Link in post vs. link in first comment: the workaround and its cost

Link in post vs. link in first comment: the workaround and its cost

The question: does moving the outbound link from the post body to the first comment actually recover B2B reach?

This is the most-cited LinkedIn hack, and the evidence is more mixed than the confidence around it. The premise — that the algorithm suppresses posts with external links to keep users on-platform — has real support. The first-comment workaround sidesteps that, but adds friction: readers must find the comment, and the link gets fewer clicks per impression.

Three findings:
— In-comment links typically recover reach versus in-post links, but the click-through is lower because the path is hidden.
— LinkedIn has periodically adjusted how it weights links, so the gap narrows and widens unpredictably — the hack isn't stable.
— For high-intent posts where the click is the whole point, the reach you save may not be worth the clicks you lose.

Caveat: account-level results vary widely and most tests are small — directional, and worth re-running yourself quarterly.

For B2B: comment-link for awareness content where reach is the goal; in-post link when the click is the conversion and audience already small.

Bottom line: the workaround trades reach for clicks — pick which one the post is actually for.