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Anyone who’s anyone in business is on LinkedIn.
Whether you want more connections, likes, and recognition, or just want more clients and customers – you want to be growing your profile on LinkedIn.
As someone who helped lead Yahoo!’s analytics, I found myself in a unique position to talk about LinkedIn’s algorithm as a former search engine engineer.
I recently sat down with Jake Dunlap, owner of Scaled Consulting, to explain how LinkedIn’s algorithm is different from Facebook, TikTok, and other social networks. Most importantly, we talked about how you can use LinkedIn to your advantage.
What Makes LinkedIn Unique?
While platforms like Facebook are more centered around entertainment and personal connections, LinkedIn is designed for professional networking, career development, and industry insights. Therefore, LinkedIn is more focused on professional content and interactions.
This professional focus influences how LinkedIn’s algorithm ranks content, often favoring posts that contribute to professional growth, such as thought leadership articles, industry news, and personal career stories.
LinkedIn users tend to engage with content that is positive, growth-oriented, and relevant to their professional lives, which is different from the more varied and entertainment-driven content found on other social networks.
For example, on Facebook video content is a dominant form of media, and the platform’s algorithm heavily favors it. Facebook even provides detailed analytics for video performance, tracking metrics like how long users watch, whether they engage, and if they rewind or replay segments.
Because Facebook is primarily an entertainment-driven platform, videos that are funny, sensational, or emotionally charged tend to go viral quickly. For instance, a humorous or heartwarming video might get millions of views within hours because the Facebook algorithm recognizes and amplifies content that keeps users engaged for extended periods.
While video content is also important on LinkedIn, the platform treats it differently due to its professional nature. I pointed out that, on LinkedIn, videos typically receive fewer views compared to text posts, particularly if they don’t immediately capture the audience’s attention or are too long.
This is because LinkedIn’s audience is more focused on content that adds value to their professional lives. In many ways, you can almost view LinkedIn as the B2B platform, while Twitter (X), TikTok, and Facebook are more geared towards general entertainment.
You can see this in action as recently as Yesterday, when I had a high performing post mentioning how local service businesses might be overpaying for their websites.
Where Does LinkedIn’s Algorithm Come From?
Back in the early 2000s when I was a search engine engineer, search engines like Yahoo! relied on a complex web of signals to determine the relevance and authority of web pages.
These included the number of unique linking domains, the frequency of updates, and the context of anchor text used in links. “Webmasters” as we called them at the time often tried to game the system through tactics like link laundering—where low-quality links were funneled through intermediary sites to boost the ranking of a target page.
This cat-and-mouse game between webmasters and search engines laid the groundwork for modern algorithms, including those used by social media platforms.
Here’s the good news: The principles of authority and relevance remain, the application has evolved. For example, Google’s standards have evolved to E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authority, and trust) to determine if websites deserve to rank.
On LinkedIn, instead of web pages, the algorithm assesses posts, videos, and articles created by users. Instead of backlinks, LinkedIn considers engagement metrics like likes, comments, shares, and, crucially, dwell time.
In general, shares are worth more than comments, which are worth more than likes, which are worth more than views. These analytics and levels of engagement is one of the surefire signs if your content is relevant, and therefore important enough to show up on others newsfeeds.
One of the most critical metrics in LinkedIn’s algorithm is “dwell time,”. Dwell time refers to the amount of time a user spends viewing a post.
Unlike Facebook, where video content typically dominates and garners significant engagement due to its entertainment value, LinkedIn’s content mix is more varied, with text posts, images, and articles playing a significant role alongside videos. The algorithm rewards content that keeps users engaged, prioritizing posts that encourage users to click “see more” or read through an entire post.
My experimentation with LinkedIn’s algorithm revealed that posts designed to maximize dwell time perform significantly better. For example, I recently shared an experiment where I and my colleagues posted the same content across multiple profiles with varying levels of engagement.
The posts that were crafted to entice users to click “see more”—such as those with an intriguing opening line—consistently outperformed others. This strategy is reminiscent of the tactics used by webmasters in the early days of search engines, where they would craft content specifically to meet the algorithm’s criteria for relevance and authority.
How Can I Get More Engagement On My LinkedIn Posts?
Understanding how LinkedIn’s algorithm works is just the first step. The real challenge lies in leveraging this knowledge to create content that ranks higher and reaches a broader audience.
This isn’t just for vanity, although we all enjoy when a post gets lots of likes and engagement.
When your LinkedIn posts get more engagement, that means more eyeballs from potential business partners and customers. It means more influence in your market. And yes, it almost always means more money in your bank account.
Based on my conversation with Jake Dunlap, here’s 7 tips to get more engagement on your LinkedIn content.
- Master Your Hooks In The First Two Lines
The first few lines of your LinkedIn post are crucial for capturing your audience’s attention. You should be starting your posts with a strong hook that entices users to click “see more.”
This not only increases dwell time but also signals to LinkedIn’s algorithm that your content is engaging, which can boost its visibility.
For instance, 6 years ago I made a post that began with the line, “I charged $2,000 for a $100,000 project, yet the client was pissed”,
This simple yet provocative statement immediately piques curiosity, compelling users to click “see more” to find out what happened next.
The post went on to describe a situation where I took on a $100,000 project for just $2,000, leading to a significant learning experience. The combination of a compelling hook and an engaging story resulted in the post receiving over one million impressions and almost 8,000 likes organically.
This approach mirrors techniques used in storytelling and content marketing, where the goal is to draw the reader in from the very first sentence. On LinkedIn, where users are often scrolling quickly through their feeds, a strong opening can make the difference between a post that gets ignored and one that goes viral.
- Use Emotionally Driven Content
Just because LinkedIn users are more business minded, doesn’t mean they’re immune to human nature.
In this example I shared a personal post where he talked about a friend who was running behind on rent and about to be evicted. By setting the stage with this emotional context, I was able to create a narrative that not only engaged users but also encouraged them to share the post and add their own comments.
The story concluded with advice on picking the right business partners, and deploying real strategy to make sure you have limited risk involved.
This strategy works because it aligns with LinkedIn’s focus on professional growth and development. Users are more likely to engage with content that feels authentic and reflective of their own experiences.
By sharing personal stories or highlighting the successes and challenges of others, you can create posts that not only generate engagement but also build stronger connections with your network.
- Consistency Is King
While viral posts can give your LinkedIn profile a significant boost, consistent engagement is what sustains long-term growth. I pointed out that LinkedIn’s algorithm favors consistent posting and engagement over sporadic viral moments. Unlike Facebook, where the lifespan of a post is relatively short, LinkedIn posts can continue to gain traction for several days, especially if they are regularly engaged with.
A well-performing LinkedIn post can continue to attract likes, comments, and shares for up to four or five days, compared to just eight to twelve hours on Facebook.
This extended lifespan is due to LinkedIn’s algorithm, which rewards posts that maintain a steady level of engagement. To take advantage of this, monitor the performance of your posts over time and continue to engage with commenters and likes to keep the momentum going.
For example, if you notice that a post is starting to lose traction after a day or two, you can re-engage your audience by replying to comments, adding updates to the post, or even resharing it with new context. This can help rejuvenate the post’s visibility and keep it circulating in your network’s feeds.
- Master Video Content
While text posts and articles are the bread and butter of LinkedIn, video content has the potential to set you apart—if used correctly. Videos can be incredibly powerful on LinkedIn, but they require a different approach than on other platforms like Facebook or Instagram.
For example, LinkedIn’s audience is more focused on professional development, so videos that offer valuable insights, industry knowledge, or personal stories of growth are more likely to resonate.
However, the challenge lies in capturing attention quickly. Unlike text posts, which can hook readers with a compelling opening line, videos need to engage viewers within the first few seconds to prevent them from scrolling past.
Shorter, more focused videos tend to perform better, similar to on other platforms where we use one minute videos to test engagement. For example, a simple one-minute video on a quick tip or personal insight often garnered more views and engagement than longer, more polished videos. I recently published a video on LinkedIn about how Google is a big lie detector, which received a bunch of engagement.
This is because LinkedIn’s algorithm prioritizes videos that keep viewers engaged, rewarding those that maintain a high watch time.
To maximize the impact of your video content on LinkedIn, focus on three key elements: a strong hook in the first few seconds, valuable and concise content, and a clear call to action at the end.
This approach not only keeps viewers engaged but also encourages them to interact with the video, further boosting its visibility.
- Test and Iterate Often
You should be testing different content formats and posting strategies to find what works best for your audience. Every audience is slightly different, which is how you need lots of iteration to find what clicks.
LinkedIn’s algorithm is complex and constantly evolving, so what works today might not work tomorrow. By continuously testing and iterating, you can stay ahead of the curve and maximize your reach on the platform.
For example, my friends and I recently posted the same content across multiple profiles with varying levels of engagement. By analyzing the performance of these posts, we were able to identify patterns and refine their strategies.
If we found that posts with a higher ratio of comments to impressions tended to perform better, indicating that LinkedIn’s algorithm favors posts that generate conversations.
To apply this in your own LinkedIn strategy, start by experimenting with different types of posts—text, images, videos, and articles—and track their performance over time.
Pay attention to metrics like dwell time, engagement rate, and the ratio of comments to impressions. Use this data to refine your approach, focusing on the types of content that resonate most with your audience.
- Engage With Your Audience
Interaction is key to success on LinkedIn. The platform’s algorithm rewards posts that generate engagement, so it’s essential to actively participate in the conversations that your content sparks. Dunlap and I both agree on the importance of responding to comments, asking questions, and encouraging discussions.
For example, if someone leaves a thoughtful comment on your post, take the time to reply with a personalized response. This not only builds a stronger connection with that individual but also signals to LinkedIn’s algorithm that your post is generating meaningful interactions.
Similarly, ending your posts with a question or call to action can encourage more comments and shares, further boosting your post’s visibility.
A tactic I often use to increase engagement: at the end of my posts, I often ask a simple, open-ended question like, “What do you think?” or “Have you experienced something similar?”
This invites readers to share their own thoughts and experiences, leading to a higher level of engagement and, ultimately, greater visibility on LinkedIn.
- Leverage Company Pages and Ads
For businesses, LinkedIn offers powerful tools to build a brand and drive targeted traffic. Here’s a lesser-known strategy: creating a company page in your name.
This tactic, which mirrors the approach used on Facebook with public figure pages, allows you to run ads and gain analytics insights, all while maintaining a personal connection with your audience.
With a “Jake Dunlap Company Page,” for example, you can effectively double your presence on LinkedIn. This page looks and functions much like a personal profile but comes with the added benefits of company page features, such as the ability to run sponsored content and access detailed analytics.
This approach can be particularly effective for thought leaders and entrepreneurs looking to build their brand on LinkedIn.
Another advantage of using a company page is the ability to target specific audiences with ads following our Dollar-a-Day training.
LinkedIn’s ad platform allows you to target users based on job title, company size, industry, and even specific skills. This level of precision makes LinkedIn ads a powerful tool for reaching decision-makers and professionals in your niche.
Growing Your Personal Brand Is Bigger Than Just One Platform
Leveraging LinkedIn is important for building business connections, but that’s just the tip of the sphere for growing your personal brand online. You also want a knowledge panel, a personal website with high authority, and recognition as an expert in your field.
The good news is all of this is an expression of authority and documented proof that you’re good at what you say you do.
If you have that proof and want to claim the assets which grow your personal brand, consider investing in our Dollar a Day Program.
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is co-author of the #1 best-selling book on Amazon in social media, The Definitive Guide to TikTok Ads. He has spent a billion dollars on Facebook ads across his agencies and agencies he advises. Mr. Yu is the "million jobs" guy-- on a mission to create one million jobs via hands-on social media training, partnering with universities and professional organizations.You can find him quoted in major publications and on television such as CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, and LA Times. Clients have included Nike, Red Bull, the Golden State Warriors, Ashley Furniture, Quiznos-- down to local service businesses like real estate agents and dentists. He's spoken at over 750 conferences in 20 countries, having flown over 6 million miles in the last 30 years to train up young adults and business owners. He speaks for free as long as the organization believes in the job-creation mission and covers business class travel.You can find him hiking tall mountains, eating chicken wings, and taking Kaqun oxygen baths-- likely in a city near you.