LinkedIn®: the platform where sharing doesn’t equal caring
Why shared posts make less of an impression on the LinkedIn® algorithm
Twitter retweets: nice! Facebook shares: awesome! Instagram story shares: amazing! LinkedIn® shares: a disappointed algorithm and silence in the room… But why are shared posts less successful on LinkedIn® compared to other platforms? Which influence do they have when your posts get shared? And how can you replace shares in a qualitative way? Today we share our tips & tricks about this topic!
LinkedIn® Newsfeeds are filled with interesting content. While scrolling, we regularly come across posts in which we recognise ourselves, posts of which we think everyone should see them or posts from people who we would like to give a little boost to. At such times, clicking on the share button seems very tempting. It’s fast, efficient, easy … but far from effective!
Three reasons why sharing isn’t caring
1. Shared posts only reach a fraction of the average reach
A shared post costs you less effort, but consequently delivers fewer results. Research shows that these posts reach an average of 10 to 15% fewer people. Some experts even claim that the drop in reach is often much larger, and our experience also suggests that these numbers represent reality somewhat too positively.
2. A lack of originality and personality
People send you a connection request because they want to see your original, personal content. If you’re constantly sharing other people’s posts, you can quickly lose the interest of your audience. Through shared posts you also won’t be able to highlight your voice or score high in terms of originality. Moreover, LinkedIn® wants to avoid news feeds that are filled with plenty of duplicates of the same content, because this uniform content would drive members away from the platform.
3. Less interaction than regular posts
This lower reach and lack of originality indicate that your shared content is less likely to receive lots of likes and comments. However, this interaction is very important, because a higher interaction rate will give your content an extra boost.
Getting a share = be square?
Releasing the share button yourself: check! But what happens when other people share your content? No worries, this won’t have a negative impact on your posts. However, for the reasons mentioned above, you won’t experience a huge boost either.
Would you love this extra boost? Then we advise you to encourage your connections or followers to like your posts and leave comments, as these interactions score much higher within the LinkedIn® algorithm.
Within your metrics, you will only be able to see how often your post has been shared. You can’t consult the number of profiles these shared posts reached.
Go for a real boost with likes and comments
Do you see a post that immediately drives your finger to the share button? Choose one of the following options to give the post a real boost:
- Like the post by clicking on an emoji that suits your feeling
- Leave a personal comment. Focus on sharing value and building quality connections within your comment, because that’s what LinkedIn® is really about after all.