The LinkedIn algorithm in 2026 doesn’t reward a particular format. It rewards posts that match your readers’ professional goals. The trends making the rounds are only half right: PDF carousels perform well, but they aren’t the top format everywhere. Individual videos get less reach, but they aren’t being suppressed. And LinkedIn has never said that saves drive rankings.
Here’s what LinkedIn says about its feed, what the large-scale analyses show and what you can do with that information in your next posts. As of September 2026. All figures come from the linked sources. We explain how the feed works in How to use the LinkedIn algorithm to your advantage. For external factors that affect reach and replies, see Factors affecting reach and engagement. This post covers only what has changed in 2026 or is backed by new evidence.
The picture in September 2026
- Professional knowledge over personal updates: LinkedIn favours posts that share knowledge and advice. That has been true since 2023; it isn’t a new rule.
- Document posts: the format with the highest engagement rate for company pages. On personal profiles, they rank just behind image posts for engagement but get more reach.
- Video: around one-third less reach per video than the year before, even as LinkedIn reports more video uploads and viewing time overall.
- Saves: visible in post analytics since September 2025. LinkedIn hasn’t disclosed how much they affect rankings.
- Engagement groups (“pods”): LinkedIn is taking targeted action against coordinated likes and comments. Stay away from them.
What LinkedIn says about the feed
The clearest statement dates back to 2023. Speaking to Entrepreneur (26 June 2023), Alice Xiong, Director of Product Management at LinkedIn, said: “People tell us that they find it most valuable when content is grounded in knowledge and advice.” Personal content such as selfies and family photos, which had become more common during the pandemic, has received less distribution since then. Editor-in-Chief Dan Roth put it this way: “If stuff's not going viral in the workplace, it shouldn't be going viral on LinkedIn.”
According to the same interview, LinkedIn looks at whether a post has a clear target audience, whether you’re writing in your area of expertise and whether the comments actually relate to the content. When you reply to comments, LinkedIn sees it as a conversation worth showing to more people.
In 2026, LinkedIn rebuilt the technology behind its feed. In an engineering blog post (12 March 2026), Hristo Danchev describes a new ranking system based on large language models. The standard remains the same: “The most valuable content is timely, relevant to their professional goals, and grounded in trust.” The post names time spent viewing, likes, comments and shares as user signals. It doesn’t favour any particular format.
What this means for you: Write about what your profile stands for, and write for a group you can name. A post “for everyone” won’t really reach anyone on LinkedIn. Before you post, ask: Which purchasing manager or team leader could put this to use tomorrow?
Trend 1: Document posts (PDF carousels)
Document posts are uploaded PDFs that LinkedIn displays as swipeable carousels. Two large-scale analyses measured their performance, but looked at different types of accounts:
- Socialinsider analysed 1.3 million posts from 16,645 company pages published between January 2024 and December 2025. Native documents had the highest engagement rate per impression at 7.00%, ahead of multi-image posts (6.45%), video (6.00%) and images (5.30%). The average was 5.20%.
- AuthoredUp analysed more than 3 million posts from personal profiles published between March 2025 and February 2026. Documents achieved 1.39 times the average reach and 1.30 times the average engagement. Image posts were just ahead on engagement at 1.33 times the average. Only 4.88% of all posts were documents.
What this means for you: The format is worth trying because few people use it and it performs above average. But it isn’t a guaranteed success. A ten-slide carousel full of generic points will still fall flat. Use content people will want to refer back to: a step-by-step process, a checklist, a template or a calculation using real figures.
Trend 2: Video gets less reach per post
Both analyses found that reach per video in 2025 was around one-third lower than the year before. Socialinsider reports 36% fewer views per video year on year for company pages. AuthoredUp measured 36% less video reach on personal profiles. Compared with the average across all formats, video achieved 0.86 times the reach and 0.93 times the engagement on personal profiles.
At the same time, video is growing on LinkedIn. According to a LinkedIn spokesperson, overall video viewership rose 36% year on year from October 2024 to January 2025 (Digiday, 31 January 2025). In October 2025, LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky reported “three straight quarters of double-digit growth in video uploads” (Social Media Today, 30 October 2025).
These findings fit together: far more videos are being posted, so each individual post gets a smaller share. That doesn’t mean LinkedIn is penalising video. In Socialinsider’s analysis, video even performs above average on engagement.
What this means for you: Don’t make a video just because the format worked in 2024. If you make one, give it substance. In AuthoredUp’s analysis, videos of three minutes or longer performed better on reach, at 1.21 times the average, than clips under a minute (0.95 to 0.96 times the average).
Trend 3: Saves are visible, but their ranking weight is unknown
Since September 2025, LinkedIn’s post analytics have shown how often a post was saved or forwarded in a message (Social Media Today, 10 September 2025). Many guides have turned this into “saves are the strongest ranking signal”. LinkedIn hasn’t said that. Its March 2026 engineering blog post doesn’t even list saves among its examples of user signals.
The metric is still useful. According to AuthoredUp, document posts account for 12.92% of all saved posts, even though they make up only 4.88% of all posts. People save what they expect to need again.
What this means for you: After each post, check your analytics to see which posts were saved and shared. That’s a good indicator of real value. But don’t optimise for a signal whose weight nobody outside LinkedIn knows.
What to avoid: pods and polls as reach tactics
LinkedIn used to distribute posts with lots of comments widely. In response, users formed “engagement groups” to quickly like and comment on each other’s posts. According to the conversation with Roth and Xiong, LinkedIn wanted to stop this. Since then, it has assessed whether comments relate to the post and who is commenting (Entrepreneur, 26 June 2023). So comments like “Great post!” from a group with no connection to your topic won’t help you. Comments from your target audience will. To learn how to become more visible through thoughtful comments, see Post less, comment more.
Polls aren’t a shortcut either. In AuthoredUp’s data, they get the most impressions, with 1.78 times the reach, but only 0.37 times the engagement. Many people see the post; hardly anyone interacts with it.
To-dos by format
Format | What the data shows | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Document / PDF carousel | Highest engagement rate for company pages (7.00%); 1.39 times the reach for profiles | One point per slide, with a concrete next step at the end. Create content people can refer back to: a checklist, a process or a template. |
Image | Engagement is 1.33 times as high for profiles; accounts for 57% of all posts | Use your own images to make a point: a screenshot of a figure, a whiteboard or a table. No stock photos as decoration. |
Text | 1.07 times the reach and 0.78 times the engagement for profiles | Use it for clear opinions and short accounts of your experience. Put your main point in the first line; skip the long lead-in. |
Video | Around one-third less reach per video than the previous year; longer videos perform better | Only when you have something substantial to say: an explanation, a demo or an interview. Add subtitles so it works without sound. |
Poll | Highest reach (1.78 times), lowest engagement (0.37 times) | Use them rarely, and only when you genuinely care about the result and will analyse it afterwards. |
For every format, reply to comments and stick to your topic. To learn why posting regularly builds trust, see Why LinkedIn content is your best salesperson.
Three use cases: sales, recruiting and job search
Sales: content as a warm-up before outreach
A post rarely makes a sale on its own. It makes your name familiar when your connection request arrives. Anyone who reacts to or comments on your post already knows your topic. It’s hard to find warmer contacts on LinkedIn. Message them about the post, not with a generic pitch.
Recruiting: content about you as an employer
Candidates look at what a team posts before replying to a message. Posts about the work you actually do—how your onboarding works, what problem the team is solving or what a role involves—fit exactly what LinkedIn wants to promote: knowledge, not advertising. To see how CompLeadly handles outreach after that, visit the CompLeadly for Recruiters.
Job search: get noticed by recruiters
The same rules apply to a job search. Two or three posts about your area of expertise often tell recruiters more than another sentence on your profile. And LinkedIn says it checks whether someone writes about their field. You can then contact hiring managers at companies you’d like to work for directly. For tips, see LinkedIn Job Search: Avoid Common Mistakes and in the article about “Open to Work”.
What CompLeadly handles
You write the post yourself. CompLeadly takes it from there, turning reactions to posts into a target audience you can reach out to:
- Export post interactions (from Premium): CompLeadly exports people who have reacted to or commented on a LinkedIn post. You can choose to analyse only your own posts or posts from profiles in a target audience. Commenters and people who liked the post go into separate target audiences. For instructions and a video, see the knowledge base article Export leads from post interactions.
- Outreach (from Basic, also available with limits on the free plan): For this target audience—or one from LinkedIn people search, Sales Navigator or, if you have LinkedIn Recruiter, Recruiter searches—you can run profile visits, connection requests, initial messages and follow-ups.
Exporting post interactions is included in the 10-day trial and is available from Premium afterwards. The free version has daily limits and does not include it. You can find all plans on the Pricing page.
Write each message to fit the profile. CompLeadly manages the pace for you.
Frequently asked questions about the LinkedIn algorithm in 2026
Did LinkedIn change its algorithm in 2026?
Technically, yes. According to LinkedIn’s engineering blog of 12 March 2026, a new system based on large language models ranks the feed. The standard remains the same: posts should be timely, relevant to readers’ professional goals and built on trust.
Which format has the most reach in 2026?
It depends on the account. According to AuthoredUp, polls had the highest reach for personal profiles, but very little engagement. Document posts performed best when reach and engagement were considered together. According to Socialinsider, documents had the highest engagement rate for company pages.
Is video still worth using on LinkedIn?
Yes, if the content is worthwhile. Reach per video fell by around one-third in 2025 because significantly more videos are being posted. At the same time, LinkedIn reports growth in uploads and watch time. In AuthoredUp’s data, longer videos with substance performed better than short clips.
Are saves more important than likes?
No one outside LinkedIn knows. LinkedIn has shown saves in post analytics since September 2025, but it has not disclosed how much they affect ranking. They are still a useful sign that people find a post valuable.
Do engagement pods still help?
No. According to the Entrepreneur interview, LinkedIn has specifically worked to counter coordinated likes and comments. It also assesses whether comments are relevant and come from your target audience. Comments from people with no connection to your topic do not help you.
Should I post from my profile or my company page?
For sales, recruiting and job searches, your profile is usually the better choice. According to LinkedIn, users find posts particularly valuable when they come from people they know and care about. Your company page complements your profile. Note that the Socialinsider figures above apply only to company pages, while the AuthoredUp figures apply only to personal profiles.
As of September 2026. All figures come from the linked sources, accessed on 23 September 2026.
