How the LinkedIn Algorithm Works in 2025: A Complete Guide
Your LinkedIn post doesn’t reach your network. It earns its way there.
Most people treat LinkedIn like a megaphone—post something, hope everyone hears it. But the algorithm works more like a very selective dinner party host, deciding who gets invited to each conversation based on who’s actually likely to enjoy it.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever posted something you were proud of, watched it get 73 views, and thought “LinkedIn is broken.” (We’ve all been there.)
Here’s the thing: LinkedIn isn’t broken. You just didn’t understand the guest list.
In 2025, the algorithm got significantly smarter about filtering signal from noise. Let me show you exactly how it decides who sees your content—and how to make sure you’re on the right side of that decision.
What Is the LinkedIn Algorithm?
Think of the algorithm like a traffic control system for content.
Every day, millions of posts enter LinkedIn’s network. The algorithm’s job is to direct that traffic—making sure the right content reaches the right people, at the right time, without overwhelming anyone’s feed.
Just like traffic lights don’t treat every vehicle the same (ambulances get priority, trucks take different routes), LinkedIn’s algorithm doesn’t treat every post the same. It’s constantly evaluating: Is this valuable? To whom? How valuable?
The goal isn’t to show you the most popular content. It’s to show you content that keeps you engaged, learning, and coming back.
How Does the LinkedIn Algorithm Work in 2025?
Every post travels through a three-stage filtering system. Understanding these stages is like understanding how a fish travels from the ocean to your plate—there are specific checkpoints, and failing any one means you don’t make it to the table.
Stage 1: Quality Filtering (The First Checkpoint)
Within seconds of posting, LinkedIn’s AI scans your content and assigns it to one of three categories:
? Spam — Content that triggers red flags (multiple external links, suspicious patterns, banned phrases) ? Low Quality — Content that offers little value (generic posts, engagement bait, obvious self-promotion) ? High Quality — Content that shows original thought (genuine insights, professional value, authentic voice)
This happens in under a minute. If your post doesn’t clear this checkpoint, nothing else matters—it won’t reach more than a handful of people.
What triggers “low quality”?
- Asking for engagement explicitly (“Like this if you agree!”)
- Using too many hashtags
- Posting links without context
- Generic motivational content without original perspective
Stage 2: Engagement Testing (The Proving Ground)
Posts that pass quality filtering enter a test phase.
LinkedIn shows your content to a small sample—typically 10-15% of your first-degree connections. Then it watches carefully for the next 60-90 minutes.
The signals that matter:
? Dwell time — How long people actually pause on your post ? Click-through — Do they tap “see more” to keep reading? ? Engagement velocity — How quickly do likes, comments, and shares arrive? ? Engagement quality — Are comments substantive or just “Great post!”? ? Profile visits — Does your content make people curious about you?
If your test audience engages well, LinkedIn opens the gates. Your post starts appearing in the feeds of second and third-degree connections. If they scroll past, your post quietly stops spreading.
This is why the first hour matters so much. It’s your audition.
Stage 3: Relevance Ranking (The Matchmaker)
For posts that pass the engagement test, LinkedIn asks: “Who else would find this valuable?”
The algorithm considers: ? Topics users have engaged with historically ? Relationship strength between users (frequent interactions score higher) ? Content format preferences (some people prefer video, others prefer text) ? Industry and role alignment ? Recency (newer content gets a boost)
Two users in the same industry might see completely different feeds—because the algorithm learned their specific interests and relationships.
What Changed in 2025: The Death of Engagement Pods
In March 2025, LinkedIn deployed what marketers call the “authenticity update.”
The target? Fake engagement.
For years, engagement pods—groups of users who agreed to like and comment on each other’s posts—were the worst-kept secret in LinkedIn marketing. Post something, share it in your pod, get 30 comments in five minutes. The algorithm saw engagement and pushed the content wider.
Not anymore.
LinkedIn’s AI now tracks: ? Comment velocity — 20 comments in 3 minutes looks suspicious ? Comment substance — “Great insight!” repeated 15 times raises flags ? Relationship patterns — The same 30 people engaging with each other’s posts daily gets noticed ? Semantic variety — Real conversations use diverse language; pods don’t ? Reading behaviour — Did commenters actually spend time on your post before commenting?
The result? A post with 12 genuine comments that spark real back-and-forth conversation now dramatically outperforms a post with 50 coordinated generic reactions.
Guess what? This is excellent news if you don’t have an engagement pod.
The playing field just got level.
The 2025 Numbers Worth Knowing
Recent research (based on ~10,000 accounts and ~100,000 posts) reveals some surprising data:
? Posts without hashtags receive 81% more reach than posts with hashtags ? Average impressions per post are down 65% compared to 2024 ? But engagement per post is up 12%—fewer views, but better quality ? LinkedIn feeds now contain 16% more advertisements than last year ? Company page organic reach has collapsed—personal profiles are essential
The hashtag statistic shocks most people. (Is that true?)
It is. LinkedIn’s algorithm now interprets hashtag-heavy content as promotional. Posts that read like natural conversation—without hashtags—perform significantly better.
A Real-World Example: Meera’s Algorithm Breakthrough
Meera runs a home-based bakery in Bangalore, specialising in custom cakes for corporate events.
Until early 2025, her LinkedIn strategy was simple: post photos of cakes with hashtags like #CorporateCakes #BangaloreBakery #EventCatering. She averaged 80-150 views per post. Inquiries from LinkedIn? Maybe one every two months.
After the algorithm update crushed her reach further, she changed approach:
? No hashtags—just conversational posts about running a food business ? Stories about specific client challenges (the company that needed 200 cupcakes in 36 hours) ? Behind-the-scenes content about costing and pricing decisions (actual ₹ numbers) ? Responding to every comment with genuine follow-up questions
Within six weeks, her posts were regularly hitting 1,200+ views. By October, she’d booked ₹2.8 lakh in corporate orders directly from LinkedIn conversations—more than the entire previous year combined.
The algorithm didn’t favour her business type. It favoured her approach—genuine, specific, conversational.
8 Ways to Work With the 2025 Algorithm
1. Drop the Hashtags
The data is clear: posts without hashtags significantly outperform those with them. Write like you’re explaining something to an interested colleague, not optimising for search.
2. Treat the First Hour as Sacred
Your post’s fate is largely decided in the first 60-90 minutes. Be present. Respond to every comment. Ask follow-up questions. Turn monologue into dialogue.
3. Front-Load Your Hook
You have 3 seconds before someone scrolls past. Put your most interesting, surprising, or valuable point in the first line. Save the build-up for later.
4. Write Longer—But Earn Every Line
Posts between 1,200-1,500 characters perform well in 2025—but only if every sentence pulls its weight. The algorithm measures dwell time. Padding gets punished.
5. Share What Only You Know
LinkedIn now heavily favours original expertise. Industry insights, specific case studies, genuine opinions based on real experience. Repackaged generic advice no longer moves the algorithm.
6. Build Before You Broadcast
The algorithm notices your overall engagement pattern. Commenting meaningfully on others’ posts before you publish your own signals that you’re part of a real community.
7. Use Personal Profiles, Not Company Pages
Company page organic reach is functionally dead in 2025. Post from your personal profile and reshare to your company page—not the other way around.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Joining or staying in engagement pods — LinkedIn’s AI detects coordinated engagement and suppresses everyone involved
Using more than zero hashtags — Yes, even “just a few” now hurts more than helps
Posting and vanishing — If you’re not there to engage, the algorithm loses interest within the hour
Leading with links — External links in post body (not comments) get suppressed
Treating LinkedIn like Instagram — Professional depth beats visual polish here
Focusing on follower count — The algorithm measures engagement quality, not network size
Key Learnings
? LinkedIn’s algorithm is a three-stage filter: quality check → engagement test → relevance matching
? The first 60-90 minutes after posting determine your content’s reach
? Posts without hashtags now get 81% more reach than posts with hashtags
? LinkedIn’s March 2025 update killed engagement pods—genuine conversation wins
? Personal profiles dramatically outperform company pages for organic content
The Bottom Line
LinkedIn’s algorithm isn’t a mystery or an enemy. It’s a system that rewards what it was built to reward: genuine professional value and authentic connection.
The shortcut era is over. The pods don’t work. The hashtag hacks backfired. What’s left is straightforward: share real expertise, have real conversations, and be consistently useful to your professional community.
You don’t need a massive network or a marketing budget to make LinkedIn work in 2025. You need patience, genuine expertise, and the willingness to engage like a real human being.
The playing field has never been more level. The question is whether you’ll show up.
What’s your experience with LinkedIn’s algorithm this year? I’d love to hear what’s working (or not) for you—drop a comment or send me a message.
