“Where did all that reach go?” If you work with social media, you’ve probably asked yourself this question when looking at the performance of a brand’s LinkedIn post. And you’re not alone! The topic has sparked debates (and questions) across social media, especially in recent months. But what’s fact and what’s speculation in all of this? Let’s take a closer look at what the data shows and what we’ve observed firsthand. Here we go:
Algorithm Changes
In late 2024, LinkedIn’s algorithm changed. It began prioritizing content that generates genuine interactions and comes from connections users already engage with regularly. In other words, beyond the content itself, fostering and strengthening communities has become even more important for achieving good results on social media. The impact of this change has already been felt across the platform. According to the Algorithm Insights 2024 report, which analyzed more than 600,000 posts, organic reach dropped by approximately 22%. The study did not distinguish between brand content and posts from individuals, but considering that the platform favors connections and community, it’s reasonable to conclude that content shared by individuals has gained even greater prominence. This is fully aligned with the changes LinkedIn has been introducing since 2022 to encourage more people to create content on the platform.
The Growing Relevance of Personal Content
To see this in practice, here’s an invitation: open LinkedIn, scroll through your feed, and notice how long it takes before you come across a brand post. On my feed just now, I saw 16 posts from individuals before the first company post appeared (excluding sponsored content, of course. We’re talking about organic reach here). This shift in the composition of the feed has become a frequent topic of discussion here at Textual, because we’re facing two seemingly conflicting realities: 1. Brands’ reach is declining. 2. LinkedIn remains an essential platform for business conversations — which means brands need to be present. Going back to those 16 posts I saw: all of them were published by individuals, but nine included brand-related messages. I use this firsthand observation to illustrate an increasingly clear reality of LinkedIn content creation: companies can (and should) talk about themselves, but that alone is not enough to move the needle on the platform.
In Practice
To overcome low organic reach, many brands turn to paid media, particularly sponsored posts on the platform. That’s great, but it’s not enough: besides being an expensive platform where achieving conversions with limited budgets can be challenging, LinkedIn still relies heavily on organic content to build credibility.
We believe, therefore, that the way forward is to take corporate messaging beyond companies’ owned channels (which remain important), particularly by encouraging leaders to support and amplify their brands’ positive narratives on the platform. In an environment where the algorithm values real connections and meaningful interactions, executives who use LinkedIn strategically become powerful institutional amplifiers.
When they share their vision, culture, lessons learned, and achievements, these leaders help build reputation, generate engagement, and spark relevant conversations with audiences that would be difficult to reach through corporate channels alone. In other words, simply being present isn’t enough: engagement must be active, intentional, and aligned with business objectives.
With this strategy, even if the organic reach of official company channels is lower, the brand’s overall presence becomes stronger and extends further with the direct support of its leadership.
How to Get Started?
For leaders to become more active on LinkedIn, it’s essential that they know how to navigate the platform effectively. Here at Textual, we offer an exclusive training program designed specifically for this purpose, called Líder LinkedIn. Through this program, we equip executives with simple yet highly effective strategies that help them navigate the algorithm and boost communications and business results. Click here to learn more.
