This is a blog post on Love Your LinkedIn Profile by Natalie Berthe. My 30-day plan to recover reach and engagement on LinkedIn. Five concrete rules, the constraints behind each one, and where I'm struggling to follow them.
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The 5 rules I'm following to rebuild my LinkedIn trust score.

The 5 rules I'm following to rebuild my LinkedIn trust score

Rule #1: Post like you mean it

  • Max one post per day, at least 24 hours apart.
  • Rotate formats: stories, carousels, videos, text/commentary, reposts.
  • Only tag people when it’s obviously relevant, when they’re likely to respond, and max 3–5 tags.
  • No tagging companies that are unlikely to respond.
  • Use 3–5 hashtags per post.

My challenge: I tend to post inconsistently, and often more than once a day. I also stick mostly to text posts. By Day 3, I already found this harder than expected.

Rule #2: Post mild, not wild

  • No profanity in the first 100 characters. Not even milder expletives.
  • No sexual language in the first 100 characters. Possibly code certain women-centered topics to avoid AI flags.
  • No profanity or sexual language at all for the first 10 days.
  • Avoid controversial topics that could trigger AI censors (politics, certain examples, etc.).

My challenge: I’m known for respectful rage-posting, and it works for me. But for now I’m keeping my first 100 characters squeaky clean.

Rule #3: Spread the love

  • Comment on 10+ relevant posts per day. First comments happen before I post my own.
  • Comments must be thoughtful (2–3 sentences).
  • Reply to every comment on my own posts within 12 hours.

My challenge: I’m good at responding to comments on my own posts, but commenting before I post is new for me. It seems to help prime the algorithm.

Rule #4: Curate your circle

  • Send 20–40 targeted connection requests per week. (Or 10–20 if my acceptance rate drops below 70%.)
  • Always include a personal note.
  • Review incoming connection requests within 48 hours.
  • Withdraw unanswered requests after 30 days.
  • Prioritize quality over quantity.

My challenge: I often connect with 100–150 people per week at events. Far over my new cap. Reviewing requests promptly is also a work in progress.

Rule #5: DM with intention

  • Respond to new DMs within 24 hours.
  • Share relevant resources and connections.
  • Share others’ content 3–4x per week.
  • Make introductions where relevant. Say something nice about both people when you do.
  • Keep DMs valuable for them and for me.

My challenge: I already do a lot of this. But I need to be faster in my DM replies and more intentional about sharing content privately.


Next: I’ll show you exactly how I’m tracking my progress, with both hard numbers and anecdotal patterns.

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About the author

Natalie Berthe

Business strategist and author of Love Your LinkedIn Profile. 30+ years across startups, franchises, nonprofits, and consulting, now pointed at LinkedIn. She wrote the book because she couldn't find anything worth reading on the subject.

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