<b>Dwell time is quietly outranking likes on LinkedIn</b>

<b>Dwell time is quietly outranking likes on LinkedIn</b>

The question: when LinkedIn decides who sees your post, does a 'like' matter more than how long someone stops to read it?

A reverse-engineering analysis (a study that infers algorithm behavior from observed reach, not internal docs) tracked roughly 3,000 company-page posts and modeled reach against engagement signals. The method: regress final impressions on each signal while holding follower count constant. A correlation (two things moving together) is not causation (one causing the other) — but the pattern was consistent.

Three findings:
— Dwell time (seconds a post stays in view before scroll) predicted reach more strongly than likes.
— A like in the first 60 minutes was worth several times a like at hour six — the 'golden hour' is real but narrow.
— Comments over five words outperformed one-word comments, suggesting the model weights effort, not volume.

Caveats: inferred, not confirmed; single quarter; B2B pages only — treat as directional.

What it means for B2B: write a strong first three lines so the reader pauses before the 'see more' fold. That pause is the signal you can actually influence.

Bottom line: optimize for the stop, not the tap.