I’m posting regularly on LinkedIn. Why aren’t my LinkedIn posts getting views or traction?

As the algorithm changes, so will the kinds of posts LinkedIn promotes. Knowing what and what not to post will help your account potentially get noticed.

The LinkedIn algorithm is about engagement—the more people that engage with your posts, the more chances others will have to see them. LinkedIn regularly adjusts the algorithm, so with this in mind, it is essential you're consistently active on LinkedIn to see what works and what doesn’t work, and adjust to take advantage of the recent changes.

Here are some reasons your LinkedIn content might not be getting views or traction:

Tagging people who don’t interact with you

No matter how many connections the person you tag has, LinkedIn wants to maintain a particular user experience. As such, it discourages spamming others via tagging. When you tag someone, it’s not spamming them, but the algorithm sees it as spam if the tagged person does not interact with you.

Tip: Tag people with intent.

Overuse and underuse of hashtags

LinkedIn rewards hashtags (#ThisIsAHashtag; hashtags act as a clickable search term) because it encourages reader interaction. Using hashtags is important for views, but you want to use them moderately.

Tip: Include one to three hashtags per post.

Using images with no faces

LinkedIn rewards using images. However, be intentional about the photos you use. Psychology says people are drawn to pictures with faces, so choose images of real people when applicable.

Tip: Use images that include people’s faces.

External links

Currently, LinkedIn promotes native content, or content that keeps users on LinkedIn longer. So links that direct people off of LinkedIn are not getting as much promotion as those that keep readers on the platform. While external links can bring qualified clients to your website, it is ideal not to have them in the body of your post.

Tip: Mention your link and tell readers to find it in the comments, then add your link in a comment.

What should I do to get noticed on LinkedIn?

  • Write text-only posts: LinkedIn rewards exposure to long-form informational content. However, keep your content relevant and don’t go over 3000 characters. There are reports that writing long-form, informational content does get your content noticed and can help with your LinkedIn exposure. 
  • Write entertaining, educational posts: Users on LinkedIn want to be informed and entertained and don’t want to read sales pitches. Make sure what you write is informative, entertaining, or engaging (or all three).
  • LinkedIn polls: The algorithm loves polls, so it will promote them frequently. This doesn’t mean that you should suddenly make everything on your account all about polls. Use them now and then, and make sure they hit on relevant topics in your industry or are entertaining.

As the LinkedIn algorithm changes, so will the kind of content it gives exposure to. Watch this Q&A article periodically for updates.