Linkedin

---
name: linkedin
description: "Use when working on anything LinkedIn — posts, content strategy, profile or company page, algorithm and limits, ads, recruiting, analytics, or the DACH legal requirements."
---

# LinkedIn

Working knowledge of LinkedIn as a platform: the formats and their limits, how distribution
actually works, how to write something worth distributing, and what a commercial account must
do legally in DACH.

**Three things this skill exists to correct**, because a model without it gets them wrong:

1. **Advertising is the reach problem, not format.** On a personal account the dominant
   variable is whether a post reads as a story or as an ad — not whether it is a carousel.
   The same author can see ~150 impressions on a product post and ~20,000 on a
   build-in-public post. Reach is **not** capped by follower count.
2. **The popular link advice is contested.** Sources in 2026 disagree by a factor that spans
   "−60 % reach" to "+236 %". Do not assert either — default to links in the first comment and
   A/B it on the account. See `references/algorithm-and-distribution.md`.
3. **DACH duties have no US equivalent** — legal notice, ad labelling, GDPR joint
   controllership, employment law. See Jurisdiction below.

## Jurisdiction

Ask first: is the person, their company, or their audience in Germany, Austria or Switzerland?
If yes, read the relevant files below **before** writing posts, advising on profiles or company
pages, or planning outreach. Tone and legal duties both differ from the US default, and both
are visible in the output.

| Topic | File |
|---|---|
| Legal notice (Impressum), GDPR, ad labelling, employment law | `references/germany-legal.md` |
| Du/Sie, titles, gendering, register and tone | `references/germany-culture-and-language.md` |
| Member numbers, posting times, holidays, seasonality | `references/germany-market-and-timing.md` |
| XING, Kununu, media, events, institutions | `references/germany-ecosystem.md` |

Write in German for a DACH audience unless the target is explicitly international. None of
this is legal advice — the files state the law and the authorities' guidance.

## Reference index

| Topic | File |
|---|---|
| What to post at all: pillars, cadence, series, trend radar, facts base | `references/content-strategy.md` |
| Writing the individual post: hooks, structure, length, CTA, editing | `references/writing-posts.md` |
| Formats, character limits, media specs, mechanics | `references/post-formats-and-limits.md` |
| How distribution works, signals, what kills reach | `references/algorithm-and-distribution.md` |
| Profile fields, headline, About, Featured, settings | `references/profile-optimization.md` |
| Commenting, connections, DMs, groups, the weekly rhythm | `references/engagement-and-networking.md` |
| Images, diagrams, video, AI imagery, accessibility | `references/visuals-and-media.md` |
| Company pages and employee advocacy | `references/company-pages-and-advocacy.md` |
| Ads, targeting, Lead Gen Forms, budget reality | `references/ads-and-lead-gen.md` |
| Sales Navigator, outreach sequences, automation risk | `references/sales-navigator-and-outreach.md` |
| Job search and recruiting, both sides | `references/job-search-and-recruiting.md` |
| Metrics, demographics, the account override, review loop | `references/analytics.md` |
| Post archive: layout, schemas, scraping, cluster analysis | `references/archive-and-analysis.md` |
| Account risks, suppression, liability, platform data practices | `references/policies-and-risks.md` |
| Terms | `references/glossary.md` |
| Every dated fact with its source | `references/sources.md` |

Templates: `templates/post-draft.md` · `templates/post-analysis.md` · `templates/index-row.md`

## Core rules

- **Never invent specifics.** No fabricated numbers, anecdotes, quotes, dates, customers or
  claims about what someone does. Missing fact → a visible placeholder (`{{NUMBER}}`,
  `[INSERT REAL EXAMPLE]`) and a question. This is the one rule with no exceptions.
- **Deliver paste-ready post bodies** — no leading `>`, no blockquote, no commentary inside
  the text. Use a code fence or plain text.
- **Calibrate against the account, not benchmarks.** Published format rankings describe
  accounts that already have reach; on a small account they routinely invert. The method is in
  `references/content-strategy.md` §4.
- **Date every volatile fact.** Limits, algorithm behaviour and member numbers move; state the
  verification date or say you are unsure. `references/sources.md` holds the dates and flags
  what is contested.
- **One deliverable per request.** A finished post, not a teaser plus a full version.
- **Links and product mentions belong in the first comment**, the body stays domain-free
  (LinkedIn auto-links bare domains).

## Common workflows

**Writing a post**
`references/content-strategy.md` (which pillar, which angle) →
`references/writing-posts.md` (hook, structure, CTA) →
`references/post-formats-and-limits.md` (format and limits) →
the pre-publish checklist in `references/algorithm-and-distribution.md` →
`templates/post-draft.md` as the deliverable shape. DACH audience → Jurisdiction files first.

**Auditing a profile**
`references/profile-optimization.md` in its priority order; then
`references/germany-legal.md` if the profile is used commercially in DACH.

**Diagnosing "my reach dropped"**
`references/analytics.md` (is it reach or retention or audience quality?) →
`references/algorithm-and-distribution.md` (what kills distribution) →
`references/policies-and-risks.md` (is anything triggering suppression?). Compare medians over
≥10 posts, never single-post deltas.

**Planning outreach or a campaign**
`references/sales-navigator-and-outreach.md` and `references/ads-and-lead-gen.md`; read the
automation and GDPR warnings before recommending any tool.