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Strategy
How the LinkedIn algorithm works in
2025
If you want to connect with your audience on LinkedIn, start by
understanding how the LinkedIn algorithm works.

Christina Newberry, Colleen Christison

July 16, 2025
10 min read

Also available in
Table of Contents
What is the LinkedIn algorithm?
How does the LinkedIn algorithm work?
Which types of content perform best on LinkedIn?
How to optimize your content for the LinkedIn algorithm
 How the LinkedIn algorithm works in 2025 (audio)

No time to read? Check out the audio version of this post.

The LinkedIn algorithm operates a bit differently than most other social
platforms’ — it’s specifically designed to prevent content from going viral.

Yes, you read that right. The LinkedIn algorithm is designed to fill user’s feeds
with only the most relevant professional advice and expertise, which means a
completely different approach than the one you’d use for, say, TikTok.

New LinkedIn algorithm updates prove that focusing on your own expert
knowledge and engaging with your community is more important than ever.
Here’s what you need to know to make the algorithm work for you in 2025.

Bonus!!!
Download a free guide that shows the 11 tactics Download now
Hootsuite’s social media team used to grow their
LinkedIn audience from 0 to 511,000 followers.

What is the LinkedIn algorithm?

The LinkedIn algorithm is a recommendation system that selects the posts
that each user sees in their feed.

The topics, people, and types of posts an individual is most likely to engage
with determine what their LinkedIn feed will look like.

LinkedIn has over one billion members (and counting). Its algorithm processes
billions of posts per day, all to make the newsfeed as interesting and
informative as possible for every user.

LinkedIn says, “The primary goal of any algorithm is to make the platform
enticing so that people spend more time online, ultimately leading to
increased revenue from advertising. Therefore, those who create engaging
content are indispensable to any algorithm.”

The more time you spend getting to know what works on the platform, the
better the algorithm will work for you.

That said, LinkedIn is not a platform where you should expect your content to
go viral. LinkedIn specifically says it “is not designed for virality.” It’s about
sharing knowledge and updates with people who care about that information
and can use it to advance their careers.

LinkedIn’s focus on business makes it a unique platform where users are

already primed to hear from your brand, about your business, and about your
industry.

How does the LinkedIn algorithm

work?
LinkedIn’s algorithm in 2025 is actually pretty transparent when you take the
time to dive into the platform’s resources, like the Engineering Blog and
LinkedIn Helper. (Or outside resources like the Hootsuite Blog!)

At a high level, the LinkedIn algorithm follows a three-step process to

determine what appears in users’ feeds.
1. Quality filtering. Posts are immediately classified as spam, low quality, or
high quality.
2. Engagement testing. The algorithm shows your post to a small sample of
your audience to gauge initial interaction levels. If a post gets strong
engagement within the first hour, LinkedIn pushes it to second and third-
degree connections.
3. Network and relevance ranking. LinkedIn prioritizes posts from people
and topics you engage with the most.

Let’s get into those in more detail.

1. LinkedIn decides if your post is spam or

high-quality content
The LinkedIn algorithm begins by classifying your post to determine whether
it violates any of the platform’s spam guidelines or other community policies.

If the AI detects clear violations, the content is filtered. LinkedIn says violations
can include:

Spammy behavior. This can include tagging unrelated individuals.

Low-quality content. The more errors, the higher the likelihood of the
content being flagged.
Excessive use of tags. 3-5 tags per post is best.
Too frequent posting. Try to maintain a minimum of 12 hours between
posts.

If the content type is not clear enough to filter automatically, it’s sent for
human review. If it passes the human review, the content continues to be
displayed on the platform with monitoring.
Source: LinkedIn Helper

2. LinkedIn puts your post to the test

Once the LinkedIn algorithm has established that you haven’t posted
something too spammy, the network distributes your post to a small group of
your followers and watches for engagement signals.

In this first hour (sometimes called “the golden hour”), LinkedIn is trying to
determine how valuable your post is to people in your immediate and
extended professional networks. If your content passes the test, it’ll earn wider
distribution.

And thanks to LinkedIn’s recent updates, distribution isn’t limited to the first
few days. Posts that prove highly relevant — based on your audience’s
interests and relationships — can keep surfacing in feeds for weeks after
posting.

Engagement is a good signal that your post has value, but not all engagement
is created equal. The algorithm specifically values meaningful engagement.
That means thoughtful comments from people in relevant fields.

(This is why joining a LinkedIn pod is not likely to cause a great boost in your
distribution unless it’s a highly targeted pod of people who are genuinely
interested in your content anyway).
 “Engaging with others’ content by leaving thoughtful comments

builds relationships and improves your own visibility. The more you

interact, the more the LinkedIn algorithm will push your content to a

wider audience.”

Ilija Sekulov
Marketing & SEO, Mailbutler

3. LinkedIn delivers your most valuable

content to relevant users
Who gets to see your post from here depends on three ranking signals:

Identity
LinkedIn uses a member’s personal profile to understand what their
preferences for content are. Members’ location, career, and skills can all factor
into whether or not your content is shown to them.

Content
The platform analyzes how relevant your content is to other LinkedIn users’
interests based on performance, the content topic and type, and how old it is.
It does so using signals like:

How long users spend reading or engaging with a post (also known as
“dwell time”)
How often the content has been viewed and engaged with
How relevant the topic is to a user
Whether the content shares knowledge or professional advice
 The language of the content
How professional and constructive the conversation in the comments
section is
Which companies, people, and topics are mentioned

LinkedIn also prioritizes the poster’s own topic authority. If you’ve posted
consistently about one niche or topic, LinkedIn will identify you as an expert
and share your content more widely.

Member activity
The LinkedIn algorithm determines a user’s interests based on their past
actions on the platform.

Users will see more content similar to topics they have engaged with in the
past and from the people they engage with most frequently. Hashtags they
follow, first-degree connections, and other members who follow them are also
factors.

Recent LinkedIn algorithm changes (2025

update)
Like all social platforms, LinkedIn is constantly tweaking its algorithm. While
the core ranking factors remain the same, a few new updates in 2025 might
impact how your content performs.

1. Improved visibility for experts

LinkedIn now emphasizes expertise more than ever. Posts with original
insights, industry trends, or actionable advice are now more likely to reach
larger audiences.

In 2025, the platform also rewards its most active creators and subject-matter
experts. If you consistently post about a particular topic, LinkedIn is more likely
to recognize your authority and boost your content.
2. A move away from clickbait
LinkedIn’s algorithm is getting better at detecting engagement bait (like
“Comment YES if you agree!”) and prioritizing meaningful conversations
instead.

Posts that generate discussions, especially those with thoughtful comments,

are more likely to reach a wider audience.

3. Rewarding high-engagement posts

LinkedIn continues to refine its “golden hour” system. Posts that get strong
interaction in the first hour will now be shown to second- and third-degree
connections more frequently.

The platform is also placing more weight on dwell time, meaning posts that
keep users engaged for longer will see better distribution.

4. Native content gets a boost

If you’ve noticed fewer external links in your feed, there’s a reason. LinkedIn is
pushing more native content, like text posts, carousels, and videos, over posts
with outbound links.

If you need to share a link, consider placing it in the comments instead of the
main post.

5. Prioritizing relevance over recency

In mid-2025, LinkedIn confirmed a major tweak: it’s now more likely to show
you older posts (even 2–3 weeks old) if they’re more relevant to your
professional interests. Instead of surfacing only the newest content, the
algorithm considers:

Your past engagement history (what you typically interact with)

The importance of your relationship with the poster (e.g., your manager vs
a random influencer)
The poster’s domain expertise on the topic
This change means your high-value, evergreen posts can continue reaching
people well after they are posted, allowing you to focus on making useful
content rather than just chasing immediate engagement.

Leah M. Dergachev
AI + Comms Strategist for leaders who wear too many …
1d

LinkedIn just confirmed what we’ve all been wondering: Why are we seeing
so many old posts?

Business Insider’s Lara O'Reilly got the inside scoop after reaching out to
LinkedIn. Turns out, those 2-3 week old posts dominating our feeds are
totally intentional. Here’s what she learned 👇

In mid-June, LinkedIn rolled out an algorithm change that prioritizes

relevance over recency.

They’d rather show you that important colleague who just switched jobs
than the latest viral post.

Here’s what LinkedIn’s algorithm actually cares about:

• Your engagement history (what you typically interact with)
• Relationship importance (your boss > random influencer)
• Domain expertise (does this person know what they’re talking about?)

LinkedIn is moving away from vanity metrics like likes and watch time. They
want to show content that creates real opportunities like leads,
partnerships, job offers.

Can’t stand seeing week-old content? Go to Settings > Account preferences

> Preferred feed view and switch to “most recent posts.”

LinkedIn says this flood of older posts will balance out as they fine-tune the
mix. The goal isn’t to make everything feel ancient, just to surface what
actually matters for your professional growth.

Ok so now that we finally got some answers, how are we feeling about this?

2,796 617 Comments

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Which types of content perform
best on LinkedIn?
Conversational content
LinkedIn’s best practices in 2025 (as in years past) include community building.

Posts that engage people will please the algorithm, so try to get your audience
involved.

“Posts that ask questions or share personal stories can get more

comments and likes, which helps boost your reach. Native content

like text updates, videos, or polls tends to perform better since

LinkedIn prefers users to stay on the platform rather than clicking on

external links.”

Ilija Sekulov
Marketing & SEO, Mailbutler

Imagery and video content

Many platforms have seen a push toward video content as it garners views and
typically has higher engagement.
 “LinkedIn is actually favoring video content extremely highly now, as

a shift to catch up with other platforms. I’ve seen some really good

success and reach with authentic, camera-facing video content

sharing insights, advice, and ideas.”

George Panayides
Digital Marketing Specialist, The Digital xx

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Posts with imagery tend to do better, too, gaining twice as many comments as
purely text posts.

Value-driven posts
When you give your audience something they can actually use, you’ll see more
people saving your posts.

“I’ve been testing various types of content formats for my LinkedIn

profile. Documents, or carousels, turned out to be the most valuable

assets in terms of reach. Most of my viral posts on LinkedIn were

documents.

The trick lies in creating value for the target audience. ‘Creating

value’ is misunderstood a lot. Value is almost always any relatable tip

that your audience can implement immediately. This comes after a

lot of audience research and practice.”

Shubham Davey
SEO Copywriter, Prachar Max

Offering something substantial for your readers without asking for anything in
return can offer big dividends in terms of higher engagement and reach.
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Evergreen content
As LinkedIn starts to prioritize relevance over recency, posts that provide
timeless professional insights are especially valuable. Think industry trends,
how-to guides, or advice that remains useful over time.

This approach helps ensure your content can continue gaining visibility for
weeks, not just days.

How to optimize your content for

the LinkedIn algorithm
If you’re struggling with what to post on LinkedIn, we’ve got you covered. Here
are some content ideas you can totally steal.

We go into way more detail below, but if you’re looking for the tl;dr, here are
five quick wins to boost your reach on LinkedIn:

1. Grab ’em with a strong hook. The first three lines (also known as your
hook) are critical to keep audiences engaged. Try starting with a bold
statement or a question.
2. Use 3-5 hashtags for discoverability. Choose these hashtags carefully!
LinkedIn may flag your post as spam if you use more than five or irrelevant
hashtags.
3. Post when your audience is active. Use tools like Hootsuite’s Best Time to
Publish feature to find your ideal time.
4. Encourage engagement in the comments. A clear CTA can make a big
difference here. Try ending with something like “What do you think? Share
 your thoughts below!”
5. Take advantage of employee advocacy. Encourage your internal team to
reshare and comment on your posts.

Ready for more detail? Keep reading!

1. Be relevant and informative

Remember, the LinkedIn algorithm now surfaces knowledge members are
likely to be interested in based on their skills and interests.

That means you need to know the skills and interests of the target audience
you’re trying to reach. Ideally, those skills and interests should have significant
overlap with your own so that you can speak as a credible expert on relevant
topics.

For example, this Hootsuite post on LinkedIn shares relevant December

calendar dates for social media managers. Social media managers are
Hootsuite’s main target audience, so it received a lot of reposts.
 Hootsuite
525,641 followers
7mo

It's the final stretch! Be sure to add these dates to your content calendars
before the year closes out ⤵

We wish our fellow SMMs a wonderful holiday season and a low screen time
❤️

81 5 Comments

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Start by looking at metrics and intel from your other social networks. Graph
interests and get a better understanding of what your audience cares about.
You can even use a competitor’s audience to build personas. Then, map those
interests back to your own skill sets and areas of specialist knowledge.

Use these findings as starting points for your LinkedIn social media marketing
strategy.

2. Schedule your posts for the best times

Even though posts that LinkedIn deems highly valuable can resurface in feeds
for weeks, good engagement in the first hour is still important for initial
distribution.

For maximum exposure, schedule your posts for when the majority of
followers are usually online and most active on the platform.

Generally speaking, the best time to post on LinkedIn is either Tuesday

morning before 10 am or Thursday evening after 6 pm. But every audience is
unique. The Best Time to Publish function in the Hootsuite dashboard
generates a personalized recommendation to maximize engagement with
your own network.

Be sure to share content regularly. LinkedIn data shows that posting weekly
leads to a two-times lift in engagement.

“A tip for improving performance is timing and consistency. We’ve

found that posting during peak hours (think mornings and early

afternoons) gets the best traction. Combine that with a steady

 posting schedule, whether it’s once or twice a week, and you’ll start

building momentum.”

Somila Tshangela
PR Strategist, Pearl Lemon Group

3. Promote your posts (on LinkedIn and off)

One of the best ways to increase engagement on your posts is to increase the
number of people who will see them.

There are several tactics to gain extra traction on LinkedIn:

tag people and relevant company pages

use keywords strategically
include relevant hashtags

And B2B marketers, heads up: branded hashtags also have potential here. If
you create a hashtag worth following, the algorithm will surface posts that use
it to the hashtag’s followers, like Nike’s #SwooshLife below.
Source: Nike on LinkedIn

For more tagging tips, read our LinkedIn hashtag guide or watch this video:
 2024 LinkedIn Hashtag Strategy: everything you need to know

Tip: Not all promotion needs to happen on LinkedIn.

If you think a recent post might be of interest to employees or customers,

share it in Slack or in your e-newsletter.

This can be a great way to engage inactive LinkedIn members with your
content. In turn, the engagement will improve your ranking with the
algorithm. It’s a win-win.

4. Encourage meaningful engagement

LinkedIn’s algorithm rewards relevant and meaningful engagement. Generic
comments from random people won’t extend your reach. You want comments
that show people in a relevant field have understood and thought about your
post.

Try asking a question that encourages your audience to share their opinions or
insights. Posing the right questions builds your personal brand as a thought
leader and encourages those meaningful conversations.

It also provides an opportunity to learn more about your audience’s interests

so you can develop even more relevant content.
LinkedIn is also focusing on posts that lead to real professional outcomes:
think partnerships, leads, or job offers. When planning your content, aim to
spark the kind of conversations that lead to meaningful opportunities.

Finally, be sure to join the conversation yourself. Rather than a one-way stream
of comments, LinkedIn wants to see an active conversation with you as a
primary participant.

Source: Hootsuite on LinkedIn

A tool like Hootsuite Inbox ensures you never miss a comment or mention, so
you can show your followers (and the algorithm) that you’re active, informed,
relevant, and engaged.

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(and your workload)
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5. Craft original content with a unique
perspective
Your social media strategy can’t rely on other people’s content. Original posts
go a lot further and spark more engagement than a shared post.

If you’re going to repurpose content or have a user-generated content

strategy, try to find a way to reframe it, adding your own perspective and
insights.

Remember, LinkedIn wants to surface content that shares knowledge and

builds connections. Adding your own perspective is critical to both.
Contributing to collaborative articles can be a great way to flex your
perspective.

Source: Content Strategy on LinkedIn

Don’t forget that adding a conversation-provoking question can really get

people talking. (Psst! Our AI-powered LinkedIn post generator can help with
that.)
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6. Optimize with analytics

If something performs well, do it again.

Use Hootsuite Analytics to understand what posts perform best and why. This
is an important way to interpret the algorithm based on your own past
performance.

Maybe it’s because you posted them all at a specific time? Or, maybe each
post posed a question?

Whatever it is, find out and use these insights to refine your LinkedIn content
strategy.
 “Regular posting, responding to comments, and personalizing

replies help to build loyalty [on LinkedIn]. Changes in content

strategy should be informed by analytics, including audience

demographics and engagement rate.”

Matthew Woodward
Founder & SEO, Digital Marketing Expert, Search Logistics

7. Post LinkedIn-appropriate content

Users are on LinkedIn to be a part of the professional world. You need to
consider that when you’re crafting your posts.

Some self-promotion is okay, but this isn’t a place to post a video of your dog’s
birthday party. Rather, keep the focus on business.
Source: Salesforce on LinkedIn

Know the niche and live in it. Your vibe on LinkedIn doesn’t need to be totally
heartless, roboto-corporation. Authenticity, humanity, and humor are more
than welcome and are, in fact, rewarded.

Assume a brand voice that’s friendly and approachable. Accounts that tow the
company line or use too much corporate jargon may deter the real human
beings on LinkedIn from interacting.

“For those looking to improve their LinkedIn performance, my top

advice would be to find your unique voice and perspective. Share

 authentic stories and experiences that resonate with your audience,

rather than simply repeating generic advice.”

Swapnil Kumar
Growth & Marketing Manager, Smartlead

8. Use native platform features

LinkedIn doesn’t want you to leave the platform. So, it’s no surprise that the
algorithm doesn’t prioritize posts with outbound links as much as other types
of content.

Source: Microsoft on LinkedIn

Make sure your LinkedIn strategy takes advantage of all of the platform-
specific tools at your disposal. Use native features like polls to engage your
audience without leading them elsewhere.

Easily manage your LinkedIn Page and all your other social channels using
Hootsuite. Schedule and share content (including video), reply to comments
and engage your network — all from one streamlined dashboard. Try it free
today.

Get Started

With files from Liz Stanton.

Social media algorithm Social media strategy

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By Christina Newberry
Christina Newberry has been writing about digital
marketing since the prehistoric days of 2002, when
email opt-ins were every marketer's biggest goal.
With a deep understanding of how to connect to
 online audiences, she shifted her focus to social
media and has been contributing to the Hootsuite
blog since 2016.

Read more by Christina Newberry

By Colleen Christison
Colleen Christison is a freelance copywriter, copy
editor, and brand communications specialist. She
spent the first six years of her career in award-
winning agencies like Major Tom, writing for social
media and websites and developing branding
campaigns. Following her agency career, Colleen
built her own writing practice, working with brands
like Mission Hill Winery, The Prevail Project, and
AntiSocial Media.

Read more by Colleen Christison

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