How to find LinkedIn’s “golden ratio” (and what it teaches us about networking)

The factors that drive success on LinkedIn and in networking are surprisingly similar. Understand the LinkedIn “golden ratio” of engagement, and you’ll also understand what drives results at networking events. James West explains how to find your own ratio and what it teaches you about business networking.

When people talk about success on LinkedIn, the conversation is predictable:

“How often should I post?”
“What time of day works best?”
“Is video better than text?”

All reasonable questions. But they miss the point. There is a much clearer indicator of whether your LinkedIn presence is likely to work or not. And it has nothing to do with algorithms. It’s simply a ratio of your activities.

How to find your LinkedIn golden ratio

At the end of the year, LinkedIn publishes a Year in Review summary. You may have seen it, you may have skimmed it, or you may have studied it in more detail. It’s a fun exercise. But if you look even closer, it tells a more useful story.

How to find your “LinkedIn Year in Review”:

- Use the LinkedIn search bar to find “Year in Review 2025”
- Watch the montage

Good content delivered into a cold, disengaged network behaves very differently to good content shared within a warm, reciprocal one.

James West, ONLE Networking

You’re looking for three things:

- How many times you posted
- How many comments and reactions your posts received
- How much you engaged with other people’s content (comments and reactions)

My own 2025 review showed:

- 35 posts across the year
- Close to 1,000 comments on those posts
- And, crucially, a far higher volume of comments and reactions on other people’s content than on my own

In other words, significantly more engagement GIVEN than content published.

That wasn’t a tactic or some attempt at a hack. It’s just evidence of how I approach LinkedIn and networking. Which is: show interest, support others, and spend more time in that space than I do producing and sharing content.

Broadcasting versus participating

Why is this important? Some people treat LinkedIn like a stage, complete with a captive audience. What do these people do?

- They post regularly
- They share opinions
- They promote their work

But they rarely engage elsewhere. They don’t comment thoughtfully. They don’t acknowledge other people’s ideas.

In other words, they expect engagement — but fail to engage.

Others post less frequently but they are present.

They:

- Respond to other people’s ideas
- Encourage and continue discussions
- Show genuine interest and a willingness to support others

And when they do post, something different happens.

- People recognise the name.
- People respond.
- People engage.

That’s not an algorithm trick. That’s reciprocity. LinkedIn makes this behaviour visible, which is why it is such a useful case study for networking.

Networking works the same way

Reflecting on networking events, people often think:

- “Why doesn’t anyone follow up with me?”
- “Why don’t I get referrals?”
- “Why does networking feel one-sided? After all, I’m showing up and asking for things. Where’s the result?”

They might blame the network. The people in the network. The timing. The market. But the real answer — while uncomfortable — is very simple:

- They want attention without giving it
- They want support without offering it
- They want a helpful network without being particularly helpful

LinkedIn exposes this dynamic because the behaviour is public. In other words, if someone’s feed is all output and almost no input, their results usually reflect that.

Attention is rarely accidental

Engagement isn’t something you extract from people just by publishing better content — or more content. It’s something you earn over time.

On LinkedIn:

- Commenting, sharing, and supporting others builds familiarity, visibility, and goodwill

In networking:

- Listening, caring, and helping others builds rapport, credibility, and goodwill

The mechanism is identical.

Why “good content” isn’t enough

This is where people get frustrated. They’ll say, “But my content is good.” And often, it is.

But good content delivered into a cold, disengaged network behaves very differently to good content shared within a warm, reciprocal one. If people don’t feel seen by you, they’re far less likely to put themselves out for you. That’s human behaviour.

The posting-to-engagement ratio teaches us something fundamental:

- If you want an engaged audience, engage the audience.
- If you want a helpful network, be helpful to the people in your network.

That doesn’t mean commenting on everything or forcing conversations. It means being present, paying attention, and contributing before expecting a return.

The truth about LinkedIn’s golden ratio — and business networking success

People who do well at networking aren’t usually the loudest. They’re the most engaged. They understand that getting attention starts with giving attention.

The good news is that commenting on other people’s content is not only more powerful, it’s often far less time-consuming than publishing yet another post! And as you change your own golden ratio by giving more engagement than you take you’ll usually see engagement start to rise on your own content too. And then the whole experience becomes more rewarding.

The same principle applies to networking. Leading with help can feel counterintuitive at first. But once you’ve put the time in, the difference in how people respond to you and the support you receive in return becomes obvious.

If you want to put the golden ratio to the test, you’re welcome to visit one of our online networking meetings for just £5 using the code ONLEHELLO
Click below to find a meeting that suits your schedule: