How does the LinkedIn algorithm work in 2022?
LinkedIn can consider itself, ahem, the whole business. But the truth is, it’s a social network.
Like all other social networks, LinkedIn relies on an algorithm to send content to its users. And, like any other algorithm, it relies on many factors to make those decisions.
You need to know these factors if you want your LinkedIn posts to be seen by the right people.
If you want the platform’s magic formula to work for you, read on. The Complete 2022 LinkedIn Algorithm Guide is Below!
What is the LinkedIn Algorithm?
The LinkedIn algorithm takes into account a number of factors to determine who sees which posts on the platform.
The topics, people, and types of posts a person is likely to interact with determine how their feed will look.
And this is not an easy task.
LinkedIn has 810 million members and continues to grow. The algorithm processes billions of messages a day – and all this in order to make the news feed as interesting as possible for each user. (I think we all have LinkedIn bots, thanks a lot. Anybody want to chip in for flowers?)
After all, LinkedIn’s ultimate goal is to prioritize relevant content and encourage engagement. They want you to have a good time!
It’s not just boring online chat. No no no. LinkedIn is the party where you just have your resume in your bag if anyone wants to see it!
Linkedin Algorithm 2022: how it works
If you know how to make your content calm the algorithm, it can work in your favor.
But if you fail to hit the target, you may find your content buried in LinkedIn purgatory.
So how does the LinkedIn algorithm work? Get ready to take notes, friends!
LinkedIn decides if your post is spam or genuine content.
The LinkedIn algorithm measures a number of factors to determine how relevant a post might be to your audience.
It will sort your content into one of three categories: spam, low quality, or high quality.
Here’s how LinkedIn determines where your post is:
- Spam: You may be marked as spam if you use incorrect grammar or include multiple links in your post.
Avoid posting too often (more than every three hours) and don’t tag too many people (more than five).
Hashtags such as #comment, #like or #follow can also tag the system.
- Low quality: These messages are not spam. But they also don’t follow best practices for content. If you can’t make your post attractive, the algorithm considers it to be of poor quality.
- High-Quality: These are posts that meet all of LinkedIn’s content guidelines:
- Post is easy to read
- Encourages answers with a question
- Uses three or fewer hashtags
- Includes strong keywords
- Tag only those who actually answer. (That means you can’t spam Oprah, okay?)
Another good tip: save outgoing links for the comments section.
LinkedIn reviews your post
Once the LinkedIn algorithm determines that you haven’t posted anything too spammy, it will send your post to a few of your followers.
If there is a lot of engagement right away (likes! comments! reposts!) LinkedIn will push more people to it.
But if no one takes a bite at this point (or worse, if your audience flags your post as spam or chooses to hide it from their feeds), LinkedIn won’t share it any further.
All this happens within the first hour after you share a post, which means it’s time to make or break!
Make the most of this time:
- Posting at a time when you know your followers are online (check out our LinkedIn analytics guide here to help you figure out when this is happening!)
- Responding to any comments or questions
- Stimulate interaction with a question or prompt
- Post regularly to let superfans know when your new releases arrive.
- Be active elsewhere on LinkedIn by interacting with other posts. You never know if your name might inspire someone to take a look at your latest content, right?
Turn on all your engagement best practices to the fullest. Want to learn how to get the most out of LinkedIn for business? We hit.
LinkedIn exposes your compelling content to more users
If your post generates interest, a powerful algorithm will start sending your content to a wider audience.
Who sees your post from here depends on three ranking signals:
How closely connected are you.
The closer you are to a subscriber, the more likely they are to see your content.
This means people you work or have worked with, or people you have interacted with in the past.
interest in the topic.
The LinkedIn algorithm determines a user’s interests based on the groups, pages, hashtags, and people they follow.
If your post mentions topics or companies that match the user’s interests, well… that’s very good news!
According to the LinkedIn engineering blog, the algorithm also takes into account several other factors. These include the language of the post, the companies, people, and topics mentioned in it.
likelihood of involvement.
This “probability of interaction”factor is measured in two ways.
First, how likely is a user to interact with your post? (This is based on their previous behavior and that they have interacted with your posts in the past.)
Second signal: how much engagement does the post itself get overall? If it’s a hot-hot-hot post that generates a lot of talk, more people will probably want to join too.
11 Tips for Mastering the LinkedIn News Feed Algorithm
Be up to date
Easier said than done, right? There are several ways content creators can look at relevancy.
First, there is the main rule: know your audience. Start with thorough audience research.
Use analytics and information from your other platforms. Schedule interests and better understand what your audience cares about. You can even use the audience of competitors to create characters.
Use these results as a starting point for your LinkedIn marketing strategy.
Relevance can also apply to formats. LinkedIn members prefer to interact with multimedia:
- Posts with images get twice as many comments as text posts.
- LinkedIn videos get five times more engagement.
Perfect example: Shopify has announced a slew of new updates with hypnotic animations accompanying text. Can not. Look. Away.
Creators need to use formats that are popular among LinkedIn members. This will likely earn points in both the Interest Relevance and Interaction Likelihood columns.
Schedule your posts for the best times
Getting good engagement in that first hour is critical. You won’t see likes and comments if your audience is fast asleep.
For maximum reach, schedule your posts for times when most of your followers are usually online.
Generally speaking, the best time to post on LinkedIn is 9am on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. But every audience is unique. The Hootsuite toolbar can generate personalized recommendations. (Try it free for 30 days – welcome!)
Promote your posts (in and out of LinkedIn)
One of the best ways to increase the engagement of your posts is to increase the number of people who see them.
There are several tactics creators can use to get more support on LinkedIn:
- Tag relevant companies and members
- use keywords strategically
- include relevant hashtags.
Branded hashtags also have great potential here. If you create a hashtag worth following, chances are the algorithm will show posts that use it to the hashtag’s followers.
Examples include #LifeAtLyft by Lyft, #SwooshLife by Nike, and #AdobeLife by Adobe. Google #GrowWithHashtag is building a community of over 2,000 interns who can connect and share experiences on the platform.
For more tagging tips, see our LinkedIn hashtag guide. Really. Just do it.
Hot Tip: Not all promotions need to happen on LinkedIn.
If you think a recent post might be of interest to employees or customers, please share it on Slack or via email.
This can be a great way to engage inactive LinkedIn members with your content. In turn, engagement will improve your rankings through the algorithm. This is a win-win.
Avoid outbound links
LinkedIn doesn’t want you to leave. Therefore, it is not surprising that the algorithm does not prioritize messages with outbound links in the same way as other types of messages.
We did an experiment to make sure. Our posts without outbound links always outperform other post types.
If you need to share a link to something outside the platform, paste it in the comments. Sneaky! We love to see it!
Encourage Participation
The LinkedIn algorithm rewards participation, especially posts that inspire discussion. One of the best ways to start a conversation is to ask a question.
Ask the audience to share their opinions or ideas with you. Asking the right questions positions your brand as a thought leader.
It also provides an opportunity to learn more about your audience’s interests. (Of course, if you want LinkedIn members to interact with you, be sure to return the dialog!)
Create original, engaging content
Original posts go a lot further and generate more engagement than a generic post.
If you’re going to be repurposing content, or have a user-generated content strategy, try to find a way to reformulate it by adding your own comment or value.
Maybe a daring screenshot paired with some clever analysis of your own? Don’t forget to include a conversation-inducing question that will get people talking.
The Allbirds social team, for example, didn’t just share the review link with this LinkedIn post and let it speak for itself. They added their thanks and a quote from an article they liked to make the post their own.
Tip: Forget polls!
In May 2022, LinkedIn announced that it was reducing the number of polls displayed in the feed. This was due to user feedback that there were too many of them.
Build your network strategically
Relationships and relevancy are critical factors when it comes to earning the favor of an algorithm. As a result, the growth of a healthy and active network can bring exponential returns.
Whether you run a personal profile or a LinkedIn Page, make sure you:
- Complete your personal profile and Page as completely as possible and keep them up to date. (According to LinkedIn, pages with full details get 30% more views every week!)
- Add contacts (people you know or think it would be interesting to get updates from).
- Encourage employees to show they work for your company and use your corporate hashtag.
- Follow others and get followers (this is different from LinkedIn connections).
- Participate in LinkedIn groups or post your own.
- Give and receive recommendations.
- Make sure your profile is public so people can find you, add you, and see your posts.
- Join conversations and be active online in general.
- Promote your LinkedIn Pages on your website and other appropriate places (such as employee bios, business cards, newsletters, email signatures, etc.). Setting up custom URLs is useful for this. You can find suitable logos here.
Try new formats
Whenever LinkedIn releases a new format, the algorithm usually gives it a boost. So experiment!
From LinkedIn Live to LinkedIn Articles to LinkedIn Slides, it pays to be a pioneer. This is true even if the functions themselves are short-lived. (RIP, LinkedIn stories.)
Optimize with LinkedIn Analytics
If something works well, repeat it.
Use LinkedIn Analytics or Hootsuite Analytics to understand which posts perform best and why.
Maybe it’s because you posted them all at a certain time? Or maybe each post contained a question?
Whatever it is, learn and use these ideas to refine your LinkedIn content strategy.
Post content suitable for LinkedIn
Users are on LinkedIn to be part of the professional world. This must be taken into account when creating posts.
This is not the place to share your dog’s birthday party video and expect people to take care of it (as impressive as the piñata situation is). Rather focus on business.
Don’t take our word for it:
“Posts that spark conversations and engage discussions are posts that we’ve heard you find particularly helpful in your career growth and development.”- Linda Leung from LinkedIn’s official blog post on Keeping LinkedIn Relevant and Productive.
Know your niche and live in it. Things like this thrive here:
- Small Business Scale Tips
- violation of the philosophy of your corporate culture
- backstage moments in the office
- conclusions from the inspirational conference
Your LinkedIn vibe doesn’t have to be a completely heartless robotic corporation. Authenticity, humanity and humor are more than welcomed and, in fact, rewarded.
Let’s assume that the brand’s voice is friendly and approachable. Accounts that pull the company line to the tee or use too much corporate jargon can keep LinkedIn members from interacting.
Be authentic and engaging, and your audience will be more likely to offer the same in return.
This Thinkific video, for example, is part of a series of profiles of company team members. It’s personal (or should we say…staff?), but still very closely related to the discussion of the work culture that the site has built its brand on.
Don’t ask for an empty engagement
We know that likes, reactions, and comments can increase the engagement rate of a post. Some users have tried to cheat the system by openly asking or encouraging the community to help increase reach.
It’s not exactly the kind of genuine engagement that LinkedIn wants to see in action on the platform.
From May 2022, the algorithm will explicitly reduce the reach of these spam-related messages.
“We will not be promoting this type of content and encourage everyone in the community to focus on delivering reliable, credible and authentic content,” Leung writes.
That’s it: everything you need to know about the LinkedIn algorithm in 2022.
But the LinkedIn magic doesn’t end there. Check out our complete LinkedIn for Business Getting Started Guide for even more expert advice on how to get started.