LinkedIn can help you land a role or gig, share updates and achievements relating to your career, and help to build credibility in your industry. But what’s the best way to use the platform? What should you be posting so that LinkedIn’s algorithm will work in your favour, sharing your news far and wide?
Fortunately, LinkedIn itself has shared some insights. Well, sort of. This week, the Creativity and Innovation Network published new findings on the LinkedIn algorithm, based on an analysis of 2,000 posts published on the platform in February and March last year, as well as research conducted by LinkedIn expert Richard van der Blom.
The company concluded that, globally, apart from a substantial decrease of reach for surveys posted on LinkedIn, there haven’t been too many other changes to the LinkedIn algorithm. They did find, however, that the best practice for LinkedIn posts is to use text between 1200 and 1800 characters, answer comments within 12 hours, and don’t edit your post within the first 10 minutes.
It also found that for a post to be favoured by LinkedIn’s algorithm, it should generate engagement within the first 90 minutes, not contain more than 10 emojis and not mention more than 15 other accounts.
The infographic, below, also shares the best time to publish, when it’s okay to comment on your post, and how many times you should be posting per week.
In 2021, Leah Lambart, career coach at Relaunch Me, shared with The Latch some things she sees many people doing wrong on LinkedIn, starting with you being too personal and not using it for professional networking.
“I often see a blurring of what is professional and personal,” Lambart says. “I recommend that you mostly share professional, work-related updates on LinkedIn and save the personal stuff for Facebook or Instagram.”
Next? You might not be understanding your role on LinkedIn. You don’t have to be an ‘expert’ in your field to share content with your audience, says Lambart.
“You don’t have to have a PhD in your field or be an author or a global speaker,” she says. “Anyone can share interesting content on LinkedIn to help or educate their audience. My biggest tip to anyone first starting out on LinkedIn would be to see yourself as a ‘contributor’ rather than an ‘expert’.”
As far as your profile pic goes, Lambart says not only should you definitely have one uploaded as people are more likely to accept a connection from you if you do, but you should also be making sure it’s an appropriate photo.
“It should be a photo that represents the brand or type of people that you would like to work for in the future,” she says. “A hiring manager or recruiter who sees your photo on LinkedIn, like it or not, will develop a first impression of you based on your photo and that impression will most likely stay constant beyond the first phone call.”
If you are using a photo taken by a friend at a BBQ or function, then Lambart suggests removing the background yourself or using a professional service to touch it up for you.
Related: A Career Coach Shares the Biggest Mistakes You’re Making on LinkedIn
Related: I Spoke to A Career Coach On How to Embrace Being Proud of My Work Achievements On LinkedIn
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