Reach may feel lower and engagement less reliable, but LinkedIn hasn’t stopped working; visibility is simply earned in a different way now.

What many people are reacting to is not a broken platform, but a shift away from passive exposure and toward intentional interaction. LinkedIn no longer rewards volume, automation, or broadcasting. It rewards relevance, engagement, and behavior that signals real interest between real people.

Once you understand that shift, LinkedIn becomes one of the few platforms where you still have meaningful control.

LinkedIn Visibility Is Driven by Interaction, Not Output

The most important thing to understand about today’s LinkedIn algorithm is that it is not content-first; it is relationship-first.

Who you engage with determines who sees your content. When you connect with someone, there is a short visibility window where your content appears in their feed. If either of you engages again, that window resets. Comments reset it. Replies reset it. Liking a comment resets it. Messaging does too, as long as there is a response.

This is intentional. LinkedIn is encouraging conversation over consumption, which means reach is no longer something you chase, it is something you earn through interaction.

That is good news if you are willing to be deliberate.

Why Good Content Still Stalls

One of the most common frustrations I hear is that a post was thoughtful, relevant, and genuinely useful, yet it received views without engagement.

That does not mean the content missed the mark. It means the content did not invite action.

The algorithm cannot reward silent appreciation. If people read, nod, and move on without reacting, LinkedIn has no signal to continue distributing the post. Insight alone is no longer enough. Content must guide the reader toward doing something, whether that is reacting, commenting, voting, or clicking through.

This is not about gaming the system. It is about recognizing that content now functions as part of a conversation, not a broadcast.

Your Profile Is Now Part of the Algorithm

Engagement does not only happen in the comments.

When someone reads your post and clicks through to your profile, that interaction signals relevance and often restarts your visibility window. More importantly, it becomes a decision moment for the person on the other side of the screen.

This is where conversations are either earned or quietly lost.

If your profile reads like a resume, interest stalls. When your profile functions as a resource, it earns you the right to the next step.

That next step should be easy to take. A clear call-to-action button removes guesswork and gives people a natural way to continue engaging, whether that means joining an event, accessing a resource, or starting a conversation.

Your banner should reinforce the same message. Treated like a billboard, it can clearly communicate who you help and how, while directing attention to a QR code or link that leads to a relevant landing page. This allows someone to act in the moment rather than remembering to come back later.

The Featured section carries similar weight. Leading with an upcoming event, a practical guide, or an ebook download gives visitors a low-pressure way to raise their hand. It also creates a natural reason for follow-up once they do.

Each section of your profile should quietly answer one question the visitor is already asking, which is whether engaging further will be worth their time.

Content earns attention. Your profile earns the next step.

Engagement Has Replaced Cold Calling

The idea that you can publish content and simply wait for the right people to find it is a myth. If you build it, they will come does not apply on LinkedIn, and it never really did.

Visibility now requires an invitation, and content creates the opportunity.

That is why the most effective prospecting no longer looks like cold calling or cold outreach. It looks like intentionally sharing relevant content with a small, specific group of people and inviting them into the conversation.

One simple example is sending a piece of content to ten targeted prospects at a time using blind copy, framing it as an invitation rto share their expertise, thoughts or experiences. There is no tagging, no public pressure, and no interruption, just a clear reason to engage with something designed for them.

These moments create context, and context removes resistance. People engage because it feels relevant, not because they were chased.

Posting without inviting engagement rarely converts, and cold outreach without context almost never does. 

When engagement leads, conversations unfold naturally, trust builds faster, and trust-based conversations are booked, without being salesy.

What the Algorithm Is Actually Rewarding

LinkedIn is not punishing users or arbitrarily limiting reach. It is filtering for relevance.

The platform consistently favors interaction over impressions. If visibility has dropped, that is not based on your value; it reflects how people are engaging with what you share.

At its core, the algorithm is tracking behavior between people, not performance of posts in isolation. It pays attention to who sees your content, who interacts with it, and what happens next. Engagement resets visibility windows. Silence closes them.

LinkedIn, to the best of my knowledge, is the only platform where we can impact the algorithm. It pays attention to who you are engaging with, whose profiles you are visiting, and who you are conversing with in the inbox. 

This is why two people can publish similar content and see completely different results. One is actively engaging with the right people, responding to comments, participating in conversations, and nurturing existing connections. The other is posting and waiting.

LinkedIn rewards the first behavior because it signals intent. When someone comments on your post, replies to your comment elsewhere, views your profile, or responds to a message, LinkedIn treats that as relevance confirmed. Your content re-enters their feed because the platform believes the relationship matters.

The algorithm also distinguishes between passive consumption and active participation. Views without action tell LinkedIn very little. Comments, replies, reactions to comments, and message responses tell it a lot. That is why thoughtful engagement often outperforms posting frequency.

Another signal the platform tracks is the consistency of interaction within a network. When the same people regularly engage with you and you engage back, LinkedIn learns who your content is for. Over time, it stops guessing and starts delivering your posts to people most likely to care.

This is also why broad, unfocused engagement dilutes results. When you engage everywhere with everyone, LinkedIn has a harder time understanding who your content serves. Focus creates clarity, and clarity improves distribution.

What LinkedIn is really asking is whether your activity contributes to meaningful interaction. Are people doing something with what you share. Are conversations starting. Are relationships being reinforced.

When those signals are present, visibility follows naturally. When they are not, the algorithm does exactly what it is designed to do and limits distribution.

Is Your Content Engageable?

The question LinkedIn is asking is simple: is your content engageable?

This has little to do with how smart the insight is or how polished the post looks. Engageable content gives the reader a clear reason to interact by making it obvious why their response matters and what they are being invited to do.

Many posts deliver strong ideas yet leave the reader with no clear next step. Without a reason to engage, LinkedIn receives no signal to continue distributing the content, even when readers find it valuable.

Engageable content consistently does a few things. It speaks directly to a specific audience so the right people recognize themselves in it. It introduces a perspective that creates curiosity or reflection. It guides the reader toward a simple action, such as answering a question, choosing between options, reacting, or voting.

An invitation to engage can be light. A reaction, a short comment, or a one-click vote is often enough. What matters is that the content invites participation in a way that feels relevant to the reader’s role or situation.

When your content consistently gives people a reason to engage, visibility follows. When it does not, even strong ideas struggle to travel.

LinkedIn is not asking how often you post. It is asking whether people are doing something with what you share.

The Mindset That Makes LinkedIn Work Again

Everything improves when one shift is made.

“Detach from what the prospect is worth to you and attach to what you are worth to the prospect.”

When value leads, engagement follows. When engagement follows, visibility compounds. When visibility compounds, conversations become easier and more natural.

That is how LinkedIn is designed to work now.

If this reframes how you think about LinkedIn, the next step is not more tactics, it is a better application to your specific situation.

If you have questions about LinkedIn, engagement, content, or conversations, ask me anything for 7 days free. No credit card required.

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FAQs

Is LinkedIn limiting organic reach?
LinkedIn shifted from exposure-based reach to interaction-based visibility, which means engagement now determines distribution.

Why do people view my profile but not comment?
Profile views are often the action, and they still signal relevance even when comments do not happen.

Do comments matter more than likes?
Yes. Comments, replies, and comment engagement signal stronger relevance than passive reactions.

Should I post more often to fix low reach?
Posting more rarely solves the issue; engaging more intentionally with the right people usually does.

Is LinkedIn still worth the effort?
Yes, especially for professionals who want conversations, not vanity metrics.

What is the fastest way to improve results?
Be intentional about who you engage with and design content that earns interaction, not just attention.

If I want to learn more about the algorithm, who should I follow?
‍If you want ongoing, research-backed insight into how the LinkedIn algorithm actually behaves, follow Richard van der Blom. He consistently tests platform changes, analyzes real data, and shares practical findings without hype or speculation.