Author: Sophia Lyas, Marketing Executive at the Accountants’ Growth Club
If you’re an accounting firm owner who has noticed your LinkedIn reach losing momentum very quickly, it’s not just your imagination. Many owners of small accounting firms are seeing the same pattern. Posts that used to get traction now get less than half the engagement they once did, and even well-written LinkedIn content struggles to be seen.
The reason is simple, although not well-known. LinkedIn has rebuilt the LinkedIn algorithm, and the new update, known as 360Brew, now assesses your LinkedIn profile and activity in a completely different way. Once you get your head around what the new system is looking for, it becomes a lot easier to stay visible to the people who matter.
This was one of the biggest frustrations shared during our November Members’ Morning. One member’s experience hit the nail on the head:
“It feels like LinkedIn has turned the lights off. I’m doing the same things, but hardly anyone sees it.”
For many small accounting firm owners, LinkedIn has played a big part in how they stay ‘known’ and ‘relevant’ with clients and build credibility. So when your reach to potential clients drops all of a sudden it’s worrying. Nothing has changed or gone wrong on your end. You haven’t suddenly stopped writing great posts or leaving helpful comments. LinkedIn’s 360Brew algorithm has changed the rules and LinkedIn didn’t tell anyone.
Why LinkedIn introduced the new algorithm
Many small accounting firm owners have told us they were losing patience with LinkedIn. The feed had turned into a load of random personal stories, viral-style posts and engagement bait that felt out of place. As a member of ours said:
“I was seeing more emotional stories from strangers than anything useful.”
And while you were trying to share practical, helpful content, LinkedIn was busy rewarding posts that had nothing to do with running a business or supporting clients. It’s no wonder so many accountants felt invisible.
At the same time, many firm owners were questioning whether their wider sales and marketing activity was actually supporting the visibility they wanted. If you’re unsure where the gaps are, the free lead generation assessment gives you a clear picture of what’s working and what isn’t.
Take our FREE lead generation assessment here.
Now, it looks as though LinkedIn finally recognised the off balance we have all been experiencing. The new 360 Brew algorithm is their attempt to fix things and bring the platform back to what it should be: a place where genuine expertise gets seen and noticed by the right people.
This change is actually good news for small firms. You already create the kind of content LinkedIn now wants to promote. It just needs to be presented in a way the new system can understand.
What the new LinkedIn algorithm pays attention to
The new algorithm looks closely at your entire presence on LinkedIn. Instead of going off how quickly your posts are reacted to, it now focuses on these 4 things:
- Your authority in your area of expertise
- How clearly your niche is presented in your profile
- Whether your content matches what your profile says you do
- How much of your content people actually finish
This is why some genuinely useful posts still struggle.
“I hadn’t touched my profile in years. Looking at it now, it doesn’t reflect any of the work I actually talk about.”
A lot of us are in the same boat. If your profile isn’t clear enough, LinkedIn doesn’t know who should see your content.
And remember, your profile now needs to make sense not just to humans, but to AI as well. The algorithm reads your headline, your About section and even your keyword choices similarly to how a search engine would. If it can’t quickly work out who you help and what you specialise in, your reach will drop off.
The importance of your opening sentences on LinkedIn
One of the biggest changes in the new algorithm is how much meaning is in the first two sentences of your post. These opening lines help LinkedIn determine:
- What the post is about
- Who it is relevant to
- How it links to your expertise
This means a vague opening will hold your content back. Clear and direct is now far more effective than trying to be mysterious or overly clever.
Why your LinkedIn posts might feel like they’ve lost momentum
Under the old algorithm, LinkedIn rewarded dwell time. If someone paused on your post for a few seconds, that was counted as a strong signal. Longer videos and multi-slide carousels often did well for this reason.
The new algorithm works differently. It now focuses on completion. This means it pays attention to whether people finish what you post.
This explains why shorter, more focused videos often outperform longer ones, even when the longer videos offer valuable detail.
One member shared: “My long videos used to perform well. Now people drop off halfway through. But if I post a 20 second clip, nearly everyone watches it to the end.”
That is exactly what the new algorithm rewards.
What LinkedIn content is performing well (and how can accounting firm owners use this to their advantage)
After a bit of deep research and testing by Heather, these are the formats that align most strongly with the new algorithm.
Polls
Polls perform extremely well because one click counts as full completion. (Remember the new algorithm likes people completing a post) They are simple to interact with, and the results are often surfaced into second-degree networks.
Think about doing one poll a week with these features:
- Three options
- 7-day duration
- A question directly related to the challenges your clients face
Short carousels
Carousels with 5-10 slides tend to do best. They are quick to finish and easy to digest. Longer decks often suffer from people losing interest or attention before completion.
Keep each slide focused on a single point.
Short videos
Short videos between 15 and 30 seconds gain much stronger completion rates than longer clips. A clear message wins here, so make sure to include it in the first few seconds.
Long form text
Longer posts (1,250 to 3,000 characters) are being rewarded again. The algorithm can detect depth and structure, and the advantage you have as accountants, is being naturally good at explaining ideas clearly.
Useful topics include:
- Topics directly related to your client persona’s pain points, e.g. managing cashflow, or the reality of managing a growing firm
- Tax updates and what they mean in practice
- Common client mistakes with the financial or accounting affairs
- The hidden cost of missed deadlines
Hashtags
Hashtags no longer increase reach. They help the algorithm classify your content.
Use 3 to 5 highly relevant tags, placed at the end. We recommend two obvious hashtags, and two niche ones.
Need some inspiration for ideas for content on LinkedIn? Grab our 50+ ideas for what to write or record to generate real traction on LinkedIn.
How accounting firm owners can get better results out of your LinkedIn profile and content
This is the part many accounting firm owners overlook. A clear and up-to-date LinkedIn profile is essential. Without it, your content sits in between because the algorithm doesn’t know who to show it to.
Most firm owners we speak to are not short of effort. The real problem is knowing which parts of their sales and marketing plan are actually working and which bits are holding them back. If you’re not sure where your gaps are, our FREE lead generation assessment might help. It gives you a quick picture of how well your current activity supports the kind of visibility you want on LinkedIn and beyond.
‘Golden hour’ doesn’t matter anymore. Early likes do the bare minimum under the new algorithm. Instead, LinkedIn looks at the quality of conversations happening under your post.
Meaningful comments help. Back-and-forth discussion helps even more. Always aim for longer comments on your posts, or respond to people who have commented with a question to encourage another one.
Need some inspiration for ideas for content on LinkedIn? Grab our 50+ ideas for what to write or record to generate real traction on LinkedIn.
Here’s how to bring your profile in line with the 360Brew algorithm.
Step 1: Update your headline
Your headline must be keyword-rich, specific and practical. Avoid vague descriptions.
Examples:
- Accountant for UK e-commerce businesses
- Tax adviser for small business owners and sole traders
- Outsourced FD for growing small firms
- Bookkeeping support for trades and local service businesses
Step 2: Rebuild your About section
The About section now acts as a guide for both humans and AI. A clear structure helps:
- Who you help and what outcome do you achieve for them, for example The Accountants’ Growth Club helps accounting firm owners profitably and sustainably grow their firm whilst working fewer hours with less stress
- What you specialise in, e.g. we typically work with firms looking to grow and scale with 1-3 decision makers and between £50k and £2m in turnover
- How you work, e.g. your approach, methodology
- Key topics or keywords
- Short evidence of your expertise, e.g. testimonials or key achievements
- A simple call to action, e.g. what do you want people to do as a result of reading your profile. Are you looking for new employees or clients?
This gives LinkedIn enough context to get your content out to the right people properly.
Step 3: Refresh your experience section
Make sure your roles reflect your current niche. When it comes to the new 360Brew algorithm, consistent language matters.
Step 4: Review your skills list
Remove anything irrelevant and add the skills most closely linked to your services.
We have another article, detailing what not to do when actively trying to attract more clients for your small accountancy practice. You can read it here: ‘Cautionary Tale: How NOT to use LinkedIn to drum up advisory business (and actually what does work)’.
Maintain a simple weekly posting rhythm on LinkedIn
Most accounting firm owners don’t want to spend hours every week thinking about LinkedIn. I’ll rephrase that, most accounting firm owners don’t have the time to. So the idea of posting daily, or following complicated content schedules, understandably feels unrealistic.
What does work is a rhythm you can maintain even during busy periods. Something light, steady and achievable. A routine that keeps you visible without stealing energy from the rest of your business.
Many of our members at the Accountants’ Growth Club have found this mix of content every week to be both manageable and effective:
One poll
Quick to create, easy for people to engage with, and great for reach. A good trick is to ask your AI tool for ideas on what poll people in your target audience will relate to and want to contribute too. For example, Heather’s poll on the Monday of the last week before the schools broke up for Christmas in the UK did really well:- One short carousel
Perfect for sharing a simple workflow tip, a tax change, or a client example. - One long form post
A space to show your expertise and build trust with your clients and future clients. - Optional short video
Only if you enjoy it. This is a nice extra, not a requirement.
This rhythm keeps your name and expertise appearing in the feed regularly, without overwhelming your week. It also gives LinkedIn enough variety and consistency to understand your niche, which is exactly what the new 360Brew algorithm responds to. We’re not saying you have to become a LinkedIn creator overnight, the goal is to stay visible and useful to the people who matter, in a way that works alongside the reality of running a firm.
Need some inspiration for ideas for content on LinkedIn? Grab our 50+ ideas for what to write or record to generate real traction on LinkedIn.
Steps small accounting firms can take to stay visible on LinkedIn
If your LinkedIn reach has dropped off, a few focused actions can help you get back on track. These are the areas making the biggest difference for small firms right now:
- Refresh your headline and About section. A clear niche helps LinkedIn understand who your content is for.
- Reconnect with your clients on LinkedIn. They’re the people most likely to read and engage with your posts.
- Aim for a simple weekly rhythm. One poll, one carousel and one longer post works well for most firms.
- Start your posts with a hook to make people stop scrolling but also tell the algorithm what the post is about. This helps both humans and the algorithm understand what you’re talking about.
- Leave thoughtful longer comments. Quality interaction still helps your content travel further.
- Notice what gains momentum. Completion rate matters, so track which formats people actually finish. For example, does your audience like video or carousel or longer form posts?
- Stay consistent with your topics. LinkedIn rewards people who stick to their area of expertise.
These steps help the algorithm form a clearer picture of who you are, which makes it far easier for LinkedIn to surface your content to the right people.
Putting the new algorithm into practice
LinkedIn’s new 360Brew algorithm is designed to reward clarity, relevance and genuine expertise. For accountants, LinkedIn’s new 360Brew algorithm is a welcome change. After all, you already work in a world where well-structured explanations, practical insight and consistency matter.
Once your profile reflects your niche and your content becomes easier to finish, LinkedIn should become an easier place to get good visibility and reach with your ideal client. And the platform becomes what it should be: a place where your expertise helps attract and stay visible with the people you want to reach.
If you want help deciding where to focus first, our FREE growth assessment can be a useful starting point. It gives you a personalised report showing where your priority needs to be with your firm’s growth, so you can focus your time and energy where it will make the biggest difference.