LinkedIn Reach Is Falling, but Dan Sherrard-Smith Says Client Growth Is Still Possible

In a recent LinkedIn post, Dan Sherrard-Smith discusses a sharp decline in reach on the platform and how his business has adapted to keep finding clients. This article reports on Sherrard-Smith’s post and analysis; it is not written by him.

“I’ve racked up north of 30 million impressions. With some weeks hitting 1m. This week…I’ll get to 40k.”

Sherrard-Smith, who says LinkedIn helped build his business, describes a downturn that he believes is shared by creators with substantial audiences. He recounts speaking with founders and other users who reported weak performance soon after publishing. One, he writes, saw “679 views” within an hour despite having more than 200,000 followers.

A reach decline that could drive creators away

According to Sherrard-Smith, the drop is not an isolated frustration. He says he heard similar accounts from hundreds of people over a two-week period, and warns that some prominent creators are considering leaving. His post frames that prospect as a business concern for LinkedIn: creators who bring audiences and expertise to the platform may take their work elsewhere if distribution continues to weaken.

Sherrard-Smith also acknowledges that reducing reach could filter out content he considers low quality, including “AI slop,” humble bragging and vacuous leadership posts. But he argues that LinkedIn still gives genuine leaders and experts a way to reach thousands of people. The challenge, in his view, is preserving that opportunity while the platform’s distribution feels less predictable.

Turning attention into client opportunities

Rather than treating impressions as the only measure of LinkedIn’s value, Sherrard-Smith says his team has changed how it uses the platform. He reports that adapting to lower reach has produced more business opportunities for his company than before. The post does not detail the methods, but presents the result as evidence that weak distribution does not necessarily prevent client acquisition.

“Even with a crap LinkedIn algorithm, it’s still possible to find and close clients through the platform.”

That distinction is central to his argument: audience visibility and commercial results are related, but they are not identical. A post may attract fewer views while LinkedIn activity still helps a business identify prospects and build relationships. Sherrard-Smith’s account is a personal report, rather than platform-wide performance data, but it offers a practical counterpoint to judging success by impressions alone.

A business system offered as a follow-up

Sherrard-Smith says he and his co-founder, Julia Kotula, have shared a free recording describing what they call their “complete $2M system for getting clients from LinkedIn in 2027.” That offer gives readers a next step, while also positioning the post as promotion for a resource. Its headline claim is not explained in the post itself, so readers would need to consult the recording to assess the system and its results.

For now, Sherrard-Smith’s broader message is that creators may have reason to worry about declining reach, while businesses can still find value in LinkedIn by focusing on client opportunities. His post asks readers to look beyond visibility and consider what the platform continues to make possible.