Mastering LinkedIn Algorithm: 5 Mistakes to Avoid

It was exactly 3 years ago that I was struggling and struggling to get going on LinkedIn. 

I remember I’d post something that I though was profound and yet I would get crickets. 

1-5 likes, 0 to 3 comments (see my screen shot below of when I first started).  

It went on like this for months, I almost gave up. Then I started figuring out how to trigger the algorithm. 

After that my connections, engagement and enjoyment on the platform skyrocketed! 

Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t know what the algorithm is looking for and bump their heads up against the wall like I did, then think that their content sucks or that their audience isn’t there and then give up on what could be 6 figures of business. 

Did you know that LinkedIn’s algorithm will throw your content into what’s called a ‘Spam Bucket’ and you won’t even know it (other than your posts are getting crickets)? 

Here are 5 common mistakes that people make when first starting on LinkedIn that damage their ability to grow: 

1 – Using too many hashtags. This is the same as websites that try to ‘keywords stuff’. It looks tacky and it isn’t doing what you think it is. This was a ‘thing’ on Instagram years ago, but it doesn’t even work on that platform. Use 3-5 hashtags, keep them relevant, at least one broad and one niche, and that’s more for the algo to know about your content (when’s the last time you actually used hashtags to find content)? 

2 – Stop tagging a million people. Tag only those who you know will respond. If you tag people and they don’t respond then the algo will know you’re trying to game it. I try to use tags very sparingly.  

3 – Don’t post n ghost. A huge mistake I made in the beginning was posting and expecting people to engage with my content without me spending some time engaging with others. Find people to engage with where it’s any easy conversation. It shouldn’t feel like a chore.  

4 – Hang out after you post. The LinkedIn algo judges how far it should push out your content by the activity on your post in the first 2 hours. Responding to your comments in the first 2 hours is crucial to drive reach on your post. 

5 – Avoid ‘no value’ posting. Junky posts like ‘let’s all grow together so tag everyone you know’ or pitchy, MLM type of content. Even stupid hacks like polls that provide no value should be avoided. 

This is what I LOVE about LinkedIn, is the platform clearly focuses on professionals and avoids some of the jackassery that you see on other social media platforms. 

There’s a reason why you don’t see some of the posts I mentioned above in your feed. It’s not because people aren’t posting them, its because the Spam Filter has weeded them out. 

If you’d like the entire playbook of EVERYTHING I know about LinkedIn plus a bunch of bonus trainings from some of the top influencers on the platform, and all my PDFs and Guides… consider grabbing my Leveraging LinkedIn self-study course. 

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