Engagement, content & reach (the LinkedIn Algorithm Report Part 2)
Hi Folks,
In the last article , I shared with you part 1 of the findings from the brand new LinkedIn Algorithm Report 2021, released last week by Richard van der Blom and his team.
(If you missed that edition, just click this link) Check here
Today, we’re going to look out what the report has to say around engagement, post content and reach.
The LinkedIn Algorithm Report Part 2
If you want more engagement on your posts, you’ve got to engage more on other people’s posts – pretty simple maths!
The report backs this up with some data – more engagement with your network results in up to 10% more engagement on your own posts. So, don’t be a “drop and run Daisy” on LinkedIn – stick around after to engage with other people’s content after you’ve posted your own.
Also, if you want to play the algorithm and get maximum reach on your posts, you should engage within the first TWO hours of posting your content. That time period used to be one hour so this new finding delivers a welcome breathing space!
Someone clicking the “see more” option on your post is more powerful, algorithm-wise, than a like (this counts as engagement). Your job then is to make sure that the first three lines of your post is interesting enough to make your reader want to “see more”!
When it comes to what type of content to post, polls have 450% more reach than a regular text post with one image (every vote has the same impact as a comment - that’s major!); document posts have 250% more reach, and multi-pic text posts have 150% more reach. Moral of the story? Vary your content!
If you’re going to use hashtags in your posts, make them ones that are relevant to your field and audience. When you are using hashtags, 3-5 per post is the sweet spot. Less than 3 reduces reach by 40%; more than 5 reduces it by 20%.
If you want to use external links in your posts, you can - just know that it’s going to cost you in reach. You’ll get 50% less reach for the privilege.
Did you know that only a very small percentage of your LinkedIn network ever get to see your posts at any given time? Every time I share this with a client or in a live session or in training, people are always surprised by this.
The truth is every time you post, your posts are first shown to an initial test group of 8-10% of your network (this stat used to be 5-7% so it seems to have gone up, according to this research).
Their initial engagement with your post then determines how far the post will reach from there (see the two-hour rule above to help with this).
Recommended by LinkedIn
When you are applying the two-hour engagement rule, something new to bear in mind – being the first to comment on your own post reduces your post reach by 15-20%! It seems the algorithm is even cleverer than we thought ;-)
Another thing that has an impact on your reach is your SSI score. Your SSI score is LinkedIn’s tool to measure how well you’re using the platform to build your social selling influence
Dont know what is SSI Score ?? Check here
The higher your SSI, the higher your visibility. Higher SSI scores (60%+) equals 10-30% more reach. On the other side, reach is reduced by 20% with SSI scores of less than 45%.
Lastly, having an “All star” profile affects your reach positively - it can give you as much as 30-40% more reach in your posts (with that initial test group mentioned above).
So there you have it – some more eye-opening data to help you use LinkedIn effectively and efficiently.
What stood out to you this time round?
What will you do differently as a result?
Hit reply and let me know!
Much love & blessings,
GS Kumar
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