Glossary

LinkedIn glossary

Plain-English definitions for every LinkedIn growth term that matters in 2026. Updated quarterly as the platform shifts.

Algorithm (LinkedIn feed algorithm)
The ranking system LinkedIn uses to decide which posts appear in each user feed. In 2026 it weighs dwell time, comment depth, save rate, and a creator-to-audience relevance score far more than raw likes.
Authority Map
A view of the LinkedIn accounts whose engagement most reliably amplifies your reach. FeedBoss surfaces these contacts so commenting time goes to the highest-leverage targets first.
Carousel post
A LinkedIn post composed of a multi-page PDF document that swipes horizontally in the feed. Carousels typically earn 1.5–3x the dwell time of single-image posts.
Cold open hook
The first 3 lines of a LinkedIn post - the only text visible before the “see more” truncation. The hook is the single largest driver of post performance.
Creator Mode
A LinkedIn profile setting that swaps the “Connect” button for “Follow,” surfaces hashtags, and emphasizes content over connections. Required for several advanced creator analytics.
Dwell time
How long a user stops on your post in the feed before scrolling. LinkedIn uses dwell time as a primary quality signal for organic reach.
Engagement rate
Total interactions (reactions, comments, shares, saves) divided by impressions, expressed as a percentage. A healthy LinkedIn engagement rate in 2026 sits between 3% and 6%.
Founder-led content
Posts authored by a company founder under their personal profile rather than the company page. Founder-led content typically out-reaches company-page content by 5–10x on LinkedIn.
Hook
The opening line of a LinkedIn post designed to stop the scroll. See FeedBoss's free LinkedIn Hook Generator.
Impressions
The number of times a post entered a feed and was visible on screen for at least 300ms. Impressions count even without engagement.
Personal branding
The deliberate practice of shaping how a professional audience perceives you on LinkedIn through consistent positioning, point of view, and content cadence.
Pod (engagement pod)
A coordinated group that mass-likes or mass-comments on each other's posts. LinkedIn actively suppresses pod-detected content; FeedBoss does not support or endorse engagement pods.
Reach
The number of unique LinkedIn users who saw a post at least once. Distinct from impressions, which counts repeated views.
Save rate
The percentage of viewers who save your post for later. A heavily weighted ranking signal - high save rate often correlates with sustained reach over multiple days.
SSI (Social Selling Index)
LinkedIn's 0–100 score measuring how effectively you establish your professional brand, find right people, engage with insights, and build relationships.
Thought leadership
Content where the author offers an original point of view backed by their own experience or data, rather than restating consensus. The format most rewarded by LinkedIn in 2026.

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