Master LinkedIn With These 10 Moves, Social Media Expert Says

Secrets to how LinkedIn’s algorithms work.

(Richard Bliss, founder and president, BlissPoint)

It’s hard to get noticed on LinkedIn and it’s a difficult platform to master.

But why?

LinkedIn is trying to “change our behavior from the other social media platforms,” said Richard Bliss, founder and president of social media consulting firm BlissPoint, during his keynote address, “How to Master the LinkedIn Algorithm,” last week at the MES Spring Summit.

Bliss explained that LinkedIn strives to distinguish itself from other social media platforms.

LinkedIn isn’t “Twitter. They’re not Facebook. You ever been out there lately? Not exactly a positive experience,” Bliss told the audience.

Unlike “the dumping ground” those other platforms have become, LinkedIn’s position is “we have people paying billions of dollars to have a good experience on our platform,” Bliss, who is a LinkedIn Top Voices influencer, a professional speaker, and the author of “Digital-First Leadership,” said.

LinkedIn seeks to “limit the damage that bad actors [can do], and a bad actor can be somebody who just posts 10 or more times a day, or just throws up link after link from YouTube,” he said.

Bliss offered 10 ways professionals can master LinkedIn by familiarizing themselves with the site’s algorithms and how to “start acting with purpose on LinkedIn,” to put your content in front of business prospects and customers.

LinkedIn Best Practices For IT Professionals

Get commentors. “If you get people to comment on your comment, they’re going to see your content,” said Bliss.

Use your first-degree connections. “If you go and look somebody up on LinkedIn and there [is a] first-degree connection ... then LinkedIn sees that at a high level of interest and the very next thing they post will be put in your feed.”

Realize the reasons why LinkedIn typically shows your content to just 10 percent of your audience. This is because LinkedIn is “testing and asking [questions]: Did your content trigger a conversation? Did you get people to stop, pay attention and interact [with your post] in a conversational way?”

You only need to post once a day. “If you post more than once a day, LinkedIn will let you do it, but it’s only testing one conversation.”

Links impact engagement. “If your post contains a link, LinkedIn cuts the audience down 50 percent. This is why you see people say look for the link in the comments below.”

Ten percent of your connections see your reposts. Reposts are “going to one percent of your audience ... anybody who looked at your LinkedIn profile ... anybody who’s commented on your content. Anybody who’s liked your content.”

Hashtags “do absolutely nothing on LinkedIn, unless you overuse them,” then you can be penalized.

‘Thumbing up’ a post is of little value. “Thumbs up is basically the universal symbol of, got it, conversation’s over, so let’s move on.” A thumbs up is of low value because “I basically told the algorithm I didn’t find [the content] interesting.” There is more value in leaving comments.

Be judicious with video. “Oftentimes video is the worst when it comes to starting a conversation. You can generate some impressions that almost never get engagement,”

Aim for three comments a day. “That’s it. Don’t talk. You don’t have to host anything. Just leave three comments a day. ... because you’re participating in other people’s conversations and using your expertise as IT professionals.”