Jungle Communications

LinkedIn is changing the way it decides which posts appear in our feeds. And for brands and professionals who use the platform as a communication channel, this change deserves attention.

The professional network has revamped the architecture of its algorithm by incorporating more advanced artificial intelligence systems, including large language models (LLMs), to better understand what a post is really about and how relevant it may be to each user.

The result?

LinkedIn wants to move away from a feed dominated simply by what generates the most engagement and towards one where relevance, context, timeliness and content quality carry more weight.

And that could significantly change the way content strategies are approached on the platform.

1. What has changed in LinkedIn’s algorithm?

LinkedIn’s feed was already using artificial intelligence. What is new is the ability of the new system to better understand the meaning and context of posts.

Until now, a user’s past behaviour carried significant weight: which posts they had interacted with, which profiles they followed or what type of content they usually consumed.

The new system aims to be much more dynamic.

LinkedIn wants to detect how each person’s professional interests evolve and adapt its recommendations more quickly.

For example, a user may show interest in a very specific topic without having previously interacted with posts that use those exact words. Thanks to language models, LinkedIn can identify the relationship between different concepts and understand that they belong to the same professional field.

In other words, the algorithm is beginning to understand topics, not just keywords or interactions.

2. From popularity to relevance

This is probably the most interesting change for content creators.

The traditional logic of many social networks has led us to pursue metrics such as likes, comments or reach. The more engagement a post generated quickly, the greater its potential for distribution.

LinkedIn wants the equation to be somewhat more sophisticated.

The goal is to show each user content that makes sense for their professional interests, even if it comes from people they have never interacted with before.

This creates an important opportunity for specialised profiles and brands with genuine knowledge of their industry.

A post will not necessarily have to be the most popular to find an audience. It will need to be relevant to the right people.

3. Timeliness is also gaining importance

Another important change is speed.

LinkedIn wants relevant conversations about news, trends and professional developments to appear in the feed sooner.

If an important development emerges in an industry and people start publishing analyses about it, the system is designed to quickly detect that interest and show related content to users for whom the topic may be relevant.

For brands, this reinforces something that should already be part of any good content strategy: having the ability to react to what is happening in their market.

That does not mean commenting on absolutely every trend.

It means identifying the conversations where the company has something useful to contribute.

4. LinkedIn wants less engagement bait

There is another part of the update that deserves special attention.

LinkedIn is also working to reduce the visibility of content designed primarily to provoke artificial engagement.

Posts such as:

“Comment ‘yes’ if you agree.”

“Write X in the comments and I’ll send you the guide.”

Or content that uses videos or other assets that have little connection to the message of the post.

These types of formulas may have worked to generate activity, but LinkedIn wants the feed to feel less like a popularity contest.

It also aims to reduce the distribution of repetitive content and recycled thought leadership posts that provide little new value.

The message for brands is quite clear: creating a post solely to generate engagement may become increasingly less effective.

5. So, what content might perform better on LinkedIn?

There is no formula that guarantees reach, and it would be a mistake to interpret every algorithm update as a new list of tricks.

In fact, the change seems to point precisely in the opposite direction.

If LinkedIn can better understand the context of a post and connect it with each user’s professional interests, brands should focus less on “tricking the algorithm” and more on creating content that deserves to be recommended.

1. Content based on real expertise

Experience, analysis, lessons learned and original perspectives are more likely to differentiate a post than simply repeating information available elsewhere.

A company knows its market, its customers and its day-to-day operations. That is a far more interesting source of content than constantly chasing generic trends.

2. A clear focus

If a brand wants to be recognised for certain topics, its content strategy should reflect that.

Talking about artificial intelligence today, leadership tomorrow, productivity the day after and any viral trend the following week may generate individual posts, but it is unlikely to build a recognisable position.

A good strategy identifies conversation territories that are relevant to the business and builds authority around them.

3. Opinion, not just information

Sharing a news story is not the same as contributing something to the conversation.

What does that news mean for your customers? How does it affect the industry? Do you agree with the change? What should a company do about it?

That second level is where genuinely interesting content begins to emerge.

4. Speed when the context requires it

If something important happens in your industry, waiting three weeks to publish your thoughts may cause them to lose much of their relevance.

LinkedIn’s new approach appears to reinforce the value of timely content.

That is why strategies need planning, but also some flexibility to react.

5. Content designed for people, not metrics

More reach does not always mean better results.

A post seen by 50,000 people who have no connection to your business may be far less valuable than one seen by 3,000 people who include potential customers, industry professionals and relevant profiles.

If LinkedIn manages to improve the match between content and interests, perhaps we need to start asking ourselves less “how many people have seen this post?” and more “who has seen it?”.

6. Does this mean we’ll get less reach?

Some posts might.

A more personalised feed may fragment content distribution. But a reduction in overall reach is not necessarily a negative thing if it increases the relevance of the audience reached.

And this is probably one of the most important points of this update.

For years, social networks have accustomed brands to evaluating content through big numbers: followers, impressions, views or likes.

But from a marketing perspective, the question should be different:

Is this content reaching the people who matter to the business?

Because 100 relevant interactions can be far more valuable than 1,000 empty ones.

7. The algorithm changes. Good strategy, not so much

Every major platform update triggers the same reaction: quickly searching for the new formula to achieve reach.

How often should you post? Which format should you use? How many words should you write? Should you include links? What does the algorithm want now?

But perhaps the main takeaway from this change is precisely that we should stop thinking so much about the algorithm.

LinkedIn is trying to better understand what content provides value to each user. That means brands should do exactly the same: understand what their audience is interested in and what they can contribute to that conversation.

A strategy based on genuine expertise, relevant topics, original perspectives and useful content will probably have more staying power than any trick designed to generate a few extra interactions.

And if the algorithm starts rewarding it too, even better.

8. Is your LinkedIn strategy ready for this change?

Posting more does not always mean communicating better.

At Jungle Communications, we help brands turn their social media channels into a coherent part of their marketing strategy: defining what to say, to whom, on which channels and with what objective.

Because algorithms will keep changing. A strategy that makes sense should be ready to change with them.