How to succeed on LinkedIn?

As we know, the Linkedin algorithm is demanding and it determines whether your posts deserve to be reported or not. Since 2020, it has evolved towards two objectives:

• Prioritize relevant content
• Drive engagement

Did you know ?

Linkedin performs a test phase the first few hours on a sample of people, before publishing to everyone. During this phase, it will categorize your publication into one of 3 labels:

• Spam: too many grammars, too many external links or too many people tags for example.
• Low quality content: if the first hours of testing your post receives few interactions, no clicks on links etc, it considers it unattractive and will not escalate.
• Content quality OK (virality potential): To be classified in this label, you need a maximum of interactions and comments in the first hours. It is also necessary that the time spent on your post is sufficient (how long the post appears on the screen of the reader, how many people click on the «see more» are indicators for the algorithm).

So how to please the LinkedIn algorithm?

Post at the right times

We keep repeating it, if you post at times when your target is not on Linkedin… your post will obviously not receive any commitment; so the first thing is to post at times in line with the Linkedin usage of your targets.

According to statistics, the posts receiving the most commitments are posted at the following times:

• Between 10am and 12pm and between 5pm and 6pm
• Hours of «peak»: 12pm and 5:30pm
• The best days are Tuesday and Thursday.

Make spend time on your post

For this, a few tips: aerate the text of your post, jump lines, use video, and the new format loved by Linkedin: the carousel that allows you to cut your information into several pictorial slides. And good news, Linkedin releases a new carousel format to include video!

Encourage feedback

Sometimes overlooked, it seems good to remember that the most important interaction to escalate your post on Linkedin is not the like. (Of course, we still need some) or sharing… That’s the comment. The more your post is commented, the more it goes up in the thread. So it is important to think, at the end of the post to include a small sentence that encourages the comment.

For example: "What do you think?", "And you, do you prefer X, Y, or Z?" , or ask a question and say “Give us the answer in comment!”…

Participate

For Linkedin and your target audience to get to know you, you need to maximize your presence as an audience as well. So feel free to like and comment. Interact! Leave comments that open the dialogue on the posts in your news feed, which seem relevant to your activity and your goal.

We know it takes time. So little advice, dedicate yourself a recurring time in your schedule devoted to the Linkedin task (no more than 30 minutes per day maximum). Choose 3 to 5 posts from your feed that you think are relevant and like, comment on them.

Post regularly… and analyze

You already know that regularity is essential on Linkedin as on any other social network, for the network to identify you. It’s a bit like in real life, to make oneself known and accustom a group to our presence, you have to go there regularly, otherwise.... You are forgotten… and quickly.

Publish, but also analyze your statistics, to see what works with your audience, and adjust as your posts.