If you post regularly on LinkedIn, you may not have heard of it: LinkedIn has updated its algorithm and now incorporates “Dwell time”. 😉
LinkedIn Dwell Time, what is this all about?
Everyone talks about it but nobody really knows what this is. I recently wrote an article on the subject that I invite you to read to understand the ins and outs.
We can summarize dwell time in 3 points:
Time spent
The time spent by a user on a LinkedIn post now has a weight in the algorithm. In other words, if you read or view a post for a long time, you increase its organic reach. As for a like or a comment.
“See more”
Click on “See more”. In other words, the user stopped on your post and wanted to know more. This action tends to show the algorithm that your content is relevant and therefore increases its reach.
“Skip” the post
The user was on your post for less than a moment, called “Tskip” by the engineers at LinkedIn. This means that the content was not interesting enough and the user moved on to the next one.
The more users “skip” your post, the less favorable the algorithm will be in terms of reach.
Now that we know more, let’s take a look at how to get the most out of this update.
Emphasis on long content
It may not seem obvious. If the more time a user spends on a post the more views the post has, you better write a fairly long post to get more LinkedIn impressions.
But beware, long does not mean large, illegible cobblestones. The majority of users are on mobile, so it is essential to think your content to be “mobile first” and to limit text paragraphs as much as possible. 📱
Use emojis (but not too much) to add color to your post. Favor short, punchy sentences and use line breaks.
We are talking about the time spent on the post: we have to keep the user until the end!
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The rise of new formats
Who says change of algorithm, says boom in new formats.
The top trend? The “presentation”.
A PDF file that you can create with a simple PowerPoint that will capture your audience over a long period of time.
Once again: keep the content visual and clean. “Less is more” as they say. You want the reader to read your content to the end, and not run away in the face of information overload!
This format is, once more, interesting on mobile. It will ask the user to “slide” to the side, which is quite nice and intuitive.
The video could well be a big winner of the dwell time as well. As long as you capture the attention! But for the moment, we have little perspective on the subject.
Maybe Podawaa‘s stats data will speak soon and bring out some unbelievable things… Stay tuned 😁
The importance of the catchphrase
Do you want to keep your audience on your content for a long time and avoid your post to be skipped?
The catchphrase becomes all the more fundamental. These are the first 200 characters that will define whether our brain stops on the content or not.
The war on breaking the pattern, on “stopping the scroll” has begun!
So let go, test and iterate. The humorous and quirky catchphrases are the winners. “Clickbait” always works, to the detriment of the satisfaction of your audience…
It’s up to you, but for me, there is a new discipline that comes into play: stopping the user on your content.
(Sorry for international people, this is a french private joke…)
The importance of the design
Equally important for capturing the attention of your audience. The design! Whether it’s a presentation, a video or just an image, you have to take care of your visuals.
Some basics:
- Yellow color, which is the emergency color, is the most effective
- Avoid too smooth, too “right-free” visuals. It doesn’t work very well anymore
- Play on authenticity: content that feels like it’s been made by you brings people closer to your personal brand
- Create your graphic style. Basic but effective: your audience should recognize you at first glance
Which leads us to the next point.
Regularity
When you create great content on a regular basis, your audience will dwell on your content much longer and more often.
To see the new post you released, the new topic you are bringing up.
By publishing regularly, you build loyalty with an audience that will stop its infinite scroll for your content. What could be nicer to boost the LinkedIn algorithm?
But above all, what could be more beautiful? People who follow your content and stop at your posts because it’s YOU.
Consistency and quality are the keys to content creation. The rest is just optimization: dwell time, pods… So forget the auto promo once a month and bring value to your audience.
Engagement remains the Master of the Game
Sorry! The integration of dwell time in the LinkedIn post prioritization algorithm does not revolutionize everything. The so-called “viral” actions of likes and comments of posts, especially in the beginning of post’s life remain the most powerful factor.
Once again, content creation on LinkedIn shouldn’t be viewed as binary. It is much more complex than that and fortunately.
Poor quality content with lots of bogus comments will never reach the top.
Dwell-time “optimized” content without organic engagement won’t take off.
Posting the best LinkedIn content once a year will only get you very little exposure.
We must work on all fronts! 👊👊
