Richard van der Blom

Spending hours on LinkedIn but not seeing clients? Your content getting lost in the algorithm? Your comments disappear in the void? Competing with 10,000 other "experts" saying the same things? Let me fix that for you. Send me a message or email richard@richardvanderblom.com

WHO I AM
I'm Richard van der Blom, Dutch living with my Argentinian wife and German doodle in Spain. Pearl Jam, Padel and Gin-Tonic lover.

For 15 years, I've been obsessed with one question: what actually works on LinkedIn? Not theory. Not guesses. Data-backed strategy that turns visibility into revenue.

I've trained over 350,000 professionals. I've worked with 1,000+ companies across every B2B sector. My clients closed over €10 million in deals in 2025 alone using the systems I built for them.
I don't do surface-level tips. I run ongoing LinkedIn algorithm research, analyze millions of data points, and translate that into strategies entrepreneurs can execute without living on the platform.

WHY WORK WITH ME
Most LinkedIn "experts" regurgitate the same advice. I give you what 99.9% of them can't: data-driven insights before they become common knowledge. My Algorithm Insights Report is the industry standard—used by thought leaders, sales teams, and agencies worldwide.

I've keynoted at 100+ events and been rated Best Speaker in over 80% of my engagements. But I'm not just a stage performer. I build LinkedIn systems that work in the real world—for busy entrepreneurs who need results, not busywork.

WHAT I OFFER
🎤 Keynote Speaking – Insights that shift how your team thinks about LinkedIn strategy, authority, and lead generation
🔥 The TRIBE Community – Exclusive membership where 150+ entrepreneurs get early algorithm insights, mastermind sessions, and direct guidance
🚀 The Authority Accelerator – My 4-month VIP program for established entrepreneurs building predictable LinkedIn lead generation in under 30 minutes daily
📊 Algorithm Insights Report – The most comprehensive, research-backed LinkedIn playbook, updated 2-3 times yearly
🤝 Corporate Training – LinkedIn training for mid-to-large B2B companies via Just Connecting

THE RESULT
You'll stop guessing. You'll build authority that attracts clients instead of chasing them. You'll have a LinkedIn strategy that converts profile visitors into paying customers—consistently.

My clients don't just get more engagement. They close deals. They build funnels that grow on steroids. They become recognized authorities in their industries. No automation, no spam. Pure value.

INTERESTED? LET'S TALK!
📧 richard@richardvanderblom.com

Public Speaker / Keynote Speaker

Renowned international keynote speaker, deeply passionate and knowledgeable about a range of topics including LinkedIn, Social Selling, Content Strategy, and the evolving landscape of Sales. My expertise is in delivering insights-based, engaging, and impactful keynotes.

With a track record of delivering 60+ keynotes across cosmopolitan cities such as Buenos Aires, Marrakech, Austin, Paris, Copenhagen, Athens, Vienna, and Dubai, my global experience enables me to bring unique perspectives and insights to every event.

I'm proud to have been rated as the best speaker at 80% of all events I've attended, with an impressive average rating of 9.1 out of 10. As a speaker, I am dedicated to not just sharing knowledge, but also inspiring change and action. My talks are a blend of current trends, practical strategies, and forward-thinking ideas, designed to empower professionals to thrive in today's dynamic sales environment.

Dannos Tsakalos (CEO)
Richard was one of the 10+ international speakers who took the stage at our annual Social Media & Influencer Marketing Conference (Athens October 2023). He was the last who took the stage, yet he managed to captivate the audience and received an impressive rate of 9,5/10. Why? Because, in a nutshell, he is a gifted presenter, a true expert who delivers tons of actionable insights and useful tips around LinkedIn and how to stand out on it.

Michael Geary (CEO - SMPS)
I have had the pleasure of witnessing Richard in action at our annual marketing conference, Amplify A|E|C, and I am was impressed by his ability to captivate and engage audiences. He's a true master of a stage presentation and communication skills. Richard possesses the talent for making complex ideas accessible and compelling. He has the the ability to distill intricate concepts into clear, concise messages that resonate with our audience.

Hey LinkedIn, what's going on with my feed? Where's the value?

Here's a breakdown of the first 10 posts you showed me this morning:

1️⃣ The same post I've seen for 2 months now. A CEO telling us LinkedIn Video is "da bomb." Ironically, this has been Boosted by LinkedIn for 8 weeks straight. Organic reach, right?

2️⃣ An influencer promoting a product with 100% AI-generated text. Receiving 100+ AI-generated comments. Humans optional.

3️⃣ A Promoted Post completely irrelevant to me. I get it, you need to make money.

4️⃣ Wait — another "As a Head of Social Media, I'm often asked if organic LinkedIn reach is enough" post that is... Promoted. Doesn't it get enough reach organically? The irony writes itself.

5️⃣ A life story about giving up alcohol and becoming a successful 6-figure coach. Wait, is this a template? I've seen this exact arc 47 times.

6️⃣ "7 Signs I Hit Middle Age" from Marco Andre, a LinkedIn Top Voice. Probably shown because I also hit that barrier. Thanks for the reminder.

7️⃣ Another influencer promoting a "Life Hack" AI tool to manage all your other AI tools in one place. AI-ception.

8️⃣ A Thought Leadership Ad about "an interesting job offer in Silicon Valley." Yep, no intention to leave Spain. Zero relevance.

9️⃣ A carousel titled "10 Things Successful People Do Before 5 AM" — posted at 11:47 PM. Make it make sense.

🔟 A repost of a repost of a quote from someone who died in 1965. No commentary. No insight. Just vibes.

The result?

Just 1 of the first 10 posts was from an actual connection.

One.

You call yourself a network platform.
Then why don't you show me my network?

I have multiple people reaching out lately saying "I don't see your posts anymore."
Why is that?
Who gave you permission to decide that?

What happened to "Members first"?

You built a platform on connections.
Now you're burying them under ads, influencers, and recycled AI content.

If I wanted an algorithm that ignores who I actually follow, I'd use Instagram.

Fix the feed. Or just admit what this has become.

PS: Let me know if it's just me?

LinkedIn Strategist | Algorithm Research-Backed | Helping Entrepreneurs Turn Visibility Into Revenue Without Living on the Platform | 350K+ Trained | Keynote Speaker

My Algorithm Insights Report shows 3,000+ clients made this same mistake.

They thought posting more would fix their reach problem.

It didn't.
It accelerated the decline.

Here's what the data actually shows:

Creators who increased posting frequency from 5x to 7x per week during the 2025 reach crash saw:

↳ –27% average reach per post
↳ –23% engagement rate
↳ +31% content fatigue signals (lower dwell time, fewer saves)

More posts ≠ more visibility.
More posts = weaker signals.

Meanwhile, creators who stayed within 3–5 posts per week and invested in structured engagement:

↳ Recovered reach 38–42% faster after the 360Brew rollout
↳ Generated 2.1× more saves per post
↳ Maintained a stable authority score instead of dilution

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆:

↳ 7x/week + low engagement → –41% reach per post
↳ 5x/week + weak engagement → –35% reach
↳ 3–5x/week + 30 min/day strategic engagement → +18–24% reach

Now here's the nuance most people miss:

Publishing more than once per day does increase your total weekly reach.
That part is true.

But it harms your average reach per post — especially when posts target different interest clusters.

The algorithm resets relevance signals per cluster.
When you publish multiple unrelated topics in short succession, you:

↳ Split audience affinity
↳ Reduce follow-up distribution
↳ Weaken post-to-post momentum

Result?
Higher total impressions. Lower authority. Lower compounding reach.

LinkedIn no longer rewards volume.
It rewards coherent relevance signals over time.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂:

1. Stop chasing daily frequency
Aim for 3–5 posts per week. That's the current performance sweet spot.

2. Spend 2× more time engaging than creating
For every 30 minutes writing, spend 60 minutes in meaningful conversations.

3. Optimize for saves, not likes
360Brew weights saves ~5× heavier than likes. Create content people want to return to.

"Post more" worked until mid 2025.
In 2026, it's quietly sabotaging reach.

Be honest 👇
How many posts a week do you publish?

PS: Get your copy (and all future updates) of the Algorithm Insights Report now. Check out my profile link & Featured Section. Price will go to € 199,- for the 2026 edition (+200 Pages)

Helping B2B Sales & Marketing Teams Turn LinkedIn into a Lead Generation & Business Growth Engine | Social Selling Expert | International Keynote Speaker| 4x Investor

Exciting times as a batch of data from 400,000 posts has just arrived. Preparing for the Algorithm Insights Report 2026 again.

This time Engagement will be a complete chapter

Why?

Because comments aren't a courtesy anymore. 
They're the conversion engine (human comments that is)

Here's what our data exposed:

The Algorithm's New Obsession
Comments now trigger 3 distribution mechanisms:
• Extended dwell time (people reading threads)
• Micro-thread spawning (sub-conversations)
• Interest graph training (who sees your future posts)

One well-crafted comment can outperform your last 5 posts combined.

When writing a comment, did you know that?

1. The structure of your comment actually matters?
2. There still is a Golden Window, but this is now influenced by type of posts, number of comments and the authors response (!)
3. Power Words vs. Spam Words to build your interest cluster
4. AI Comments "make them go away"
5. The number of comments you are giving (daily, weekly) that actually spark conversations

This means more commenting could actually hurt your visibility and performance, when not done right!


Stop counting comments. Start tracking:
• Reply ratio (>0.6 = strong)
• Unique voices (12-25 per key post)
• Save-to-comment ratio (≥0.4 = rediscovery potential)
• Thread longevity (multi-day = algorithm gold)

And this is just ONE section from our 50+ page update.

The new Algorithm Insights Report 2026 drops April 29th!
Including new stats, insights and tactics on reach, formats, performance boosters, Company Pages, successful content structures and strategies. It's not a report, it's your Playbook to win!

Check out the link on Top of My Profile on how to get life-time access.

No tricks. 
No bait. 
Just data.


Which comment type are you using least? 
Time to change that.

PS: Bought the Content & Algorithm Playbook 2025 already? Don't worry, you will receive the 2026 edition for free

LinkedIn didn’t change your reach by accident. It changed how it understands you. The platform no longer evaluates content..... only

It evaluates patterns.

Your profile, content, comments, and behavior are now read as one coherent signal. 

And that explains why old tactics stopped working, why random posting hurts more than silence, and why some people quietly gain trust, reach, and inbound while others stall.

In this newsletter, I break down what 360Brew actually changes behind the scenes, what the AI is really learning about you, and how this affects visibility, credibility, and business opportunities.

I also explain why I rebuilt how people can work with me, and I’m sharing a free AI event for those who want to understand how modern GTM architecture really works before copying the next tool.

If LinkedIn matters for your business in 2026, this is 5 minutes well spent.
👉 Read the newsletter below

LinkedIn changed how it decides who gets seen, and most entrepreneurs are still playing by the old rules. In this edition, I break down what 360Brew r

Open article: The Truth Behind LinkedIn's 360Brew by Richard van der Blom • 8 min read

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Peter Drucker
AI is not failing because the models are weak. 

AI is failing because your GTM architecture was never built for it.

That is why 95 percent of AI deployments collapse after the pilot phase. 
Not because of ambition. 
Because of structure.

On January 28, the 𝗔𝗜 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 go deep on one thing most teams avoid. 

AI Native GTM Architecture. 
Not tools. 
Not prompts. 
Not hacks. 

Just real operating systems.

This 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 virtual session is about applied reality. 
Where AI fits. 
Where it breaks. 
Where it silently erodes value.

What you will see in practice. 
• Why tool first AI strategies fail at scale
• Where GTM systems fracture when agents are added
• Which operating models actually hold under growth
• How governance decides success long before performance does

Again, this is not theory. 
This is architecture under pressure.

Built with operators from Hook, Gainsight and Momentum.io 

Featuring practitioners who live inside real GTM systems, like:
Brady Bluhm, Moiz Virani, Jonathan M K., Amos Bar-Joseph, Joe Klin and Sam Champion.

If you are serious about AI in 2026, architecture is no longer optional. 
It is the product.

Register now for free:
Jan 28th
Virtual
8:30am PT / 5:30pm CET
https://lnkd.in/ezxes7_v

Most teams will keep stacking tools. 
A few will redesign the system.

My mission is to bring AI to successful sales teams in 2026

Ashley Faus

Director of Integrated Product Marketing, Atlassian

Marketer, writer, speaker by day... singer, actor, fitness fiend by night!

I've handled all aspects of marketing strategy and execution, from product marketing, to demand-gen, to content and events. I love telling the high-level stories that resonate with an audience and connecting the dots between types of assets and distribution channels.

My writing has been published on TIME, Forbes, The Journal of Brand Strategy, and The Muse, and I've spoken on various marketing topics for INBOUND, Harvard Business Review, and MarketingProfs.

Visit https://ashleyfaus.com/ for more information about my book, "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI".

(Views are my own)

Head of Lifecycle Marketing, Portfolio

"A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one."

Funny how we only ever hear the first part of that^^ quote, often said with a derisive tone.

Nobody wants the "master of none" 😬

And yet... I proudly claim the moniker of "marketing generalist"!

My superpower is connecting the dots, working across multiple teams, and integrating across channels.

If you need someone who sits at the intersection, I gotchu.

And this is why I'm always slightly surprised but delighted when I'm recognized in a specific marketing discipline.

My current title is "Lifecycle Marketing", but I contributed enough PMM-related content to earn a spot on the 2025 Product Marketing Influencer list.

And Alt Marketing School offers courses across allllll the marketing disciplines, including trendier topics, like the creator economy.

Personally, I think we're in a generalists' economy right now.

With teams running lean, leaders looking to bring in more AI and automation, and the rise of the fractional or solopreneur, generalists are making a comeback!

So cheers to all the folks who are making their mark in each (or every) discipline 🎉 

See the Alt Marketing School list: https://amschool.click/top

See the Product Marketing Alliance list: https://lnkd.in/dTmpNtJ5

Buy my book, "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI": https://amzn.to/4jqaKDW

Head of Lifecycle Marketing, Portfolio at Atlassian

I almost ended up naked onstage 😳

I was playing a bride, wearing this ridiculous '80s-style dress (pictured below), with a dropped waist, heavy beading, and a ridiculous train.

And on opening night, the zipper down the back of the dress started coming undone...

Inching.
Down.
My. 
Back.

And no one could help me 😬

I felt the sleeves start to slide towards the edge of my shoulders.

I felt an unpleasant breeze on my lower back.

And I realized that I'm just hoping I don't end up naked in front of the audience.

So... when I tell you that I've had things go wrong onstage, I'm not talking about a momentary hiccup with the slides or stuttering over a few words or going blank on my next sentence 😅

What this means for you, as a professional sharing your knowledge at a conference or Town Hall or QBR: it's gonna be ok.

YOU CAN DO IT!

At minimum, you won't end up naked onstage.
And the audience probably won't even notice a flub!

I get a lot of questions about how to overcome the fear, swallow the nerves, and feel confident stepping onstage.

One of my counterintuitive exercises is to catastrophize.

What's the WORST thing that could happen?

How would you react (and recover) if it happens?

Thinking through the worst-case scenario takes the surprise and sting out of it, because usually, it's not that bad.

And now you know how to react 😎

I said I ALMOST ended up naked onstage... handily, I've had a lot of practice reacting to things going wrong.

I straightened my posture to widen my shoulders, put my hands on my hips and across my chest to keep the dress from slipping off completely, and angled my back away from the audience to maintain a little dignity.

And then I asked the costumer to secure the zipper before the next performance, 'cuz we're not trying to have things go wrong twice 💃

Wanna be on a podcast? 

Drop your name and topics in the comments 👇👇

What hosts want to know:

💡 What's your expertise and unique angle?
🎤 Can you speak in an engaging way?
📣 Will you help bring in listeners?

Don't have prior appearances? 

I gotchu:

--> Go live on LinkedIn or post a short clip to share your advice

--> Confirm that you'll share about your episode on LinkedIn (and any other channels where you are active, like a newsletter, website, etc.)

Let's connect some hosts and guests!

(Full disclosure: I'm trying to streamline my inbox a bit, so my goal is to make this an easy place for folks to connect without a middleman 😀)

AI can be the epitome of a productivity mirage.

It FEELS productive to craft the perfect prompt, thinking of all the details that an LLM might need to tailor its response to your specific use case.

It FEELS like progress to refine and refine again and refine just once more for perfection.

It FEELS like insight to ask, "But what about _____?" over and over again.

And. Yet.

Blathering on with the chatbot is not, in fact, DOING anything.

Did you actually use all that research that it pumped out for you to take action?

Did you make the updates to the slide deck or blog post, based on the recommendations?

Did you go to the event and see for yourself whether your ICP actually attends?

I've been struggling with this mirage over the last few weeks 😳

In particular, I'm sparring with Claude to improve my talk track and slides, based on session scores and audience comments from my fall speaking engagements.

I feel like I've been so productive!
I spent so much time typing!
I considered so many angles!

My slide deck has not changed.
My speaker notes are not updated.

And as I go back through the chat history, I'm left feeling a bit overwhelmed, annoyed, and generally unmotivated to take the necessary action to ACTUALLY IMPROVE.

AI is only as good as the action it enables.

You can "doom scroll" and "water cooler chat" and "push pixels" around in an LLM just as easily as any other tool (maybe more so 😅).

Don't fall prey to the productivity mirage.

There are MANY smart marketers in the world.

They have great ideas, they've executed impactful programs, and they've written useful books.

The difference between what they share and what I share is literally THEM and ME.

It's not just about the idea.
It's about the person sharing the idea.

WHO says it is just as important as WHAT they say.

People trust people like themselves.
People resonate with different people.

So using your authentic voice, talking about your lived experience, and sharing your unique expertise is the reason someone trusts you, follows you, and listens to you.

If you're looking to be more visible, get more opportunities, and accelerate your success in 2026, you gotta listen to this episode 😀

Thanks for hosting a great conversation Wednesday Women!

Hear the full conversation: https://lnkd.in/e-BwQmxb

Join my Stanford class, starting on Jan. 26: https://lnkd.in/eCe697Zx

Buy "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI": https://amzn.to/4jqaKDW

Got big goals in 2026? 

I joined Erica Anderson Rooney to talk about my career journey, and I gave some SPICY takes:

♟️Chess vs. Checkers promotion advice

☑️ Minimum Viable Action (MVA)

💡The trouble with "bright" girls

✨ The real pitfalls of perfection

This episode tackles a few more personal issues than my usual fare, so if you want a candid conversation to kick off the New Year, I gotchu 😎

Listen to the full episode: https://lnkd.in/eMp-UCs5

Exercises to help you speak confidently: https://lnkd.in/e8wvrZpD

Grab my book, "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI": https://amzn.to/3YjquAk

"But what if they build a personal brand and then leave!?!"

🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

This is common pushback on not only allowing employees to share their insights, speak on podcasts, build a following on LinkedIn, etc., but encouraging and enabling them to do this.

The ironic part is that these statements are usually sitting alongside a mandate to "get the employees sharing company content on social media"!

Here's the thing: NOBODY wants the soulless company content 😬

Not the employee you're nagging to share it.
Not the viewer scrolling the feed.
And frankly, not even most of your users.

People want to hear from people, which means helping your employees share in their unique voice is a much better approach, all the way around.

And yes, some employees will attract recruiters and brand collabs and advisor offers, such that they might just decide to leave your company.

But the valley is small, and careers are long!

These former employees might become customers, partners, investors, or brand champions... there's so many ways to exchange value 🙌

And in the age of AI?
HUMANS are even MORE important!

I covered several related topics in my conversation with Finn Thormeier on The Executive Brand podcast, tune in for more details on:

- Why and how to build internal influencers
- The 4 pillars of thought leadership
- Choosing the "best" B2B creator

Rant: Freakin' LinkedIn, you are BUGGY!! Pull yourself together!!

I've noticed that when I schedule posts, they often show up wonky.

It un-tags accounts that I at-mention.

It replaces images and videos with link previews.

The formatting in generally is just not what it looks like in the preview.

But apparently, now it's DOUBLE POSTING content?!?!

I schedule a post, went to "post now" and fixed the issues noted above, and then published... only to find that it apparently posted the same content, but with the mistakes, later in the day.

WHHHHYYYY!?!?

I didn't catch it in time to delete the rogue post, so I figured I'd ask if anyone else is seeing this janky behavior.

It's VERY frustrating.

I'm using native features and trying to follow whatever stupid rules the algorithm randomly enforces.

But good grief.

FIX THE BUGS.

/rant

"All effective marketing is human-centered. While we're busy being distracted with shortcuts, Faus helps us refocus on what matters." ― Seth Godin, Author “This is Marketing”

"Trust is under siege from nearly every angle. Yet marketers like you and me want (need!) to build trust with our audiences. The question is... How? Ashley draws you a map." ― Ann Handley, best-selling author and Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs

"Most of the go-to playbooks are outdated, but it's hard to find a replacement for stale marketing practices. Ashley constructed a powerful new set of frameworks, along with practical advice and real-world examples. "Human-Centered Marketing" brings us back to what actually matters: the people behind the screen." ― Nancy Duarte, best-selling author and CEO of Duarte, Inc.

If you've been on the fence about grabbing a copy of my award-winning book, "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI", this is the perfect time to buy 😀

On Wednesdays, we keynote 💃

Honored to present keynote session at B2B Marketing Exchange with ADWEEK, talking about human-centered marketing!

Grab your tickets with special pricing through Feb. 16, and yes, you CAN sit with us 😎

"Don't panic, bring a towel."

We're going on an adventure!

Join me on January 14 to talk about the B2B creators you need in your galaxy this year.

I'm talking with Nadia Davis, MBA from CaliberMind about how to:

👩‍🚀 Find the RIGHT voices for your marketing mix

🚀 Build a thought leadership program that delivers the RIGHT outcomes

💫 Measure the RIGHT metrics across B2B creators

Register for free: https://lnkd.in/eYsKtvYN

taplio

The Battle

Richard van der Blom

Ashley Faus

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreRichard van der Blom's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAshley Faus's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Richard van der Blom

Ashley Faus

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Richard van der Blom's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAshley Faus's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreRichard van der Blom's LinkedIn Performance