<b>The outbound-link penalty: real effect or folklore?</b>

<b>The outbound-link penalty: real effect or folklore?</b>

The question: does putting a link in the body of a LinkedIn post actually suppress its reach?

The dataset: multiple creator-led A/B-style tests (~5,000–20,000 posts combined) compared posts with an in-body link against matched posts with the link moved to the first comment or removed entirely.

Three findings:
— Posts with the link in the body consistently showed lower reach-per-impression — commonly cited around a 25–40% reduction versus link-in-comment.
— The gap shrank when the post itself had strong dwell, suggesting the platform weighs the link as one signal among many, not a hard penalty.
— 'Link in comment' regained much of the reach but cost clicks, since fewer readers hunt for it.

Caveats: these are observational, not controlled — confounds abound (link posts may simply be lazier posts). The platform has never confirmed a mechanic. Treat as directional folklore with a real pattern underneath.

What it means for B2B: the link tax is probably real but modest, and it trades reach for clicks. For awareness, keep links out of the body; for direct response, accept the reach cost.

Bottom line: linking isn't forbidden — it's just taxed, and you decide if the toll is worth it.