LinkedIn posts not doing well? Here's why

LinkedIn posts not moving of late? I've been posting daily for almost 900 days, seeing both highs and lows. Here's what's happening.

I've had posts with over 900 likes last week and posts with less than 40 yesterday. The difference wasn't quality. The difference wasn't timing. The difference was a combination of factors that most LinkedIn advice completely misses.

Bad advice everywhere

There's a lot of bad advice about LinkedIn floating around. Many of the tips are outdated. In some cases, it's given by 'experts' who cheat. The cheating is rampant. I've seen the use of pods by LinkedIn Top Voices, big brand influencers, and senior executives. For some, it's probably their marketing teams or social media agencies doing it, but the results are the same.

You have probably seen them: Content that's mediocre or downright boring yet racking up hundreds or thousands of likes. That's probably the work of a pod creating fake engagement. Pods are groups where members agree to like and comment on each other's posts to game the algorithm. Mostly, it's done using automated software.

In my view, if the person giving advice is not still posting regularly, tracking their metrics closely, and using only organic methods, then they have no clue how to help.

State of flux

LinkedIn is constantly evolving. One observation: it was far easier to gain followers a few years ago. This now happens a lot slower. The platform has matured, and the easy growth phase is over.

Best practices also change. Hashtags no longer help - use too many and it is considered spam. URLs in posts are now encouraged, a reversal from earlier this year. Clicked links now count as engagements as of last month. The goalposts keep moving.

Recently, LinkedIn's Editor in Chief Daniel Roth said LinkedIn is combating unauthentic engagements. I'm skeptical if the measures are enough, but there it is. The platform knows about the pods and the gaming, but stopping it will require a herculean effort.

Doing better

How can you get a better showing on LinkedIn today? We need to first understand it.

For a start, LinkedIn pigeonholes every account into expertise categories. Known as an AI expert but writing about that new buffet place? Your reach will drop like a rock. This is frustrating if you have broad interests, but it's the reality.

Second, it's a social network. What if you only post content but never engage with other posts? Unless you're a Minister or the CEO of a large firm, expect your reach to be significantly impacted. LinkedIn rewards participation, not broadcasting. You have to give engagement to get engagement.

Luck does play a part, too. Yes, there will be good days and bad days. Sometimes that brilliant content you just spent an hour on will be seen by very few people. The algorithm tests every post with a small audience first, and if that initial group doesn't engage, your post dies there. If they do engage, it gets shown to progressively larger audiences. But that initial group is somewhat random.

What would I advise? Well, identify and build up your niche, engage with others, and don't lose heart over occasional poor performance.