Jeff Bullas

It can be very concerning when you notice a sudden drop in your TikTok account’s performance. It is important to distinguish between an official, temporary suspension and what the community refers to as a “shadowban,” as they have different characteristics.

First, let us consider an official temporary suspension. If TikTok has formally suspended your account or restricted certain features (like posting or commenting), they will almost always provide you with a notification that includes the specific duration of the restriction. This can range from 24 or 48 hours for minor infractions, up to a week or even longer for more serious or repeated violations of their Community Guidelines. In this case, the timeframe is clearly defined by the platform.

Second, there is the concept of a “shadowban.” It is important to know that TikTok does not officially acknowledge this term. It is a phrase used by creators to describe a perceived, unofficial suppression of their content’s reach, particularly on the “For You” page. Because it is not an official action, there is no set or predictable timeframe for how long it might last.

However, based on a large volume of creator experiences, this period of significantly reduced reach can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. A commonly reported duration seems to be around 14 days. The length likely depends on the severity of the perceived violation that triggered the suppression and your account’s overall history.

If you suspect your reach has been limited, the recommended course of action is to first review your recent content. Carefully check for and delete any videos that you suspect might push the boundaries of or violate TikTok’s Community Guidelines. This could be content with sensitive themes, questionable audio, or hashtags that may have been banned.

After cleaning up your content, some creators find it beneficial to take a short break from posting, perhaps for two to three days, to allow the system time to reset. When you do resume posting, you should focus on creating high-quality, original content that is clearly in line with all community standards to send positive signals to the algorithm.

In summary, an official suspension will come with a stated duration from TikTok. A “shadowban,” or a period of suppressed reach, is more unpredictable but often seems to last for about two weeks. The best way to recover is to remove any potentially problematic content and focus on creating safe, high-value videos moving forward.

Cheers,

Jeff

While podcast analytics can seem overwhelming, focusing your attention on a few key statistics will give you the most actionable insights into your audience’s behaviour and your content’s performance.

First, while Total Downloads per episode is the traditional industry metric, it is most useful when viewed as a trend. Specifically, you should track the number of downloads an episode receives within its first 30 days. This gives you a consistent benchmark to compare episode performance and to track your show’s overall growth over time.

Second, and arguably one of the most important metrics for improving your content, is Audience Retention or consumption. Platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify provide this data directly. It shows you, on average, what percentage of your episode people listen to and, critically, at what points they stop listening. Analysing these drop-off points can help you identify segments of your show that are not engaging your audience. A high audience retention rate is one of the strongest indicators of high-quality, compelling content.

Third, you should pay close attention to your Listener Demographics. Understanding the geographic location (top cities and countries), age, and gender of your audience is invaluable. This information helps you tailor your content to be more relevant and is also essential information if you ever plan to seek out advertisers or sponsors.

Fourth, track the growth of your Followers or Subscribers on the listening platforms. While downloads measure the popularity of individual episodes, your total number of followers indicates the size of your loyal, core audience that has chosen to be notified of new episodes. Consistent growth in your follower count is a key sign of a healthy, growing podcast.

Fifth, regularly review your Top Episodes. By identifying which episodes have the most downloads over time, you can get a clear understanding of which topics, guests, or formats resonate most strongly with your audience. You can then use this insight to create more of what works.

And sixth, look at the Listening Apps and Devices your audience uses. Knowing whether the majority of your audience listens on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or another platform can help you focus your marketing efforts, such as where you ask for ratings and reviews.

To summarise, for a complete picture of your podcast’s performance, you need to look beyond just the total download number. Focus on audience retention to understand your content quality, listener demographics to understand who your audience is, and follower growth to measure the health of your community. These metrics will provide you with the most actionable insights.

Cheers,

Jeff

This is one of the most common questions new podcasters ask, and it is important to set realistic expectations. What is considered a “good” number depends on whether your podcast is primarily audio-based or video-based, as the key metrics are different.

First, for a traditional audio-only podcast, the standard industry metric is downloads per episode within the first 30 days of its release. Looking at recent industry data for 2025, if your new episode gets more than approximately 38 downloads in its first 30 days, you are already performing better than the median podcast. If you can achieve over 145 downloads per episode in that same timeframe, you are typically moving into the top 25% of all podcasts, which is a very strong start. Reaching over 620 downloads would place you in the top 10%.

However, it is also important to recognise that the way we measure podcast success has expanded beyond just downloads, especially with the rise of video.

For podcasts that are published as video on platforms like YouTube or Spotify, the primary metric is often “views,” not downloads. In this context, success is measured just like any other video content, by looking at view count, audience retention, and total watch time. A “good” number of views for a new video podcast would be benchmarked against other new video content in your specific niche, rather than against audio download numbers.

Furthermore, another key metric that applies across all platforms is the growth of your followers or subscribers. While not a direct measure of listenership for a single episode, a steadily growing follower count on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your YouTube channel indicates that you are successfully building a loyal and retained audience. For any new show, tracking the growth of this subscriber base is a crucial indicator of its long-term health and potential.

Regardless of the format, your niche matters greatly. A highly specialised podcast might have smaller numbers, but a more valuable and engaged audience.

Therefore, for a new podcast, the most important metric to focus on is the trend over time. Are your average downloads, views, or your total number of followers consistently increasing from one month to the next? This shows you are finding your audience and that your content is resonating. Avoid comparing your new show’s numbers to those of established, famous podcasts.

In summary, for a new audio podcast, getting over 145 downloads per episode within the first month is a very strong start. For a video podcast, you would measure success in views against other video content. But for any new show, the truest indicator of success is the consistent, month-over-month growth of your key metrics, whichever they may be.

Cheers,

Jeff

The type of content that performs best on a LinkedIn Company Page versus a personal profile differs significantly because their fundamental purposes, and how the LinkedIn algorithm tends to treat them, are not the same.

First, let us look at a personal profile. Content here performs best when it is authentic and builds a direct connection with your network. People on LinkedIn are primarily there to connect with other people. Therefore, effective content from a personal profile often includes personal stories that relate to a professional lesson, strong, unique opinions on industry trends, and posts that showcase your individual expertise and personality. The tone can and should be more conversational. It is a well-observed trend that posts from personal profiles generally receive far greater organic reach and engagement than posts from Company Pages because the algorithm tends to prioritise person-to-person interaction.

Second, for a Company Page, the content strategy should be focused on building the brand’s authority, showcasing its culture, and providing value to its broader target audience, which includes potential customers, partners, and future employees. The best performing content here often includes official company news and major milestones, employee spotlights that highlight your company culture, valuable industry resources such as white papers, case studies, or data reports, and high-quality video content that showcases your products, services, or company values. The tone is generally more official and aligned with the brand’s voice, but it should always aim to be helpful and informative rather than purely promotional.

A key distinction in performance is that it is much more challenging to get high organic reach directly from a Company Page. This is why a successful strategy requires leveraging the reach of personal profiles.

The most effective approach involves using both in tandem. The Company Page should act as the central hub for the brand’s official content and announcements. Then, key people within the company, such as leaders, subject matter experts, and other employees, should be encouraged to share that content from their personal profiles, adding their own individual commentary. This strategy combines the authority of the company brand with the significantly greater reach and authenticity of the personal network.

In summary, for your personal profile, focus on authentic, opinion-driven, and story-based content that builds your individual thought leadership. For your Company Page, focus on content that establishes the brand’s authority and showcases its culture, and then actively encourage employee advocacy to amplify that message.

Cheers,

Jeff

Writing a good LinkedIn Recommendation is a valuable professional courtesy, and a well-structured, specific recommendation can be a significant asset for the recipient’s profile.

The most effective recommendations follow a clear and logical structure. First, you should start with a strong opening statement that immediately grabs the reader’s attention. This should be a concise, positive declaration of your recommendation and should also state your professional relationship to the person. For example, “I had the pleasure of managing David directly for three years at ABC Company, and he is without a doubt one of the most skilled project managers I have worked with.”

Second, you need to provide specific context about your working relationship. Briefly explain how you know the person and in what capacity you worked together. This gives your recommendation credibility and a foundation for the points you are about to make.

Third, and this is the most important part, you should highlight two or three specific skills or key strengths and provide a brief example for at least one of them. Do not just list generic qualities like “hard worker” or “team player.” Instead, show that quality in action. For instance, you could write, “Her ability to analyse complex data and present it clearly to stakeholders was instrumental in the success of our quarterly reporting. She has an exceptional eye for detail.” Using specific examples makes the recommendation far more powerful and believable.

Fourth, if appropriate, you can add a brief comment on their positive personality traits or work ethic. Mentioning that they were a reliable team member, had a great attitude, or were excellent at mentoring junior staff can add a valuable human element to the professional endorsement.

And fifth, you should conclude with a clear and confident closing statement. This should be a final, strong endorsement of the person. A good closing might be, “Any team would be lucky to have Sarah, and I would welcome the opportunity to work with her again,” or “I highly recommend Maria for any senior marketing role.”

A few general tips are to keep the recommendation concise and focused, typically around three to five well-written sentences. Be honest and genuine in your praise; only write a recommendation if you can do so positively and authentically. And finally, always proofread your text for any spelling or grammatical errors before you submit it.

In summary, a great recommendation has a clear opening, provides context, uses specific examples to highlight key strengths, and finishes with a strong, unambiguous endorsement.

Cheers,

Jeff

LinkedIn Polls are a highly effective tool for driving engagement because they provide a very low-friction way for your network to interact with your content. To use them effectively, however, you need to have a clear purpose for each poll you create.

There are several best practices to follow. First, you should ask relevant and thought-provoking questions. The question should be directly related to your industry, your audience’s professional interests, or a current trend. The goal is to spark curiosity and encourage people to weigh in with their opinion. Avoid questions that are overly simplistic or have an obvious answer.

Second, provide balanced and clear poll options. Limit your options to a maximum of four, and ensure they are distinct and easy to understand. It can sometimes be a good tactic to include a neutral option like “Just here for the results” or “Other (comment below),” as this can increase overall participation from those who do not have a strong opinion on the other choices.

Third, you must add your own context in the post’s text. Do not just post the poll question on its own. Use the text area of the post to provide a brief background for why you are asking the question. You can share your own perspective to kick off the discussion or state that you will share your detailed thoughts after the poll closes. This encourages comments beyond just a simple vote.

Fourth, you need to actively engage in the comments section. As people vote and leave comments explaining their choice, you should reply to them and help foster a discussion. This shows that you are genuinely interested in the conversation, which will encourage more people to participate.

Fifth, and this is a crucial step that many people miss, you must follow up after the poll concludes. You should create a new post, or at the very least a detailed comment on the original poll, to share and analyse the results. Offer your insights on why you think the results turned out the way they did, thank your network for participating, and pose a new question to continue the conversation. This closes the loop and demonstrates that their participation was valuable.

And sixth, you can use the poll results to inform your future content strategy. The data you gather is valuable market research. You can use the results and the discussions in the comments to inspire the topic of your next article, video, or in-depth post, directly addressing the subject your audience has shown a clear interest in.

The key to using LinkedIn Polls effectively is to treat them as conversation starters and a research tool, not just as a one-off gimmick.

Cheers,

Jeff

LinkedIn’s Creator Mode is a profile setting designed specifically for members who aim to build a following and establish their voice by regularly sharing content. Whether you should turn it on depends entirely on how you want to use the platform.

There are several key benefits, or pros, to enabling Creator Mode. First, it changes the primary call-to-action button on your profile from “Connect” to “Follow.” This immediately signals to visitors that you are focused on building an audience for your content, rather than just collecting direct connections. Your follower count is also displayed prominently in your profile introduction.

Second, it allows you to select and showcase up to five “Topics” you talk about, which appear as hashtags directly under your headline. This provides instant clarity to visitors about your areas of expertise.

Third, it reorders your profile to place a greater emphasis on your content. Your “Featured” and “Activity” sections are moved higher up your profile, prioritising what you create and share over your past work experience.

And fourth, it gives you access to enhanced creator analytics and tools. This includes more detailed insights into your content’s performance and your audience growth, which can help you refine your content strategy. It can also make you eligible for other creator-focused features like LinkedIn Live and Newsletters, once you meet the specific criteria for those.

However, there are also some considerations, or cons. The main one is that by changing your primary button to “Follow,” it makes it slightly less direct for someone to send you a connection request. They must click the “More” button on your profile to find the “Connect” option. This might be a disadvantage if your primary goal on LinkedIn is one-to-one networking with a specific set of people, rather than broad content distribution. The profile layout change also de-emphasises your “About” section slightly, which might not be ideal if you use LinkedIn primarily as a static resume.

Creator Mode is ideal for individuals who see themselves as thought leaders, industry experts, consultants, coaches, or any professional who regularly creates content like articles, videos, and posts with the goal of building a community and influence.

If your primary use of LinkedIn is for direct, private networking, targeted sales prospecting where you need to connect first, or as a more traditional online resume, the standard profile mode might remain more suitable for your needs. You can turn Creator Mode on or off at any time in your profile settings if you wish to experiment with it.

Cheers,

Jeff

The approach to using hashtags on LinkedIn is quite different from other social media platforms. On LinkedIn, the consensus and widely accepted best practice lean heavily towards using a smaller number of highly relevant hashtags.

The general recommendation from both LinkedIn itself and from marketing experts is to use between three and five hashtags per post. This range is considered the sweet spot. Using more than five can start to look cluttered or spammy to a professional audience and may not provide any significant additional benefit in terms of reach. In some cases, using too many irrelevant tags could even dilute the focus of your post for the algorithm.

The strategy for choosing these few hashtags is also important. First, you should aim for a mix of broader and more niche tags. For instance, you might use one or two broad, high-volume hashtags that are relevant to your overall industry (such as #leadership or #digitalmarketing) to expose your post to a wider audience.

Second, you should then use another two or three specific, niche hashtags that are directly related to the exact topic of your post (such as #contentstrategy or #b2bprospecting). These help you connect with a more targeted and often more engaged audience that is actively following or searching for that specific subject matter.

Third, you might also consider consistently including one branded hashtag for your personal brand or company (for example, #YourCompanyNameUpdates) to categorise your own content and make it easily searchable.

To assist with this process of selecting the right mix of hashtags, my team has put together a free ‘LinkedIn Hashtag Checklist’ you can use. You can find it at https://www.jeffbullas.com/docs/linkedin-hashtag-checklist/.

These hashtags can be placed at the end of your post for a clean look, or they can be woven naturally into the sentences of your post itself if it makes sense and reads well.

The reason fewer hashtags are more effective on LinkedIn is that the platform’s professional audience generally responds better to clean, focused, and uncluttered content. A long list of hashtags can appear unprofessional and detract from the core message of your post. The algorithm is designed to prioritise the quality of the content and the relevance of the discussion, with hashtags serving as a supporting tool for categorisation and discovery, not the primary driver of reach.

In summary, the best practice for LinkedIn is to use between three and five highly relevant hashtags per post. Focus on a strategic mix of broad and niche tags, and avoid the “more is better” approach that is common on other platforms.

Cheers,

Jeff