I don’t know the algorithm because I don’t work there but I have devoted a good amount of time to studying LinkedIn and in my observation, it’s a lot easier if you really think about how LinkedIn works. Everyone focuses so much on getting the perfect image, posting at precisely the right time, using the right words. Here’s what matters even more than any of those factors:

The people who are following you

Guess why!

Because all LinkedIn reeeeeealy cares about is who gets the most engagement. They don’t care who the smartest is, who has the best postings, when you post. All that matters is that when you post something, a certain number of people like and comment within a certain timeframe.

Only include people in your network who value you because that is going to set you up for better results. The people are what is going to make you successful or not.

How do I block someone on LinkedIn?

Here are the steps you take if you want to block a loser out of your life on LinkedIn.

#1 Go to the person’s profile page.

#2 Go to the “more” button and click it.

#3 Scroll down to “report/block” and highlight it, then release.

Here’s a picture that shows an example of how LinkedIn blocking works.

Should you block your old boss, coworkers or other people you aren’t on the best terms with on LinkedIn?

Think of LinkedIn like this. You’re throwing a party online. You decide who gets invited and who gets stopped at the door.

Who you have at your party determines the quality of the engagement between the attendees, right? Have you ever had someone at the party that maybe didn’t say anything but just because they were there you were kinda uncomfortable? Like your ex-boyfriend or something? Even if they only looked at you occasionally, their presence was enough to make you uneasy.

You don’t need this stress. It’s YOUR party.

This is YOUR song.

A lot of you put your heart into your work. Don’t give you heart’s work away to just anyone!

Plus, if you don’t think this person is that cool, why would you want to allow them to interact with the other people following you? You’re building a community here, remember!

Think of it financially. Your postings are an investment of your business time, your capital. You are taking your time to design content that helps other people. If someone hasn’t treated you correctly, they have no right to benefit from your hard work and get the right to devalue your capital.

Only give your business capital away to those who will value it because those are the people most likely to return something of value to you later on down the line.

Do you really need stressful people in your business?

I’m an empathetic person. I think having four kids can do that to you. But I haven’t always been. In the past, I used to turn my back on losers so easily and it’s been to my fault as I’ve become a more understanding and nurturing person that sometimes I am slow to cut people off.

But I have learned to listen to myself when my instincts tell me I am in the presence of a zero.

Having the ability to judge when someone doesn’t care is a critical business skill. On LinkedIn, in your business, and in general just get the negative associations out of your life!

Not just the egregious killers, the ambivalent ones- the people who could take or leave you.
The people who look at you and say “meh.”
The takers.
The two-faced traitors.
The ambivalent ones.
The abandoners.
The leeches.
The ones who blow you off
Should you block your old boss on LinkedIn? Sure! If you had a bad break-up and/or they’re prone to acting like a loser.

Start blocking them on LinkedIn, and then go and get some people who will reciprocate, vouch for you, think of you, voluntarily do things to help you without you even asking because they know that you’d do the same for them, or because they appreciate you.

I have a list of them. I call them “Team Grillo.” They’re my LinkedIn buddies. I help them, and they help me.

But in the process of building Team Grillo, I have been surprised when there were some people who didn’t get it. Surprising, yes, but it became a matter of just crossing that person off the list and replacing the ghoster with a much more valuable person.

You should use Microsoft Excel to keep track of all this.

Who to block on LinkedIn – a checklist!

Cut these people loose!

Ex-clients who didn’t appreciate you. I had one who tried to stiff me on the last bill. Blocked!
Competitors who (kinda) swipe your stuff. I had one guy who ignored my request to start up a conversation on LinkedIn messenger, and then copied my content. But he never got the chance again, because he found himself swiftly blocked.
Trolls who slander you. Healthy conversation is one thing and debates generate activity which is good for the algorithm. But when people start misrepresenting or getting stuff wrong about you because they didn’t take the time to pay attention to what the truth is, that’s not cool.
Cheapskate prospects who have zero intention of hiring you. It’s hard to tell when someone is just taking their time versus freeloading off you. If you get the sense they just want to use your content to do-it-themselves, block them from seeing it.
Deadbeat referral partner. You know my stance on CPAs who never reciprocate the favor – kick them to the curb!
Any ex-colleague, ex-employee, ex-coworker, ex-employer, ex-friend, ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend, or ex-spouse who was a jerk. Like I said, only the cool people get let in to your party.

Blocking on LinkedIn is fabulous, so block, block, and block some more! And laugh at the picture of their face while you’re doing it.

A lot of financial advisors think LinkedIn growth is about adding more people.

More followers.
More connections.
More eyeballs.

Wrong.

Sometimes the fastest way to improve your LinkedIn results is to start blocking people.

And no — I’m not talking about getting blocked. I’m talking about financial advisors strategically blocking the wrong people from their LinkedIn ecosystem.

This matters more than advisors realize because LinkedIn is not just a social platform anymore. It’s a distribution engine. Your audience quality affects your visibility, engagement, authority, and even how AI systems interpret your expertise.

If you’re serious about financial advisor LinkedIn marketing, AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), and SEO, then protecting your audience quality matters.

Why Blocking People on LinkedIn Helps Financial Advisors

Financial advisors often treat LinkedIn like a giant networking event where everyone deserves access.

Nope.

LinkedIn is more like a private dinner party.

Who is in the room affects:

the quality of conversation
the tone of engagement
the type of referrals you attract
whether your posts get traction
whether your content reaches ideal prospects

LinkedIn’s algorithm heavily rewards engagement. The people connected to you determine whether your posts gain momentum or die quietly in the feed.

If your audience is filled with:

trolls
competitors who hate-follow you
spammy salespeople
disengaged connections
bitter former coworkers
people who constantly undermine you

…then you are contaminating your own network.

That impacts visibility.

That impacts lead generation.

That impacts authority.

Financial Advisors Need to Stop Being Afraid to Curate Their Audience

Many advisors are terrified to block people because they think it seems “unprofessional.”

Actually, allowing toxic or low-value people continued access to your business content is what’s irrational.

Your LinkedIn posts are business assets.

You spend time:

writing thoughtful content
recording videos
answering client questions
sharing expertise
building credibility

Why should someone who disrespects you get free access to that intellectual property?

Financial advisors constantly talk about protecting assets.

Your content IS an asset.

Protect it.

Who Financial Advisors Should Consider Blocking on LinkedIn

Here are the biggest categories of people financial advisors should think twice about allowing into their LinkedIn network.

1. Competitors Who Copy Your Content

You know the type.

They never engage.
Never support your work.
Never interact authentically.

But magically, two weeks later, they publish a suspiciously similar post.

Blocking competitors who quietly harvest your ideas can protect your differentiation and brand voice.

Especially if you are building a niche.

Especially if your content is working.

2. Prospects Who Only Want Free Information

There’s a difference between someone nurturing trust and someone draining you.

Some people:

constantly DM questions
consume every post
ask for free analysis
request introductions
book meetings
never hire anyone

Financial advisors need boundaries.

LinkedIn is not a free consulting hotline.

If someone repeatedly extracts value without respecting your time, removing access may be appropriate.

3. Trolls and Negative Commenters

Debate is healthy.

But some people do not want discussion.

They want attention.

And advisors underestimate how much negative engagement changes audience perception.

A hostile comment section can:

reduce trust
discourage ideal prospects from interacting
shift the tone of your brand
psychologically drain you from posting consistently

Consistency matters enormously for both SEO and GEO authority building.

Protecting your energy matters.

4. Former Coworkers or Employers Who Create Stress

A surprising number of financial advisors hold themselves back on LinkedIn because they know certain people are watching.

Old managers.
Former partners.
Former team members.
People from a bad split.

If someone’s mere presence makes you less authentic online, they are costing you visibility and confidence.

Financial advisors win on LinkedIn when they communicate with energy, clarity, and personality — not when they sound filtered and nervous.

5. Spammy Salespeople

Financial advisors are magnets for:

recruiters
wholesalers
lead generation agencies
offshore marketers
SEO cold pitchers
automation tools

Some are legitimate.

Many are parasites.

If someone repeatedly pitches you, clutters your inbox, or pollutes your feed, blocking them improves your LinkedIn experience immediately.

Blocking Improves Your AEO, GEO, and SEO Strategy

This is where most advisors miss the bigger picture.

Modern LinkedIn marketing is no longer just about vanity metrics.

It’s about:

authority
engagement quality
topical relevance
audience alignment
consistent expertise signals

For AEO (Answer Engine Optimization):

cleaner engagement improves content clarity
thoughtful conversations strengthen authority signals
educational discussions increase answer relevance

For GEO (Generative Engine Optimization):

AI systems increasingly reward focused expertise
niche authority matters
audience-topic consistency matters
engagement quality matters

For SEO:

stronger engagement creates more distribution
more distribution creates backlinks, mentions, and visibility
consistent authority builds discoverability

In other words:
bad audience quality weakens your digital authority ecosystem.

Financial Advisors Need to Stop Trying to Appeal to Everyone

Some advisors are terrified that blocking people means “losing opportunities.”

Usually the opposite happens.

When you tighten your network:

your messaging sharpens
your audience quality improves
your confidence improves
your engagement becomes more relevant
your positioning becomes clearer

This is especially true for niche financial advisors.

If you specialize in:

physicians
business owners
divorce planning
retirees
federal employees
executives
widows
dentists

…you want a tightly aligned audience anyway.

The advisors who win on LinkedIn are rarely the ones with the biggest audience.

They are the ones with the most aligned audience.

How Financial Advisors Should Think About Blocking

Don’t think emotionally.

Think strategically.

Ask yourself:

Does this person improve my LinkedIn ecosystem?
Do they support meaningful engagement?
Are they aligned with my audience?
Do they contribute positively to my brand?
Does their presence make me more likely or less likely to post?

If the answer is “less likely,” that person is costing you visibility and business development momentum.

Final Thoughts on Blocking People on LinkedIn as a Financial Advisor

Financial advisors spend way too much time worrying about appearing “nice” online.

Your LinkedIn network is not a public utility.

It’s your business environment.

Curate it intentionally.

The right audience:

amplifies your content
encourages engagement
supports your authority
improves your visibility
helps attract better clients

And sometimes the smartest LinkedIn marketing move a financial advisor can make is not adding someone new.

It’s blocking the wrong person.

For more LinkedIn marketing strategies for financial advisors, check out Sara Grillo Marketing and related articles like Financial Advisor LinkedIn Marketing: The Complete Guide.

Sara’s upshot

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I am an outsourced CMO for companies who need regular, full service marketing – blogging, social media posts, newsletters, etc.
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See you in the next one!

-Sara G

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