Declining LinkedIn reach has many professionals questioning whether their current LinkedIn strategy is still effective.
Spend any amount of time on LinkedIn and it won’t take long before you come across complaints about LinkedIn’s algorithm and its low reach. Because the reality is that reach isn’t what it used to be, back in those halcyon days.
Whether you work in marketing for a law firm, or you’re a legal founder building your own business, it probably feels like the rules of LinkedIn are constantly changing.
And that’s because they are! But the good news is that the fundamentals of how you approach your LinkedIn strategy shouldn’t. Let’s dive in.
Why your LinkedIn reach has taken a nosedive
Research from Richard van der Blom’s Algorithm InSights Report 2025 shows us that organic reach has dropped by nearly 50% year-on-year. For 95% of LinkedIn creators, reach has steadily declined. So let this be a reassuring reminder that you are most certainly not alone.
And here lies the important part. Despite declining reach, overall engagement has stayed about the same.
LinkedIn is prioritising relevance over reach.
For law firms like yours, this means focusing on delivering impact through your content. Because your posts are being targeted to a smaller, more relevant audience. In other words, and as clichéd as it sounds, LinkedIn is increasingly all about quality over quantity when it comes to who sees your content.
But the good news is that posting on LinkedIn is only one of the ways you can and should be spending your time on the platform, to move the needle for your business.
What you CAN do, instead of panic
Get experimental with content formats and types
Different content performs differently on LinkedIn, especially when you add in different client types and their preferences into the mix. If you do a lot of one kind of content and it feels like it’s dying a death right now, try a short explainer, a talking head video, a carousel. Mix it up with more authority-led, thought leadership posts that build trust and influence, or try story-telling. Including some form of image with your content stops the scroll and helps your visibility, so take photos of interesting things when you are out and about and grow a media library on your phone you can dip into.
The long and short of it is: mix up your content – it keeps your audience and the algo on their toes.
Treat commenting as an exercise in leadership, visibility and brand building
For any lawyer or legal professional, commenting is a powerful strategy to demonstrate expertise, network digitally and authentically, and build trust. It’s like leaving a little breadcrumb trail of visibility. Except increasingly, that breadcrumb trail is not so little! Many people struggling with reach are experiencing higher views of the comments they leave on others’ posts than views of their own posts. So make your comments count! LinkedIn now shows you how many impressions your comments get (e.g. how many times it has been shown to people) so you can start to get a feel for what resonates most.
This LinkedIn shift in many ways is a positive thing, especially if you don’t post every day. Make your time on LinkedIn really intentional by having impactful conversations in the comments that can generate views of your own profile and even connection requests. Not to mention inspiration for new content ideas, when a comment really lands or sparks a whole new conversation.
And remember – in an industry where reputation is so important, the comments section is the non performative space where people will often be looking to see how you exchange with others. To get an idea of what you might be like to work with. It is really a place where lawyers can and should shine with debate.
Lean into the DMs
When it feels like you are at the behest of the LinkedIn algorithm and you have no control over how many people see your posts, your commenting strategy gives you back some control. But if you want to have even more control over your pipeline from LinkedIn, it’s time to lean into the (not so) daunting world of the LinkedIn DMs.
Some simple strategies for you to think about:
- Send DMs to people you meet at events or even in the comment section
- Don’t overthink these messages – act like a human!
- The algorithm shows your posts to people you DM, so get messaging
Metrics That Matter in Legal Marketing
Impressions and likes don’t necessarily help you win new clients. In fact – in my monthly newsletter The Legal Marketing Bop I share my LinkedIn Top of the Pops and Top of the Flops. Each month, the post with the lowest impressions and engagement is a sales-led post. But it’s those very posts that often generate new enquiries and client bookings.
So let’s break down the LinkedIn metrics that remain the same, and act as signals of real interest and intent:
Comments and discussion
When your post generates meaningful comments, it means it resonated. Starting and facilitating conversations is a LinkedIn fundamental and an act of leadership that is all too often underused by most. It makes you memorable. The other clear benefit? The more comments a post generates, the more the algorithm pushes your post out further to a wider audience. So be around to capitalise on that early engagement during the first hour or two of posting where the algo is looking for those positive signs.
Want to bring new people into your world on LinkedIn? Post ‘top-of-the-funnel’ style content that tells stories, asks questions and shares your personality and values. This is the kind of content that resonates with people and sparks conversation. Make that post work even harder by asking your readers a question at the end of your post, to encourage comments. But make that question quick and easy for them to answer – otherwise they’ll just scroll on by
Profile views and connection requests
If someone clicks through to your LinkedIn profile, they’re curious. They’re not necessarily an immediate lead and it certainly doesn’t mean you should sprint over to their DMs with a pitchslap in their face! But they’re certainly people to nurture. If your profile viewer is an existing connection, maybe now is the time to re-connect and send them a message to see how things are going for them. Business development is all about conversations, after all. If your profile viewer isn’t an existing connection but they’re relevant to what you do, take the initiative and connect with them. Once they accept, start with a simple hello. LinkedIn is at its heart a networking platform – it’s time to treat it like one.
DMs, clicks and enquiries
Businesses grow through relationships. So while likes, comments and impressions can give you a dose of dopamine – the real opportunities come from the actions people take. Like those lovely “I’ve been following you for a while and I think I need your help” messages that prospective clients send you. Or the clicks from your post or your profile to your website – where a few days later, they complete an enquiry form.
Your LinkedIn reach is just the tip of the iceberg
Beneath your posts, your comments and your conversations in the DMs should sit some really solid legal marketing foundations:
- Clear business goals: what are you using LinkedIn for and what do you want to achieve?
- Defined audience understanding: how can you write posts that resonate with the interests, needs and desires of your ideal clients?
- A sharp value proposition: why is your legal business the stand-out choice to solve the problem your ideal client is facing?
- Consistent messaging: how can you create a LinkedIn habit that is repeatable and sustainable so you can build your visibility without burning out?
Yes, LinkedIn reach is down. And that fact probably isn’t going anywhere soon. While we might mourn the days of racking up crazy impressions, we can also celebrate the clamping down on posts which drive inauthentic ‘engagement pod’ behaviour.
Let’s not forget that just like every other social media platform, LinkedIn is a business which seeks to be profitable. But right now, visibility for you as a lawyer or a legal professional comes with just as much opportunity as ever.
The fundamentals of LinkedIn haven’t changed: it’s about networking with purpose and intention. Post content and have conversations that share value and demonstrate curiosity.
Combine those long-standing principles with the tactics mentioned in the blog and you’ll likely increase your reach and engagement, but more importantly – focus on the metrics that really matter for your legal marketing.
Mourning those hazy days of ‘easy’ reach on LinkedIn won’t get you your next client. But a fresh dose of strategy, energy and motivation will. Because when used well, LinkedIn becomes a place to build meaningful influence, attract the right opportunities, and grow your legal business or career with confidence.
So let’s get you 2026-ready, make LinkedIn one of your most valuable business and marketing assets. Not just another thing on your to-do list.
The LinkedIn Level Up is a high-impact 1:1 LinkedIn strategy session, designed to meet you exactly where you are and give you the tools, ideas, and momentum to grow from there. Packed with tailored support from me, built for lawyers, legal founders and legal professionals who want LinkedIn to work harder for them, rather than the other way round!