LinkedIn posts can disappear for a variety of reasons. The most common reasons are that the post was deleted by the author, removed for violating LinkedIn’s policies, or set to expire after a certain period of time.
Posts Deleted by Author
The original poster can delete their own LinkedIn post at any time. When they do this, the post is removed from their profile and will no longer appear in the feeds of their connections. There are a few reasons an author may decide to delete a post:
- They no longer want the content public
- The post contained incorrect or outdated information
- The post did not get the engagement or reaction they expected
- They want to repost the content with edits or improvements
LinkedIn does not send a notification when someone deletes a post you commented on or engaged with. The post will simply disappear from your feed. You may still get an email notification if you commented on the post before it was deleted.
Posts Removed for Violating Policies
LinkedIn will remove posts that violate their Professional Community Policies. This includes content that is harassing, discriminatory, misleading, or unlawful. Examples of posts that may get removed include:
- Abusive or offensive language
- Hate speech
- Bullying or harassment
- Private or confidential information
- Spam or repetitive content
- False or misleading information
If LinkedIn finds your post goes against their guidelines, the post will be removed from your profile. You will get an email from LinkedIn informing you that the content was taken down for violating their policies.
Posts Set to Expire
When sharing an update on LinkedIn, you have the option to set an expiration date. This allows you to share time-sensitive updates that you want to automatically disappear after a certain date.
Common uses of expiring posts include:
- Job listings with a specific application deadline
- Event promotions and registrations
- Contests or giveaways
- Sales and promotions for a limited time
Once the expiration date passes, the post will be automatically removed from your profile and will disappear from the feeds of your connections.
Other Possible Reasons for Disappearing Posts
In some cases, posts may seem to vanish for reasons unrelated to the author deleting them or violating policies. Here are a few other possibilities:
- Link Rot: If the post contained a link that is now broken or redirected, LinkedIn may remove the post.
- Blocking: If you block someone, their posts will disappear from your feed.
- Unfollowing: If you unfollow someone, their posts will no longer show up in your feed.
- Feed Algorithm: LinkedIn curates feeds based on relevance. Less engaging posts may not appear at the top.
- Expired Licenses: Some content like videos or slides may get removed if licensing expires.
How to Tell if a Post Was Deleted
There is no notification sent when a post you engaged with gets deleted. But there are a few clues that can help you figure out a post has likely been removed:
- The post disappears from your feed or notifications.
- Any comments you made on the post are no longer visible.
- The post does not appear on the author’s profile.
- You stop receiving notifications for future comments on that post.
If you notice a post seems to be gone without explanation, check if you can still see it on the author’s profile. If not, it was likely deleted by them or removed by LinkedIn.
What Happens When a Post is Deleted
When a LinkedIn post is deleted or removed:
- The original post is no longer visible to anyone.
- Any comments, reactions, or shares are also removed.
- The post will not appear in Google search results.
- Links contained in the post will no longer redirect to the post.
- Any insights data for the post is deleted.
Essentially, deleting a post wipes its existence from LinkedIn. However, anyone who engaged with the post before it was removed may have received email notifications or made screenshots that still contain pieces of the content.
Can You Retrieve a Deleted Post?
In most cases, once a LinkedIn post has been deleted either by the author or by LinkedIn, it is gone permanently. There are a couple of options to try recovering deleted content:
- Email Notifications: Check your email for any notifications you received about the post. These may contain some of the text.
- Google Cache: See if there is a cached version still available in Google search results.
- Wayback Machine: The Wayback Machine may have archived an older copy of the post.
However, these methods are not foolproof. If the post was never indexed by search engines before deletion, there may be no record of it.
How to Minimize Disappearing Posts
While post removal is sometimes necessary, you can minimize the chances of your content unexpectedly vanishing with these tips:
- Carefully review LinkedIn’s policies before posting.
- Avoid clickbait titles or exaggeration that could be reported.
- Make sure to follow any copyright or legal guidelines if using third-party material.
- Keep your posts professional and appropriate for your industry.
- Turn off post expiration dates unless necessary.
- Export or save important posts so you have a backup copy.
Paying close attention to what you share can help reduce the likelihood of your posts being flagged or deleted down the line.
What to Do If Your Post is Deleted
If LinkedIn removes one of your posts, here are some things you can do:
- Review LinkedIn’s notice to understand why it was deleted.
- Edit the post to comply with policies if possible and repost.
- Appeal the decision if you believe it was a mistake.
- Avoid reposting the same content if it clearly violated the rules.
- Ask connections to recover cached or archived versions if necessary.
- Repost your content on other platforms where relevant.
With a deleted post, focus on learning from the experience and moving forward. In most cases, the content can be adjusted or repurposed to comply with LinkedIn’s guidelines.
Key Takeaways
- LinkedIn posts can disappear because the author deletes them, LinkedIn removes them for violations, or expiration dates pass.
- Look for clues like missing comments or lack of notifications to identify deleted posts.
- Deleted posts are permanently removed from LinkedIn and search indexes.
- Minimize deletions by posting valuable content that follows LinkedIn’s policies.
- If your post gets deleted, learn from it and consider reposting compliant content.