Originally published February 9, 2025 — Updated December 2025
LinkedIn has officially graduated from a “professional networking platform” to a full-blown content ecosystem.
Today, it’s where professionals learn, build credibility, and make buying decisions, which makes understanding how to post effectively more important than ever.
The good news? The algorithm still rewards the same core behavior: relevance, consistency, and conversation.
The bad news? It’s pickier than ever about how you do it.
Let’s break down how to post on LinkedIn the right way in 2026.
Understanding LinkedIn’s Algorithm
LinkedIn’s algorithm still focuses on relevant, high-quality content, but how it evaluates that content has changed.
In 2026, the process is less about testing your post with a small audience and more about relevance and relationship scoring. The algorithm looks closely at three things:
- Who you are: Your topic consistency and profile credibility
- What you post about: The clarity and expertise of your content
- Who engages with you: The seniority and relevance of your network
So, if your audience engages early and meaningfully, LinkedIn will continue to push your post. If they scroll past or ignore it, reach drops quickly.
Now, you might be wondering, “What exactly is LinkedIn scanning for?”
LinkedIn has multiple tiers for filtering content and is ultimately checking for authenticity, quality, and relevance.
What can flag your post for spam:
- External links in the post copy
- Excessive emojis, tags, or hashtags
- Engagement bait (“Comment YES if you agree”)
- Incorrect grammar or overly AI-sounding phrasing
- Tagging people who don’t engage
- Overposting or publishing too frequently
Keep in mind: LinkedIn wants to remain the #1 professional network and it monetizes engagement. It prioritizes content that keeps users engaged on the platform.
So I’ve told you what can get your content flagged as spam, so it’s only fair that I tell you what LinkedIn actually wants to see.
- Easy to read: Short paragraphs and white space
- Encourages engagement: Ask for feedback naturally + respond to comments
- Native content: Limit external links (or add them in comments)
- Consistent posting: 2-5 times per week
- Topic relevance: Stay within your lanes
- Authentic tone: Write like yourself (people like you better than ChatGPT. I promise.)
The first 90 minutes still matter, but LinkedIn now evaluates engagement over the first 3-8 hours.
Here’s some tips to help your post pass the ole’ LinkedIn ‘test’:
- Engage with others before and after posting
- Respond to comments within 24 hours
- Avoid editing your post in the first 3 hours
- Rotate formats: text, carousels, video, image, reposts
And remember, LinkedIn keeps your feed filled with the people you engage with most. Use that to your advantage!
As long as a post continues getting engagement, it will keep appearing in feeds (no matter how recent the post is).
Tips & Tricks
#1: DWELL time: The longer someone spends on a post, the more LinkedIn deems it valuable. That means formatting and hook placement matter.
Tip: The first 150 characters before “See more” are so important! It’s what users will see first (and what will determine if they’re interested enough to click that button). So make it count!
#2: Comments are still ranked as #1 in importance for the LinkedIn algorithm and how it impacts the performance of your posts.
Posts with comments are 2-3x more likely to appear in the 2nd- and 3rd-degree connection feeds.
Tip: Share your new posts with coworkers and colleagues to kickstart the discussion, and be sure to reply to comments that are left on your posts.
#3: Keywords > Hashtags: LinkedIn continues to shift toward SEO and intent-based discovery. It scans the words in your post copy instead of using hashtags to enhance your reach.
While LinkedIn hashtags haven’t been removed completely, you should be more intentional about if or when you use them.
If you decide to use hashtags, we recommend:
- Using 3-5 relevant hashtags max
- Don’t repeat keywords already in your copy
- Avoid spammy tags like #Follow #Like #Comment
Example:
✅ “We’re hiring sales leaders who’ve scaled GTM teams.”
❌ “We’re hiring sales leaders! #Sales #Hiring #SalesLeaders #Leadership”
#4: Once again, do not use external links. If you have to, we like to follow the 80/20 rule: 80% native content with 20% external.
LinkedIn is a business that wants you to stay on its platform and will penalize you for taking users off. The best practice is to place the link in the comment section.
Tip: Some recent reports have shown that LinkedIn is catching on to this tactic by scanning for “Link in comments!”. LinkedIn PMs have warned that “link hiding” can look manipulative so it’s safe to say use that sparingly.
We recommend having strong enough copy that users will check the comments naturally and see that a link was placed there.
#5: Videos are still getting pushed! Video is performing better than ever thanks to LinkedIn’s new Video tab and “Videos for You” section on mobile.
Keep videos under 90 seconds, add captions, and upload directly to LinkedIn instead of YouTube or Vimeo.
If your video is longer than 3 minutes, consider linking to it instead. Attention spans are short, so it’s best to keep it tight and focused.
#6: New formats get priority (always): LinkedIn always rewards early adopters. Anytime LinkedIn releases a new content type, they will favor those posts in the news feed, such as articles, newsletters, or carousels.
Currently, formats getting extra reach include:
- Carousels/PDFs: strong dwell time and saves
- Newsletters: direct subscriber notifications
- Collaborative Articles: boost profile authority
- Polls: great for short-term engagement
If LinkedIn launches something new, test it early!
How to LinkedIn Tag the Right Way:
Tagging an individual or company can boost your reach, but only when used correctly.
Only tag people who are genuinely relevant to the post and likely to respond. Don’t over-tag or tag people you don’t know, as it can get your post flagged.
If you want to speak to a broader group, name them in the copy instead (IE, “For RevOps leaders planning FY26…”).
Always add context for why you’re tagging someone as it helps them (and your audience) understand the connection.
Best time to post on LinkedIn:
While posting times vary by audience and industry, studies have shown that most users spend time on LinkedIn during the work week during working hours.
It is said that Tuesday through Thursday between 8am-10am, 12-2pm, or 4pm are the best days to post as some individuals might work a 4-day work week, have taken a 3-day weekend, or are more likely to be busy catching up on a Monday.
But with that being said, Mondays are making a comeback and weekends perform surprisingly well for personal or leadership posts.
Posting 2-5 times per week remains the sweet spot. If posting multiple times a day, give your posts room to breathe so they don’t compete with each other in the feed.
And according to LinkedIn, companies that post monthly generally gain followers 6x faster than those that don’t.
Need help with a content calendar theme? I got you!
- Early week: Technical or educational content
- Midweek: Product, customer, or event updates
- Late week/weekend: Culture, reflection, or personal stories
Don’t Start 2026 Without An Organic Social Strategy:
If you’re struggling with your LinkedIn social strategy or can’t find the time to start digging into it, that’s where we come in.
Schedule a free consultation to see how Speedwork can help you: https://go.oncehub.com/sw-social-consultation