LinkedIn Commenting: The New Cold Outreach for 2026 (that actually warms)

“I had two prospect calls on my calendar that came as a result of LinkedIn! Interestingly enough, they weren’t from the over 300 DMs I’ve paid a media company to do on my behalf, but from two thoughtful comments I’ve left on posts that led two people to reach out to me to talk about how I can help.” — a member in my private business owner community

No, this isn’t hyperbole. And if you spend any time recruiting on LinkedIn, you know why. In 2026, spray-and-pray InMails and direct messages feel like pop-up ads in a law library. Lawyers are busy, skeptical, and wary of canned outreach. Meanwhile, thoughtful public comments are quietly doing what DMs can’t: earning attention and trust in full view of the exact people you’re trying to reach.

Why are comments so important to LinkedIn?

1. Comments help impressions.
LinkedIn increasingly rewards posts that spark real conversations. When a thread gets replies and people save or share it, the post stays visible longer. That means your name (and comment) will continue to be seen, far beyond the initial hour a post is live. The latest independent data show saves and reposts drive the longest rediscovery—comments are the spark that creates those saves and shares.

2. Comments create public accountability (the good kind).
A comment is visible to the poster and their network. When you add a specific observation or mini-example, people respond, and that back-and-forth tells LinkedIn, “this is useful,” so the thread gets shown to more people over more time (“resurfacing”). Independent algorithm analysis even identifies a “Golden Window”: the first ~90 minutes of a post, during which replies and depth increase the odds that the post (and your comment) will travel farther.

3. Comments warm people, so DMs actually get answered.
Cold InMail is easy to ignore. A DM that follows a helpful, visible comment? Much harder to dismiss. You’re no longer an unknown recruiter—you’re the person who added value in public.

4. The magic: “dwell time.”
Platforms watch how long people stick around on a post and its comments. If readers slow down, expand, or return to a thread, LinkedIn interprets it as “worth people’s time.” Comments that spark real reading and replies increase that stick-around time—and, in turn, distribution. (i.e., more useful reading time = more reach). And posts that get saved for later (think: a salary band chart) are even more likely to keep resurfacing.

Best commenting practices

Your challenge: many attorneys you want to place don’t post much (sigh). So, you’ll comment where they already look—on firm pages, practice group leaders, client companies, bar associations, legal media, and GC/AGC voices.

1. Curate your feed

• Follow what your candidates follow. Track their firms, key clients in their industry niche, practice area publications, the local and specialty bar, courts/AG offices, and the GCs they admire. You’re building a radar.
• Aim for 8–12 meaningful comments per day across 4–7 distinct profiles. This keeps you visible in multiple “clusters” (law firm, in-house, industry). Avoid cookie-cutter comments, though. LinkedIn downgrades “template-y” patterns.

2. Leave thoughtful comments (short, specific, uncopiable)

• Think “mini memo,” not fluff. Comments should be 35–120 words. Make one point, add one micro-example (deal type, jurisdiction, common snag), and, if appropriate, ask one question a lawyer would respect. Remember, generic praise and templated phrasing correlate with fewer replies and even temporary visibility suppression, as LinkedIn wants to curb superficial conversation.

3. Work the timing.

• Golden Window (0–90 min around the time you post): respond quickly when people reply to you.
• Prime before you post: 15–45 minutes before your own content goes live, add 3–5 thoughtful comments on related threads (e.g., AmLaw news, client updates).
• Sustain after you post: in the next 30–90 minutes, add 3–4 more high-value comments on adjacent posts.

4. Use context, not link dumps.

• If you reference a salary report or lateral trend, explain why it matters in the comment, then share the link in a threaded reply if someone asks. This framing is performing better than bare links.

5. Avoid automation tells.

• “Great post!” + rocket emojis + identical cadence across threads = flagged patterns and suppressed reach. And for the love of all that is good in this world, don’t use AI commenting tools. You will find yourself suppressed and maybe even banned (LinkedIn has been very, very public about penalizing those using AI to comment.)

“But my target lawyers never post. How do I comment?”

6. Comment around them:

• Their firms. Partner promotions, matter wins (public), new offices, DEI, or pro bono updates. Add a recruiter’s POV.
• Their clients. If your candidate pool skews life sciences, comment on FDA updates or client announcements (without revealing anything confidential). You’ll be seen by the attorneys who follow those companies.
• Their practice community. ABA sections, state/local bar groups, legal tech vendors (eDiscovery, CLM), and respected journalists.
• Their leadership. Managing partners, practice chairs, GC/AGC posts. Be helpful, not salesy.
• Associations that you’re in and they’re in. NALSC is a great and easy place to start. The page often posts research about things like comp and performance review, which is great information to highlight and create a dialogue around.
• Company posts travel further when people (not logos) show up. If your recruiting team has a company page, know that employee comments within 60 minutes can materially lift visibility. Comment as people first.

Bonus format to pair with your comments:

Document posts:
Checklists and one-pagers get longer read time and high save rates (both strong signals). Consider a quarterly “Laterals & Salary Bands: [Practice + Market]” PDF—then reference it in comments when relevant.

“Thoughtful public comments are quietly doing what DMs can’t: earning attention and trust in full view of the exact people you’re trying to reach.”

After you’ve warmed people in the comments, you can transition to direct messaging; Public first, private second is the conversion path for 2026. Here’s a clean handoff between commenting and direct messaging:

1. Anchor value in public.
“Happy to share a one-pager with 2024-2026 comp ranges we’re seeing for mid-level PE M&A in NYC—can DM if useful.” Now you’re helpful and visible. (Also: “save-worthy” PDFs tend to resurface later.)

2. Send a context-first DM.
“Following up on your comment about fund formation headcount—here’s a 3-line snapshot we’re seeing (band, signing bonus, busiest funds). If helpful, I can share 10 anonymized move patterns from the last 90 days.”

3. Ask a binary with “why.”
It increases reply odds and gives you signal without pressure: “If you had to choose for 2026—x or y—what matters more right now, and why”

4. Keep compliance in mind (duh).
No confidential matters, no pressure, no claims of guaranteed outcomes. (The platform is also testing credibility/consistency signals; conversational, human tone performs better than corporate boilerplate.)

A simple weekly routine for legal recruiters

• Daily (20–30 min): Make 8–12 comments across firm pages, legal media, GC posts, and client companies. Mix practice areas you actually place in.
• Thursday: Circle back to your highest-performing thread and add a follow-up question to extend its life into the weekend. (Multi-day threads = more resurfacing.)

The bottom line (and why this beats cold InMail)

If you want more replies from busy attorneys, earn attention in public first. Short, specific comments drive reading time, replies, and saves—signals that keep your name in circulation. Then your DMs feel like a continuation of a conversation, not an interruption. And yes, the platform rewards this behavior: comments that seed saves/reposts extend visibility; a human, conversational tone lifts the comment rate; and templated, automated behavior gets suppressed.

Treat comments like micro-articles. Make them uncopiable. Show your market insight. Then move warm conversations to the inbox—with consent, context, and clarity.

Selective findings referenced from Richard van der Blom’s Algorithm InSights — October 2025 Update (saves/reposts as accelerators; document post performance; “Golden Window”; suppression of templated comments; tone effects).

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