According to Dan Roth, LinkedIn’s editor in chief, ‘when things go viral on LinkedIn, usually that’s a sign to us that we need to look into this, because that’s not celebrated internally’. This has led to an algorithm update on the platform in response to user feedback claiming that there was too much irrelevant and non-professional content appearing in their feeds.
The key to maximising your success on any platform is to understand how the platform’s algorithm works. As a result of the pandemic, people’s personal and professional lives were entangled which meant that LinkedIn saw a surge of more personal content being posted on the platform. Whilst some users preferred the more organic and transparent approach to the platform, most began to complain that it was causing the platform to move away from its intended use as a professional network.
To diminish these complaints, LinkedIn set about to make its feed more relevant and informative. It aimed to show content that relates to users’ work lives and contributes to their professional development rather than rewarding Facebook-style content.
WAYS TO ADAPT TO THE UPDATED LINKEDIN ALGORITHM
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Find your niche
The best way to think about this is to avoid trying to reach the most people and focus on trying to reach the right people. The LinkedIn algorithm will reward your post if it is drawn from your insights rather than just generic information. This means that it is advantageous to research your audience and craft your content accordingly so that it is topic-specific and resonates with your audience. Moreover, finding your niche and sticking to it will contribute to a profile that is topical and builds a highly engaged audience.
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Consistently post high-value content
With the update, it is more likely that your followers will see your posts. This is a user-requested update. A consistent stream of high-quality content is the key to success with this one as it keeps your profile relevant. Furthermore, if you want to improve your engagement, make sure to post content that your audience will value to improve the quality of your network.
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Encourage engagement on your posts
The algorithm will now favour comments that yield a longer character length which indicates that meaningful comments are important. Although you cannot control what your audience comment, making your posts engaging and conversational will encourage your followers to engage in conversation with you. This will then influence longer comments on your posts which will boost your content’s reach.
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Prioritise creating posts that contain ‘knowledge and advice’
Posts that provide ‘knowledge and advice’ are now favoured by the platform’s algorithm. This is to counterbalance the issue of non-professional content appearing on users’ feeds. The algorithm evaluates the content to determine whether it is useful and will reward knowledge-rich content by displaying it to other users who may not already follow the account. It identifies this ‘knowledge and advice’ through the following four metrics:
As a result of the changes seen above, LinkedIn has seen an 80% reduction in complaints about irrelevant content appearing on their feeds and there are more changes on the way. For example, AI-generated texts that help creators to better organise information. As a content creator, it is essential to understand these changes to ensure that you can adapt your marketing strategy to deliver the most high-quality content to your followers. This will ensure long-term success on the platform that will result in business growth, an extensive professional network and plenty of engaged followers.