Comment to Connect: LinkedIn Tips

by Brenna Martin, VPG Social Media Specialist

In the world of social media and professional networking, not all engagement is created equally. While ‘likes’ are easy and instantaneous, comments and conversations carry far more weight, both for building real relationships and for how algorithms treat your content. Think of a ‘like’ as a quick wave from someone who saw your post; a comment is someone stopping to talk with you. Comments signal relevance and connection, and platforms increasingly reward those signals.

To start, LinkedIn’s own engagement patterns show that posts that spark real conversations consistently outperform those that generate likes alone. Experts have found that comments, especially from second-degree connections (think: a friend of a friend), can increase a post’s reach by up to 2.6 times compared to passive engagement. Comments keep conversations active, extend a post’s lifespan, and introduce your content to new audiences. Simply put, platforms recognize comments as meaningful interaction, not just a quick tap of approval.

Heather Martin - Author, Editor & Bookkeeper

There’s a psychological and strategic value behind this, too. Comments require effort and thought, which means someone has actually read your content, reflected on it, and responded. This depth creates social proof that goes beyond surface-level reactions; it shows that your ideas resonated enough for people to engage in a conversation. Studies in engagement dynamics reveal that comment sentiment and interaction patterns also shape how audiences perceive content, from trust to willingness to revisit or share. And it goes both ways. Engaging with comments, not just collecting them, significantly boosts visibility.

Data across platforms shows that replying to comments can increase overall engagement by 5–30% or more, pushing your posts higher in others’ feeds because you’ve extended the conversation.

The core takeaway here is simple: ‘likes’ say, “I saw this,” but comments say, “I care about this,” and platforms increasingly prioritize the latter. Meaningful engagement builds relationships, improves visibility, and shows your audience, including recruiters and potential collaborators, that you’re an active, thoughtful participant in your professional community.