LinkedIn says it is dialing back distribution of generic AI content. If your post reads like a template, expect a smaller room.
On May 20, 2026, LinkedIn News executive editor Laura Lorenzetti wrote a blunt update about what the platform calls “AI slop” and what they are doing about it. Source.
The headline for marketers is simple. If your content sounds polished but says nothing, LinkedIn says it is less likely to be distributed beyond your immediate network. They also claim they are identifying generic content correctly 94% of the time in early testing. Source.
What LinkedIn is trying to kill
This is not a grammar war. It is a substance war.
- Automation tool spam. The kind that cranks out comments at scale.
- Replies that say nothing new. The “restate the post and nod politely” special.
- Posts with no clear perspective. Smooth sentences. Zero point of view.
Those examples are straight from LinkedIn’s own description of what they are targeting. Source.
If your post could be pasted into any industry, it is probably getting weaker reach.
The fix: write like you have done the work
Pick one real situation. Add one real detail. Make one clear point. Then hit publish.
- Start with a messy, specific moment. A client question. A bad report. A sales call that went sideways. A proposal that died.
- Show one receipt. A number, a screenshot, a before/after, a process change. Proof beats adjectives. Use this framework: Case Studies That Close Deals.
- Make a decision. What you changed, cut, simplified, or stopped doing.
- Keep it short. One point. One punch. No throat clearing.
- Ask a grown-up question. Not engagement bait. A question that would matter to a buyer or an operator.
A copy/paste post template (that won’t embarrass you)
Steal this structure. Replace the brackets. Keep the bluntness.
- What happened: [One sentence. The situation.]
- What was surprising: [One sentence. The detail most people miss.]
- What we changed: [One to two sentences. The decision.]
- What you can steal: [Two to three bullets. Specific actions.]
- Question: [One sentence. Invite real replies.]
Examples of “specific” that do not violate client confidentiality
- “We cut our intake form from 17 fields to 6. Form completion went up and lead quality stayed the same.”
- “We stopped asking people to download PDFs. We moved the proof onto one page and added a single next step.”
- “We changed our UTM rules so reporting stopped lying. Here is the naming convention.” (Start here: UTMs Without the Tears.)
If you use AI to help you write, do this
LinkedIn is not banning AI. LinkedIn is shipping generative AI writing tools of its own. Source.
Use AI like a line editor. Not like a personality transplant.
- Draft the post in your own words. Ugly is fine.
- Ask AI to cut fluff and tighten sentences. Tell it to preserve your tone.
- Add one detail AI could not know: a number, a lesson from a real meeting, a specific tradeoff.
- Read it out loud once. If it sounds like a corporate spokesperson, rewrite it.
A two-minute audit before you hit publish
- Could this post be swapped into a different industry with zero edits?
- Is there one clear point, or is it a pile of vaguely true sentences?
- Did you include a concrete detail that proves you were there?
- Are you asking for a business outcome, or just applause?
- Would a serious buyer learn something, or just nod politely?
Where SigServe fits
Most “thought leadership” fails for one reason. No proof. No point of view. No system.
If you want LinkedIn content that sounds human and sells without acting desperate, start with this: Thought Leadership for Professional Services Firms That Refuse to Sound Like Soup. If you want help building the voice, the proof assets, and the publishing cadence, it lives under Brand Strategy & Content.
Want LinkedIn posts that sound like you?
We can help you build a voice, a proof library, and a posting system that does not rely on hype.