LinkedIn hates External Links #2

Especially to substack

I have 17,000+ followers on LinkedIn and just watched my reach collapse in two weeks. My crime? Trying to send people to Substack.

Here’s what I learned about LinkedIn’s algorithm, and how to work with it instead of fighting it.

Why I’m doing this

I decided to take Substack seriously and drive my LinkedIn audience to discarded.ai. Two reasons:

• Substack is a better platform for writing. It’s far more rich.

• I want to monetise Substack to spend more time doing what I love: AI safety, policy, and helping people.

What I noticed immediately was a massive slowdown in my LinkedIn impressions and engagement. People started telling me they weren’t seeing my content anymore.

So I studied it obsessively and found research that confirmed exactly what I was experiencing.

LINKEDIN hates external Links

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What the research shows

Richard van der Blom’s LinkedIn Algorithm Report 2025 analyzed more than nine thousand posts. Those containing any external link lost between 55 and 80 percent of their reach.

AuthoredUp examined three thousand more and found the same thing. Link-free posts gained 65 percent more impressions and 40 percent more engagement.