How do LinkedIn's algorithms work?
LinkedIn is a professional social network built on algorithm(s).
Flatter the algorithm will allow you to maximize the outreach of your publications.
Like Google, LinkedIn keeps it secret and makes it evolve constantly: in 2015, articles were boosted, then until 2019 videos, and lastly surveys. Today, no format seems to be boosted.
The current algorithm is based on only one word: contribution. The content must lead to a discussion or a debate. Welcome to the world of infotainment and small talk?
How does it work?
Your publication is distributed by LinkedIn to a sample of your network (between 15 and 20%). It can then :
- Be downgraded because it is considered of low quality
- Be forwarded to other members because it is considered of good quality
- Become viral, after being validated by a LinkedIn employee, and be seen by hundreds of thousands of LinkedIn members.
- Switch between TOP quality content and commitment content.
- Mix between content on your personal page and content on your business page.
- Don’t be afraid to post several times a week to build your brand. Take regular breaks to avoid saturating the audience.
- Minimize posts that contain external URLs. Put external links as comments.
- If someone comments on one of your posts, engage the conversation.
- Add 3 hashtags per post – Tag up to 5 people
- The first 60 to 90 minutes are crucial: there is a correlation between the number of “final” views of a publication and the number of interactions it will have generated in the first hour.
How to set up your LinkedIn account?
- Customize your LinkedIn URL (Click on your photo > View profile > Edit your public profile > Edit URL)
- Deactivate “people who viewed your profile also viewed these profiles” to prevent your visitors from “leaving” to a competitor.
- Set your profile to “Open Profile” so that people outside your network can contact you directly.
- Sign up for a Premium membership if you want to take full advantage of LinkedIn
How to make your profile a showcase?
- Your profile picture: smile!
- Use Remove.bg to remove the background of your photo for free.
- The banner picture (less crucial because difficult to read on mobile):
- A banner related to your business from copyright-free images
- A banner with your company logo or personalized (with logos of your customers? photos of your books?…) = social credibility
- A photo of you with an influential member of your industry
- A photo of you talking to an audience
- A photo of a local landscape/site (if you connect with people in your area)
- Your title: the ESSENTIAL component. It is displayed everywhere! LinkedIn works like Google: every word is listed and referenced. Avoid “Ninja – Guru – Superhero” titles so that clients can find you. Look for functionality more than dream / aspiration but also keep a little something to capture the reader’s attention in a hyper-competitive world. There are 3 styles of title for profiles:
Potential client-centered: to be used if your goal is to attract a maximum of clients with LinkedIn
Mission-focused: to be used if your company already has a brand image or if the mission you are in charge of is beyond your own interest.
Ego-centered: to be used if you already have an established personal brand, if you are an influencer in your field
Make the best use of the 120 sign limit.
Be relevant in the first 2-3 lines of the information section (the only ones directly visible)
- To spice up the layout, insert emojis or unicode characters related to your activity: on smiley.cool or wikipedia.
- Fill in all the information in the sections: experience, skills, recommendations, languages, volunteering, etc.
- Translate your profile into another language if you are targeting foreign prospects.