Why LinkedIn's algorithm now favors individual voices over company pages

Sometime in 2024, anyone managing a company page on LinkedIn noticed something was off. Posts that used to reach thousands were struggling to reach hundreds. Comments dried up. Meanwhile, the people working at those same companies were posting about the same topics and getting more attention than ever.

LinkedIn never sent out a press release about it. But it wasn't a bug either. It's the logical outcome of how the platform has been built, and it's forcing companies to rethink how they show up on the network that matters most for B2B.

Same news, different messenger

I've seen this play out across many clients. A company page posts an update about a new product launch. It reaches around 400 people and collects maybe ten likes. Then the CEO posts the same announcement in their own words, with their own view on why it matters. It reaches 15,000 people, gets more than 200 reactions and 40 comments, and starts an actual conversation.

In the work I've done, that gap has been remarkably consistent across industries, company sizes and types of content. Individual voices regularly outperform the company page by something like ten to twenty times. That's my own observation rather than a published benchmark, but once you've seen it a few times, it's hard to unsee.

What LinkedIn is actually optimising for

The explanation isn't mysterious. LinkedIn's business depends on people staying on the platform, and people stay for other people. In its own words, the feed starts with "people you know, talking about things you care about", and the more valuable the conversation, the higher a post appears.

That direction has only become clearer. In March 2026, LinkedIn explained that it is tuning the feed to show more relevant, authentic professional content, favouring genuine insight and real points of view over posts designed to game distribution. Company updates tend to get skimmed. People with a perspective get read. The algorithm simply rewards what members already do.

A trust shift the platform is amplifying

There's a deeper reason this works. People have become sceptical of corporate messaging. Even when it's accurate, it feels filtered and promotional. But they still extend trust to individuals who explain something in their own words.

The research backs that up. The 2024 Edelman–LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report found that 73% of decision-makers consider an organisation's thought leadership a more trustworthy basis for judging its capabilities than its marketing materials. LinkedIn's feed isn't creating that dynamic. It's amplifying something that was already true.

What this means for B2B companies

For years, the LinkedIn playbook was built around the company page: post regular updates, grow followers, drive traffic to the website. That playbook has run its course. Company pages still matter as proof of legitimacy, a place for jobs and a hub of information. They're just not where visibility happens anymore.

If your leadership team isn't active, your brand is technically present and practically absent. Competitors with visible executives are shaping the conversation, not because they spend more, but because they've adapted to how the platform works. The maths helps them too: ten executives with 5,000 connections each can reach a far wider network than a page with 5,000 followers.

Hiring feels this first. Candidates look at the company page, then look for the people behind it. A quiet page and invisible leaders raise questions. Leaders who share how they think make the company feel worth a conversation. I explored how this now extends to AI search in how ChatGPT's search changes the way candidates research companies.

How the best companies are adapting

The organisations doing this well aren't trying to game the algorithm. They're building what makes individual visibility sustainable. They help executives understand what makes a good LinkedIn post, set up simple ways to capture insights and turn them into content, agree clear guidelines on what can be shared and what needs review, and generally make it easy to show up.

They also play the long game. The LinkedIn B2B Institute's 95:5 rule suggests that only around 5% of B2B buyers are in market at any given time. Consistent presence is how you're remembered by the other 95% when their moment comes.

Where to start if your leaders aren't visible yet

The path isn't complicated. It just needs intention.

1. Start with one or two leaders who have credibility, a perspective and the willingness to be visible.
2. Build the support around them. Don't expect executives to figure LinkedIn out alone. Give them systems, content support and guidelines.
3. Measure what matters. Look at talent attraction, stakeholder engagement and business development, not just likes.
4. Commit to consistency. Someone who shows up every week will usually outperform someone who posts a brilliant piece once a month.

Most leadership teams are still quiet on LinkedIn, which means there's a real advantage in starting now while visibility still sets you apart. Audiences take time to build, and that time can't be bought later.

If you're wondering what this could look like for your leadership team, I'd be glad to talk it through. You can read more about how I work, see selected work, or book a 1-1.

— Joost