LinkedIn's official advice for creators is simple: "post valuable content, engage authentically, build your network."

Cool. Super helpful.

Meanwhile, creators are running experiments, analyzing data, and discovering that what LinkedIn says matters and what actually drives reach are often two different things.

This isn't about gaming the algorithm. It's about understanding how it works so you're not wasting time on tactics that don't move the needle.

What LinkedIn Officially Says

LinkedIn has published multiple updates about their algorithm, most notably in their 2023 Creator Guide and various engineering blog posts.

Here's the official line:

The algorithm prioritizes:

  • "People you know" (connections and followers)
  • "Valuable content" (posts that spark meaningful conversation)
  • "Dwell time" (how long people spend reading your post)
  • "Relevance" (content related to your industry or interests)

The algorithm deprioritizes:

  • Outbound links (they want people to stay on LinkedIn)
  • Overly promotional content
  • Engagement bait ("tag a friend!" or "like if you agree")
  • Content that violates community guidelines

Sounds reasonable, right?

What the Data Actually Shows

Here's where it gets interesting. Creators who track their analytics religiously have noticed patterns that don't quite match the official story.

1. Dwell Time Is King (LinkedIn Got This Right)

This one actually holds up. Posts that make people stop scrolling get rewarded.

The algorithm tracks how long someone spends looking at your post. If they scroll past it in 0.5 seconds, that's a negative signal. If they stop, read for 10 seconds, and maybe click "see more," that's a strong positive signal.

What works in practice:

  • Hook-heavy opening lines. The first sentence is everything. If it's boring, people scroll.
  • Line breaks and whitespace. Dense paragraphs get skipped. Short lines with visual breathing room get read.
  • Story-driven content. People stop for narratives. They scroll past generic advice.

A post that says "5 tips for better leadership" gets scrolled past. A post that starts with "I just fired my best employee. Here's why..." gets read.

2. Comments > Likes (By a Lot)

LinkedIn claims all engagement is valuable, but comments are weighted significantly higher than likes.

One creator tracked 100 posts and found that posts with 50 comments and 200 likes got 3x more impressions than posts with 500 likes and 10 comments.

Why this matters: The algorithm treats comments as a signal that your content is conversation-worthy, not just scroll-worthy. A like is passive. A comment requires effort, which suggests the post provided real value.

What works in practice:

  • End with a question. "What's your take on this?" or "Have you experienced this?" invites replies.
  • Ask for specific feedback. "What would you add to this list?" performs better than "Thoughts?"
  • Reply to every comment within the first hour. This signals active engagement and keeps the post bumped in feeds.

3. The First Hour Is Everything

LinkedIn's algorithm watches what happens in the first 60 minutes after you post.

If your post gets strong engagement early, LinkedIn shows it to more people. If it flops in the first hour, it's essentially dead.

What works in practice:

  • Post when your audience is online. For B2B creators, this is typically Tuesday-Thursday between 8-10 AM or 12-1 PM in your audience's timezone. Test your own data.
  • Prime your network. Send the post to a few close connections right after publishing and ask for genuine thoughts. Not "engagement pods," but real feedback from people who care about the topic.
  • Don't ghost your own post. If you post and disappear for 2 hours, the algorithm notices. Stick around, reply to comments, thank people for engaging.

4. Outbound Links Kill Reach (But Not Always)

LinkedIn officially says they don't penalize outbound links, but every creator who tests this sees the same result: posts with links get 30-50% less reach.

LinkedIn wants to keep people on LinkedIn. That's not conspiracy, it's business model.

What works in practice:

  • Put the link in the first comment instead of the post body. This way the post itself gets full reach, and interested people can click through.
  • Use LinkedIn articles or documents for long-form content instead of linking to your blog. Not ideal for SEO, but better for LinkedIn reach.
  • If you must include a link, make sure the rest of the post is so valuable that people engage anyway. A mediocre post with a link gets buried. A great post with a link still performs (just not as well as it would without the link).

5. The "Comment Pod" Debate

Engagement pods are groups of creators who agree to like and comment on each other's posts to boost early engagement.

LinkedIn officially discourages this. But here's the nuance: the algorithm can't tell the difference between a genuine community and a pod.

What it can detect:

  • Generic comments ("Great post!" or "Thanks for sharing!") from accounts that don't normally engage with you
  • Suspiciously fast engagement (10 comments in the first 30 seconds)
  • Repetitive patterns (the same 10 people commenting on every post)

What works in practice:

  • Build a real community. If you consistently engage with 20-30 creators in your niche, they'll naturally engage back. That's not a pod, that's networking.
  • Leave thoughtful comments. One sentence of genuine reaction is worth 10 "Great post!" comments.
  • Vary your engagement. Don't just hit the same accounts every time.

6. Carousels and Polls Get Preferential Treatment

Despite LinkedIn saying "all formats are equal," data suggests native formats (carousels, polls, documents) get a boost.

Why? They keep people on LinkedIn longer. A carousel requires swiping. A poll requires clicking. Both signal deeper engagement than a static text post.

What works in practice:

  • Carousels work well for step-by-step guides, frameworks, or storytelling. The swipe behavior increases dwell time.
  • Polls are engagement magnets but only if the question is genuinely interesting. "Should I post on LinkedIn?" is lazy. "Which pricing model would you trust more for a B2B SaaS: per-seat or usage-based?" actually gets thoughtful votes.
  • Documents (PDFs) get good reach but are harder to read on mobile. Use sparingly for in-depth resources.

7. Your Profile Strength Affects Post Reach

This one isn't talked about enough. LinkedIn's algorithm considers your profile quality when deciding how much to show your posts.

A creator with an optimized profile (headline, banner, featured section, recommendations) gets better reach than someone with a bare-bones profile, even if the post quality is identical.

What works in practice:

  • Use keywords in your headline. "Founder" is vague. "Helping B2B SaaS teams automate marketing" tells LinkedIn what you're about.
  • Turn on Creator Mode. This unlocks features like newsletters and featured posts, and signals to LinkedIn that you're a serious content creator.
  • Complete your profile. LinkedIn rewards complete profiles with better reach. Add a banner, write a proper about section, get a few recommendations.

What About Personal Branding vs. Company Pages?

Here's a harsh truth: LinkedIn heavily favors personal profiles over company pages.

A post from your personal profile will typically get 5-10x more reach than the exact same post from a company page, even if you're the CEO.

Why? LinkedIn is built for professional networking, not brand marketing. The algorithm prioritizes person-to-person connection.

What works in practice: If you're building a brand, have founders and employees post from their personal profiles and tag the company page. This is how most successful B2B brands grow on LinkedIn.

The Actual LinkedIn Strategy That Works

Forget hacks. Here's what consistently drives results:

  1. Post 3-5x per week (consistency signals to the algorithm that you're active)
  2. Start with a hook that stops the scroll (first 1-2 lines are everything)
  3. Write for dwell time (use line breaks, make it scannable, tell stories)
  4. End with a question to encourage comments
  5. Engage with your audience in the first hour
  6. Build real relationships with other creators in your niche
  7. Optimize your profile so LinkedIn knows what you're about

No pods. No tricks. Just consistent, valuable content delivered in a way that aligns with how the algorithm actually works.

The Tools That Help

The hardest part of LinkedIn success isn't writing good posts. It's staying consistent when you're juggling five other platforms, client work, and life.

Broadr is built for this. You can draft LinkedIn posts alongside your Twitter, Bluesky, and Threads content in one view, schedule them for optimal times, and track which posts are actually performing without logging into LinkedIn's clunky analytics every day.

Because understanding the algorithm is step one. Building a system to execute consistently is step two.

Want to stop guessing what works on LinkedIn? Broadr helps you schedule, track, and optimize your LinkedIn content strategy alongside all your other platforms. Because the best algorithm hack is just showing up consistently with content people actually want to read.