Why Your LinkedIn Posts Aren't Getting Reach (And How to Fix It in 2026)

It's frustrating. You spend an hour writing a post, hit publish, and... crickets. Why is no one seeing it? The algorithm isn't broken; your strategy might be. Here are the common culprits.

1. You Included an External Link

The Crime: Putting a link to your blog/YouTube in the post body.

The Penalty: LinkedIn wants to keep users on LinkedIn. They crush the reach of posts that try to send people away.

The Fix: "Link in comments" or "Link in bio."

2. Your Hook is Weak

The Crime: "I was honored to attend..." or "Here are my thoughts on..."

The Penalty: Users scroll past. No "See more" clicks = low relevance signal.

The Fix: Start with a conflict, a surprising fact, or a question. Make them click.

3. You Posted and Ghosted

The Crime: Posting and immediately closing the tab.

The Penalty: The first 60 minutes are crucial. If you don't reply to comments, the discussion dies, and so does the reach.

The Fix: Block out 30 minutes after you post to engage.

4. The Content is "Me-Centric"

The Crime: "I won this award," "I am so humbled."

The Penalty: Unless you are a celebrity, no one cares.

The Fix: Shift from "Look at me" to "Here is what I learned that helps YOU." Value always wins.

5. The "Duplicate Content" Penalty

The Crime: Posting the exact same text you posted on Twitter or Facebook.

The Penalty: LinkedIn's AI detects non-native formatting or duplicate text blocks.

The Fix: Adjust the formatting for LinkedIn. Use its native features (polls, documents).

6. Hashtag Abuse

The Crime: Using 30 hashtags like Instagram.

The Penalty: It looks spammy and confuses the categorization AI.

The Fix: Use 3-5 relevant hashtags. Broad (e.g., #Marketing) + Niche (e.g., #SaaSCopywriting).

Conclusion

The algorithm isn't out to get you. It wants to show good content to the right people. Play by its rules, remove the friction, and your reach will return.