For years, professionals have been told to master the LinkedIn game: post at optimal times, use the right hashtags, chase engagement metrics. That playbook just became obsolete.
LinkedIn recently unveiled the architecture behind its new AI system, 360Brew, and the implications are profound. This isn’t a minor tweak. It’s a fundamental reimagining of how the platform decides what’s valuable and who sees your content.
Here’s what matters: I’ve been teaching a human-centric, conversation-oriented approach to LinkedIn for years. When the 360Brew research emerged, the analysis was clear that the principles I’d been preaching finally aligned with how the platform actually works.
LinkedIn has made it easier for professionals to establish themselves as experts and connect with others who share their expertise, without being buried by gamification tactics. Here’s what you need to know.
[Related: 4 Ways to Build Trust Through Your LinkedIn Profile]
From Counting to Comprehending
The old LinkedIn algorithm was a feature factory. It counted likes, measured dwell time, tracked shares. 360Brew changes everything. Instead of counting signals, LinkedIn’s AI software now reads and comprehends your content like a highly informed professional. It doesn’t ask, “How many likes did this get?”; it asks, “Is this genuinely valuable to the professionals in my network?”
This shift rewards what meeting planners already do exceptionally well in their day-to-day. As meeting planners, you know that the “build it and they will come” approach to event design simply isn’t true. You have to create an experience, develop a message and deliver an emotional connection.
This is what separates good event planners from great ones; knowing how to connect and engage an audience, whether that’s a sales kick-off or an association of independents. This is what will separate a good LinkedIn post from a great one, too.
The Professional Advantage
Meeting planners are natural storytellers. Each event itself is a story; a chance to engage audiences through teaching, training and presenting. The better the story, the better the event. LinkedIn now rewards exactly that skill.
Here’s the shift I help planners make: LinkedIn isn’t another social media platform where your behavior mirrors Instagram or Facebook. It’s a business platform. Your behavior at a professional networking event is different than at a block party, and the same applies to LinkedIn.
When planners see LinkedIn as an extension of what they already do well, such as connecting and engaging with people, or finding the right speaker, the right venue and the right vibe, their LinkedIn effort becomes natural.
As a planner, you’re already in the business of creating meaningful professional connections. LinkedIn is just another venue for that expertise.
[Related: LinkedInsights: An Introduction to Taking LinkedIn Beyond the Badge Scan]
What This Means Now
LinkedIn’s recent algorithm shift introduces three critical changes:
- Comments now outperform posts. The AI recognizes thoughtful commentary as genuine professional engagement.
- Information at the beginning of a post carries exponentially more weight, so front-load your credibility and don’t bury the lede.
- Authenticity wins. The system detects the difference between genuine insight and content designed to game engagement.
The platform has finally caught up with what meeting planners have always known: Substance outlasts strategy.
Connect with Richard on LinkedIn.
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