How the LinkedIn algorithm works and why your profile is your startup's best salesperson

8 October 2026 · Iñigo Matesanz

If you founded a B2B startup, you are its best salesperson, even if you don't know it yet. You understand the problem better than anyone, you believe in the solution and you can talk to the people who decide as an equal. And the people who decide are on LinkedIn.

Even so, your profile probably reads like a CV and you post whenever you remember to. Don't worry, it happens to almost all of us. In this article I explain what LinkedIn looks at when it decides who sees your content, what a well-built founder profile looks like and what your business gains when you look after it.

1B+: professionals are on LinkedIn, including the people who decide at your clients.; Source: LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)
64%: of B2B decision-makers trust a person's expert content more than product brochures.; Source: Edelman and LinkedIn, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
75%: of B2B decision-makers have looked into something they had not been considering after reading expert content.; Source: Edelman and LinkedIn, 2024 (opens in a new tab)
23%: of those decision-makers ended up working with whoever had published that content.; Source: Edelman and LinkedIn, 2024 (opens in a new tab)

How LinkedIn decides what each person sees

LinkedIn doesn't publish the exact recipe for its algorithm, so be wary of anyone who gives you detailed percentages. What its own engineering team has shared is enough for you to work well.

It measures how long people spend reading each post, as well as clicks and likes. A post that gets read to the end is worth more than one people glance at.
In 2025 LinkedIn published an artificial intelligence model that reads each person's profile and activity as text to decide what is relevant to them. What your profile says and what you talk about determine who LinkedIn shows you to.
And in practice you can see that your new posts are shown first to part of your network and, if those people stop to read and start a conversation, they travel further.

The algorithm essentials for you

Talk about a few topics, and make them your client's topics. If one day you talk about your funding round, the next about productivity and the next about your trip, LinkedIn won't know who to show you to.
Write content people read to the end, with client cases, specific lessons and opinions backed by arguments. One useful post a week beats five filler ones.
Look after the conversations. Reply to people who comment and leave comments with substance on posts by your ideal clients. Your visibility grows outside your own posts too.
Nothing artificial. LinkedIn goes after engagement pods and "comment YES and I'll send it to you" posts. What works in the short term costs you in the medium term.
Consistency beats volume, because the algorithm and your audience reward people who show up regularly.

Your profile, the usual versus what works

Before replying to you, the person who decides looks at your profile. In a few seconds they need to understand who you help and why talking to you is worth their time. Compare your profile with this table.

On your profile	The usual	What works
Photo and banner	Any old photo and the default blue banner.	A professional, approachable photo and a banner that explains what your company does.
Headline	"CEO at Startup".	Who you help and with what.
"About"	Your bio, in the third person.	Your client's problem, how you solve it, some proof and an invitation to talk.
Featured	Empty.	What you want people to see, such as a case study, a talk, an interview or your newsletter.
Experience	Just job titles and dates.	Specific achievements and recommendations from clients or partners.
Network	Collecting contacts.	Being connected with the people who decide at your ideal clients.

What you gain from working on LinkedIn

Conversations with the people who decide that wouldn't happen otherwise.
Trust before the first meeting, because when you talk to someone they already know you.
More business opportunities, without relying only on your ad budget.
Visibility with talent, investors and partners, who also look at your profile.
A company brand that grows with yours, because it is easier to trust people than logos.

There are no shortcuts. With steady work, your profile ends up opening conversations that never used to come.

Where to start this week

Rewrite your headline and your "About" section with your client in mind instead of your CV.
Pick two or three topics to talk about and stick to them.
Spend a few minutes a day in conversation. Comment on your ideal clients' posts and reply to people who write to you.

This is where the LinkedIn SEED Method starts. First come the diagnosis, the client and the strategy, then the profile, prospecting, content and conversations with the people who decide.

Discover the LinkedIn SEED Method