What a Comment Taught Me About LinkedIn Reach, Leadership Visibility, and Communications That Land
- Dan Bowsher | Sett Social
- Mar 24
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 11
I recently left a comment on another LinkedIn user's post.
Not a big, strategic play. No “content pillar.” Just a reply. A reaction to a well-followed person posting what I saw as misleading claims - or at least incomplete data - about how the LinkedIn algorithm works.
And I felt it needed to be challenged.
At the time, the comment got a bit of traction. Definitely more than I usually see on comments I post. But I didn’t think much of it beyond that.
Then a few days later I noticed something new. LinkedIn had rolled out a fresh feature to my account: an impression count for comments.
And that changed the game.
Because suddenly, I could see that the comment had quietly pulled in more than 20,000 impressions.
When Comments Go Further Than You Think On LinkedIn
Let’s pause for a second on that.
Over twenty thousand people saw that one comment.
Not a full post. Not a piece of branded content. Just a line or two, added to someone else’s thread.
It also caused a visible bump in my follower count and connection requests.
Now, before anyone starts firing up the “it’s not about the numbers” speech - I agree.
I’ve spent years telling clients not to chase vanity metrics. Views, likes, follower counts-none of them matter unless they’re serving your real-world goals.
What matters more, especially in the world of exec comms, leadership social, and communications strategy, is understanding how visibility really works on LinkedIn.
And this is a great example.
The Hidden Value of the Comments Section
I’ve told my clients for years that commenting on LinkedIn with the same focus and consistency as posting is a vital part of making your presence work for you.
We tend to think of visibility as something you own: the post you write, the article you publish, the video you create.
But comments are where reputation is built quietly and consistently.
They show you’re listening. They show you have an opinion. They show you’re present—which, in a sea of scheduled posts and generic corporate comms, stands out more than you think.
This new feature - the impression count on comments - makes that visibility tangible. And while only you can see the number, the fact it exists is a clear prompt from LinkedIn: this matters.
What This Means for Leadership Social
If you’re responsible for helping senior leaders develop their voice on LinkedIn (or you’re one of those leaders yourself), this is your cue.
Leadership social doesn’t have to mean full-blown thought leadership posts every week. It doesn’t have to mean being loud or constantly “creating content.”
Sometimes, it just means showing up and saying something worthwhile when it matters.
That’s exactly what this was. A quick, honest challenge to something that didn’t sit right. Not contrarian for the sake of it, just considered input in a relevant conversation.
And it landed.
A Thought for Comms Professionals and Social Media Consultants
If you work in communications or offer social media consultancy support to execs or founders, here’s a question worth asking your clients:
Are you treating the comments section like a strategic channel?
Because, based on this experience, you probably should be.
It’s where a lot of unseen reach lives. It’s where professional relationships begin. And now that LinkedIn is starting to surface those impression numbers, it’s going to become harder to ignore.
Will This Change How You Show Up?
So here’s where I leave it with you.
Will seeing those numbers make you think differently about commenting?
Will you put more intention behind how you show up in threads?
Will you rethink what “activity” really means on this platform?
Because if you’re still measuring your impact only by your own posts, you’re missing a huge part of how LinkedIn works and how communications, done well, can create momentum in quiet ways.
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