TL;DR
LinkedIn’s 360 Brew algorithm now sends 60% of your post’s reach to interest-based clusters instead of your connections, causing an average 47% drop in reach year-over-year. To win in 2026: optimize your profile with 10-15 consistent keywords, post 3-4x per week (never twice in 24 hours), write hooks that never start with information, ditch hashtags entirely (posts without them perform 8% better), put links in the post body not the comments (LinkedIn suppresses link comments), and never copy-paste AI content—360 Brew detects it and will shadow-ban your reach.
If LinkedIn has felt harder lately, you’re not imagining it. The rules of the game have fundamentally shifted—and most of the advice still circulating is outdated.
We recently hosted a live masterclass with Richard van der Blom, one of the most respected LinkedIn algorithm researchers in the world. Richard has 250,000+ followers, 108 million+ lifetime views, and publishes annual algorithm research that the industry relies on. He broke down exactly what’s changed with LinkedIn’s new system—and gave us 10 specific, actionable tips for adapting.
Now, we’re breaking down every actionable insight from the session.
Let’s dive in.
This recap is based on a live webinar hosted in partnership with Richard van der Blom, a LinkedIn strategist and algorithm researcher with 250,000+ followers and 108 million+ lifetime views on the platform. Richard conducts annual LinkedIn algorithm research and has been training professionals on LinkedIn strategy since 2010.
Understanding 360 Brew: The Big Shift
First, some context. LinkedIn has rolled out a system called 360 Brew. It’s not a new algorithm—it’s a new language-learning system within the existing algorithm.
Think of it as a small brain that connects three things: who you are, what you share, and who should see it.
The distribution model has flipped. Previously, when you hit publish, roughly 70% of initial reach went to your connections and 30% to followers. Now, 60% of that first batch goes to people in your interest cluster—which may include people entirely outside your network.
LinkedIn is matching your content to the people most likely to care about the topic, not just the people who know you.
What’s Down: Reach is down ~47% year-over-year and ~65% vs. two years ago. Richard’s own average views dropped from ~30K to ~10–11K with 250K followers. This is normal—it’s the algorithm, not you.
What’s Up: Engagement quality is holding steady or improving. Three times less reach, same engagement = LinkedIn is showing your content to people who actually care. The last 4–5 months have stabilized.
There are three other critical LinkedIn algorithm changes you should know about:
- Hashtags are dead for reach—there’s zero correlation between hashtag usage and reach. Keywords have replaced them entirely.
- LinkedIn is crushing viral bait—copy-paste infographics and “comment X and I’ll send you Y” posts are being actively suppressed.
- And the algorithm has a memory—consecutive underperforming posts make it harder to recover, while a strong track record helps new posts travel further.
10 Actionable Tips to Boost Your LinkedIn Reach
Strategy 1: Rewrite Your Profile Around Your Main Topic
In the 360 Brew era, your profile isn’t just a landing page—it’s an active input into how LinkedIn categorizes and distributes your content. 360 Brew uses three inputs to place you in an interest cluster:
- Your profile (headline, about, experience)
- Your content (posts, articles)
- Your engagement (comments, interactions)
All three must be aligned on your main topic. If they aren’t, LinkedIn can’t classify you properly.
Richard rewrote his headline, about section, and profile keywords for the first time in 3 years—and saw a 25% increase in reach plus more ideal-client-profile engagement almost immediately.
He recommends:
- Identifying your 1 main topic and 2-3 subtopics
- Rewriting your headline using your most important keywords
- Restructuring your About section around those same keywords
- Building a list of 10-15 core keywords and use them repeatedly in your profile, posts, and comments
Strategy 2: Educate, Don’t Just Promote
360 Brew values content that provides bite-sized, snackable value. If your content makes people act (save, comment, share), you get more reach because the algorithm considers you more relevant.
Strategy 3: Post 3–4x Per Week (Not Daily)
People posting 3-4 times per week outperform daily posters on average. Daily posters often sacrifice quality to hit a cadence. Less frequent but stronger, more in-depth content wins.
And most importantly: never post more than once within 24 hours—you’ll cannibalize your own reach by making LinkedIn choose between your morning and afternoon post.
Strategy 4: Pick Your Lane
Stick to one main topic and 2-3 subtopics max. If your content is scattered across unrelated topics (like email marketing + sustainability + algorithm research), your reach gets diluted across too many interest clusters.
For example, Richard’s main topic is how to use LinkedIn in a B2B environment, with subtopics branching into algorithm knowledge, social selling, lead generation, and authority building. Everything orbits one core focus, which makes it easier for the algorithm to distribute.
Strategy 5: Nail Your Hook (First 2–3 Lines)
The first 2-3 lines of your LinkedIn posts are what will appear before the “more” button. If people don’t click, your message is lost.
Never start with information—it doesn’t create FOMO or stop the scroll. Instead, use one of three proven formulas:
| Hook Type | Example |
|---|---|
| 😄 Positive | “Follow these 5 tips to triple your reach on LinkedIn within two days.” |
| 👎 Negative | “Here’s the reason why 96% of people’s LinkedIn content isn’t performing.” |
| ❤️ Personal | “I implemented these tips last month, and its already boosted my reach by 80%.” |
You can take any post and rewrite the hook as positive, negative, or personal.
Also, always talk to one person—not your entire market. “If you post weekly…” beats “If you are a B2B professional…”
Strategy 6: Never Copy-Paste AI Output to LinkedIn
360 Brew has an authenticity score. It’s trained to detect robotic, templated, or fully AI-generated writing. If detected, your content gets shadow banned.
That doesn’t mean you can’t use AI at all—you just need to be mindful about not relying on it entirely.
Here’s the right approach:
- Draft your post in your own words first
- Use AI to restructure and format your draft for scannability
- Do a final personal check before publishing
- Keep your human voice—if your friends say “this sounds exactly like you,” that’s the signal
The key is using AI as a creative partner that already knows your voice, not a replacement. That’s what tools like Stanley are for—it learns your tone from your existing content so your drafts start closer to your voice from the beginning. But the human editing layer is still essential.
What 360 Brew rewards: Posts that sound like a real person. Specific, personal examples that can’t be copied by anyone. Personal views and a natural tone.
Strategy 7: Structure Your Posts for Scannability
Your audience should be able to understand your core message within 3 seconds. Structure helps achieve that.
Here are the top five post structures used by successful LinkedIn Creators (from Richard’s 2025 algorithm report):
| Structure | Format |
|---|---|
| PSC | Problem → Solution → CTA |
| Insight Ladder | Build from observation to deeper insight |
| Trend | Identify a shift and explain what it means |
| Transformation Timeline | Before → the change → after |
| Contrarian Take | Challenge a common belief with evidence |
Strategy 8: Handle External Links Strategically
External links reduce reach by 30–50% across all independent research. Why? LinkedIn says people scrolling the feed have low intention to leave the platform, and even if they click and love your content, 90% won’t come back to like or comment.
But here’s the take that surprised most of the audience: Stop hiding links in the comments. LinkedIn actively hides comments containing links—it doesn’t matter if it’s the 1st comment or the 6th. This kills ~90% of potential conversions, and it’s a 2024 tactic. Don’t do it.
| 🎯 Your Goal | What to Do |
|---|---|
| Conversion | Put the link directly in the post. Accept less reach. The real KPI is conversion. |
| Reach | Don’t include a link at all. |
| Share an article | Include 2–3 links. Multiple links signal depth and drive more saves. |
Strategy 9: Optimize for Dwell Time, Consumption Rate, and Completion Rate
These are the most important algorithm signals since 2021—and they’ve only gotten more critical with 360 Brew.
| Dwell Time | Consumption Rate | Completion Rate |
|---|---|---|
| How long people stay on your post before scrolling. Longer = more reach. | Avg % of your content people consume. Target: 75%+ | % of readers who finish your entire post. Target: 15%+ |
This is exactly why shorter, tighter formats outperform:
- Short videos (under 90 seconds, ideally under 60)
- Carousels (fewer than 10 slides)
- Single infographics (instant, save-worthy value)
- Short text posts (punchy, scannable, complete)
People are more likely to consume these types of posts fully, and that’s the signal the algorithm cares about.
Strategy 10: Optimize for Saves and Reposts
The two engagement signals that matter most right now aren’t likes or comments—they’re saves and instant reposts.
Saves mean people find your content worth returning to. LinkedIn now shows save counts in analytics—they’re tracking it because it matters.
Instant reposts mean people are immediately sharing your post directly to their network. The more reposts, the more LinkedIn pushes it beyond your interest cluster.
What drives saves and reposts? Infographics, educational frameworks, reference-style posts, and single-visual value bombs.
Things That Will Kill Your Posts
| ❌ Don’t | Why |
|---|---|
| Use too many emojis (max 5) | Smiley faces and decorative emojis flag the algorithm. Bullets/listicle markers are fine. |
| Add multiple blank lines to inflate dwell time | LinkedIn flags this as manipulation of dwell time. |
| “Comment X to get Y” gamification | Repetitive one-word comments = manipulation of engagement. Being actively suppressed. |
| Edit more than 5% of your post after publishing | LinkedIn may stop spreading your content if it can’t verify comments still match the updated post. |
| Post outside your lane | Confuses your interest cluster and tanks future reach for all your posts. |
The Three Content Pillars
Want to build a stronger LinkedIn content strategy? Use these three pillars in rotation—each serves a different purpose.
| Pillar | Goal | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storytelling | Build human connection. | Share personal experiences, your view on industry events, lessons learned. | This is still the #1 performing post type for engagement and reach. |
| Education | Establish expert authority. | How-to guides, frameworks, data, infographics. Save-worthy content that helps your audience overcome challenges or make decisions. | Infographics deliver instant value and get the most saves. |
| Proof of Impact | Activate your audience to act. | Case studies, client results, before/after transformations. The formula: “This was the problem → here’s what we did → here’s the result.” | This is what turns readers into leads. |
When to Post
90% of LinkedIn activity in any timezone happens between 7am and 8pm. But don’t overthink ideal posting times—focus on matching timing to your content goal.
| Content Type | Best Time | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy content (reports, whitepapers, articles) | Monday – Tuesday morning | You need the full work week for people to engage |
| Personal stories | Saturday – Sunday | People spend more time reading on weekends |
| General posts (local audience) | Morning, local timezone | Gives people the whole workday to engage |
| General posts (global audience) | Timing matters less | You’re hitting multiple timezones regardless |
FAQ: LinkedIn Algorithm Strategies
Does LinkedIn video content still get more reach in 2026?
Video no longer gets the massive reach boost it did in 2024. It will likely get you less reach than a text post or carousel. However, it’s great for LinkedIn engagement and conversion if you’re comfortable on camera. If you do video: keep it under 90 seconds, preferably under 60. Don’t do video just because you think the algorithm favors it—if you’re uncomfortable on camera, it’ll hurt your brand more than help.
Do LinkedIn algorithm tips apply to company pages or just personal profiles?
Yes—most findings (structures, formats, penalties) apply equally to both. But there’s one key difference: LinkedIn now distinguishes between internal engagement (from employees) and external engagement (from outside the company). Internal engagement still helps, but external engagement is significantly more powerful for reach.
Does LinkedIn penalize AI-generated images in posts?
Not for now. LinkedIn adds a “CR” symbol to flag AI-generated images, but it doesn’t appear to reduce reach. In fact, Richard’s AI-generated infographic was his best-performing post in 5 months—1,700 likes, 600+ comments, 130+ reposts.
Do hashtags still help reach on LinkedIn in 2026?
According to Richard’s 2025 data, posts with no hashtags performed 8% better. They won’t actively hurt you, but they add zero reach value. 360 Brew reads keywords the same whether they have a # symbol or not. Richard no longer uses hashtags at all. They’re still useful for event threading, but that’s about it.
Should I post on LinkedIn in English or my local language?
If 90% of your clients and revenue come from a specific language region, post in that language. LinkedIn’s auto-translation has improved significantly—English speakers will still get the message. If your goal is global authority, post in English.
Should I put links in LinkedIn comments or in the post body?
Never put links in comments. LinkedIn actively hides comments containing links regardless of position (1st, 3rd, or 6th comment). Comment order also varies per viewer. If you need a link, put it in the original post and accept less reach for better conversion.
What’s the best type of LinkedIn ad for small businesses?
Richard recommends thought leadership ads. Publish content organically from your personal profile (or key people in the business), then use a thought leadership ad to amplify it. Click-through rates on thought leadership ads are the best of all LinkedIn ad types.
The Bottom Line
LinkedIn in 2026 is harder than it’s ever been. Reach is down, the algorithm is pickier, and the old playbook doesn’t work anymore. But the Creators who adapt to the new rules—tight profiles with clear keywords, scannable content in a consistent lane, punchy hooks, and genuinely human writing—are going to have a massive advantage as everyone else keeps wondering why their posts aren’t landing.
The opportunity in all of this? Most people won’t do the work to adapt. If you do, you’re competing against a smaller field than you think.
