Hey Reader!

Everyone keeps talking about the algorithm.

I know, I'm guilty of it too. 🙊

But I'm not talking about it in that panicked, sky-is-falling way…like I said before, I'm not really bothered by it.

2 years ago (almost to the date!) an article in Entrepreneur Magazine came out: ​LinkedIn Changed Its Algorithms — Here's How Your Posts Will Get More Attention Now​​

Jason Feifer, editor-in-chief, interviewed Dan Roth (LinkedIn's editor in chief) and Alice Xiong (director of product management who leads LinkedIn's search and discovery).

LinkedIn holds their algorithm incredibly tight to their chest. There are no other confirmed reports about the algorithm directly from LinkedIn. Apparently, even their own employees don't know what goes on!

But in this rare interview, Dan and Alice actually pulled back the curtain.

And they literally said they don't celebrate virality.

So although everyone's in total freak out mode about how reach is down, this really shouldn't be a surprise at all.

What they revealed confirmed everything I still believe about LinkedIn success today:

It's not about gaming the system. It's about two things: relationships and expertise.

Here are the 3 quotes that shaped how I approach LinkedIn:

Quote #1: Authority Matters"When you post something on LinkedIn, the platform isn't just evaluating the value of your post. It is now also evaluating you — and whether you're an authority in the thing you've posted about." - Alice

Translation: You need to prove you do what you say you do.

Quote #2: Community + Expertise"We are looking to see that you are building a community around content, and around knowledge-sharing that you are uniquely qualified to talk about." - Dan

Translation: It's about relationships AND expertise combined.

This perfectly captures what I've been preaching about 1:1 vs 1-to-many relationship building:

• 1:1 relationships: Coffee chats, genuine check-ins, celebrating wins, offering help first
• 1-to-many relationships: Valuable content, personal brand, sharing expertise publicly

It's not enough to just post content. You need to build genuine community around knowledge you're actually qualified to share.

Quote #3: Quality Over Quantity"Instead of just reaching lots of people, they want LinkedIn users to focus on reaching the right people."

Translation: Quality over quantity.

It's not about going viral or getting hundreds of likes. It's about reaching your ideal clients, building trust with people who actually need what you offer, and creating real business opportunities.

So how do you showcase expertise to the right people on LinkedIn?

→ Recommendations (real names, titles, specific results)
→ Video content (shows your face, voice, personality)
→ Speaking engagements/podcasts (earned media you can't fake)
→ Client results and case studies
→ Behind-the-scenes of your actual work
→ Conversations in comments and DMs (not one-way pitching)

These aren't things you can make up. They're proof.

Why This Matters Now

We're in a trust recession where people's guards are higher than ever. This makes authentic relationship-building and real expertise even more valuable.

While everyone else is chasing vanity metrics, you can focus on what actually works: proving you do what you say you do and nurturing genuine relationships.

The people who treat LinkedIn like their workplace - who invest in genuine relationships - aren't worried about reach being down. Their opportunities come from relationships, not vanity metrics.

They've been making "trust deposits" for years.
Every genuine comment.
Every helpful DM.
Every coffee chat without an agenda.

Those deposits compound.

***

This article from 2 years ago is still the most relevant thing you can read about LinkedIn success today.

The fundamentals haven't changed:
​
​Be a real person. Share real expertise. Build real relationships.

The algorithm will keep changing. But human nature - the desire to work with people we know, like, and trust - that's constant.

Ready to focus on what actually works?

Stop chasing the algorithm. Start building something recession-proof: trust, relationships, and proof that you deliver results.

Toodles!
Natasha
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P.S. You'll see how seriously I took this if you look at my recommendations—in June 2023, I got about 10 of them. (I was always too nervous to ask before then!) But after reading this, I knew I needed to find ways to prove I do what I say I do. It may seem like something trivial, but as the platform grows, this is going to be more important. I'm going to trust someone who gets average likes but has loads of recs way more than I'll trust someone who gets 100s of like but few recs.
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P.P.S. I'm finally launching a group program! Well, part 1:1, part group. (I want to make sure you still get the special attention you deserve!) I'm looking for 5 people to join as 'founding members' and will get a discounted rate. Reply back for deets! 🥳