We hear phrases like ‘shadow banned’ and start to wonder if something nefarious is being done to us by the algorithm. We notice our impressions drop and conclude that LinkedIn is stopping us from succeeding. Some of us have even said out loud “the algorithm hates me.”
It’s an attractive explanation because it lets us off the hook. It’s not that we didn’t learn effective, ethical client acquisition skills – it’s that what we were doing was fine, and the reason it’s not working is the algorithm.
Except it isn’t the algorithm.
What We Post
Many of us are posting about the kinds of things coaching can help with – confidence, resilience, reaching your potential. Or we’re posting about the coaching process – the power of great questions, the importance of holding space. Or we’re humble bragging about our latest client successes, or sharing our most recent qualification.
We believe this is marketing, but it isn’t, it’s posting.
Marketing is focused on a specific target audience with a message crafted specifically for them about the problems they’re facing that working with us can help resolve. What we’re doing is generic content that could have been written by any coach to any potential client, and then we wonder why it’s not bringing enquiries.
The algorithm isn’t hiding our content from the right people. We’re creating content that isn’t for any specific people in the first place.
360Brew – The New Algorithm
There’s been a sea-change in the LinkedIn algorithm recently, to a new algorithm called 360Brew. When I read about what it prioritises, everything it said matched exactly what we teach at The Coaching Revolution – focus on a specific audience with a specially created message, stay in your lane, be consistent.
360Brew prioritises content that demonstrates depth and consistency in a particular area. It rewards creators who have a clear focus and speak consistently to that focus. It deprioritises generic content that tries to appeal to everyone and ends up being relevant to no one.
In other words, the new algorithm actually favours coaches who are doing proper marketing over coaches who are just posting randomly about coaching.
What I’ve Noticed Over Eight Years
Over the 8+ years I’ve been posting on LinkedIn, one thing has remained constant. Whenever something changes algorithm-wise (which usually results in a temporary drop in impressions) providing we’re very consistent in showing up, consistent in our message, and consistent in who we’re speaking to, it always rights itself.
The coaches who panic when the algorithm changes are the ones who were relying on reach rather than relevance. They were getting impressions from other coaches engaging with generic coaching content, and when the algorithm shifted, those vanity metrics disappeared.
Those of us who stay steady, who keep showing up with focused, specific content for our target audience, see our impressions stabilise and often improve. This is because we’re doing what the algorithm is now actively looking for – depth, focus, consistency, and relevance to a specific audience.
Don’t Blame The Algorithm
Blaming the algorithm is psychologically convenient. It means the problem is external, out of our control, something being done to us rather than something we’re doing wrong. It means we don’t have to confront the uncomfortable truth that we haven’t learned how to market properly in the first place.
If the algorithm is the problem, we can stay comfortable. We can keep posting the same generic content about coaching and tell ourselves it would work if only LinkedIn wasn’t working against us. We can avoid doing the deep work of choosing a focus, understanding our ideal client deeply, and creating content that speaks specifically to them.
The algorithm isn’t the problem. Our lack of focus is the problem, our generic posting is the problem. Our belief that visibility without relevance will somehow lead to clients is the problem.
Marketing Is A Process You Can Trust
Just like coaching, marketing is a process. Just like the coaching process, the marketing process can be trusted when you follow it properly. The thing is, you have to actually follow the process, not just post randomly and hope something sticks.
The process involves choosing a specific target audience, understanding their challenges deeply, creating a marketing message that speaks directly to those challenges, and showing up consistently with content that demonstrates your knowledge and understanding and your empathy. When you do that work, when you stay consistent even when impressions fluctuate, the algorithm eventually works in your favour because you’re creating exactly the kind of focused, valuable content it’s designed to promote.
The coaches who succeed on LinkedIn aren’t the ones who’ve cracked some secret algorithm hack. They’re the ones who’ve done the foundational work of understanding who they’re talking to and what those people need to hear. They’re the ones who show up consistently with focused content even when it feels like nobody’s watching. They’re the ones who trust the process rather than panicking every time something changes.
What Beats The Algorithm
There’s nothing in the world that can beat knowing comfortable, effective, and ethical client acquisition skills – certainly not an algorithm. When we know how to market properly, when we understand our target audience deeply, when we can create content that speaks directly to their challenges, algorithm changes become irrelevant.
Our content works because it’s relevant to the right people, not because we’ve gamed some system. Our enquiries come because potential clients see themselves in what we write, not because we’ve hit some arbitrary engagement threshold. Our businesses grow because we’ve built it on solid marketing foundations, not on the shifting sands of algorithm trends.
The algorithm isn’t the problem, unfocused posting is the problem. The lack of a clear target audience is the problem. The belief that generic content about coaching will somehow attract specific clients is the problem.
Fix those problems, and the algorithm becomes irrelevant. Keep blaming the algorithm, and we’ll stay exactly where we are – posting consistently, getting occasional engagement from other coaches, and wondering why the clients never come.
The choice is yours. You can keep telling yourself the algorithm hates you, or you can do the work to learn how to market properly. One keeps you comfortable and stuck. The other requires effort but actually builds a business.
An Opportunity
If you’d like the change for a robust conversation about the algorithm – or to just flat-out tell me why I’m wrong – why not join my next free challenge, Nail Your Niche? We run it several times a year and there’s even an option to upgrade to a VIP version, which gives you 3 x 60-minute group mentoring sessions with me for just £99 (inc VAT) – that provides us with time for a lot of robust conversations!
Are you ready to learn why having a focus for your coaching business will make all the difference to how the algorithm treats you? Register for the next challenge by clicking here.
Recent Comments