Is Your Videos Company Ready for LinkedIn’s New Update?

LinkedIn has announced several important changes to its content algorithm that directly affect how videos are surfaced and engaged with on the platform. With video viewership on LinkedIn increasing by approximately 36% year over year, this is relevant news for any business using video as part of its marketing, internal communications, or thought leadership efforts. For companies working with a professional videos company, understanding these changes is essential in order to adapt strategy, improve results, and avoid common pitfalls that could now limit video reach. Let us take a closer look at what has changed, and what this means for how businesses approach video on LinkedIn in 2025.

Key Changes in the LinkedIn Algorithm

LinkedIn’s latest algorithm update is designed to promote authentic, high-quality, expertise-driven content, while penalising lower-value formats and behaviours. The core updates include:

Prioritisation of Content From Recognised Experts

Content published by subject-matter experts, especially those posting consistently within a defined area, now sees greater reach and visibility across the platform. The algorithm gives weight to profiles and pages seen as credible sources of insight, rewarding posts that contribute meaningfully to discussions.

When planning video content, this means businesses should focus on showcasing their expertise, whether through leadership interviews, explainer videos, or insights from team members, rather than generic promotional material. A videos company can assist in producing videos that highlight authentic expertise and support a consistent content strategy, helping to align with how LinkedIn now promotes content.

Clickbait Tactics Are Now Penalised

Posts that use superficial tactics to drive interaction, such as “Comment YES if you agree,” are now being deprioritised. Low-value engagement is no longer enough to help content spread. The focus is on thoughtful, organic interaction. Video descriptions and calls-to-action should encourage real conversation rather than gimmicks.

Increased Emphasis on Early Engagement and Dwell Time

Engagement in the first hour after posting has become an even stronger factor in determining reach. In addition, how long users spend watching a video, known as dwell time, now strongly influences how widely the video is distributed. This highlights the need for careful planning of post timing and the importance of creating video content that holds viewer attention from the start.

Native Vertical Video Now Outperforms External Links

Native videos uploaded directly to LinkedIn, particularly vertical (portrait) videos, currently outperform external video links by a wide margin. Reports suggest vertical video drives between 22% and 80% more engagement compared to horizontal video or linked video hosted off-platform.

Given that over 70% of LinkedIn activity now happens on mobile, vertical video that is optimised for mobile viewing is becoming the clear choice. A videos company can advise on the best formats for different platforms and produce vertical video versions specifically optimised for LinkedIn’s mobile-first audience, ensuring that businesses maximise engagement and reach.

Quality Over Quantity in Comments

Longer, substantive comments (typically over 10 words) now carry more algorithmic weight than frequent short remarks. Posts that encourage thoughtful responses perform better. Videos that stimulate genuine conversation will benefit, whereas videos that generate quick, surface-level comments will see less reach.

Penalties for Low-Quality or AI-Generated Content

Posts that are overly automated, generic, or AI-generated with little human input are being restricted in visibility. Businesses should ensure that video content remains relevant, specific, and genuinely authored. Working with a videos company helps avoid content that appears formulaic or overly templated, by producing original video material featuring real people, voices, and expertise that align with LinkedIn’s preference for authentic, human-driven content.

Removal of Hashtag Discovery

LinkedIn has retired the “Talks About” hashtag feature. Instead, content recommendations are now driven by AI based on user interaction patterns and relevance. This makes content quality and relevance more important than ever, hashtags alone will no longer help a video reach the right audience.

Implications for Videos Produced for Business Use

Video remains one of the best-performing content types on LinkedIn. According to LinkedIn’s internal data, video posts generate five times more engagement than static content. Live video can drive up to 24 times more interaction.

The increase in mobile-first consumption also affects production choices. Vertical video designed specifically for mobile users performs significantly better. Short-form videos, ideally one to two minutes, deliver the best engagement rates.

When working with a videos company, businesses can benefit from guidance on structuring video content that aligns with these trends, such as planning for vertical framing, scripting concise and engaging messages that suit shorter formats, and selecting optimal posting times based on audience behaviour. This ensures that the investment in video production supports both current algorithm preferences and actual audience viewing habits.

The Reality of Reach and Engagement Shifts

There has been some concern among businesses about recent declines in video reach. Multiple LinkedIn users and industry observers have reported noticeable drops in impressions, up to 50%, particularly when posting generic or repetitive content. In some cases, engagement has fallen by 75%.

However, this drop does not appear universal. Where businesses post original, expert-driven video, aligned with the current best practices, video still performs well.

LinkedIn’s continued investment in improved video metrics and new features, such as expanded watch statistics and a dedicated vertical video feed, demonstrates that video remains central to the platform’s future.

Looking Ahead

LinkedIn’s latest algorithm adjustments disrupt familiar content dynamics by valuing authenticity and expertise over volume and automation. This recalibration forces a reconsideration of how video functions not just as marketing collateral but as a medium for credible communication. The decline in reach for generic or AI-driven content signals a tightening of the platform’s quality standards that businesses cannot ignore.

In this context, videos company partnerships take on a strategic dimension beyond production. They become essential collaborators in interpreting and translating complex algorithmic demands into tangible video assets, ones that capture real voices, deliver genuine insight, and align with emerging consumption habits. The implication is clear: video is no longer a simple content add-on, but a sophisticated tool requiring deliberate creation and distribution strategies tailored to platform nuances.

The challenge ahead is less about making more videos and more about making the right videos, those that meet LinkedIn’s evolving criteria and meet the audience’s increasing expectations for substance and relevance. This evolution reshapes how businesses must think about video investment, pushing for precision, authenticity, and thoughtful integration with platform-specific behaviours.With LinkedIn placing a premium on genuine expertise and thoughtful content, video requires intentional planning and execution. Sound Idea Digital helps translate those demands into video that fits the platform and the audience. If refining your video approach sounds timely, let’s connect.

We are a full-service Web Development and Content Production Agency in Gauteng specialising in Video Production, Animation, eLearning Content Development, Learning Management Systems, and Content Production.
Contact us for a quote. | enquiries@soundidea.co.za | https://www.soundideavideoproduction.co.za| +27 82 491 5824 |