Summary

• Many professionals find their LinkedIn feed has become a cluttered "corporate Facebook," filled with irrelevant posts that make it difficult to find valuable content.

• Your feed's quality is a direct result of your connections and engagement; you can fix it by actively curating who you follow and what you interact with.

• Key actions include unfollowing noisy connections (without removing them), hiding irrelevant posts to train the algorithm, and intentionally engaging with content from genuine industry experts.

• While decluttering your feed, organize your chaotic LinkedIn DMs with a tool like Kondo to manage messages efficiently with labels, reminders, and shortcuts.

You open LinkedIn hoping to find valuable industry insights and meaningful professional connections. Instead, you're bombarded with an endless stream of "I'm humbled and honored to announce" posts about minor accomplishments, self-promotional humble brags, and that one connection who seems to have transformed from a finance professional into a full-time LinkedIn influencer overnight.

Sound familiar? You're not alone.

LinkedIn has evolved from a simple professional networking site into what many users now describe as "corporate Facebook" – complete with all the noise, self-promotion, and what one frustrated user aptly called "puking rainbows BS." 🌈

The overwhelming sentiment among professionals is clear: "My feed is all content that my network likes, comments, etc. that isn't interesting to me at all."

The Feed Problem Is Real (And It's Getting Worse)

The frustration goes beyond mere annoyance. For many professionals, LinkedIn has become a necessary evil – a platform they feel obligated to use despite its growing flaws. As one user put it: "I have to use it. Many job applications put LinkedIn as a required field."

What makes this particularly painful is the sense that you're wasting precious time sorting through irrelevant content. In the words of another frustrated user: "There is [quality content], if you have the patience to wade through it to find it... which I don't."

This is the core problem – a severe signal-to-noise ratio issue that's getting worse over time. As Mike Kresch, a LinkedIn marketing expert, observes: "We've seen a dynamic shift in what our feeds look/feel like. I sum it up in one word: Clutter."

You're Not Powerless: Taking Control of Your Feed

Here's where things get interesting. LinkedIn consultant Lewi Watkins makes a provocative but empowering point: "Your newsfeed is rubbish, because of YOU."

While that might initially sound harsh, it actually contains the solution to your problem. If you're the cause, you're also the solution. Your LinkedIn feed isn't some mysterious black box – it's a reflection of your connections, your engagement patterns, and how you've trained the algorithm over time.

The good news? You can retrain it. You can curate it. You can transform it from a source of frustration into a valuable professional tool.

In this guide, I'll walk you through a three-part approach to reclaiming your LinkedIn sanity:

1. Understanding why your feed is a mess (hint: it's how the algorithm works)

2. Performing a much-needed clean-up operation

3. Strategically building the feed you actually want to see

Let's get started.

Why Your LinkedIn Feed Is a Mess: Understanding the Algorithm

Before you can fix your feed, you need to understand how it works. According to LinkedIn's official documentation, your feed consists of:

• Insights from your network: Posts from your connections, but also posts they like, comment on, or share. This is a primary source of irrelevant content.

• Companies you follow: Updates from company pages.

• Sponsored content: Ads targeted based on your profile and activity.

• Other personalized posts: Content with labels like Trending, Recommended for you, and Popular, which are determined by LinkedIn's algorithms.

The problem? Every time you passively scroll and occasionally engage with content (even with a cursory like on something mildly interesting), you're training the algorithm to show you more similar content.

If you've been on LinkedIn for years, you've likely accumulated hundreds or thousands of connections. As one user laments: "I've been on LinkedIn for years so I have thousands of connections and it's daunting to unfollow each one I see."

This creates a vicious cycle. Your feed becomes increasingly cluttered, making it harder to find valuable content, which leads to less meaningful engagement, which leads to an even less relevant feed.

The Foundational Clean-Up: Muting the Noise, Manually

It's time for some spring cleaning. Here's a step-by-step approach to dramatically improve your feed quality:

Step 1: Conduct a "Follow Audit" - Be Brutally Selective

The key insight here is understanding the difference between connecting and following. You can remain connected to someone (maintaining the networking relationship) while unfollowing their content (removing them from your feed).

How to unfollow a connection:

1. Visit the connection's profile

2. Click on the More button (three dots)

3. Select Unfollow

They'll remain your connection, but their posts won't appear in your feed. For connections you truly want to remove:

1. From the same menu, choose Remove Connection

Pro tip: LinkedIn's own marketing blog recommends limiting your follows to around 50 high-value sources to reduce clutter. As one user put it: "It can be weird, but over time I've just become brutally selective." That's exactly the mindset you need.

Step 2: Train Your Algorithm - Hide and Mute with Purpose

Every time you see an irrelevant post, take two seconds to give direct feedback to the algorithm:

1. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of any post

2. Select from the options:

   • "Hide this post": This removes the post and tells LinkedIn you're not interested.

   • "Unfollow [Person/Company]": Stop seeing content from that specific source.

   • "I don't want to see this": This often allows you to give more specific feedback.

This isn't just about cleaning your current feed – it's about training the algorithm to show you better content in the future. For detailed instructions, see LinkedIn's official guides on Hiding content in your feed and Following, unfollowing or muting a person.

Step 3: Silence the Pings - Customize Your Notifications

Many users report frustration with irrelevant notifications: "Why did it recently change so that I have to get notifications about posts I've never even interacted with?!!?"

To fix this:

1. Go to your LinkedIn settings

2. Navigate to "Communications" then "Notifications"

3. Turn off non-essential notifications like work anniversaries, profile views, and updates about those "fundamentals of sharpening a pencil" course completions

Proactive Curation: Building the Feed You Want

Now that you've cleaned house, it's time to shift from reactive filtering to proactive building. Here are three strategies to create a feed that actually adds value to your professional life:

Strategy 1: Engage Intentionally to Boost What Matters

The algorithm rewards engagement. Every time you like, comment on, or share a post, you're telling LinkedIn "show me more of this." Make this work for you:

• Comment thoughtfully on posts from industry experts you respect

• Share valuable content with your own added insights

• Like selectively rather than mindlessly

As Shane Gibson, a social selling expert, advises: "Connect with your clients and prospects on LinkedIn... ask them a question or give them feedback on their update." This transforms passive scrolling into active networking while simultaneously training your feed.

This approach also helps combat the user frustration of feeling "invisible" on the platform. As one user complained: "Nobody ever ever responds, or even likes, anything I post! It's as if I'm invisible to people in my network." By engaging meaningfully with others, you increase the likelihood they'll engage with your content in return.

Strategy 2: Follow True Thought Leaders, Not Just "Influencers"

Many users have found gems amid the noise: "There are a few awesome Top Voice users that do share quality content (actual professionals not influencers)."

Use the 'Following' feature strategically:

1. Identify genuine thought leaders in your industry

2. Follow them without necessarily connecting

3. Regularly engage with their content to signal its importance

4. Periodically review who you're following and prune as needed

Remember: quality trumps quantity. A feed with updates from 10 genuine experts is infinitely more valuable than one cluttered with content from 500 casual connections.

Strategy 3: Curate Content for Others to Strengthen Your Network

Content curation isn't just about consuming – it's about sharing what's valuable. According to Social Sales Link, "Content curation is the practice of discovering, organizing, and sharing valuable content from trusted sources."

When you find a great article or post:

1. Use the "Repost with your thoughts" feature

2. Add your own perspective on why the content matters

3. Tag the original author to increase visibility

For example: "This post from Mary Smith highlights the importance of coaching sales reps and provides practical advice on using call recordings."

This approach positions you as a valuable node in your network – someone who filters signal from noise for others.

The Power User's Toolkit: Advanced Curation with Third-Party Tools

Even with diligent manual curation, the native LinkedIn experience can remain distracting. As one user noted, "the settings to determine the order in which items appear in your feed do not work at all."

For those seeking a truly streamlined experience, consider third-party tools like MyFeedIn's Focus Mode, which removes:

• Sponsored posts and advertisements

• Algorithmic content suggestions

• Side panel distractions and notifications

• Irrelevant "People you may know" suggestions

• News feed clutter and promotional content

The benefits include:

• Eliminated decision fatigue

• Increased engagement quality

• Saved time daily (15-30 minutes instead of hours)

• Improved mental clarity

Your Feed, Your Rules

We've covered a lot of ground – from understanding why your feed is cluttered to taking specific actions to clean it up and strategically rebuild it.

Remember Lewi Watkins' provocative statement: "Your newsfeed is rubbish, because of YOU." Now you understand the empowering truth behind it: you have the knowledge and tools to transform your LinkedIn experience.

You don't have to accept a feed full of "toxic positivity," humble bragging, and irrelevant updates. You can create a professional resource that actually serves your career goals.

Start small. Today, unfollow five irrelevant connections, hide three posts that don't add value, or follow one new thought leader in your field. Small actions, consistently applied, will dramatically transform your LinkedIn experience over time.

Your professional sanity is worth it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my LinkedIn feed full of irrelevant posts?

Your LinkedIn feed is irrelevant primarily because the algorithm shows you content that your connections have liked, commented on, or shared, in addition to posts from people and companies you follow directly. This "network effect" is a major source of clutter. Your feed reflects your entire network's activity, so curating who you follow and engage with is crucial to improving its relevance.

How can I clean up my LinkedIn feed without removing connections?

The best way to clean your feed without losing your network is to use the "Unfollow" feature. This keeps the person as a connection but removes their posts and activity from your feed. You can unfollow someone directly from their profile or from the three-dot menu on any of their posts. This allows you to maintain professional relationships while curating your content consumption.

What's the difference between unfollowing and removing a connection on LinkedIn?

Unfollowing someone simply stops their content from appearing in your feed, but you remain connected. Removing a connection completely severs your professional tie on the platform, and you would need to send a new connection request to reconnect. For most feed cleanup, unfollowing is the preferred, less drastic option.

How long does it take to see changes in my feed after I start curating it?

You will see immediate improvements as you hide posts and unfollow noisy accounts. However, it typically takes a few weeks of consistent, intentional engagement for the algorithm to fully learn your new preferences and proactively show you more relevant content. The more consistently you provide feedback, the faster the algorithm adapts.

What is the most effective way to train the LinkedIn algorithm?

The most effective way to train the algorithm is through intentional engagement. Every time you thoughtfully comment on, share, or like a post, you are sending a strong signal to LinkedIn to show you more content like it and from that source. Active, meaningful engagement on topics you value is your most powerful tool for improving your feed.

Should I connect with everyone who sends me a request?

No, you should be selective about who you connect with. A smaller, more relevant network often leads to a higher-quality feed than a large, indiscriminate one. Each new connection is a potential source of noise. It's better to connect with people in your industry or with whom you have a genuine professional reason to connect. Remember, you can always follow someone to see their content without connecting.