Why 97% of LinkedIn Creators Lost Half Their Reach in 2025 (And How to Join the 3% Who Are Winning)

If your LinkedIn posts aren't performing like they used to, you're not alone. Nearly everyone experienced a massive reach collapse in 2025, and most creators still don't understand why.

But here's the good news: the 3% who understand what's actually happening are getting more visibility than ever. After analyzing 50,000 posts over the past few months, we've uncovered exactly how LinkedIn's new algorithm works—and how you can make it work for you.

Watch the full breakdown here:

🔗 https://youtu.be/w7z0h2pKwBs

The Great LinkedIn Reach Collapse of 2025

LinkedIn deployed what they call the "360 Brew"—a 150 billion parameter AI that fundamentally changed how content gets distributed. Richard Van der Blom documented the reach collapse this caused, and multiple reports have confirmed what we've all been feeling.

The tactics that worked in 2024? They're dead.

But our data reveals something nobody else is talking about: the algorithm isn't just reading your posts anymore. It's building a digital DNA profile of you, your expertise, and your content.

Your LinkedIn Content DNA: The Key to Algorithmic Success

Here's the breakthrough insight from analyzing over 5,000 founders using our platform:

Creators who focus on 1-3 topics get 73% better reach than those talking about random subjects.

That's right—the less you talk about, the more focused and niche you are, the better your reach becomes.

How LinkedIn Builds Your Digital DNA

The new algorithm creates a comprehensive fingerprint of who you are based on:

• Your posts and their topics
• Your comments on other content
• The accounts you regularly follow and interact with
• Possibly even your DMs

This creates a semantic "tag cloud" that represents your professional identity.

Real Examples of Content DNA in Action

The SaaS Expert: A founder who typically discusses metrics, growth, and revenue does a random post about weekend cooking. Result? Significantly less reach. Why? It breaks their established DNA pattern.

The Business Philosopher: Always shares business lessons wrapped in life analogies. When they post about cooking and relate it to leadership, it performs well. Why? It fits their established content DNA perfectly.

The AI Guy: Constantly talks about AI, automation, and the future. Posts about a manual process? Penalized. But when they stick to their domain? Maximum reach.

The pattern is clear: consistency with your established expertise gets rewarded. Random topics get suppressed.

The Three-Layer AI System Running LinkedIn

This isn't a single algorithm you're fighting. You're orchestrating three AI systems having a conversation with each other:

Layer 1: Creation Intelligence (You + Your Tools)

This is your input into the system. Here's what matters:

• Use AI, but use it smart. Top performers all use AI tools, but they use dedicated AI trained in their specific style
• Avoid generic AI slop. Posts with obvious generic AI patterns get 45% less reach
• Train your tools on your voice. One-off prompts produce generic content that gets penalized

Layer 2: Distribution Intelligence (LinkedIn's Brain)

This is the 150 billion parameter model analyzing everything:

• Semantic understanding over keywords. It's not looking for specific words—it's understanding meaning and context
• Content DNA matching. Does this post match the user's established expertise profile?
• Authenticity detection. Is this their authentic voice or generic content?
• Audience alignment. Does it fit what their target audience typically engages with?

This creates a self-fulfilling cycle: the right content attracts the right audience, which reinforces your content DNA, which leads to better distribution.

Layer 3: Engagement Intelligence (Network Feedback)

Every interaction teaches the algorithm about your content's value:

• Comments
• Saves
• DM shares
• Profile visits

But here's the game-changer: WHO engages matters more than HOW MANY engage.

One comment from an industry leader with strong authority in your topic domain outperforms 100 random likes. Quality of engagement >>> quantity of engagement.

The Four Authority Accelerators

Based on our data analysis and LinkedIn's own documentation, here are the four strategies that actually work:

1. The Expertise Echo

Talk about the same core topics from different angles. Don't scatter your expertise.

• Ideal approach: Talk about the same thing in 100 different angles, never stray from your domain
• Why it works: Teaches the algorithm exactly who you are and what you're an expert in
• The data: Stick to 3-5 topics maximum for optimal results

2. The Response Window

Some call it the "golden hour," but the pattern is clear:

• Be active 20 minutes before posting
• Engage heavily in the first 20 minutes after posting
• Reply to comments on your content quickly
• Why it works: Signals high-value content to the algorithm and helps build the right audience

3. The Format Stack

Mix up your content formats strategically:

• If you only post carousels, a text post can break the pattern and boost reach
• If you only do text and images, adding a carousel can provide a reach lift
• Find your signature formats for different content types

Example format strategy:

• Authority posts → Video
• Growth posts → Carousels
• Personal posts → Text + Image

4. The Compound Effect

Consistency multiplies your reach over time:

• Talk about a topic once: 1x reach multiplier
• Talk about it 5 times: 2x reach multiplier
• Talk about it 20+ times: 5x reach multiplier

This isn't about gaming the system—it's about teaching the AI who you are consistently.

What This Really Means for Your LinkedIn Strategy

We're witnessing the birth of content intelligence: AI creates, AI distributes, and AI learns from engagement.

The old game: Hacking the algorithm with tricks and tactics

The new game: Teaching the algorithm who you are through consistent, authentic content

Here's the mindset shift you need to make:

• You're not just posting on LinkedIn—you're programming it
• Every post you create is training data
• Every comment you make is a signal
• Every piece of content you engage with is a vote for what you want to see more

You're teaching a 150 billion parameter AI what expertise looks like in your industry.

The Beautiful Part: Quality Over Quantity

Creators who embrace this new reality are still winning—and while they might get less raw reach, the quality of engagement and audience is much higher.

In business terms: you're getting more qualified leads from the system.

The era of tricks and hacks is over. The era of real, valuable, insightful content has just begun.

My personal hope? Over time, we'll actually get a LinkedIn feed that's genuinely insightful rather than cringe-worthy engagement bait.

Start Programming Your Content DNA Today

Want to see exactly how your posts measure up against these new algorithm requirements?

We've built these insights directly into Contentin, including:

• Topic alignment tracking in your LinkedIn profile settings (review and refine to 3-5 core topics max)
• Post scoring agent trained on all these algorithm changes—analyzes your posts and provides specific improvement suggestions
• AI rewriting based on scoring feedback
• AI image generator that uses your profile picture for branded visuals

Try Contentin free for 14 days and use the post scoring agent to see exactly how to optimize your content for 2025's algorithm.

Your Turn

Drop a comment below: What's your core expertise and what do you want to be recognized for on LinkedIn?

Remember: your comment is literally training the algorithm right now. Choose wisely.

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Next week: I'll show you two game-changing features we just launched—the Inspiration Board (which works with your topics) and our new AI image generation that creates scroll-stopping pictures with a single click.

Watch the full video breakdown: https://youtu.be/w7z0h2pKwBs

See you next week!