The LinkedIn algorithm changed again!!
- Nov 6
- 7 min read
Look, I need to be honest with you, LinkedIn reach has crashed 66% from its peak. Impressions? Down another 18% just this year. So, if you feel like your shouting into a void - you probably are (sorry!).
But here's the thing, while most of us are struggling, the top 1% of creators are absolutely crushing it—growing 15 times faster than everyone else.
So what do they know that we don't?
The Algorithm Finally Grew a Brain (And a Heart)
I subscribe to Richard van der Blom's LinkedIn insights report (because honestly, it's worth every penny if you're serious about this platform), and his latest findings are always fascinating, fun and he makes it easy for us to find a way to make our own feeds perform better. The biggest part in the finding I LOVE (pun intended) is that the algorithm has evolved to spot and reward actual humans being, well... human.
LinkedIn now obsesses over three things:
Dwell time – Did people actually read your post, or just scroll past?
Saves – Did they bookmark it to come back to later?
Authentic dialogue – Are real conversations happening in your comments?
Translation: Stop trying to game the system. Start being useful and actually interesting.
The new rules
What's actually working right now....
1. The "post and pray" strategy is dead
Remember scrambling to get engagement in the first hour? well, forget that stress.
What's changed: Great content now resurfaces for days if people save it, share it, or have meaningful conversations about it.
Your takeaway: Stop obsessing over immediate engagement. Focus on creating posts people want to reference later. Add a line like "Save this for later" if your content is genuinely valuable—because people actually will. I do this quite a bit now and actually go back time and time again to the really good ones....
2. Carousels still work (but only if your not boring;)
Carousels get 4x more reach, but here's the catch: only if they tell an actual story or teach something useful.
What's changed: Generic "10 tips for success" carousels are dead. Story-driven carousels are thriving.
Your takeaway: Next time you make a carousel, start with "Here's what happened when..." or "I learned this the hard way..." People don't want tips; they want transformation stories with tips included.
3. Pretty pictures build loyal fans
Infographics still outperform plain text by 3x. But their superpower isn't reach anymore—it's conversion.
What's changed: Visuals now turn casual scrollers into subscribers and followers.
Your takeaway: If you're not using Canva or similar tools to create simple, branded visuals, start this week. Even just text on a coloured background makes a difference. (And yes, I can help with this at Love Marketing—I've cracked the code on LinkedIn-friendly designs.)
4. Long-form is back, baby!
Posts between 1,300-3,000 characters perform 38% better. Basically, if your post looks meaty, people assume it's worth their time.
What's changed: Brevity used to be king. Now, depth wins.
Your takeaway: Stop trimming your posts to save space. If you have something valuable to say, say it fully. Break it into paragraphs, add white space, and let it breathe. Think "mini-blog post" not "tweet."
5. Structure isn't optional anymore
Posts with fewer than 7 paragraphs perform 74% worse. That's not a typo. Seventy-four percent.
What's changed: Wall-of-text posts get instantly scrolled past. Scannable posts get read.
Your takeaway: Write your next post, then hit "Enter" twice after every 2-3 sentences. Add more white space than feels comfortable. Your engagement will thank you.
6. Nobody cares about your stats or your SSI score (they care about your stories)
Here's something I wish someone had told me earlier: personal stories crush statistics every. single. time.
What's changed: Posts starting with "According to research..." rank lowest. Posts starting with "Last Tuesday, I screwed up..." rank highest.
Your takeaway: Next time you want to share a lesson, wrap it in a story first. Not a hypothetical story—a real one that happened to you. Make yourself the "before" picture.
7. Questions are dead. Statements are alive.
"Do you agree?" at the end of your posts? Stop it. Just stop.
What's changed: Bland questions get ignored. Bold opinions spark conversation.
Your takeaway: Replace "What do you think about remote work?" with "Remote work is killing company culture and nobody wants to admit it." (Or the opposite. Just take a stance.) Strong opinions, loosely held, drive engagement.
The game-changers you need to know about
External links now BOOST your reach (yes, really!)
This blew my mind. The old rule was "never link outside LinkedIn." That rule just got torched.
What's changed: Useful links increase performance by 236%. Posts with three valuable resources perform best.
Your takeaway: If an article, tool, or resource will genuinely help your audience, link to it. LinkedIn has finally figured out that being helpful matters more than being possessive. Add context around each link so people know why it's worth their click.
Weekends are your unfair advantage
Sunday posts reach more people than posts on any weekday. Why? Because everyone else is "off."
What's changed: The Monday-Friday posting strategy is leaving opportunities on the table.
Your takeaway: Schedule one post for Sunday morning. Test it for a month. Watch what happens. You're welcome.
Likes are basically worthless now
Harsh but true. The engagement hierarchy has shifted:
Likes = "meh"
Comments = "decent"
Saves and reposts = "THIS CONTENT MATTERS"
What's changed: LinkedIn is looking for signals that content has lasting value, not just instant gratification.
Your takeaway: At the end of valuable posts, say "Save this for later" or "Repost this for your network." It's not pushy—it's permission. People need permission to engage beyond a like.
Hashtags are dead weight
Hashtags won't boost your reach in 2025. Full stop. The algorithm doesn't care anymore.
What's changed: Content quality beats keyword stuffing.
Your takeaway: Use 2-3 hashtags max, purely for organization and niche discoverability. Don't waste time researching "the best hashtags." Your time is better spent on literally anything else.
Meet 360Brew: LinkedIn's new internal algorithm framework
Here's something fascinating from Richard van der Blom's latest report: LinkedIn has rolled out a new internal algorithm framework called 360Brew.
360Brew is LinkedIn's comprehensive system for evaluating and ranking content across the platform. Think of it as the "engine" behind what you see (and don't see) in your feed.
What makes 360Brew different from previous algorithms?
Instead of simply prioritising recent posts or posts from people you engage with frequently, 360Brew takes a 360-degree view of content quality. It evaluates:
Authenticity signals – Is this real human insight or regurgitated generic content?
Value indicators – Are people saving, sharing, and spending time with this content?
Conversation quality – Are comments substantive or just "Great post!"?
Sustained engagement – Does content continue to resonate beyond the first hour?
The name "360Brew" reflects LinkedIn's holistic approach to content evaluation. It's not just looking at one metric; it's brewing together multiple signals to determine what truly deserves visibility.
Why this matters for you:
360Brew is basically LinkedIn's way of saying: "We're done rewarding people who game the system. We're going to reward people who create genuine value."
This is why the old tactics (posting at exactly 8:42am, using 30 hashtags, begging for engagement) don't work anymore. 360Brew sees through all of it.
The businesses and creators winning on LinkedIn now are the ones whose content naturally scores well across ALL of 360Brew's evaluation criteria—not just one or two tricks.
I seriously recommend following the following peeps - they are the leading lights on all things LinkedIn and my go to for any updates/questions.
The formula that actually works with 360Brew
According to Van Der Blom's data, success on LinkedIn now comes down to this:
Depth × Clarity × Consistency × Humanity = Visibility
The 360Brew algorithm is finally catching up to what humans have always wanted: real people sharing real insights in a way that's actually useful.
This isn't about hacking the algorithm. It's about creating content so good that the algorithm has no choice but to show it to more people.
Your action plan (Grab a cuppa and get cracking!)
Audit your last 5 posts. How many told personal stories? If it's less than 3, you've found your problem.
Reformat one post. Take your best-performing content and add 4 more paragraph breaks. Watch what happens when you repost it.
Create one "save-worthy" post this week. Make it genuinely useful—a template, framework, or step-by-step process someone would want to bookmark.
Test a Sunday post. Schedule something valuable for this Sunday morning. Compare the reach to your weekday posts.
Replace your next question with a statement. Take a stance. Make people feel something.
Add one valuable external link. Share a tool, article, or resource that helps your audience. 360Brew will reward you for being helpful.
Stop using more than 3 hashtags. Seriously. Let it go.
The real truth about LinkedIn in 2025
Here's what I've learned working with businesses and creators at Love Marketing: these algorithmic changes aren't obstacles. They're opportunities.
LinkedIn (and 360Brew specifically) is finally rewarding what it should have rewarded all along, authenticity, usefulness, and genuine human connection.
If your communication aligns with your unique story, perspective, and values, both humans AND 360Brew will amplify your voice.
The game has changed. But honestly? It's changed in favor of people who have something real to say.
So stop optimising for robots. Start connecting with humans. The algorithm will follow.
P.S. I wasn't kidding about Richard van der Blom's insights report. If you want to stay ahead of these changes (not just react to them), subscribe to his research. It's the data behind everything I just shared—including the inside scoop on 360Brew.
P.P.S. Found this helpful? Save it and repost it for your network. Not because I asked nicely, but because those are literally the two actions that matter most. Practice what I'm preaching!
P.P.P.S. Need help developing a LinkedIn strategy that actually works? That's literally what I do at Love Marketing. Let's talk about how we can help your business show up authentically and effectively.
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