Hacking the Algorithm for the Best Distribution
For many of us, LinkedIn is that necessary evil, a great way to reach our professional networks, and importantly, super qualified decision makers. In our full-service work, we often get asked about the value of LinkedIn ads in a B2B media plan, but our top advice is to first maximize the platform organically, as the human executives of the company. Following these basic tips can help maximize the distribution to relevant feeds of each of your LinkedIn posts, and working these strategies as a habit will yield free media and engagement with potential customers.
Follow Sangfroid's 4 LinkedIn tips for executives to get the most out of it:
1. Being a Person
People connect with people, and the LinkedIn algo is set up to reward this too. While company pages have their place, posting as yourself can significantly boost engagement. Executives should have a well-tuned personal profile—strong picture, headline, experience and engagement with colleagues and customers. Use your profile to share insights, industry news, and personal anecdotes. Execs will always get the best results by sharing or resharing from their personal profile.
There are times when the company page should take the lead, especially for official announcements or corporate milestones. Keep your personal posts authentic and engaging, and let your company page handle the formalities.
2. Anatomy of a High-Performing Post
Creating a post that captures attention isn't rocket science, but it does require a bit of finesse. Here’s the breakdown:
- Plain Text: Keep it simple and straightforward. Avoid excessive formatting that can clutter the message.
- Emojis: Add a sprinkle of personality with relevant emojis, but don’t go overboard. I know, it's dumb that it seems to work.
- Break Text: Use single-sentence paragraphs to enhance readability.
- Mentions: Tag relevant users to boost engagement and visibility.
- Media: Incorporate images or videos, as posts with visuals get significantly more engagement. Aim for posts to be around 1200-1600 characters—just enough to be informative without overwhelming your audience.
3. Good Schedule and Frequency
Because the LinkedIn algorithm is tuned to engagement, timing can be everything. Post when your followers are most active to ensure maximum visibility. Here’s a quick cheat sheet:
- Monday-Friday: 9am-1pm (think with timezones)
- Saturday: Early morning
- Sunday: Evenings
Avoid weekends if possible. Additionally, don’t post too frequently. Aim for a gap of at least a day between posts to prevent algorithm fatigue and keep your content fresh.
4. Beating the Algorithm with Engagement
Engagement is the name of the game. Here’s how to play it smart:
- Don’t Comment First: Resist the urge to comment on your own post immediately—it can hurt your reach.
- Notify Employees: Use LinkedIn’s notification features to alert your team about important posts.
- Immediate Reactions: Encourage friends and employees to react within the first few minutes. Create a Slack channel to share posts and rally quick support, and share the post in other relevant groups.
- Comment on Comments: Try to get a dialogue going
- Public Groups: Share your posts in relevant public groups to expand your reach.
- Early Engagement: The more interaction your post gets in the first hour, the better it will perform. So, hustle for those likes, comments, and shares right out of the gate.
In short! Savvy execs should reinforce company messages with personal posts, and get your team to comment on in the first few minutes for best results.
