Anatomy of a LinkedIn Post

What’s in a LinkedIn Post?

Types of LinkedIn Posts

Text Posts

1. Text-only posts are effective for storytelling, sharing insights, or announcing updates. The character limit is 3,000; however, to maximize engagement, make the first 200-250 characters compelling, as this determines if readers will click "see more."
2. Tips for Text Posts:
   • Start with an attention-grabbing line.
   • Use bullet points or emojis (e.g., ✅, ⚠️, ➞) for better readability.
   • Keep links out of the initial post body if possible. Adding links in the comments can improve visibility.
3. Do's and Don'ts for Text Posts:
   • Do keep your opening line impactful to encourage clicks.
   • Don't exceed 3,000 characters unless absolutely necessary.
   • Do use emojis to add personality and improve readability.
   • Don't include too many links in the main body—this can reduce engagement. 

Link Posts

1. Link posts direct users to external content, like your website, blog, or a curated article. While links are effective for driving traffic, LinkedIn tends to favor posts that keep users on the platform. Consider:
   • Adding value before linking: Provide a summary or your take on the linked content.
   • Remove link previews if they’re not visually compelling or relevant.
2. Do's and Don'ts for Link Posts:
   • Do provide context or insight into why the link is valuable.
   • Don't rely solely on the link preview—add value with your own commentary.
   • Do consider placing links in the comments for better reach.
   • Don't use misleading links that don’t align with your post.

Image Posts

1. Images attract more attention in the feed. Use high-quality images that are square (1:1) or landscape (16:9) to avoid awkward cropping.
2. Recommended Specs:
   • 1080 x 1080 px or 1200 x 628 px.
   • Supported formats: PNG or JPEG.
3. Do's and Don'ts for Image Posts:
   • Do use high-quality images that are visually appealing.
   • Don't use images with too much text—this can be difficult to read.
   • Do ensure images are properly sized to avoid awkward cropping.
   • Don't use pixelated or low-quality visuals.

Video Posts

1. Video content performs well, with high engagement rates. Videos should be 30-90 seconds for optimal impact.
2. Tips for Video Posts:
   • Front-load key information in the first 3-5 seconds.
   • Use captions to make your video accessible to users watching without sound.
3. Do's and Don'ts for Video Posts:
   • Do keep videos short and engaging, ideally under 90 seconds.
   • Don't make videos too long without delivering value early on.
   • Do use captions for accessibility.
   • Don't ignore the importance of an engaging thumbnail.

Poll Posts

1. Polls are an excellent way to engage your audience and gather insights. Create polls that are relevant to your industry, and use them to encourage interaction.
2. Best Practices for Polls:
   • Keep the questions simple and provide 3-4 answer options.
   • Encourage discussion by asking for opinions in the comments.
3. Do's and Don'ts for Poll Posts:
   • Do make your poll question clear and easy to understand.
   • Don't create polls with too many answer options—keep it to 3-4.
   • Do encourage comments to foster more interaction.
   • Don't use polls that aren’t relevant to your audience.

Document Posts

1. Share documents like PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, or Word documents directly in the feed. These posts are great for providing in-depth information or guides.
2. Tips for Document Posts:
   • Make sure the content is mobile-friendly.
   • Include an engaging introduction in the post caption to explain why followers should open the document.
3. Do's and Don'ts for Document Posts:
   • Do provide a clear introduction to explain the document's value.
   • Don't make documents overly text-heavy—keep them engaging and visually appealing.
   • Do ensure documents are easy to navigate, especially on mobile.
   • Don't forget to brand your documents where applicable.

Writing an Engaging Caption

Effective Captions Should:

• Be relevant and exciting to your audience.
• Provide context for the accompanying content (image, video, etc.).
• Express your brand’s personality.

Elements to Include:

• Eye-catching visuals: Add a strong visual to increase engagement.
• Tags: Tag people or brands to increase reach.
• Hashtags: Use 3-5 relevant hashtags for discoverability.
• Clear CTA: Encourage your audience to comment, share, or click a link.

Do’s and Don’ts for Captions:

• Do use a few emojis to add personality.
• Don’t overuse hashtags or emojis.
• Do keep it concise and to the point.
• Don’t leave your caption blank—provide context!

Hashtag Best Practices

• Use 3-5 hashtags per post. These should be a mix of broad (#Marketing) and niche (#B2BContentStrategy).
• Avoid using hashtags within the body of the post. Instead, include them at the end or as a separate comment.
• Consider using a branded hashtag for all your posts, e.g., #ThirdWunderInsights.

Do's and Don'ts for Hashtags:

• Do research trending and relevant hashtags.
• Don't overuse hashtags—stick to 3-5 for better reach.
• Do use a branded hashtag to build consistency.
• Don't use irrelevant hashtags just to get more visibility.

Adding Visuals: Images and Videos

• Images: Use visuals that are bright and clear to help your content stand out against LinkedIn's color scheme. Avoid cluttered images or those with small text.
• Videos: Videos should be short, snappy, and visually engaging. The ideal length is between 30 to 90 seconds. Ensure the main message is delivered within the first 5 seconds to hook the viewer.

Tips for Visual Content:

• Contrast is key: Use colors that stand out from LinkedIn's blue (e.g., bright oranges, greens, yellows).
• Text size: Ensure any text in visuals is large enough to read on a mobile device.

Do's and Don'ts for Visuals:

• Do use bright and clear visuals to catch attention.
• Don't overload images with text—keep it simple.
• Do ensure videos are engaging from the start.
• Don't use visuals that are hard to see on mobile devices.

Building Community Through Engagement

Engagement Strategies:

• Tag people or brands in your posts to give credit and expand reach.
• Reply to comments to foster community discussions.
• Create polls and ask questions to prompt audience interaction.

Managing Community Engagement:

• Respond to all comments when possible, especially negative ones, to show you value your audience’s input.
• Block or report users who engage in hate speech, trolling, or offensive comments.

Do's and Don'ts for Engagement:

• Do respond to comments to build relationships.
• Don't ignore negative comments—address them professionally.
• Do tag relevant people to increase reach.
• Don't tag too many people, as it can appear spammy.

Automating and Optimizing Your LinkedIn Posting

• Use tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, or Later to schedule posts and maintain a consistent posting schedule.
• Track metrics such as impressions, clicks, and interactions to refine your strategy.

Content Creation Tools:

• Canva: Great for creating visuals that align with your brand.
• Pexels and Unsplash: Use royalty-free images to enhance your posts.

Do's and Don'ts for Automation:

• Do use scheduling tools to maintain consistency.
• Don't automate responses—engage personally for authenticity.
• Do analyze metrics to optimize content.
• Don't ignore performance data—use it to adapt your strategy.

Key Takeaways

• Hook your audience in the first few lines of your post.
• Vary your content types (text, image, video, poll) to keep things interesting.
• Engage actively with your audience through replies, mentions, and thoughtful content.
• Use visuals and concise captions to make your content scroll-stopping.
• Analyze and adapt based on your post performance data to improve engagement.

Appendix

Automation Tools

• Hootsuite: An all-in-one platform to automate your editorial calendar. The free tier is ideal for starters, allowing basic scheduling and monitoring of posts across LinkedIn and other platforms. Hootsuite also provides social media insights to help you track performance. 

• Later: A comprehensive platform for scheduling, monitoring, and engaging with your LinkedIn content. Later's visual planner makes it easy to plan out your content calendar and provides powerful analytics tools to help improve your strategy over time.
• Buffer: Another excellent paid tool for managing LinkedIn posts, Buffer offers advanced scheduling capabilities, analytics to track performance, and options to engage with your audience directly from the platform. Buffer also provides suggestions for the best times to post based on audience activity.
• Sprout Social: A robust social media management platform that helps with content scheduling, analytics, and audience engagement. Sprout Social also provides CRM features to manage audience relationships and generate detailed reports to help refine your strategy.
• HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional: A comprehensive marketing automation platform that enables you to create personalized experiences with dynamic content across channels, including LinkedIn. It offers tools for automated marketing campaigns, advanced analytics, and collaboration features to help your marketing team perform at its best.

Content Creation Tools

• Canva: A versatile graphic design tool that's perfect for creating story templates, event announcements, and more. Canva's drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for non-designers to create visually appealing graphics. It’s available both on desktop and mobile, and also features a separate app for creating Instagram stories.
• Adobe Spark: A simplified design tool for creating graphics, short videos, and web pages. Adobe Spark is easy to use and helps create polished content quickly, which is ideal for LinkedIn posts.
• Visme: A visual content creation tool that helps create engaging presentations, infographics, and graphics. Visme is great for LinkedIn users looking to share more data-driven visual content.

Image Sourcing

• Rawpixel: Our #1 go-to for imagery. Rawpixel offers a wide range of high-quality stock photos, vector illustrations, and more, making it perfect for LinkedIn posts that need unique visuals.
• Pexels: A close second for stock imagery. Pexels offers a wide range of professional, high-resolution photos that are free to use and suitable for LinkedIn content.
• Pexels Video: In addition to images, Pexels also provides a large library of royalty-free stock videos, which are great for adding movement and engagement to your LinkedIn posts.
• Unsplash: Thousands of royalty-free photos from generous photographers around the world. Unsplash is an excellent resource for eye-catching and visually appealing imagery. Remember to give credit whenever possible to acknowledge the creators.
• Burst by Shopify: A stock photo platform with free images specifically geared towards entrepreneurs. Burst is great for finding images that represent small businesses, startups, and e-commerce themes.

Video Editing Tools

• InShot: A mobile video editing app that’s user-friendly and ideal for editing LinkedIn video content. InShot allows you to trim, add music, captions, and transitions to create polished videos on the go.
• Adobe Premiere Rush: A simplified version of Adobe Premiere, designed for social media content creators. It allows you to easily edit and add effects, music, and titles to your videos, making it perfect for creating high-quality LinkedIn video posts.
• Kapwing: An online video editing tool that’s simple to use and great for collaborative editing. Kapwing allows you to add subtitles, resize videos for different platforms, and quickly create engaging LinkedIn content.

Scheduling and Analytics Tools

• Hootsuite Analytics: Offers in-depth analytics reports to help track how your LinkedIn content is performing. The tool provides data on impressions, engagements, and follower growth, allowing you to optimize your strategy based on concrete insights.
• Google Analytics: While not specifically for LinkedIn, Google Analytics is useful for tracking the performance of links shared in LinkedIn posts, particularly those that drive traffic to your website. Use UTM parameters to track campaigns effectively.
• LinkedIn Analytics: Native analytics offered by LinkedIn itself. This tool provides insights into post engagement, follower demographics, and overall page performance, helping you understand what resonates with your audience.