For many professionals, LinkedIn® has started to feel harder over the past year.
Posts that once reached thousands now struggle to gain traction. Carefully written content seems to disappear. Even experienced users are questioning whether LinkedIn is still worth the effort.
The reality is simpler – and more constructive – than most people realise.
LinkedIn hasn’t stopped working. It has changed how it decides who to surface.
At the heart of that change is AI.
LinkedIn is now AI-driven at its core
Over the last year, LinkedIn has quietly shifted from a rules-based platform to an AI-driven one. This isn’t about individual features or tools. AI now sits underneath the entire system.
As a result, LinkedIn no longer evaluates posts in isolation. Instead, it looks at a person’s whole presence on the platform.
That includes:
- How clearly your profile explains who you serve and how you help
- The way you engage on other people’s posts
- How you use direct messages
- The topics you consistently return to
This is why posting more often no longer guarantees visibility. AI is looking for coherence, not volume.
Why engagement has overtaken publishing
One of the most significant changes in 2025 has been the rise of engagement as a primary visibility signal.
Thoughtful comments are now being surfaced more frequently than original posts. In many cases, they attract more views.
That makes sense when you consider what comments reveal. They show how you think, what you notice, and whether you are genuinely interested in others.
From a leadership perspective, this mirrors real-world credibility. Strong leaders build influence through dialogue and contribution, not constant broadcasting.
For busy professionals, this is good news. Visibility no longer requires daily posting. It requires meaningful participation.
Clarity is the signal AI understands best
AI systems rely on patterns and consistency.
When your profile says one thing, your posts say another, and your engagement suggests something else entirely, LinkedIn struggles to understand where to place you.
The same is true for human readers.
Clarity means:
- Being specific about who you help
- Being consistent about the problems you work on
- Being clear about the outcomes you support
This doesn’t require oversharing or constant activity. It requires alignment.
From performance to presence
Many people are still treating LinkedIn as a performance platform – focusing on reach, impressions, and tactics.
AI has shifted the emphasis away from performance and towards presence.
Presence is built through: – A clear, current profile – Thoughtful engagement – Conversations that add value – Consistency over time
When these elements align, visibility becomes a by-product rather than a goal.
What to focus on going forward
If LinkedIn feels unpredictable right now, the most effective response is not to do more – it’s to do less, more clearly.
Start with your profile. Ask whether someone unfamiliar with you could quickly understand who you serve and how you help.
Then look at your engagement. Are your comments reinforcing your expertise, or simply filling space?
Finally, consider your topics. Are you returning to the same themes often enough for both people and AI to recognise your focus?
LinkedIn hasn’t become harder.
It has become more honest.
And in the AI era, clarity has become the strongest visibility strategy available.