific number, an actual decision. Specificity plus expertise is the new differentiator.

→ For senior leaders, that changes the brief. Not more content. Better content. One specific insight from a real situation outperforms ten polished pieces written to be broadly relatable.

4. Nurturing: the work after you publish

The post is not the finish line. What you do in the hours and days after hitting publish can multiply your reach by 2 to 10 times. Or leave most of that potential on the table. Nurturing is now as important as the post itself.

→ For executives, the implication is direct. Publishing without staying present is a significant waste of the reach you built. The post is the opening. The conversation keeps it going.

High-performing content in 2026 stays active in feeds for 2 to 3 weeks. The condition: it keeps generating comments and time spent.

• The golden window is the first 1 to 4 hours. Meaningful interactions in that window generate 10 to 14 times more reach than publishing and disappearing.
   
• Authors who reply within 30 minutes generate 64% more total comments and 2.3 times more views. The reply is not courtesy. It is the mechanism.
   
• Reply with substance. An opinion, a specific follow-up question, a new angle. That scores measurably better than a thank-you or a single word.

What not to do: engagement bait; ‘comment XYZ’,  engagement pods; the platform detects the pattern and penalises it, and generic two-word comments. ‘Great post’ or ‘I agree’ goes nowhere.

5. The 9 rules for commenting effectively

Comments are wildly underused on LinkedIn. They’re not flashy or viral, but they work. Commenting creates two-way interaction. 

When people do use them, they often miss the mark. Instead of contributing meaningfully to the conversation, they default to generic, short reactions that do little to build credibility or reach.

→ A comment has 15x the importance of a like (Algorithm Insights 2024 Report by Richard van der Blom)

The common mistake

The most common mistake? Tossing in a lazy “Totally agree!” and calling it a day. That’s not a comment. It’s background noise. It doesn’t show you’ve read the post, and it definitely doesn’t start a conversation. These comments add no context or perspective and usually get ignored by others and the algorithm.

1. Write 15 words or more

Not to fill space, but to show you’ve considered the post. Longer, more thoughtful comments are far more effective in getting attention and starting a conversation.

2. Write it yourself, then improve with AI if needed

Start with your own thoughts. Use AI to sharpen after you’ve written your comment, not before. AI-generated comments are easy to spot. The algorithm notices, and so do people.

3. Add something useful

Respond with insight, not just agreement. Build on an idea. Ask a relevant question. Offer your perspective. The goal is to contribute something useful that sparks conversation.

4. A comment is not about you

This should go without saying, but don’t drop your elevator pitch in someone else’s comments. A good comment shines light on the original post, not yourself. Think conversation, not self-promotion.

5. Timing matters

Comments left within the first hour after a post goes live tend to have more impact. Early engagement helps boost the original post’s visibility, and your own comment is more likely to be seen.

6. Always reply

Whether you give or get a comment, reply. Follow the same rules above. Continue the conversation. Again, the algorithm notices, and so do people.

7. Comment first, like second

Your first interaction matters. LinkedIn values your very first signal, and commenting still ranks higher. This insight surfaced in 2024. It may evolve, but for now, it’s worth the small effort to write before you tap the thumbs-up.

8. The ‘I like yours, you like mine’ policy

LinkedIn actively discourages this kind of mutual back-scratching. Engagement pods and coordinated likes from coworkers often do more harm than good. By default, engagement from colleagues carries less algorithmic weight than interaction from peers or strangers.

Also worth noting: when the same people always comment first on your posts, their impact decreases over time. Mix it up. Focus on real conversations, not choreographed ones.

9. Lastly, be you

Be unmistakably you. Don't try to impress. Or be somebody else. People love authenticity. Especially if you're a bit upfront, quirky, nerdy, and outspoken. 

Final note

LinkedIn gives you what you give it. If you're just here to check a box, expect crickets. But if you use it as a space to connect, contribute, and learn, even in the comments, you’ll start to see it pay off.

Comments may seem small, but when used well, they are one of your most effective tools.

6. LinkedIn's algorithm is basically a nightclub bouncer, deciding who gets in and who does not

There's a bigger system in place so LinkedIn can keep all our feeds as relevant as possible, so that we, the users, keep returning to their platform

If you think LinkedIn is for just posting your content, you’re missing the point. In my daily work, I see many people getting anxious over details and specs while they don’t even know the basics of how and why the platform works. 

→ Before your content is seen at all, you need to get into the LinkedIn feed first.

Rule 1: The algorithm is the nightclub bouncer

1. You don’t look the part. If your post isn’t formatted well, the visual is off, or the text is hard to read, the algorithm notices. Looks matter. 
    
2. You don’t bring the right energy. Flat, generic, mediocre content signals low engagement potential. The algorithm wants posts that spark conversation, not just take up space. Engagement matters. 
    
3. You’re not on the list. Rarely post or engage? The algorithm doesn’t see you as a regular. Just like the bouncer turning away someone who shows up once a year, it won’t prioritize you. Consistency matters. 

Rule 2: AI scans your post before any human sees it

The bouncer from the example above, that's AI. So, before your post even reaches someone’s feed, AI has already judged it. 

This scan is fast and ruthless. Only if your content passes all these checks will you have a chance to be featured in the feed. If you fail, no one even knows your post existed.

Rule 3: Your activity gets you VIP treatment

Being social on LinkedIn matters. The algorithm rewards effort. Engaging with others, sharing insights, starting conversations, and showing up in the comments pays off. That’s why comments are ranked higher than likes. Comments show you’re part of the conversation, not just tapping a button and moving on.

→ Read the full post 

7. The 5 LinkedIn tips no one tells you

LinkedIn is quietly reinventing itself, and it looks like it's borrowing TikTok's algorithmic playbook. It’s shifting from a social graph to an interest graph, and that one change rewrites the rules of reach, visibility, and what actually gets seen.

To keep this overview page a bit manageable → the full article ‘The 5 LinkedIn tips no one tells you’

What you’ll read: 

• In 2025, the big shift, from a social graph to an interest graph
• Tip 1: Long-form is back. Depth and niche expertise are in. Video? Not so much
• Tip 2. Write as you speak, don't try to impress
• Tip 3: Stop asking fake questions. No one’s falling for it anymore
• Tip 4. Obsess on the hook
• Tip 5. Comment and engage
• Company pages: still technically alive, basically useless. Here’s what to do
• How often should you post

8. LinkedIn’s new algorithm, what changed?

This marks a major shift in how the LinkedIn timeline works. It now doesn’t just scan your post, it reads it. Context, tone, and relevance now matter more than hashtags.

Instead of relying on thousands of separate algorithms—one for jobs, one for the feed, one for ads, LinkedIn now runs on a single large-scale language model with 150 billion parameters. It's similar to the technology behind ChatGPT or Gemini.

Here are the 3 biggest changes you need to know. 

From ‘clicks’ to ‘meaning’

In the past, LinkedIn focused on signals like likes and hashtags. 360Brew now actually reads and understands your text. It grasps the context and professionalism of your post. It’s all about content quality and relevance to your audience.

The profile-content anchor

360Brew doesn’t look at a post in isolation; it evaluates how well it matches your profile. It uses your headline and ‘About’ section as the foundation for your expertise score.

If your post aligns with your stated area of expertise, you get a boost. If not, the model may suppress it.

AI detection

In the 360Brew era, the value system has shifted, as mentioned about the importance of comments and saves. But the model is extremely effective at detecting lazy, fully AI-generated content, and often downgrades its reach.

9. LinkedIn is in 2026 one of the most cited sources in AI-generated answers

AI is quietly building its knowledge base and LinkedIn Articles are one of its primary sources. Most brands haven't connected LinkedIn publishing to AI visibility yet.

For B2B queries, Profound tracked it as the #1 cited domain across six major AI platforms.

Semrush analyzed 325,000 prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and Perplexity. LinkedIn appeared in 11% of all AI responses, second only to Reddit, ahead of Wikipedia, YouTube, and every major publisher.

• "LinkedIn is one of the most cited domains across AI models. 
  It ranks #2 in citations in the Semrush dataset, appearing in 11% of AI responses on average across ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode.
   
• Your LinkedIn content can directly shape how AI explains your brand. 
  LinkedIn shows relatively high semantic similarity scores in our dataset (0.57–0.60), meaning AI responses often mirror the meaning of the original content.
   
• Educational, original content is cited most often. 
  Long-form articles (500–2,000 words) and mid-length posts (50–299 words) account for the largest share of AI citations, and 54–64% of cited posts focus on sharing knowledge or practical advice, while reshares are rarely referenced.
   
• AI citations reward relevance and consistency more than virality. 
  Most cited posts have moderate engagement (15–25 reactions), while about 75% of cited authors post frequently (5+ posts in four weeks) and nearly half have over 2,000 followers.
   
• You need both Company Page content and individual thought leadership. 
  For example, Perplexity cites Company Pages most often (59%), while ChatGPT Search and Google AI Mode more often cite individual creators (59%)."

What this means for your brand

The brands showing up in AI-generated answers aren't posting more. They're publishing better.

Structured articles. Clear expertise. Consistent topics. Written by people who actually know what they're talking about, not by a content team filling a quota.

→ AI doesn't cite your brand. It cites your content, published by a coworker

That shift, from thinking about LinkedIn as a social channel to treating it as a publishing platform, is the whole game right now. Most brands haven't made it yet.

Your next AI citation isn't a campaign. It's a LinkedIn article, written by someone at your company, published this week.

10. The power of dark reach, the invisible spread of your content

Dark reach on social refers to the unseen impact of your content: those interactions and impressions that don’t show up in the analytics but still matter. Just because you can’t measure it doesn’t mean it isn’t real.

1. Invisible spread

Your content travels through private channels – chats, closed groups, email, DMs – where tracking dies.

• Shared by trusted peers, so higher impact
• Links copied without UTM tags → ends up as ‘direct’ or mystery traffic
• Reposts without credit → lives on in someone else’s feed, quietly

2. Invisible impact

Your content leaves a mark even when no one clicks, likes or comments.

• People might say ‘I see you post every week,’ though no metrics show that
• On LinkedIn, a glance can create an impression, yet it may not be logged
• Unopened emails where the sender + subject line alone build recognition and authority for you

Why this matters

Dark reach equals your content going ‘viral’ in the shadows. It’s the ghost impression that lives in someone’s mind, even if your dashboard shows crickets. Think of it like the friend who never comments but somehow knows your whole life story.

11. How to control what you see in your feed; your dwell time

You can have a say in what content pops up in your feed. Besides engaging with content and creators, you can also do this by controlling your dwell time.

The more time you spend on a post, the more LinkedIn thinks you like it, even if you don't engage with the post. 

Please note, this also goes for content that irritates you. So if you read something annoying and you get all fed up, and continue to read, LinkedIn thinks you appreciate it. The algorithm can’t read sentiment (yet).

So, if you want to see less of that type of content, don’t engage with it. Don’t read it. Scroll on as fast as you can.

Do spend time reading and engaging with content that you like. The more you do that, the more of that type of content you’ll get. And if you really like it, leave an in-depth comment and help the original poster gain more reach.

→ ‘How to comment, with 15x the impact of a like’ (number 7 on the LinkedIn algorithm secrets list) 

12. Be aware of the ‘Pod policy’ for friends and co-workers

Don’t ask your coworkers and friends to like and share your content blindly. LinkedIn has a ‘pod’ policy with penalties. This means you can’t fool the algorithm by asking for engagement just to increase reach. The algorithm recognizes this and lowers the value of the content.

In other words: LinkedIn punishes the ‘I like yours, you like mine’ behavior (the pod policy).

I also know that for a major brand launching a new product, LinkedIn warned them in advance. The warning was about their plan to have thousands of employees post about the product on launch day. LinkedIn noticed, and the content was blocked by the algorithm. This brand is known for these kinds of tricks ;) I can’t mention names (NDA).

13. Reposting: ‘Instant’ is still the best, and reposts from employees have -30% impact

The latest buzz about LinkedIn posts is ‘not to repost' and always create a new post. I don't agree. The best reach for your post still depends on the content and not purely on how you post it. 

That said, let's dive into some details and data. Below, you'll read why I like reposting and how to do it. 

Including that, surprisingly, ‘instant reposts’ are better than ‘repost with thoughts.’ 

Another surprise is that when employees share company posts, the impact is reduced by about 30%. There is a ‘pod’ policy in place, this means that you can't trick the algorithm by asking your coworkers and friends to repost and comment. The algorithm knows and devalues this accordingly. 

Why I like reposting

• It gives more credit to the original source than when you create a new post.
• It shows your followers that you also share content from others besides your own.
• The number of reposts reflects the quality and relevance of the content, or very smart and strong stakeholder management to convince others to repost.

2 Things to keep in mind:

→ If you want your C-suite to share your content on LinkedIn, you must make it as easy as possible for them. I don't see them creating a post from scratch, so reposting works better for them. 

→ If the original post has a ‘link in comment,’ it will disappear, so you need to add the ‘link in comment’ to your repost. 

Repost: ‘instant’ or ‘with thoughts’?

The copy below is ‘borrowed’ from the Algorithm Insights 2024 report, pages 72 and 73, rewritten and edited for clarity and relevance. Follow Richard van der Blom for more insights, tips, and tricks based on data and research, not just opinions.

Before we start, a little definition. ‘Instant’ means hitting the ‘repost’ button without adding your thoughts. ‘Repost with thoughts’ means, well, adding your insights and why you think others should read this post. 

→ Only add your thoughts when it makes sense, and to make it relevant for your followers. Does the original post need your thoughts, or can it do without? If in doubt, please keep in mind that the algorithm prefers the instant repost. 

→ 2 Rules of thumb: first, make an effort; 100+ words and personal. Two, don't repeat what's in the original post. For example, adding ‘we are looking for an account manager’ when reposting a job, that adds no value, isn't needed, is too short, and has nothing personal. 

What's in it for the original author, you wrote the post

1. ‘Instant repost’ of your post within the first 4 hours can increase growth by 40%.
    
2. ‘Repost with thoughts’: adding personal insights cuts the post’s impact by 12x compared to an ‘instant repost’. Oops! This is surprising to me. Based on Richard's research, it's better to encourage ‘instant reposts’ to maximize reach. 
   
   I still believe it’s good to share your thoughts when reposting, as it shows you care and put in effort. But you have to stick to the rules of relevance and length. However, the data from January 2024 tells differently.  
    
3. You always need to engage quickly when others repost your content to favor the algorithm and amplify your reach. 

The reposter's perspective, you repost someone else's post

1. Engagement on ‘reposts with thoughts’ also needs to be fast. Without direct engagement, the visibility of your repost is limited to 8-10% of your typical reach. 
   
   If you get 10+ engagements, you can boost that reach to 15-20%. But, based on the low reach of ‘reposting with thoughts’, you'll need to message your network to engage. 
    
2. Add context: your ‘thoughts’ should be at least 100 words and or very personal. If not and shorter, your ‘repost with thoughts’ underperforms by 3x. 
    
3. Employee versus external repost: when employees share company posts, the impact is reduced by about 30% compared to shares by individuals outside the company, except for infographics, which keep 25%.
    
4. Instant reposts are primarily a gesture to support the visibility of others' content. It boosts the original post’s reach by 4% but doesn’t increase your visibility. 
    

My advice on ‘repost instantly’ or ‘add your thoughts’

Honestly, I don't have a firm answer as to what to do. As with everything in life, it depends.

Whether you add your 100+ word thoughts depends on what you want to accomplish by reposting, your relationship to the original poster, and, of course, the content as in the message and post format. 

Think about the pros and cons of reposting and adding thoughts, so you can decide for yourself what works best for your situation and your followers. 

→ Don't ask your coworkers and friends, there is a ‘pod’ policy and penalty. This means that you can't trick the algorithm by asking them, the algorithm knows and devalues this accordingly. 

In the brand new 30-page update of Algorithm Insights 2024 there are signs of a slight change towards the ‘add your thoughts,' but, based on the current data, the ‘instant’ is still favored (for now). 

14. How to set up employee advocacy and employee-generated content

These two pages give you all the information you need to know:

• Amplify your business page reach on LinkedIn with employee advocacy
  The 5 tips to turn your employees into a LinkedIn machine
   
• Employee-generated content is about to explode; what are you waiting for?
  A new, real, and authentic way to get reach for your brand

15. ‘Open to work’ as a red flag 🚩

I wasn't aware, were you? For sure, I'll never put this up again. Small side note: this mainly applies to the more senior roles. 

What to do instead? Get noticed with a solid personal content strategy. 

16. Tips to create your best personal profile on LinkedIn

As always, Richard van der Blom has your back. He created a simple 33-point checklist for improving your LinkedIn profile. 

My take on his checklist is that these are the 4 easiest fixes that most often go wrong

• Header visual: F'it with the boring corporate visual and big logo; keep it personal and authentic. There are many templates available to help you get started creating something awesome
• Profile picture: let it be professional, yet not too corporate stiff upper lip. And set it open; don't keep it a secret unless you're a celebrity special snowflake
• Spend time writing an amazing headline. Check out Richard's post or scroll down. Make an effort, and don't stick to just your job title; that's boring, and nobody gets excited by that.
• Be active. If your last post, comment, like, or share is more than a few weeks ago, it signals you don't give AF about being social. Nobody likes not-social people

On average, the LinkedIn profiles Richard analyzed ranked 62%. This is your chance to do better and stand out

Check out his complete checklist to improve and complete your profile, and give him a follow for more great LinkedIn content and secrets. He knows.

Your LinkedIn headline is your personal ad

Your profile headline is your own personal ad in 120 characters; make them count and treat it like a mission statement - who you are and why people should connect with you. 

There is no golden formula, yet these are LinkedIn's own great examples to be inspired by. 

My key takeaways

• Write it like a super short elevator pitch without buzz or jargon
• Share something personal in a light-hearted way,
• Strengthen your headline with your profile picture and cover photo; it’s the combination of the 3 that makes you stand out
• It’s not about you; focus on what you can do for the other, for example, as a rhetorical question as your headline
• You can be bold and show confidence

There's magic in your LinkedIn profile summary

LinkedIn gets it. Writing your LinkedIn Profile summary isn’t at the top of your to-do list. Sometimes, you need great examples to see the summary’s magic and figure out how to write your own.

These are LinkedIn's 14 best practices. 

My key takeaways

• Very personal and authentically written in ‘I,’ they write as they speak
• Around 3 to 5 short paragraphs, quite some extended information with a minimum of around ~200 words
• Visually appealing; use break lines, making smart use of whitespaces
• Giving an overview with bullets or numbers where needed

Here are a few more tips

• Describe what makes you tick (in your own words)
• Explain your present role and describe what you do in the simplest terms. Share what problems you solve and for whom
• Highlight your successes, cite the biggest takeaway from your experience section across roles
• Reveal your character, show your personality next to who you are professionally
• Ask for what you want your audience to do after reading your summary; be specific
• Make your first sentence count; hook them
• Include keywords that highlight your top skills; these are the same keywords used in job descriptions
• Cut the jargon, as already mentioned; write as you speak

Below is Santa Claus's LinkedIn summary. Be inspired.  

'About

I'm the happiest guy you'll ever meet. My cheer is infectious, and I get thrills spreading it at scale. I love children too. I thrive on their faith in me. The combination of these two passions is why I’m in the business of making kids smile.

My idea of fun is patiently listening to whiny customers seated on my lap in a mall, and turning their toy requests into $500 billion in sales. I’m proud that I have a direct impact on their behavior too: nice? Gifts. Naughty? Coal.

I can wear many hats: postal worker, reindeer tamer, workshop executive, sleigh pilot, chimney gymnast and elf resources manager. Desk jobs aren’t for me though. I do my best work on the move, flying through the sky.

I manage a team of 300,000 three-foot direct reports who live and breathe generosity and goodness. I know how to get the most out of them too. Since the launch of my elf-training program, my letter-readers have cut time-per-letter by 39% and my toy builders, wrappers and leaders have increased their output by 17%.

I can brave arctic temperatures and overcome sleep deprivation. I can shimmy up and down chimneys in a flash – without making a peep. No chimney? No problem. I’ll figure out how to get in.

I’m the kind of guy who is so meticulous that when I make my list in Excel, I check it twice. I have an uncanny ability to know when my customers are sleeping, and when they're awake.

Despite the demands of the job, I’ve never missed my annual deadline. Ever. Some people don’t even believe in me, yet I still deliver to them on-time.

Once you nailed your LinkedIn profile, it's time to share content.'

Source: ‘What Santa Can Teach Us About LinkedIn Profiles’

17. Who to follow

If you do want to know all the ins and outs of getting likes and comments, these gents know their game and share knowledge — no fuzz, no b*lls*t, no jargon, just honest, upfront advice and nailing it. 

Richard van der Blom,  Sam Browne, Matt Barker, and shout out to Dickie Bush. 

Sources

Check out Richard; he's got great insights on LinkedIn reach.  
LinkedIn cheat sheet below via Alexander Greb 
Credits to Auke van der Grinten, via the link how you can ask him to send you the Nextfields B2B LinkedIn handboek 
And big thanks to Sam Browne for his LinkedIn secrets of the algorithm V2 
And follow Christ Coolen for his insightful content on marketing psychology and content (Dutch only). 

Disclaimer

This page is updated frequently. Whenever I get new insights worth sharing, I'll add them to this page. 

→ TLDR: I deleted 7 old resumes from my account. Relevant recruiters showed up. Job suggestions improved. 

I also cover why your headline and your content need to match, and where I stand on the Open to Work badge.

1. Delete your old resumes from your LinkedIn profile

If you've ever uploaded a resume, LinkedIn uses that. It uses all that data to read you and build a picture of you. Even the hidden resumes that no one but you can see.

If your saved resumes are old or written for jobs you no longer want, you're sending mixed signals. Mixed signals means not showing up in the right recruiter searches.

Here's how to clean it up.

• Go to Settings & Privacy → Data Privacy → Job Seeking Preferences. 
   
• Look for two settings: ‘Save resumes and application data’ and ‘Share resume data with recruiters.’
   
• Turn them off first, then delete every resume that doesn't match anymore. All of it.
   
• Then upload your current resume, the one that reflects the role you want. If you're targeting two different tracks, upload one for each.
   
• Before you switch those settings back on, check that your profile and your resume align. Same dates. Same job titles. Same keywords. LinkedIn uses both to build its picture of you. If they contradict each other, that picture gets blurry.
   
• Toggle the settings back on. Done.

→ I deleted 7 old resumes from my account.

All credit for this goes to Emily Worden. Follow her for great practical content for job seekers.

2. Your job suggestions will improve too

I did this cleanup and the difference was immediate. The vacancies LinkedIn suggested actually match what I'm looking for now.

The junior roles disappeared. Just like that. My old resumes were so outdated and off-target they were pulling my entire profile down. LinkedIn had built a picture of me I no longer recognised.

I should have done this years ago. It would have saved me a lot of frustration.

3. Your headline shouldn't be your job title

Recruiters don't browse profiles. They search with keywords. If those keywords don't appear in your headline, bio, or work experience, you won't show up.

Write the headline for the role you want, not a description of the job you have now. Then carry those same keywords through your bio and experience. That's how you get found before you apply.

Need inspiration? Santa's LinkedIn profile is genuinely worth a look.

4. Your headline and your content need to match

This one matters beyond job seeking. It applies to anyone who posts.

LinkedIn evaluates your profile and compares it against the topics you post about. The stronger the alignment, the more LinkedIn sees you as a credible voice. It pushes your profile to the right recruiters and amplifies the reach of your posts.

Here's a fast way to check.

• Go to your profile, click Edit, delete your headline, and hit ‘Write with AI.’ 
   
• Look at what it suggests. That's LinkedIn's read of you. 
   
• Now compare it to what you actually post about. Same territory? You're fine. Completely different? That's your reach problem.

One thing: don't use that suggestion as your actual headline. It's terrible. LinkedIn’s AI is a diagnostic, not a copywriter, no matter what LinkedIn says. Use it to see how LinkedIn reads you, then write your own.

‘Write with AI’ is a LinkedIn Premium feature. Free one-month trials come up regularly. Worth doing this check before the trial expires.

All credit for this goes to Alicia Teltz, follow her for more.

5. How to write your open to work post

The best practical guide I've seen on this is Emily Worden's framework. I edited it for my own use. When I posted my open to work post in March 2025, it landed me 2 new projects.

LinkedIn will nudge you to write a post when you activate your Open to Work settings. It will even draft one for you. Don't use it. ‘Hi everyone, I am looking for a new role and would appreciate your support’ tells nobody anything. It's lazy and won't get you results.

Write your own. Short paragraphs, short sentences, bullet points and line breaks.

Here's how.

• Start with a story. Not ‘I am looking for a new role.’ Something real: ‘After being laid off in December and taking time to regroup with my family, I'm ready to work.’
   
• Say what you're looking for. Job title, industry, the skills you want to use. Be specific. Vague gets ignored.
   
• List your best results. Numbers, not descriptions. Impact, not just responsibilities.
   
• Optional: add a human or fun fact. LinkedIn has gone more social. People connect faster when they know something real about you.
   
• Close with a specific ask. ‘If you know anyone hiring product managers, send them my way. Like or comment to help with visibility.’ People want to help. Make it easy.
   
• Offer to return the favour. One line is enough.

→ Repost every three to four weeks. Most people didn't see it the first time.

6. The Open to Work badge: signal or red flag?

The debate is back. Should you use it or not.

My view is simple. For junior or mid-level professionals, use it. It's a clear signal and recruiters respond to it.

For senior leaders and C-suite, don't. It doesn't read as availability. It reads as desperation. There's a difference, and the people you want to attract know it.

I've never had a recruiter not reach out because I didn't have the badge. It has never stopped them. Not once.

More insights on LinkedIn's algorithm secrets 

I collected all my monthly updates on the All LinkedIn algorithm secrets archive page. 

What you'll learn:

1. How the algorithm builds its profile of you, which influences your reach
2. Your connections stopped being your distribution
3. Specificity beats authenticity
4. Nurturing: the work after you publish
5. The 9 rules for commenting effectively
6. LinkedIn's algorithm is basically a nightclub bouncer, deciding who gets in and who not
7. The 5 LinkedIn tips no one tells you
8. LinkedIn’s new 2026 algorithm, what changed?
9. LinkedIn is in 2026 of the most cited sources in AI-generated answers
10. The power of dark reach, the invisible spread of your content
11. How to control what you see in your feed; your dwell time
12. Be aware of the ‘Pod policy’ for friends and co-workers
13. Reposting, ‘instant’ is still the best, and reposts from employees have -30% impact
14. How to set up employee advocacy and employee-generated content
15. ‘Open to work’ as a red flag
16. Your profile matters and makes a huge difference
17. Sources and who to follow

Special edition: How to make your resume ATS-proof with AI and LinkedIn

And please, before jumping to any conclusions, check the original sources for all insights, nuances, and details. As with everything, these secrets have context.

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I read all the latest algorithm reports, so you don’t have to. Here’s what matters now, plus 5 tips on what to do and not to do.

What you’ll read below: 

• In 2025, the big shift, from a social graph to an interest graph
• Tip 1: Long-form is back. Depth and niche expertise are in. Video? Not so much
• Tip 2. Write as you speak, don't try to impress
• Tip 3: Stop asking fake questions. No one’s falling for it anymore
• Tip 4. Obsess on the hook
• Tip 5. Comment and engage
• Company pages: still technically alive, basically useless. Here’s what to do
• How often should you post

See the final paragraph for credits and sources.

Let’s dive in.

In 2025, the big shift, from a social graph to an interest graph

Since spring 2025, LinkedIn has increasingly prioritized content you engage with, not just who you're connected to. This marks the platform’s shift from a social graph (connections first) to an interest graph (topics first). 

It looks like LinkedIn is following the most addictive social in class, TikTok, which also has an interest-based algorithm, stickier and more addictive than Meta’s (still mostly) connection-based one. 

Feed saturation is real. Daily personal posts increased by over 20% between March and August 2025, but the total feed space (average posts seen per session) hasn’t changed.

What content shows up: more ads, more creators, more ‘for you’ content, and suggested posts. The algorithm now favors smaller accounts with niche expertise. 

The rise of suggested ‘for you’ and sponsored content. LinkedIn has quietly expanded both ‘Suggested for You’ and sponsored placements. Together, they now take up around 7–8% of all your feed. The numbers:

• Organic reach: down 47%
• Engagement: down 39%
• Follower growth: down 42%

The algorithm is multitasking. It’s optimizing for parallel goals: speed and depth. That’s why your feed feels like it’s bouncing between viral dopamine hits and thoughtful insights. It's not you. It’s the algorithm.

For brands? Company pages are basically useless, averaging just 1.6% organic reach. If you want reach for your brand, you'll need to piggyback on your employees. 

Tip 1: Long-form is back. Depth and niche expertise are in. Video? Not so much

Want reach? Start typing. 

→ The best-performing posts on LinkedIn right now are long, between 1,250–3,000 characters. They outperform short posts by 38%. That’s not an excuse to ramble; it is a push for conversational language and depth.

Quote from Richard: “Stay in your lane > authentic expertise counts. Own one or two topics instead of chasing viral posts outside your knowledge area.”

Why the sudden love for in-depth niche content? Because the internet is tired. Specifically:

• ChatGPT fatigue is real. People can smell AI-generated copy. They want something human, not corporate speak
• Authenticity beats polished. Longer posts reveal real thoughts, personality, and even some vulnerability
• Mobile friction is overrated. If it’s a good story, we’ll read it, even on a mobile phone as long as you optimize and design your copy for mobile reading

And video? Not so much anymore. Video reach has dropped -35%, but if you must do video, here’s what works:

• Short, vertical, 30–90 seconds
• Meant to support and complement written content, not replace it
• Prioritize substance and personality, not production value. Nothing wrong with a raw and human edge.

Tip 2. Write as you speak, don't try to impress

Aim for reading level 5 to 7, or B1 English. B1 is clear, simple language everyone easily understands, without jargon. In short: Write as you speak.

What not to do: Complicated language with expensive-looking jargon to impress others. Long words equal lower engagement. Posts with words of more than 5 letters per word performed 35% worse.

What to do: Easier reads equal better performance.

• Ask ChatGPT to rewrite your content to ‘reading level 5 to 7’, or into ‘B1 without dumbing it down’
• Design your copy, break your text. No big walls of text. Posts with fewer than 7 paragraphs perform 74% worse than posts with more than 14 paragraphs. Easier reads is better performance.
• Keep it easy on the eye. Use white space, bold, and bullets or lists as visual anchor points in your copy.

Tip 3: Stop asking fake questions. No one’s falling for it anymore

Ending your post with “What do you think?” isn’t engagement, it’s useless clickbait. Users are tired of fake conversation starters. The data shows that posts ending with questions perform slightly worse. The algorithm isn’t buying your faux curiosity, and neither are your connections.

What to do:

• Use provocative statements to spark responses. Do: ‘Most people get this wrong about X.’ Don’t ask, ‘What do you think about X?’
• If you really want to ask a question, make it specific and high-quality only. Like ‘I'm heading to a conference. What is the best booth you've ever seen?’ 

Tip 4. Obsess on the hook

If you’ve got something worth saying, say it up front. You should really obsess on the hook, before the ‘more’. If you don’t hook readers there, they’re gone. It’s roughly the first 90 characters that matter.

→ Please, don’t bury the good stuff and your key message below the fold in a paragraph. Or stick to the too obvious engagement bait hooks with ‘surprising’ statistics, and questions, both perform the worst. See tip 3.

What to do:

• Personal stories are the best hooks; people want to hear from you, from your own experience, and in your own words.
• Consider experience-led hooks, fear-based strategies, or showcasing authority. Example: ‘I almost got fired for doing this one thing—turns out, it saved my career.’ ‘Everyone’s doing X. Here’s why I stopped—and what happened next.’

See the ‘State of the Algorithm Report’ and ‘LinkedIn™ Algorithm InSights 2025’ for examples.

Tip 5. Comment and engage

Comment and engage with other people’s posts to boost your own reach, show that you’re a social butterfly, and not just making noise. Comment on potential clients’ posts, peers, and respond to comments on your own posts.

• Top 5% creators comment 150+ a week, versus 25 for average creators
• They reply 90+ a week, versus 15 for the average creator
• And more comments equal faster follower growth; there’s a strong correlation of 0.545

What not to do in comments:

• Don’t outsource this to AI; it destroys your credibility and trust
• Be a one-word wonder, or empty flattery like ‘great post’ or ‘this is so important’
• Self-promotions are a no-go; no one wants to be sold to in the middle of a comment thread

What to do instead:

• Write as you speak. If that includes a little sass, go for it
• Share a POV, story, or insight that adds to the conversation
• Actually read the post you’re commenting on

Company pages: still technically alive, basically useless. Here’s what to do

Your company page has 1.6% organic reach, so if, by some miracle, you do reach someone, don’t waste it trying to sell them something they didn’t ask for. Don’t make your post an ad-in-disguise post.

What to do: ‘Leave them better than you found them.’ Share knowledge, offer insights they can’t get anywhere else, or make them smile.

A quote from Richard's take on what's happening for company pages: 

"Across 600+ Company Pages analyzed, we saw reach rebound by 6–12% overall, but the real story lies in formats. 

• Text-only posts climbed +10.34%,
• Text + Image +5.9%, and
• Articles — the surprise winner — surged +27.9% in average reach.
• Meanwhile, Polls dropped –21.6% and
• Videos took the hardest hit at –40.5%.

The takeaway? 

Company Page audiences are turning away from “scroll entertainment” and leaning into educational and narrative-driven content. Articles and external links perform best when they deliver insights, not marketing."

→ Nor is B2B an excuse to make your content as boring as possible. Keep it human. Add a little fun. 

And please, cut the jargon. There’s nothing sexy about hiding behind expensive-looking jargon and buzz words, trying to impress. Overusing jargon just proves you don’t understand your own product. Because if you can’t explain complex ideas simply, you probably don’t understand them that well.

Respects your reader’s time and their brain.

How often should you post

LinkedIn isn’t looking for volume. It’s looking for and rewarding rhythm and reciprocity.

Here’s what actually works:

• Post 2–3 times a week. That’s the sweet spot
• Spend the rest of the time in the comments
• Pick 1 or 2 core formats and get good at them. Format discipline pays off; consistency builds trust with both your audience and the algorithm

What not to do:

• Daily posting causes content fatigue and can tank your reach by 45%.
• Irregular posting, long gaps followed by bursts of activity, causes an even sharper decline, as the algorithm deprioritizes accounts with unreliable, inconsistent behavior.

Summary: the algorithm is moody and unpredictable

The LinkedIn algorithm is always changing. What worked a few months ago can be totally different right now. There are so many details, stats, best practices, dos and don’ts, it’s hard to keep track.

→ But here’s the thing… You don’t have to obsess on growth to make an impact and be seen. 

At the end of the day, the best strategy is still that I share for the sake of sharing. Not to generate leads, drive business, or collect followers. If you focus on doing what you love and loving what you do, the business usually follows.

If you want to stay on top of what works, please follow my go-to sources: They nerd out on the data so you don’t have to.

You're welcome.

My sources and all credits

“Just Connecting™— LinkedIn™ Algorithm InSights 2025” by Richard van der Blom. I highly recommend buying it and diving into it. This is an affiliate link, so I'll get a small fee as well.  

→ Read Richard's take on the report. It's gold. 

State of the Algorithm Report, by Say What and The Creator Accelerator, Will Mctighe and Chris Donnelly 

AuthoredUp

More insights on LinkedIn's algorithm secrets 

I collected all my monthly updates on the All LinkedIn algorithm secrets archive page. 

Stay ahead on marketing, content, and AI with insights that actually matter

My weekly LinkedIn newsletter is a two-click free subscription, and you can unsubscribe at any time. No hard feelings.

Simple as that. 

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→ On social, we’re moving from a social graph to an interest graph. The shift means you earn visibility by delivering value, not by existing in someone's network.

→ So, if you’re still building content for your followers and funnels, you’re already behind. 

Let’s start simple:

• Social graph is about who you know: relationships, friends, colleagues, and followers. It used to power socials like Facebook or early LinkedIn, where your feed is shaped by your connections.

• Interest graph is about what you care about: your interests and preferences, topics, behaviors, and passions. Think TikTok, YouTube, or how LinkedIn is evolving today: your feed is based less on who you follow, and more on what content you engage with.

Quick note: This mostly applies to organic social, but it applies to paid as well. If your content doesn’t resonate, the platform simply won’t push it. Even with a budget behind it, bad content gets buried.

Why it matters for marketing leaders

This is what you need to know in 2026.

1. You’re not talking to your followers anymore

In an interest graph world, distribution isn’t tied to your network size; it’s tied to engagement signals. Algorithms push content that performs, not just content from people you know.

This means:

• Great content gets reach, even with a small following.
   
• Bad content? No one sees it, not even your followers. Brutal but fair.
   
• Really bad content? You even get denied on the paid advertising feed.
   

2. Reach is now audience-led, not audience-owned

Instead of broadcasting to followers, you're now getting reach and attention from people who may have never heard of you, just because they are interested in your content.

So yes, brand equity still matters. But your reach and performance is now defined by:

• How engaging your content is
   
• How well it taps into trending conversations or interests
   
• How consistently you show up in the right 'interest feeds'
   

3. The content bar is higher and more level

Before, in the social graph era, brands with big followings could get huge reach. But not anymore. The interest graph now dominates the playing field. 

If you're not delivering value, someone else will, whether it's a competitor or a random creator in their kitchen.

The common mistakes marketers still make in a social graph mindset

Don't make these mistakes. 2026 marketing doesn't run well on traditional marketing playbooks and mindsets. It’s not business as usual. It’s adapt or get ignored.

1. Polished, brand-safe, inside-out content
Still leading with features, products, and ‘big news’? Your audience doesn’t care. 

Content needs to speak to real needs, deliver actual insight, and be generous—yes, even giving your best stuff away for free. Stop talking about yourself. Start being useful.

2. Funnel thinking in a feed-first world
Linear journeys are dead. People don’t follow step-by-step buyer paths—they find you through moments, content, and shared interests.

Your job isn’t to guide them down a funnel. It’s to show up with value wherever they are, again and again.

3. Overproducing, underperforming
More time, bigger budgets, slicker visuals… doesn’t mean more influence. Reach is meaningless without relevance and resonance. 

What to do now

It’s honestly not that complicated. No rocket science here.

The biggest trap? Overthinking it. When you aim for perfection, you usually end up with boring, over-polished content squeezed into rigid funnels that just don’t fit how content works in 2026. Keep it simple. Make it human again. 

• Build around curiosity, not linear campaigns. Start with ideas that spark interest, not updates that fill a calendar. 
  
  And please, make your content modular and standalone. Every (organic) post is a first impression and not seen as part of a nurture flow.

• Speed up and simplify. Ship faster, learn in public, and focus on content that’s clear, useful, and personal. 
  
  Remember, if your marketers need 6 approvals for their content, you made them assistants, puppets, and project managers without a mandate to move fast and have ownership.

• Create for the feed, not the brand book. Authenticity with a human touch wins over pixel-perfect, AI-polished perfection. And relevance wins from the size of your follower base.

Summary

The social graph is about relationships. The interest graph is about relevance. And in today’s world, relevance wins.

New school marketing needs new school playbooks with marketers that dare to show the human side of the brand, have the mandate to move fast, and challenge the status quo.

Now it's up to you. 

P.S. If this resonates with you, don't hesitate to reach out and get nerdy on what's hot and not for 2026 and how to adapt as a marketer. 

Stay ahead on marketing, content, and AI with insights that actually matter

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Simple as that. 

→ Subscribe

→ Before your content is seen at all, you need to get into the LinkedIn feed first.

→ It's not just about creating 'mobile' savvy content or being popular. There's a bigger system in place so LinkedIn can keep all our feeds as relevant as possible, so that we, the users, keep returning to their platform.

LinkedIn runs on a few basic rules that most brands and people are not aware of. 

Disclaimer: there is much more to how the algorithm works. I’ve simplified it a lot to explain what you need to know before diving into the details. 

These are the bare essentials to get right before worrying about the rest.

Rule 1: The algorithm is the nightclub bouncer

LinkedIn is not an open playground. It’s a nightclub with a strict door policy, and your content is waiting in line. The algorithm is the scary, impressive-looking bouncer deciding who gets in and who does not.

And the reasons it denies content are not that different from the fears we all had standing outside a club when we were younger.

1. You don’t look the part. If your post isn’t formatted well, the visual is off, or the text is hard to read, the algorithm notices. Looks matter. 
    
2. You don’t bring the right energy. Flat, generic, mediocre content signals low engagement potential. The algorithm wants posts that spark conversation, not just take up space. Engagement matters. 
    
3. You’re not on the list. Rarely post or engage? The algorithm doesn’t see you as a regular. Just like the bouncer turning away someone who shows up once a year, it won’t prioritize you. Consistency matters. 

If you’ve ever wondered why a post with effort and heart barely got seen, this is why. It never made it past the door.

Rule 2: AI scans your post before any human sees it

The bouncer from the example above, that's AI. So, before your post even reaches someone’s feed, AI has already judged it. 

This scan is fast and ruthless.

• Is your content mobile-friendly? Is the reading level simple enough to skim? Does your visual work in the feed? Are you sharing something fresh or just repeating what everyone else says?
   
• And it’s not just this post. AI also looks at your previous posts. How did they perform? If you post too often with low engagement, the chances of getting in shrink.
   
• The AI looks at you, too. How often do you engage with others? Do you share insights, comment, and connect, or only drop your content and vanish?

Only if it passes all these checks does your post get a chance at the feed. If it fails, no one even knows it existed.

LinkedIn’s AI scans your content before a single person ever sees it.

Rule 3: Your activity gets you VIP treatment

Being social on LinkedIn matters. The algorithm rewards effort. Engaging with others, sharing insights, starting conversations, and showing up in the comments pays off. That’s why comments are ranked higher than likes. Comments show you’re part of the conversation, not just tapping a button and moving on.

Consistency matters just as much. The more regularly you show up, the more the algorithm trusts you. It’s like being a regular at that nightclub. The bouncer knows your face. Posting once in a while with no engagement in between is like showing up once a year expecting special treatment. It doesn’t work like that.

Why knowing this matters

When you know these rules and how the algorithm works, you can manage your expectations and stop guessing. You can decide how much time and effort you want to invest to get to reach and actively participate. Or lurk silently in the background. 

The deeper benefit? You take control. Whether you choose to go all in or step back, it’s now a decision.

All nerdy details on the algorithm

Here are a few links if you really want to know what to do:

• The LinkedIn algorithm secrets
• More golden tips in the Algorithm Insights Report and how to buy it (chapter 2 in the same link as above). This is my go-to source for everything about LinkedIn is this report. However, as there's IP on the stunning 250-page report, I can't share all the details. 
• Richard van der Blom, Sam Browne, Matt Barker, and Dickie Bush. 
• AuthoredUp, they recently launched their newsletter, and it's worth it

More insights on LinkedIn's algorithm secrets 

I collected all my monthly updates on the All LinkedIn algorithm secrets archive page. 

And please, before jumping to any conclusions, check the original sources for all insights, nuances, and details. As with everything, these secrets have context.

Stay ahead on marketing, content, and AI with insights that actually matter

My weekly LinkedIn newsletter is a two-click free subscription, and you can unsubscribe at any time. No hard feelings.

Simple as that. 

→ Subscribe

Before we dive in, let’s be real: nothing I’m about to say is new. You have just ignored it, or conveniently forgotten it, for way too long. And I get it. Changing habits you’ve had for years isn’t easy, especially when the payoff feels harder to track.

Still, if you want to stay visible in 2026, this is what you'll need to do.

• Behave like a creator
• Be consistent
• Simplify

Your alternative ‘more content’ is not the answer, because we’re already drowning in mediocre content. Not being on social media is not an option for most brands either. 

If you play by these rules, content is still a smart investment for your marketing budget.

1. Behave like a creator: add value, not ads

Brands need to behave like creators, not like a brand creating ads and pushing them on social. Your most significant strategic change is a mind shift: add value, not ads

Entertain, inspire, and/or educate the 95% who are not in the market (yet). Only 5% of people are ready to buy. The rest? You'll need to stay on their radar for when they are.

• Put your customer first and reason from their needs. I know, it’s been said a million times. But apparently, this marketing 101 is still widely ignored: most brands remain more focused on themselves than their customers.
   
• Write like you speak. Don’t talk in corporate jargon and bullshit bingo. Don’t polish or overcomplicate. 
   
• And please, don't think that because you're in B2B, these basic rules of attraction suddenly don’t apply.

Explained by example: ‘Vaseline Verified’ Vaseline becomes the voice of reason in a world of viral beauty hacks. They add value by verifying and debunking myths in UGC, making the brand a cheeky authority. 

2. Consistency

Show up. Be there. Day after day, year after year. 

Consistency beats creativity. Being recognizable is more powerful than being original every time. Great brands aren't built overnight. They're built through clarity, intent, and repetition (source). Especially now in these oversaturated content days, showing up is more important than ever.

Consistency compounds, with one tiny mental nudge at a time.

Explained by example: 

• I, a solo entrepreneur without a big budget, running a one-person agency, can create awareness, build a memory structure by showing up consistently. You probably don’t read everything I write. But you see it. 
  
  And that’s my objective. When my name pops up in your inbox next to the subject line, I want one thing to happen: your brain combines ‘Fleur’ with ‘marketing, content, AI.’ That’s it. 
   
• This is how consistency looks like at scale: Dove. Who else. It began in 2004 with a bold insight: only 2% of women considered themselves beautiful. Dove challenged the industry’s narrow ideals by celebrating confidence over perfection, sparking one of the first viral marketing movements. Still going strong and winning awards 20 years later. 

But consistency without meaning is just noise. No need to tell you that you need a bigger idea, a structure, and a storyline. Right? Posting for the sake of posting is not how to build your brand. 

3. Simplify

If you create content for everyone, you create it for no one. Keep it simple. This means two things.

First, you pick one objective per content asset. 

• Don’t try to squeeze in more than one message or storyline. 
• Don’t try to address the needs of different audiences in one go. 

→ Keep it simple and easy to understand. If you have different audiences and needs, create multiple content assets.

Second, compound and repeat. Don’t spread yourself too thin. This is the most common mistake made by marketers: trying to do it all at once with a bare minimum budget. Trying to tick all the customer journey boxes with just one or two content assets per phase. 

Doing a little of everything never beats giving your full attention to one thing. 

→ Did you know you have to repeat your message at least 7 times before it sticks?

A note on AI usage: trust and purchase intention can decline

“When people thought something was AI-generated, they rated that content much worse across metrics like trust and authenticity, regardless of whether it was really AI-generated or not.” Source: Adweek and WARC

The research found a 14% decline in purchase consideration and in their willingness to pay a premium for a product advertised around content perceived to be made by AI. The researchers also found the same for human-made content perceived to be AI-made.

People who saw ads around AI-seeming content rated the ads around it:

• 17% less premium
• 19% less inspiring
• 16% more artificial
• 14% less relatable
• 11% less trustworthy

My take: be careful how much AI you use and fully generate your content and or ads. Show your audience that you still make an effort to create content for them. For my own publications and when I work with clients, I still think by hand before I turn to AI. And that shows in the content and statistics. 

Frequently asked questions why your social reach is dropping and what to do

• I'm seeing the reach dropping on my socials, what can I do?
  
  This is really normal and experienced by all brands. You can do two things. One, invest more paid budget, but that is a patch and not a solution. Two, you behave like a creator and improve the quality of your content. That’s the most effective and efficient long-term move.

• I want to keep my content consistent, but I'm short on time and money. What can I do?
  
  This is where you'll need to be smarter about how you reuse and repurpose your content. Consistency is not about ‘more’ content, but it's about showing up day after day, year after year (and checking your data to repeat content that worked before).
  
  By the way, this doesn't mean you'll need to post every day; 2 or 3 times a week will already get you there. Don't oversaturate. Good to know: consistently low-performing content will reduce your future visibility. The algorithm flags your content as low performing and will hide it from the feed, making it even less likely to be seen. 

Wrap-up: your mini playbook

Social media fatigue is real, and more content is not the answer. Here's your mini playbook on what to do to stay visible in 2026. 

1. Behave like a creator: add value, not ads. Entertain, inspire, and/or educate the 95% who are not in the market (yet)
    
2. Consistency compounds, with one tiny mental nudge at a time
    
3. Simplify: pick one objective per content asset and don’t spread yourself too thin. You have to repeat your message at least 7 times before it sticks

That’s the playbook. What you do with it is what matters.

Stay ahead on marketing, content, and AI with insights that actually matter

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Bear in mind that all socials tend to copy each other on what works, so what is highly successful and addictive on TikTok will probably spread to other socials. 

→ Keeping up with these shifts and adjusting your content strategy is essential to stay competitive.

What you need to know:

1. Why TikTok changed its approach
2. The power of TikTok's psychographic algorithm
3. Prerequisites for Marketing 

Before we even start, first this. Let me be clear…
→ Every CMO and Marketing Exec should be on TikTok. It's the frontrunner. You can't do social media marketing if you don't experience it firsthand. 

Let’s zoom out to a broader perspective at a more macro and strategic level and how to react. 

1. Why TikTok changed its approach

The business case of a social channel explained, how they earn their money and why you should care:

→ Socials earn money when users watch the (paid) content in between the (organic) content. 

→ Users only watch content they like: entertainment, inspiration, or education. 

→ So, if the user doesn't like the content, the user eventually will leave the social channel. Remember Facebook?

→ Therefore, serving the best, most liked content is in the social channel’s interest. Hello, algorithm.

In short, the algorithm pushes content that is engaging and appreciated by the users to keep the users on the channel. The better the algorithm, the longer they'll stay. 

Originally the algorithm was based on who you follow. But the more we follow, the more cluttered it gets. 

So, it was time for a significant update on how they know what you like based on your individual behavior and not on who you follow, time for the psychographic algorithm. 

2. The power of TikTok's psychographic algorithm

TikTok's ‘foryou’ page algorithm is totally different from that of other socials. From how the TikTok algorithm defines what content you probably like to the 10-minute adjustments. The success and addictiveness of their neverending feed is obvious. 

From social graph to fast psychograph: TikTok’s leap

• Social graph algorithm
  The social channel looks at who your friends are, who you follow, and your relationships. The assumption is that your interests are closely linked to your social connections. 
  
  For example, if your friends like a certain movie or artist, the platform assumes you will too, and the algorithm shows you content based on that connection.
   
• Psychographic algorithm 
  TikTok defines your interests by looking at what you actually enjoy watching, regardless of your social connections. It focuses on your viewing behavior in milliseconds, engagement, and preferences instead of assuming that you like the same things as your friends. 
  
  This results in the ‘foryou’ feed with highly personalized content, offering a more individual and diverse experience.

No need to explain that the psychographic algorithm serves more interesting and engaging content than the social graph. 

It's quick: 10 to 40 minutes

Another big difference is the adjustment speed of the feed. 

TikTok figures out your tastes in under 40 minutes, much faster than platforms. Instagram, LinkedIn, and even Netflix or Spotify usually take hours or days before they figure you out and serve the best content and recommendations. 

From experience, TikTok adapts your feed in less than 10 minutes; if you engage a bit more with, for example, quiet luxury fashion content, it immediately serves you more of that and less of the other hyper-fast fashion content. Or if you watch a Dr. Pimplepopper TikTok a bit too long, all of a sudden, your feed fills with zits, boils, and pimples. 

Not only is the algorithm fast, but so should you in adapting your content.

3. Prerequisites for Marketing 

The algorithms are changing, and relevance outrules the paid budget; what does this mean for you as a marketeer?

1. First, place yourself in your user's shoes, get in their head, and consider why they should care about your content. The best and most engaging social content is about what they like, not what you want to tell.
    
2. Second, play by the rules of the social channel. Invest the time to learn the newest drills, obey the unwritten rules of what works, and adjust your content accordingly. Don't be stubborn or lazy. 
    
3. Third, invest time to keep up. Make sure you know the most recent trends and fads on all social channels. The algorithms change almost weekly, stay up to date, and don’t snooze. This doesn’t mean you have to jump on every trend; it means you are aware of the changes and decide if and how you adjust your content.

Explained by example

If it's the best practice to front-load content in podcasts or on YouTube, you consider what snippets of content resonate the most with your user; you frontload that content instead of sticking to the actual timing. 

Or catching someone’s attention in the first 1.5 seconds means you don’t start with your intro and logo even though your brand manual says so. 

Make a damn effort. Show that you care. It pays off. 

Wrapping up: key takeaways for marketers

Even though TikTok seems like a playground social channel for youngsters, its influence reaches far beyond.  

→ TikTok launched the super-fast psychograph algorithm; it serves the user personalized and relevant content based on their behavior instead of your social circle, and it's fast; it takes 10 to 40 minutes to get to know you.

→ What to do as a marketeer? Invest time every week, be aware, and then decide if and how you adapt your content. 

And remember, a good marketeer should absolutely be on TikTok. Not for the content but for the algorithm's configuration and experience firsthand how it works, what it serves, and what the highly addictive feed does to your mind. 

Source: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Podcast: How TikTok Ruined Politics (And Your Sex Life)

Need help?

If you need any help with all of the above—and I’m not biased at all—I’m thoroughly experienced, have ruffled many feathers, and have learned from my mistakes, drop me an email. If I’m not the right person to help you, maybe I can recommend someone or an agency from my network.

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It's really about time to shift from copy-centric to visual-centric in the content review processes. 

My kind advice to everyone who reviews and signs off on content, you focus too much on the copy, and too little on the visual. 

Copy-centric state of content calendar and approval processes

Over the last years, I've seen quite some content calendars. What strikes me the most is the importance and focus on the copy. 

You, as a senior manager, review the text and the visual is, at best, hidden in a link or a thumbnail, and you trust the team to nail it. Why? You're missing half of your content by doing so. 

I'm not saying you should be an annoying micro-manager; I'm saying you should review and sign off on the final product, the mock-up created with visual or video screen dumps and copy, not  copy only. 

The easiest way to do that is to put the visual central in the content calendar and copy second. 

Visuals should lead the way 

My advice is based on the visual hierarchy theory, perfectly captured in the visual below.

For all content, this works exactly the same → there is a visual hierarchy.  

You see the visual first, the short caption second. And if you’re interested, you’ll click on ‘read more’ to read the extended copy. 

This is more evident on Instagram. However, this also applies to LinkedIn and email marketing. 

Adding copy to your visual
And there is no shame in adding copy to your visual. For my LinkedIn newsletter, I know that you don't read the caption or the title of the preview, so I added the hook to my visual. 

This is a bespoke visual, only used for the LinkedIn newsletter and a deviation of the header for the blog.  

I use templates in Canva to create in less than 5 minutes all the header visuals I need: newsroom on my .com, LinkedIn newsletter, Instagram feed, Instagram story, and Medium. 

Use screen dumps for videos for your content calendar
Please note that for the sexy videos in Instagram stories, reels, or extended LinkedIn videos, the content approval process can differ slightly from the visual plus copy content assets. In that case, it's good to include some screen dumps from the video in the content calendar. 

For email marketing, the same applies

In your email, you probably have a big, bold header with some boring stock image with your logo. See the first screenshot in the visual below. Pretty boring, right? 

If you focus on the visual, you'll get a much more engaging and better email. See the examples in the visual below. Here the same applies, no shame in adding copy to your visual for clear and direct communications. You can't expect your customer to make an effort and scroll down to see your message. 

• first image: I have no clue what you want to tell me (I'm too lazy to read the long subject line, and my eye is drawn to the big blue header with just a logo)
•  The second and third image also have their logo on top. However, it's much smaller. In the first view the copy in bold and the visual just above the fold get my visual attention
• The newsletters with a visual on the top speak for themselves. Patagonia even made an effort to let the copy ‘New Arrivals’ pop up just above the fold. 

Implementing visual hierarchy: practical tips

The only thing you’ll need to do is make the visual the most important element in your content calendar, by preference in situ → the mockup post, exactly as it's seen by your customer on mobile.

That’s honestly the only way I sign off on content produced by our team.

What you can do:

1. Make the visual the most important element of the post in your content calendar
2. For social, create two caption sets: the short copy with the ‘read more’ for the first view and the extended copy
3. For email, preview with the fold in mind. On mobile, of course
4. If you have a video or LinkedIn document, use screen dumps in the content calendar
5. Create templates for header visual production in less than 5 minutes

Choosing the right tools for your visual content calendar

I’m still surprised most content calendars and tools are so focused on the copy.  What's going on? The visual is the main element of the (social) post, and the above-the-fold part of the email is what captures the first attention. 

Maybe it’s me being so visually focused… I don't know. However, you don’t sign off on a TVC or a DOOH based on the copy, do you? Why not apply the same visual sign-off process to social and email marketing assets?

That said, I haven't found one content calendar that focuses on the visuals as the main element of the post or has a place for the mockup. 

If you know visual-centric content calendar tools, please let me know. 

Conclusion: my vision for the visual future

The visual is the most important element of your content distribution, as well as social and email marketing. And within shortly probably also a bigger role for Google SGE. 

Currently, all content calendars I have seen are still copy-centric. WTF is going on? 

It's time for a shift from copy-centric to visual-centric in the content review processes! 

We should do a better job reviewing and signing off on the content and posts in exactly the same way our customers see them.  Make the visual the hero of your content calendar and sign off on that as well, next to the copy. 

Let's start with improving our ways of working and being more visual-centric, and the tools will follow. 

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For 2024, it's all about the ‘comment' and not about the ‘like’. If you think about it, that really makes sense. A ‘like’ is like a polite nudge of approval. A ‘comment’ is engagement and interaction. And LinkedIn is all about connecting people. (Source, page 69, 70)

A ‘comment’ has 15x the importance of a 'like'

Check out these eye-opening stats (Algorithm Insights 2024 Report, source)
1. Comments pump up your post's reach by a whopping 15 times more than a mere like.
2. They're 5 times more effective than sharing someone else's post with your own thoughts.
3. And they outshine a simple instant repost by 2.5 times.

It's good to know that a comment of 15 words or more is valued higher than a shorter comment. Looks like the LinkedIn algorithm favors in-depth insights and points of view. 

How to get a comment? 

There are several ways, I'm not sure what works best. You can be very polarizing in your statement and provoke a counter opinion, you can ask a question (just don't be lame), or you can write something that incorrect that people have to correct you. Or maybe the best way is to share your insights and vision and ask for other people's opinions. I don't know. 

What I do know is that simply putting up a recap of what you've written doesn't work. Yes, speaking from experience. I quite destroyed my algorithm reach and going to improve my caption skills. 

How to write a comment and also boost your own reach

Your well-written comment can help the original poster get more reach with his or her valuable insights. Nice side effect: LinkedIn will give you some more reach, too. 

A great comment is longer than one or two words and shows you actually read the post from the beginning to the end. Share your thoughts, add remarks, or make people and poster wonder. 

No sh*t, be a Sherlock. A ‘great post’ or ‘I agree’ comment will not do. 15+ Word comments are favored by the algorithm. 

And please, please stay away from AI. Keep it personal; write your own comments; it’s not that difficult.

In this December update with secrets to the LinkedIn algorithm, I once again steal-with-pride the content from Richard van der Blom. He posts great stuff, too good not to share. Check out his original post for more of his insights and recommendations. 

I edited his original overview and created my lists below.

Top 3 Do’s in writing a comment

1. Actually read the entire post and comment on the content, not just the headline. 
2. Give a compliment or an insight; don’t stick to the obvious ‘great post.’ Or ask a question that makes the original poster think. Make an effort with your comment and show that you read it and that you care. A comment should be minimal, about a sentence long. In Richard’s words, be a Sherlock or play detective. 
3. Have fun; keep it light yet professional. 

Top 3 Don’ts in writing a comment

1. Refrain from copy-paste others or sticking to your one-word comments. Or be too extensive in your comment. As Richard states, ‘It’s a comment, not your autobiography.’ 
2. Don't share your own links or elevator pitches and promote yourself or your business. It's not about you. 
3. AI. We notice. Giving a comment is about connecting. Keep it personal. And if you can't make the effort by writing your own comment, better don't do it at all. 

Don’t forget to comment first and like or love the post second. LinkedIn values your very first interaction, and commenting still ranks higher.  

Monthly updates and insights with LinkedIn's algorithm secrets 

Check out my monthly update on the LinkedIn algorithm.  A few topics in previous updates: Why video is not the best content format for your LinkedIn post, the most recent changes in the algorithm (2023), my lessons learned in 2023 with 100+ newsletter posts, and how to favor or annoy the LinkedIn algorithm in 2023.

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Disclaimer

The content on this page is part of my February 2024 LinkedIn algorithm update. As this is one of my best-read pages and ranks very high in SEO, I decided to give it its dedicated page to keep it available for you.