How Long Should a LinkedIn Post Be? The Complete Guide

LinkedIn is arguably the best place to connect with other professionals. If you're in the B2B space, it's for sure the best place to connect with buyers.

In today's article, we'll give you a full breakdown of how long a LinkedIn post should be, factors that should influence your post length, and how to maximize the effectiveness of your post within those parameters.

The Science Behind LinkedIn Post Lengths

Out of all the different types of copy, writing for social media platforms like Linkedin is increasing in popularity.

The meteoric rise of short-form content like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels has undoubtedly shifted our attention span. The standard of shorter posts (and shorter copy) is largely the same for text-based content platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Facebook posts perform best when they're 40-80 characters long. Tweets do well in the 240-259 range.

But when it comes to LinkedIn, the "perfect" post length is still a bit more… nuanced.

80% of B2B social media leads come from LinkedIn and more than half of LinkedIn users are high income earners. It's the global networking platform for professionals, decision-makers, and business owners. Those who actively follow others on LinkedIn are the type of people who will be interested in reading deeper articles and long-form posts.

That's why you don't need to rely on short, attention-grabbing headlines as much on LinkedIn as you do with other networks. Your audience wants to engage with content that gives them substance and value.

What’s the Ideal Length for a LinkedIn Post?

According to research, successful posts are typically long or short. There's no in-between.

For maximum readability and engagement, successful LinkedIn Posts typically fall within the range of 1,300 to 2,000 characters. Shorter posts (between 150 and 300 characters) also do exceptionally well.

That said, you should experiment with different lengths and see what works best for your target audience. You should also consider the subject matter of your post. Technical topics may require longer posts, while shorter ones are more suitable for lighthearted content.

Types of LinkedIn Posts and Their Ideal Length

If LinkedIn branding is part of your strategy, you'll realistically need more than one post type. Your audience will get tired of reading the same type of post over and over again. And LinkedIn's algorithm is reactive, meaning it'll boost or lower each post's visibility depending on how people engage with it.

You could have 100,000 followers and have a post with 100 likes. Or, you could have a post that blows up despite having just a few thousand followers.

LinkedIn Feed Posts

Feed posts can be short, or they can be long, compelling stories.

Short posts are typically one to three sentences.

Longer posts usually range from 200 to 400 words for a deeper dive into a topic. 

In addition to the above post being the perfect example, its contents show the author’s success at leveraging posts like these to generate nearly $200,000 for his copywriting business.

LinkedIn Carousel Posts

Carousel posts should be short and sweet. Their main purpose is to direct readers to the carousel below. These slides tell the real story.

Aim for 100 characters or less — just enough to give your audience a preview of the article or content you’re sharing.

LinkedIn Articles

Articles are like your typical blog post. They allow you to share your expertise and opinions in-depth.

The only differences are that they're published through LinkedIn's publishing platform, and your LinkedIn profile is attached. In that sense, they're like Medium articles.

They appear on search engine results pages, and people will link back to them. This makes them ideal for LinkedIn branding on and off the platform.

Posts between 1,900 and 2,200 words are ideal for articles, but focusing more on quality than quantity is important here.

General Best Practices for LinkedIn Post Length

Pay attention to the "See more..." cutoff.

On mobile, desktop, and tablet versions of LinkedIn, the first part of your post needs to be concise enough that readers don’t have to click “See more...”

This is your 'attention-grabber' section. You have 200 characters in this section, and it’s the most important piece of real estate on the post.

The LinkedIn algorithm knows when users are interested enough to click it. It's an engagement that actually helps its algorithm show your posts to more people.

This is especially important for carousel posts (or those with images beneath, which will cut it off much sooner.

Quality over quantity. Always!

It’s important to remember that quality is always more important than quantity when it comes to LinkedIn posts. Even if you can write fast, your focus has to be on the value your piece of writing brings.

You can have the longest, most detailed post ever written, but readers won't engage with it if it doesn't offer useful information or interesting insights.

You can also have a long post that gives tons of information readers don't care about or a short post that leaves readers without context.

Rather than focusing solely on the length, focus on what information you can provide that’s specific and relevant to your audience.

Different lengths work for different types of posts.

Informational and motivational content (like a personal anecdote) can be longer because it needs more context.

Posts that ask specific questions of your followers (e.g., a poll) should be short and to the point.

You can also experiment with different lengths for promotional posts, as it will depend on the type of content you’re promoting.

Test and measure post lengths.

Ultimately, the goal of posting on LinkedIn is to create content that resonates with your followers and encourages them to share it with their networks.

While Linkedin can be used for B2B lead generation, you don’t want to overtly stuff your posts with commercial content.

You'll need to have a mix of posts and you'll want to have long, short, and a few in between.

The only way to determine what content length works best for your target audience and post type is to experiment with different lengths.

Pay attention to engagement metrics — impressions, likes, comments, shares — and use this data to inform future posts.

Other Important Criteria for LinkedIn Posts

You can't only focus on post length. You might have that down already but be missing the mark on other essential criteria.

Here's a list of other factors to consider when evaluating your LinkedIn posts:

• Content structure
• Video dimensions
• Visual appeal
• Content relevance and quality
• Engagement
• Posting frequency
• Publishing time
• Comments on others' posts

You should also consider the type of engagement you get from each post, not just the amount.

Naturally, fewer people will read your long-form case studies and business-related insights. But the ones who are interested are more likely to be the ones who want to do business with you.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to LinkedIn posts, the most important thing is to create content that resonates with your followers and encourages them to engage.

The key is to experiment with different post lengths and types, as well as other criteria like content structure, visuals, relevance, and engagement.

Spend a good deal of time developing and refining your LinkedIn strategy, and focus on gradually building over time. Looking back a year later, you'll see a huge difference.