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.

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.

Photo of Natalie Berthe

About the author

Natalie Berthe

LinkedIn strategist, personal branding expert, and author of Love Your LinkedIn Profile. 30+ years of business strategy experience across startups, franchises, nonprofits, and consulting. She wrote the book because she couldn't find anything worth reading on the subject.

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