How to hack LinkedIn’s algorithm without becoming a LinkedIn bore

Being on LinkedIn and being visible on LinkedIn are two completely different things.

A lot of people assume that because they have a profile, they must be just as visible as the next professional. Unfortunately, that’s not how the platform works.

LinkedIn now has over a billion users, with recruiters and hiring managers crawling all over it looking for talented folk. Some organisations start and end their recruitment process on LinkedIn. They don’t necessarily advertise a role. They simply search for suitable people, approach the strongest candidates and ask whether they would be interested in a conversation.

But LinkedIn can only put you in front of those people if it understands who you are, what you know and whether the content you contribute is relevant.

So, can you influence the algorithm without spending every waking hour posting, commenting and generally making a nuisance of yourself?

Yes, you can.

Is LinkedIn becoming an expertise discovery platform?

LinkedIn is no longer simply another social networking platform with a business focus.

It is developing into what could be described as an AI-powered expertise discovery platform. That means visibility is not automatically awarded to everybody who publishes something.

It has to be relevant.

LinkedIn is becoming increasingly sensitive to the nature of the content people publish and how others respond to it. If the platform decides that your contributions are not providing much value, based partly on the engagement they receive, it can mark you down.

In other words, simply doing stuff is not enough.

The platform is looking at whether people read your content, how long they engage with it and whether they store it away for future reference. In theory, this means deeper and more meaningful content should perform better than the usual clickbait.

That seems fair enough.

Quality or quantity?

Early social media platforms were largely obsessed with volume.

It didn’t really matter what people were talking about. They just wanted them talking.

LinkedIn appears to be taking a more sophisticated approach by assessing the quality and relevance of what people contribute rather than simply counting how frequently they post.

Of course, one could argue until the cows come home about what constitutes “relevant” content. Ultimately, LinkedIn is using technology to make that judgement.

But it is also watching what real people do.

If members of your network read, share, save or comment on something, that gives LinkedIn a fairly substantial clue that the content is useful.

The lesson is simple: don’t use LinkedIn as a digital megaphone for the sake of making noise.

Give people something worth consuming.

Consistent doesn’t mean incessant

LinkedIn likes people who contribute and get involved consistently.

That does not mean incessantly.

You don’t have to post every minute of every day or spend your entire working week living on the platform. Doing something useful every week or even every month can still help.

Spend ten or fifteen minutes connecting with people who might be relevant to your career or professional interests. Follow recognised figures in your industry. Share their content with your network and add a comment when you have some genuine insight to offer.

Even the way you access LinkedIn appears to matter.

The platform prefers people who go in, do something and come out. You might return later, complete another useful activity and leave again. That is apparently more effective than signing in first thing in the morning, leaving LinkedIn open all day and signing out before bed.

Strange, but true.

What should professionals post?

This is where many people get stuck.

They either don’t want to create content, don’t enjoy doing it or simply believe they don’t have the time.

But publishing useful content is one of the quickest ways to improve your visibility. It doesn’t need to be a complicated document or a grand declaration about the future of the industry.

It could be as simple as sharing your thoughts on a subject you understand.

If you have genuine expertise in a particular area, you could publish an article. You could also gather and summarise useful information from elsewhere in the industry, provided you are open about where it came from and attribute the original authors properly.

You don’t necessarily have to create every piece of information yourself to provide value.

Some highly useful content creators simply bring together developments from across a particular industry and present them in an accessible summary. Their audience values them because they have completed the time-consuming work of finding and organising the information.

That makes them worth following.

Could a poll make you more visible?

Polls can also be extremely effective.

Ask your network for its opinion on a relevant subject. What are people experiencing? What do they believe? Have they noticed a particular change?

Then take those responses, summarise the findings and share the resulting insight with everyone who contributed.

People receive something useful in return for taking part, while you generate engagement and demonstrate an interest in your field.

You don’t need to be the only person with an opinion. You need to be someone who contributes something valuable.

Should AI write your LinkedIn content?

AI can provide a perfectly good starting point for people who lack the time or confidence to begin writing.

But it shouldn’t be the finished product.

If you use AI to generate an initial draft, you must add some authenticity and put your own voice into it. Your network needs to believe that the content is valuable and that it genuinely represents you.

Simply generating something and throwing it onto LinkedIn is unlikely to achieve much.

The platform wants relevant content that receives genuine engagement. Your audience is also more likely to respond when it can recognise some actual knowledge, experience or personality behind the words.

Use AI to get started if it helps.

Then make the content yours.

Do videos beat text?

There is evidence to suggest that video is more effective than text alone, although a combination of formats can work well.

The key is still relevance.

A weak video does not become useful simply because it moves. Likewise, a strong written article should not be dismissed because it doesn’t contain somebody talking to a camera.

Choose a format that suits the information you have to share and make sure it provides something worthwhile to the audience.

Don’t forget to ask for engagement

Anyone who spends time on YouTube will be familiar with content creators asking viewers to comment below.

Sometimes they genuinely want to hear people’s opinions. But there is another fairly obvious reason for asking: engagement increases visibility.

LinkedIn works in much the same way.

If you publish something, ask people what they think. Invite them to contribute their experience or offer a different perspective.

It doesn’t necessarily matter whether everybody agrees with you. The discussion itself demonstrates that the subject has attracted interest.

“What’s your view?”

“Have you experienced this?”

“Do you agree?”

Three very simple questions, but any one of them could encourage a worthwhile conversation.

Why LinkedIn doesn’t like external links

Unsurprisingly, LinkedIn isn’t particularly keen on content that immediately sends people somewhere else.

The platform wants users to remain within its own ecosystem. Putting a URL into your content that directs everybody to another part of the internet might sometimes be necessary, but it is unlikely to help your visibility.

That doesn’t mean external links should never be used.

It means you should understand the likely trade-off. LinkedIn would much rather people read, watch and discuss the content without leaving the platform.

When does visibility become thought leadership?

Thought leaders are simply people whom others perceive as experts, trusted advisers or the go-to person on a particular subject.

The benefit of reaching that position is that people begin to gravitate towards you.

Opportunities gravitate towards you. Enquiries gravitate towards you. Your professional network begins to associate your name with a particular area of knowledge.

But that position takes time to build.

One post will not transform anybody into an industry authority. Consistently contributing useful ideas, information and insight can gradually establish that reputation.

Again, the important word is consistently, not incessantly.

Seven ways to work with the LinkedIn algorithm

If you want the condensed version, try the following:

1. Publish content that is relevant to your professional audience.

2. Contribute consistently without posting for the sake of it.

3. Use AI as a starting point, then add your own knowledge and voice.

4. Experiment with articles, videos, polls and other useful formats.

5. Ask questions that encourage genuine discussion.

6. Avoid unnecessary links that immediately take people away from LinkedIn.

7. Connect with relevant people, follow industry experts and contribute to their discussions when you have something useful to add.

None of this requires you to become a full-time content creator.

It requires you to use LinkedIn in the way it was intended.

Is there really an algorithm hack?

The temptation with any digital platform is to search for a secret shortcut.

But the most effective LinkedIn “hack” is surprisingly straightforward. Provide relevant content, engage with other people and give the platform enough evidence to understand where your expertise lies.

Don’t spam it. Don’t publish endless content simply to prove that you’re still alive. And don’t assume that possessing a LinkedIn profile automatically makes you visible.

LinkedIn rewards people who contribute something useful.

So, by all means, get involved.

Just make sure you have something worth saying.