In this article, I’m sharing practical tips and lessons learned from my huge passion for LinkedIn and avidly monitoring its evolution from 2007 till now (2025); insights tailored to help civil society organizations (CSOs) strengthen visibility, spark conversations, and deepen connections with their communities.

Comments vs. shares: where engagement really happens

One of the most common questions I get is whether it’s better to comment on someone else’s post or to share it with a comment. The short answer: comments win.

When your organization leaves a thoughtful comment - adding reflection, context, or a question - LinkedIn’s algorithm sees this as high-value engagement. These comments can then appear in the feeds of people who don’t even follow your page, giving your organization a broader reach.

(Re)Sharing can still work, but only if you add a meaningful context: a few sentences of commentary, tagging relevant connections, partners or stakeholders. A simple “recommended!” or “great initiative!” won’t move the needle.

What About Links?

For years, LinkedIn, very much like Facebook, has been known for “penalizing” posts that contain external links - the logic being that the platform doesn’t want users clicking away to external sources. It’s still true that posts without links seem to perform a little bit better.

So, what can we do if we want to direct our audience’s attention to our website’s content?

A solid practice is to add the link in the first comment and mention it in your post text or graphic. Another option is to create a teaser post: key insight, quote, or story, and then follow up a few days later with a clear call-to-action (CTA) and the link.

That said, our own research within TechSoup’s Digital Activism Program communications team has shown that this isn’t always so black-and-white. If a link goes to your organization’s official website (already connected to your LinkedIn profile) and the post includes a clear, compelling CTA, the audience often clicks anyway.

Tracking links with UTMs in Google Analytics helps reveal what actually works for your community.

Is LinkedIn Becoming Facebook?

This concern comes up often. Here’s what’s happening:

Feed (the posts you see) is now based on engagement, not recency. Like Facebook, LinkedIn now shows you posts not because they’re the newest, but because people in your network engaged with them.

More personal content wins. Short videos, behind-the-scenes moments, and storytelling are now more common than dry professional updates of the past.

Entertainment-style formats. Think of TikTok-inspired videos, reels, and more casual posts.

While this feels like a downgrade for some, civil society organizations can see it as an opportunity. People connect with people, not companies or organizations. Showing your team, partners, volunteers, and the “behind-the-scenes” of your mission helps build a stronger, more engaged community.

Content That Works Now

Authentic visuals: authentic photos of your team, volunteers, or community members.

Short videos: reels recorded with a smartphone, uploaded directly to LinkedIn.

Instagram-inspired carousels: turning presentations, infographics, key takeaways, or FAQs into swipeable, graphic content.

Regular posting: around three times a week, with varied formats.

! Important community-building insight: monitor who’s engaging with your posts. Follow these people and their organizations, invite them and their connections to connect with you (you don’t need a lengthy personalized message while doing so!), and then encourage them to follow your organization’s page. Using LinkedIn’s pool of 250 invites per month for page growth can pay off, especially when done before major campaigns.

Hashtags, Keywords, and the “See More” Test

Hashtags (#) still matter, but less than before. Two or three carefully chosen hashtags are enough for one post. Remember to add them only after checking in the LinkedIn search bar that they’re followed by your type of audience.

What matters more now are keywords in the post itself, especially in the first three lines. This opening preview determines whether users click: “See more,” which is directly linked to engagement.

! A thing to remember: LinkedIn values “dwell time”: the longer someone spends reading or swiping through your post carousel graphic, the better the post performs. Write compelling first sentences and break up the text into digestible chunks, using occasional emoji for attention grabbing (two or three will suffice).

AI vs. Human Voices

Finally, a word on AI. LinkedIn has confirmed that posts which are entirely AI-generated consistently underperform. The platform rewards native content, authenticity, accuracy, and human tone and emotions.

That doesn’t mean, however, that you shouldn’t use AI tools to craft your message.

First, if you run an organization’s profile on LinkedIn, check what your official policy is on using AI tools for external communications.

AI agents, when used responsibly and mindfully, can be great for brainstorming ideas, getting you started when stuck doing research, planning campaigns, writing alt text for graphics, or drafting outlines. But the final post should always be edited into your organization’s authentic voice, aligned with your values, and a clear human perspective and emotional resonance.

The Takeaway for CSOs

For CSOs, nonprofits, activists, and mission-driven organizations, LinkedIn’s recent evolution is a chance, not a threat. The algorithm now rewards what we do best: authentic, human-centered storytelling that connects values with action. By leaning into your organization’s unique voice and experiences, and showcasing the people or organizations you collaborate with, you can amplify your mission, reach new supporters, and build resilience in the digital space.

👉 Do you want to learn more about crafting narratives that speak to your audiences? Register for our self-paced course on building positive narratives:

About the author

Dominika Uzar leads communications for TechSoup’s Digital Activism Program, supporting the global civil society community across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Dominika specializes in strategic planning and campaign design, community engagement, crisis communications, copywriting, and digital content creation. From Program promotion strategies to educational resources and outreach on the Hive Mind platform, she helps organizations to communicate their message with clarity and purpose. Certified in digital marketing, project management, psychology, NLP, and language studies, she is driven by the power of communication to connect, inform, and inspire.

LinkedIn in 2025: everything civil society organizations need to know about the recent algorithm changes