With over 900 million users, LinkedIn is a powerful professional networking hub. However, how you post on the platform can make or break the performance of your content. In this blog, we’ll summarize LinkedIn best practices from various marketing experts on how to drive engagement, start conversations, and build lasting professional relationships.
LinkedIn best practices from Chris Donnelly
Chris Donnelly says 99% of LinkedIn posts die at 500 views. However, some creators consistently reach 100,000 views. How do they achieve this? Here is what he said you should do, based on his LinkedIn best practices report with Will McTighe:
📝 Written Content
- Post length: 1,242-2,500 characters (optimal)
- Use 14+ short paragraphs (avoid walls of text)
- Write at a grade 5-7 reading level (simpler words)
- Include 1-8 emojis for better readability
- Skip hashtags (they reduce reach by 81%)
🖼️ Visual Content
- Use carousel posts (11.2x higher reach than text)
- Create infographics with actionable information
- Use portrait (vertical) images (93% better performance)
- Film videos in 9:16 vertical format with captions
- Show your face in first 3 seconds of videos
🏛️ Post Structure
- Create a contrarian or unexpected hook
- End with a specific question (72% better performance)
- Add external links in first comment, or to the post later
- Consider career development angles for best reach
- Use short sentences (10-19 words per paragraph)
⏱️ Timing & Engagement
- Post on Sundays (highest reach) or Saturdays
- Best posting times: 11AM-1PM GMT
- Leave 10-20 thoughtful comments on others’ posts daily
- Write comments >9 words with personal experiences
- Maintain a consistent posting schedule
- Reply to your own comments for 15-30 minutes after posting
Remember that to choose consistency over perfection, simple posts and using data.
Other tips from Chris on commenting on LinkedIn posts:
- Posts with more than 9 comments performed 302% better than posts with shorter comments.
- The most active commenters see >29% higher impressions on their content.
- Disagreement or contrarian views can increase the reach of your comments.
- Avoid generic (i.e. “great post”) and AI-generated comments.
LinkedIn video tips
- For top-of-funnel awareness campaigns, keep video ads between 15 to 30 seconds.
- Longer formats can be used for deeper engagement, but try to stay under 2 minutes.
- Use square (1:1) or vertical (9:16) aspect ratios.
- These mobile-optimised formats typically perform better on LinkedIn.
- Include captions or subtitles to enhance accessibility.
- Keep text overlays brief and focused on your core message.
- Choose thumbnails that are visually striking to capture attention.
Carousel post tips
LinkedIn carousel posts are where you upload a PDF document, and LinkedIn displays it as a swipeable series of slides, similar to a slideshow or PowerPoint deck.
They’re visually engaging, easy to scroll through, and great for storytelling or breaking down complex information into bite-sized, digestible chunks.
They are also useful for step-by-step guides, industry trends and insights, case studies, “How-to” tutorials and personal stories or lessons learned
Here are tips from LinkedIn on how to build carousel posts
- Capture and maintain your audience’s attention with visual storytelling.
- Feature graphics, people, and dynamic text to attract your audience.
- Include clear messages and calls-to-action on each carousel card description.
- Leverage existing content by packaging together content with a similar theme, or deconstruct a large piece of content into carousel cards.
- Start with 3-5 cards in your carousel, and test adding more cards from there.
- Try slotting your carousel cards in different orders, and optimize based on performance.
- If you tell a story, place the main value add or call-to-action in the final card to encourage your audience to swipe through the whole carousel.
LinkedIn best practices for follower growth from Mark Firth
Here are 10 of 16 LinkedIn growth secrets that Mark Firth says helped him increase impressions by 204% and generate over $1 million in revenue.
Optimize your profile image
People make snap judgments based on appearance, so run your profile image through a free photo analyzer and ensure you score at least 8/10 on authority, likeability and trustworthiness.
Triple traffic with commenting
Comment on posts by influencers in your niche. Their audience will see your comment, giving you visibility.
Type keywords your ideal audience uses in the LinkedIn search bar to find influencers. Select “Posts” and comment daily with valuable insights.
Grow your network fast
As you post more frequently, you’ll start getting more connection requests. Don’t overthink your connection message so you can spend your energy on volume.
Review profile photos and headlines, and if they seem like ideal clients or partners, just click “Connect.”
Hook readers with opening line
Top-performing posts always have a short first line (5–8 words) and end in a colon or ellipsis (…) to spark curiosity.
Add a number or make it hyper-specific like “3 mistakes I made when pitching clients…”
Write like you talk
Forget strict grammar and make your writing skimmable by using short sentences and adding lots of whitespace.
If you want to write how you’d say it in conversation, record yourself speaking then edit the transcript.
Always end posts with a question
End every post with a question and a question mark to boost engagement. Then, drop a second question in the comments to double your chances of responses.
Be the first to comment on influencer posts
Make a spreadsheet of influencers + the times they usually post. Being first gets you more attention and profile views.
Don’t argue with the original poster. Keep it collaborative, not combative.
Go live to build superfans
LinkedIn Live sends notifications to your network, which is free visibility. If you are camera-shy, pre-record your video, then restream it as if live using a third-party tool.
Post twice a day
Best times to post are 8:00–8:30 a.m. ET and evening (based on your audience’s time zone). Mark suggests that you can even repost the same content later in the day to reach new audiences.
Build KLT: Know, Like, Trust
Post before-and-after stories to show that change is possible. Share your transformation—people connect with vulnerability. Here is an example of statements to use “I used to struggle with X. Here’s what I did. Now I’ve achieved Y.”
LinkedIn profile tips from Emily Worden
Keeping your LinkedIn profile updated regularly is a smart move, even if you’re not actively job hunting. It increases your visibility to recruiters and potential collaborators, helping you show up in searches and clarifying what you’re currently working on.
Career coach Emily Worden suggests you do the following to keep your LinkedIn profile fresh and active.
Edit your profile 1-2 times per month so that it looks “new” and “updated”. Emily received a tip that the LinkedIn algorithm primarily scans headlines, and your profile will look new and refreshed if you change it every couple of weeks.
Here is the formula that she recommends you use:
IDEAL JOB TITLE | KEYWORD | KEYWORD | KEYWORD | I HELP __ ACHIEVE __ BY DOING __.
- IDEAL JOB TITLE: Don’t list your current job title, list the job title you’re looking for next
- KEYWORDS: List the top 3-5 skills keywords you see repeatedly in the job descriptions that interest you.
- I HELP __ ACHIEVE __ BY DOING __: This is where you speak directly to your target employers’ needs. Study those job descriptions – what do your target employers want? How does your work help make that happen?
Here is an example that she provided:
Content Marketing | SEO | Data Analysis | Graphic Design | Sales Funnels | I help small businesses gain new customers and higher sales using targeted social media marketing
Here are stronger examples where Emily added numbers:
Content Marketing | SEO | Data Analysis | Graphic Design | Sales Funnels | I help small businesses increase customers 15% and gross sales 20% using targeted social media marketing
Award-winning Executive Assistant | Strategy | Project Management | Organizational pro with 10 years of experience working for Fortune 500 (C-suite) executives. I focus on your office so you can focus on your business.
An up-to-date profile strengthens your personal brand by showcasing your growth, skills, and ongoing achievements. It gives people a real-time snapshot of your professional journey and helps you stay top of mind within your network.
When you make updates, your connections may get notified, which can lead to unexpected conversations, opportunities, or reconnections.
It’s also much easier to capture the details of your accomplishments when they’re fresh, rather than trying to recall them months later.
Finally, by regularly adding new certifications, skills, or projects, you demonstrate that you’re adaptable and committed to continuous learning—something that’s valuable in just about every industry. It also means you’re always prepared for whatever comes your way.
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