In 2025, LinkedIn’s new algorithm, Nexus, changed how posts gain visibility. To succeed, you need to focus on timing and early engagement. Here’s what you need to know:
- The first 60 minutes are critical: Posts with strong early engagement (likes, comments, shares) get amplified to wider networks.
- Best times to post:
- Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8–9 AM (start of the workday).
- Lunch hours (12–2 PM) and afternoons (3–5 PM) also perform well.
- Best days: Midweek (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays) sees the most activity.
- Content types matter: Carousels and videos outperform text-only posts. Posts longer than 1,500 characters also get more reach.
- Automation tools like Closely: Schedule posts during peak times and analyze performance to refine your strategy.
Timing is key, but content quality drives engagement. Combine both to maximize your LinkedIn reach in 2025.
LinkedIn Algorithm Changed. Use This NEW Content Strategy.
How LinkedIn’s 2025 Algorithm Works
LinkedIn’s 2025 algorithm operates in distinct stages, making timing a key factor in your content’s success. When you publish a post, it first undergoes an Initial Classification phase during the first 60 minutes. Here, the algorithm checks for spam, policy violations, poor grammar, excessive hashtags, or engagement bait. Posts that pass this filter move forward, while those that fail may never reach a wider audience.
After clearing this stage, your post enters the Engagement Testing phase, which lasts 1–2 hours. During this time, LinkedIn shares your post with a small portion of your immediate network to gauge early engagement. The platform evaluates metrics like likes, comments, shares, dwell time (how long people spend reading), and the quality of these interactions. Interestingly, comments carry double the weight of likes during this phase[10]. However, any user blocks or flags can immediately stop your content from being distributed further.
"The platform will ‘promote content that garners early engagement’ so that it stays visible longer." – Tim Jurka, LinkedIn’s engineering director[9]
If your post receives fewer than 500 impressions in the first hour, it likely won’t gain much traction[8]. But strong early engagement can propel your content to reach second- and third-degree connections, potentially scaling your audience from hundreds to hundreds of thousands. This makes it crucial to generate quality interactions within the first hour of posting.
The First Hour: Why Initial Engagement Matters
The first 60 minutes after you hit "post" are critical. During this window, LinkedIn determines whether your content deserves a broader audience. Posts that quickly attract likes, comments, and shares signal value to the algorithm, prompting it to expand their reach. However, timing is everything – posting when your audience is less active, like at 3:00 AM, can significantly hurt your chances of being noticed during this crucial evaluation period. Engaging with your audience right after posting can further boost momentum and visibility.
How LinkedIn Measures Relevance and Time Spent
LinkedIn’s algorithm doesn’t just count interactions – it also focuses on dwell time, or how long users spend reading your post. Posts with higher dwell times tend to perform better than those users scroll past quickly. This shift reflects LinkedIn’s emphasis on engagement quality over simple recency.
With the introduction of "suggested posts" in 2024, LinkedIn extended its focus on relevance. High-quality content can now remain visible long after its initial publication[5]. Additionally, the algorithm factors in expertise-driven ranking and consumption rates, ensuring posts that provide genuine value continue to appear in feeds[8]. In short, early engagement gets your foot in the door, while sustained relevance keeps your post in the spotlight.
Content Format and Engagement Types
The format of your content also plays a big role in how far it reaches. For example, carousel posts tend to perform well, achieving an engagement rate of 6.64% and averaging 122 likes and comments per post. Videos, on the other hand, generate 3.06% more impressions than image-based posts[6]. Posts longer than 1,500 characters also tend to see higher reach and engagement rates[6].
Not all interactions carry the same weight. Shares are particularly valuable as they expose your content to new audiences. To maximize your reach, focus on creating content that encourages meaningful engagement – spark conversations, ask questions, and make it easy for your audience to interact.
Posting at the right time ensures these high-impact engagement types occur during that all-important first hour, setting your content up for long-term visibility and success on LinkedIn.
Best Times to Post on LinkedIn in 2025
Best Times to Post on LinkedIn in 2025 by Day and Hour
Timing your posts right can make a big difference in how they perform on LinkedIn. Analyzing over 1 million LinkedIn posts has revealed clear patterns about when professionals are most active. Posting during these key windows helps your content gain the early engagement it needs to reach a wider audience.
Best Times to Post During the Day
If you’re looking for the prime time to post on LinkedIn in 2025, it’s 8–9 AM on Tuesdays and Wednesdays[5]. This slot aligns with the start of the workday when professionals are checking their feeds, giving your post a chance to gain traction early. Other strong timeframes include:
- Early mornings (8–10 AM): Perfect for catching people during their morning routine.
- Lunch hours (12–2 PM): A common time for users to scroll through updates during their break.
- Afternoons (3–5 PM): Engagement often spikes as the workday winds down.
Data from Sprout Social, collected between May and September 2025, reinforces that weekday middays are hotspots for LinkedIn activity[3]. Posting outside of these windows often results in lower engagement, as your content may not gain the momentum it needs to be widely seen.
Best Days for Engagement
The day of the week is just as important as the time. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays consistently lead in engagement metrics[4, 19]. Among these, Tuesday takes the top spot, averaging 611 impressions per post – 1.77% more than Wednesday – and generating about 20 interactions per post[6].
While midweek posts typically reach the largest audience, Mondays and Fridays stand out for their engagement rates, with Monday slightly ahead at 3.38%, compared to Friday’s 3.37%[6]. On the flip side, weekends are the weakest performers, with Saturdays and Sundays showing significantly lower engagement across the board[4, 19].
"Posting content when your audience isn’t online is like throwing a party when no one can come." – Neil Patel[11]
Timing for Different Content Types
The type of content you post also plays a role in determining the best time to share it. Here’s how different formats align with audience behavior:
- Industry news and thought leadership: Perform best early in the morning (8–10 AM)[4].
- Polls: Gain the most traction during lunch hours (12–2 PM)[4].
- Long-form content (e.g., carousels): Surprisingly, Sunday evenings work well for these[4].
- Case studies: Shine during weekday afternoons (3–5 PM)[4].
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Using AI and Automation to Schedule Posts
For most professionals, manually posting content every day just isn’t practical. That’s where automation steps in, ensuring your posts go live during high-engagement times without the hassle of daily effort.
Closely is a great example of how automation makes this process smoother and more efficient.
How to Schedule Posts with Closely
Closely’s LinkedIn automation tools let you plan and schedule posts ahead of time, ensuring they’re published during peak engagement hours. Whether you manage one LinkedIn account or ten, Closely has you covered. Their pricing starts at $49/month for the Starter plan (1 account) and goes up to $350/month for the Custom plan (10 accounts). This flexibility makes it a solid choice for both solo professionals and larger sales teams.
What’s more, Closely integrates its scheduling feature with its multichannel campaign tools. This means you can align your LinkedIn posts with your broader outreach campaigns, creating a seamless strategy to boost engagement across multiple touchpoints.
Analyzing Audience Data to Improve Timing
While general posting schedules can be helpful, your audience’s behavior might not align with standard trends. Closely’s analytics dashboard helps you figure out what works best for your specific network. By tracking when your posts get the most likes, comments, and shares, you can pinpoint the times your audience is most active.
For example, if your audience tends to engage more at 10:00 AM than at 8:00 AM, or if Thursdays consistently outperform Tuesdays, you can adjust your schedule to match those patterns. Beyond timing, Closely’s data enrichment tools provide insights into your audience’s demographics – like their industries, job titles, and locations. This is especially useful if your network includes diverse groups, such as West Coast tech professionals versus East Coast finance executives, where peak activity hours can vary.
While general benchmarks – like those from Sprout Social’s analysis of 2.7 billion engagements across 436,000 profiles – offer a good starting point, diving into your own data is what truly helps you refine your timing and achieve better results[3]. This focus on personalized timing is key to maximizing engagement.
Combining Automation with Outreach Campaigns
When you combine audience insights with outreach, your strategy becomes even more powerful. By syncing your scheduled posts with outreach campaigns, you ensure prospects see a steady stream of relevant and timely content. For example, if you’re running a LinkedIn prospecting campaign through Closely, your scheduled posts act as social proof. Prospects who check out your profile after receiving a connection request or message will see consistent, high-quality content that aligns with your messaging.
Closely also simplifies follow-ups with its unified inbox. This feature lets you manage replies from both your outreach campaigns and post engagements in one place. If someone comments on your Tuesday morning post about sales strategies, you can immediately respond with a personalized message or add them to a targeted campaign. This level of integration transforms posting from a standalone task into a key part of a broader strategy, boosting both your visibility and response rates.
Pairing Timing with Content Quality
Timing gets your content noticed, but it’s the quality that keeps people engaged. LinkedIn’s algorithm favors posts that hold attention over those that simply hit peak visibility hours. If you post content with little value at the "best" times, you’ll only see a short-lived spike in views. The real magic happens when you combine strategic timing with meaningful, engaging content. Add consistent posting to the mix, and you’ll see even greater results from LinkedIn’s algorithm.
Maintaining a Consistent Posting Schedule
Posting regularly is a key signal to LinkedIn’s algorithm. Surprisingly, only 7.1% of LinkedIn’s 1 billion users post consistently. If you manage to post 3–4 times a week, you’ll land in the top 10% of creators on the platform[12]. This level of activity not only helps your posts reach more people over time but also builds anticipation among your audience, who will start to look forward to your updates.
Consistency also has a big impact on follower growth. Regular posting can drive follower growth up to six times faster, with experts recommending a sweet spot of 2–5 posts per week[13][7]. But it’s not just about how often you post – it’s about being predictable. When your audience knows when to expect your content, they’re more likely to engage. And LinkedIn’s algorithm rewards that kind of steady interaction.
Creating Content Your Audience Wants
The LinkedIn algorithm prioritizes posts that encourage "dwell time" – the amount of time people spend reading or interacting with your content. To grab attention, start with a compelling three-line hook, then follow up with actionable advice or industry insights that provide real value.
How you format your post also matters. Document carousels, for example, average 1,387 impressions – far more than image posts (703 impressions) or text-only posts (589 impressions)[12]. A great example of this is Justin Welsh’s 17-page carousel, "From 2K followers to $9.1M in Revenue", which earned 1,346 reactions and 639 comments. This proves how well-thought-out, educational content can spark meaningful engagement[1]. Videos are another strong performer, with native LinkedIn videos generating 5× more engagement and live videos achieving 24× more[1]. To maximize reach, keep your content native to LinkedIn – external link posts average only 234 impressions[12].
Steer clear of AI-written content. Posts generated by AI tools see a 30% drop in reach and 55% less engagement compared to human-written posts. LinkedIn’s detection systems are highly accurate, flagging AI content 94% of the time[12]. Audiences value authenticity, and when posts feel impersonal, the algorithm limits their visibility. To ensure success, focus on creating genuine content and track its engagement to refine your approach.
Measuring Performance to Adjust Your Schedule
Once you’re consistently delivering high-quality content, it’s time to evaluate its performance to fine-tune your posting schedule. Focus on three key metrics: engagement rate (reactions, comments, shares), dwell time (how long people spend on your post), and reach (the number of people who see it). LinkedIn Analytics can help you pinpoint the times when your posts perform best. For example, if your Tuesday 10:00 AM posts consistently outperform Wednesday 2:00 PM ones, adjust your schedule to capitalize on that trend.
Engagement doesn’t stop at posting. Posts with author responses within the first 30 minutes receive 64% more total comments and 2.3× more views[2]. This means you can’t just schedule your posts and walk away. Actively engaging with early commenters signals to the algorithm that your post is sparking valuable conversations. Regularly reviewing your data will help you continuously refine your posting strategy for maximum impact.
Conclusion
LinkedIn’s 2025 algorithm prioritizes content that’s engaging and relevant to your audience, focusing on when they’re most active. Unlike past algorithms that favored recency, this one allows posts with genuine value to reappear weeks later – if they gain momentum early on.
Research indicates that timing matters. Posting during peak engagement times, like Tuesday mornings before 10:00 AM or Thursday evenings after 6:00 PM, can boost engagement by 23–47%[2]. But timing alone isn’t enough. To truly maximize your reach, your content needs to spark conversations, encourage longer dwell times, and establish you as a thought leader in your niche. Consistency in your posting schedule is another key factor.
Automation tools like Closely make this process easier. With features like batch scheduling, AI-driven personalization, and campaign performance tracking, you can align your posts with optimal times, test different strategies, and refine your approach – all from one intuitive dashboard. By automating your efforts, you not only ensure timely posting but also build a solid strategy for maintaining long-term engagement.
FAQs
What’s the most effective way to get early engagement on LinkedIn posts?
To get the most engagement on LinkedIn, try posting between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM (local time) on Tuesdays. This window tends to align with when professionals are actively browsing and engaging with content.
Make your post stand out by including a clear call-to-action, sharing thought-provoking ideas, or offering helpful tips that resonate with your audience. Combining the right timing with content that grabs attention can help increase your visibility and reach.
How does LinkedIn’s 2025 algorithm determine which content gets more visibility?
LinkedIn’s algorithm for 2025 is all about highlighting content that resonates with its professional audience. It takes into account several factors to ensure posts are both engaging and relevant. Here’s what the algorithm prioritizes:
- Relevance: Posts that align with a user’s interests, activity, and preferences stand out. The more your content matches what users care about, the better.
- Engagement: Meaningful interactions – like comments and thoughtful reactions – carry significant weight. It’s not just about likes; it’s about sparking real conversations.
- Relationships: The connection between the person posting and the viewer matters. Stronger ties often translate to better visibility for your content.
Focusing on these elements can help you boost your content’s performance and expand its reach on LinkedIn.
How can I use automation to schedule LinkedIn posts for maximum reach?
Automation tools make it easier to schedule your LinkedIn posts during peak times, helping you reach a larger audience and drive more engagement. Studies indicate that weekday mornings (8:00–10:00 AM), lunch hours (12:00–2:00 PM), and early afternoons (3:00–5:00 PM) are the most effective windows for posting.
With automated scheduling, you can ensure your content goes live during these busy periods without needing to watch the clock. This not only saves you time but also increases the likelihood of connecting with your audience when they’re most active.