LinkedIn: Best Practices to Optimize Your Posts according to the 2024 algorithm report

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How to optimize a LinkedIn post with a PDF document (carousel), with one or more image(s), a video, text-only...? Here are the best practices... according the 'Algorithm Insights 2024 Report'.

Before diving into the best practices to optimize your LinkedIn posts, let's start with some reminders and precautions:

• First, write your LinkedIn posts for your target audience and based on your goals, then optimize them for the algorithm. Not the other way around.

• Studies like this one are snapshots of past behaviors. Applying the findings does not guarantee future performance. The platform evolves. User behaviors and best practices change too.

• I did not contribute to the 'Algorithm Insights 2024 Report' upon which this article is based. However, I am a member of the Just Connecting HUB - Social Selling, Marketing & Employee Advocacy Training (and even the only French-speaking member), a network of about fifteen LinkedIn experts worldwide, created and led by Richard van der Blom, the leader of this reference study. So, I may be suspect in wanting to 'sell' it.

• The results of this research are based on a sample. According to the author, the analysis covers 1.1+ million posts, distributed from 20,000+ different profiles (out of approximately 1 billion LinkedIn 'members') and 10,000 company pages (out of a total of 66+ million). But I don't know how representative this sample is.

• The data collection, including the context and methodology, is kept secret. It seems to have been at least partially carried out through the paid writing and scheduling tool AuthoredUp, whose users likely have more intensive LinkedIn usage than the average. This could bias the results.

• The report contains a wealth of insights, but I don't know how each criterion was isolated from others during the analysis. This raises questions, especially about (in)direct causality effects.

With these warnings in mind, what are the conclusions of this extensive study regarding the publication of posts on LinkedIn?

Posting on LinkedIn: The Basic Principles

• Frequency: Limit your posts to 2 to 3 times per week, ensuring they provide value to your target audience. Consistency is more important than frequency. In other words, cater to the algorithm by publishing roughly the same number of posts each week, even if the count is low. Avoid yo-yo posting.

• Interaction: Engage with your post (comments and reactions) for a minimum of 15 minutes after its publication. Also, spend 15 minutes per day interacting with the posts of your peers and clients, while building relationships through private messaging and expanding your network. On LinkedIn, everything is connected.

• Language: Posts published in a language other than English have, on average, 10 to 30% less reach.

• Text Length: The length of your text should be tailored to the content format you choose (more details above).

• Editing: Text hooks, post formatting, and calls to action have a significant impact on engagement and the reach of your posts.

• Format: Choose the format based on your goal. "Text only" and the classic "text + image(s)" work better for narratives, while video or documents work better for informative or educational posts.

• Mix: Vary formats to maintain an interesting personal news feed. Using the same format repeatedly can reduce the reach of your posts by 30%.

Publishing Perfect Carousels aka PDF Documents on LinkedIn

Even as its lead over other formats diminishes, particularly due to its widespread use (8.1% of posts vs. 4.2% a year earlier), the "carousel" format, aka the "document" or "PDF," still generates the highest reach, averaging 1.6 times more than the average for all formats.

Here's how to fully leverage it according to the algorithm report…

• Number of slides: Aim for around 12 slides. Below 5 slides, the average reach drops by 35%. From 5 to 10 slides, by 15%. From 20 to 50 pages, by 25%. And from 50 to 200 slides, by 45%.

• Visual orientation: Create vertical PDFs. Square formats generate 20% less reach. Horizontal formats, up to 35% less.

• Visual consistency: Carousels visually "aligned" with your personal brand perform better (25% more reach and 35% more engagement). Limit yourself to a maximum of 3 colors.

• Slide text: Write 25 to 50 words per slide. One sentence or less per slide? You lose 30% engagement. Moreover, if the text is not mobile-friendly, expect 75% less reach. And without any visual, your carousel could lose 15 to 25% of impressions. Finally, if the idea of handwriting crossed your mind, forget it! Your post's performance would drop by 25%.

• Post length: For a "carousel" type post, write less than 500 characters. Beyond that, you lose 10% reach per additional 500 characters. In short, the goal should be clicks on the slides and post engagement, especially comments.

• Content: Educational and useful carousels, such as "how-to" guides, work the best. In contrast, motivational content (-5 to 10%), stats/infographics (-15 to -20%), storytelling (-25 to -30%), portfolio/examples (-30 to -35%), or worse, product/service presentations (-60 to -70%), perform less effectively.

• Timing: Schedule "carousel" type posts in the morning, between 8 and 11 a.m., for better visibility.

• Days: Tuesday and Thursday are preferable. Avoid Sunday.

• Mix: Blend carousel format posts with other formats for a balanced and optimal content strategy. If you publish 3 carousels in a row, for example, the visibility drop is, on average, 35%.

Anatomy of the Best LinkedIn Posts with Image or Images

LinkedIn posts with one or multiple images, generating 1.26 times the average reach of posts, remain the most popular LinkedIn publishing format (48% of total posts).

The characteristics of the best posts in this category are as follows…

• Image Relevance: A visually relevant image compared to textual content equals an additional 15 to 20% reach. A meaningful selfie in relation to the text can even result in up to 30%. Overall, visuals featuring human beings generate 30% more reach and 50% additional engagement.

• Number of Images: Beyond the first, each additional image generates an extra 5% reach, up to the 5th image. Beyond that, the number of images has no impact.

• Image: Use authentic images, preferably personalized (+45% engagement), or infographics (+45 to +50%). Avoid generic stock images, screenshots (-15%), and, at all costs, promotional visuals of your products or services, which can result in up to 75% less reach.

• Image Orientation: Vertical images are better suited for mobile use on LinkedIn (64% of sessions) and are associated with a higher click-through rate (CTR) by 15% compared to the average for square visuals and 25% compared to horizontal images.

• Text Length: The ideal text length for this visual format is 900 to 1,200 characters. Beyond that, you lose 10% reach per additional 300 characters.

• Sentence Length: Write short sentences. Posts composed of sentences with fewer than 12 words perform better (+20% reach).

• Text Content: The image format is highly effective for storytelling, especially when the visual amplifies the message. However, motivational content (-15 to -20%), event-related content (-20 to -25%), and product/service presentations (-60 to -70%) should be avoided.

• Editing: Use formatting (spacing, formatting, emojis, etc.) to create visually appealing and easy-to-read text content (+25%). Minimize the use of italics, bold, and other fonts and styles (-10%), which is appreciated by blind and visually impaired individuals.

• Tags: Tagging people or pages in the image has no impact, even if the mentioned accounts do not respond to their notification.

• CTA (Call to Action): Asking questions in this type of post brings 20% more reach and significantly more engagement (+35%). Explicitly encouraging comments generates 45% more engagement but only 10% more reach.

• Days: Infographics and event-related content perform better during the week, while selfies can also be used on weekends.

• Timing: The publication timing is crucial. In any case, the 8:00 am to 10:30 am time slot is preferable.

• Mix: Blend image format posts with other formats for optimal results. If you publish 3 consecutive image posts, the drop is 20%.

Publishing Native Videos on LinkedIn

The LinkedIn video format is slightly less popular than it was a few years ago (8.2% of the total). However, it continues to generate more reach than the average, precisely 1.17 times when posted from a profile and 1.4 times from a page.

How to make the most of it?

• Video Content: Motivational, inspirational, or purely storytelling videos perform less well than the average. Employer branding content and product demos are average. Topping the list are videos sharing insights, tactics, strategies, events, procedure presentations, or tool demonstrations.

• Native: Publish your videos natively, directly on LinkedIn (via the "media" icon), instead of a YouTube link (-50% reach and -20% engagement) or a Vimeo link, which experiences a performance drop between 10 and 20%.

• Duration: The ideal video duration is now 1.2 minutes (80 seconds) for optimal viewer engagement (+40%), a high retention rate (70%), and a conversion rate that can reach 30%. Beyond 3 minutes, the drop is 15%. And an additional 10 to 15% for each additional minute.

• Hook: Focus on the first 8 seconds, as 30% of viewers will leave if not hooked. Avoid endless logos and intros.

• Orientation: Vertical videos outperform square videos (by 15%) and significantly outperform horizontal videos (by 25%).

• Quality: The quality of images and sound can boost the engagement rate of video posts by 50%.

• Subtitles: On average, the view count of subtitled videos is about 40% higher than that of sound-only videos. Considering that 35% of LinkedIn users consume videos without sound, subtitles are crucial.

• Thumbnail: When uploading your video, add a thumbnail.

• CTA: Add a clear call to action at the end of the video. What do you expect your audience to do?

• Text Length: The text accompanying the video should be short, max. 500 characters.

• Frequency: Publishing one video per week would be ideal. Even 2 for LinkedIn pages.

• Days: Tuesdays and Thursdays are quite promising for practical guides, tool presentations, and process videos. Other types of videos also perform well on weekends.

• Timing: The ideal time for videos on LinkedIn? Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Publishing Rich Text-Only Posts on LinkedIn

Approximately 16% of posts on LinkedIn are text-only. They are much more effective for a profile (1.17 times the average reach) than for a page (0.46 times the median reach).

But there is text-only and rich text-only...

• Content: The "text-only" format is ideal for personal branding, generating additional reach and engagement rates of 35% and 25%, respectively. Explanatory texts about processes or tactics (step by step) also work well. However, due to the lack of visuals, reach decreases for inspirational content (-25%), employer branding (-45%), event-related content (-50%), and, of course, promotional content (up to -80%).

• Dwell Time: Focus on a single message per post, avoiding complex structures, jargon, and pompous vocabulary. You'll facilitate the virality of your post. The goal should be to capture your target audience's attention, and keeping it until the end. Dwell time, the average time spent consuming your content, is the key to its success.

• Length: The "sweet spot" is between 1,800 and 2,100 characters. Below a thousand characters, the reach is 25% lower.

• Editing: Break your texts into small paragraphs, with a maximum of 4 lines, to facilitate reading and boost engagement (+15%). Overall, well-presented textual posts (line breaks, text formatting, etc.) gain a 25% reach increase.

• Tone: Not surprisingly, an authentic and conversational tone generates more engagement.

• Hook: More than for formats with "media," the success of the "text-only" format depends heavily on the hook, located above the "see more" button, especially the first two lines. This hook needs to be strong, original, provocative, questioning, or "triggering." If it is, congratulations! You can expect to boost your post's retention rate by 30%.

• CTA: Asking a question at the end of your post increases its engagement rate by 20 to 40%. Among all formats, text-only is the one that best suits external call-to-action (CTA), such as "download this" or "join me on," with a maximum 25% higher click-through rate (CTR).

• Days: Textual posts perform well from Monday to Friday. Personal branding posts also perform well on weekends.

• Timing: Between 10 a.m. and noon is ideal.

• Mix: If you are a fan of text-only posts, it is not necessary to vary the format. Posting several in a row does not penalize subsequent publications. However, only post one per day max! Beyond that, each post would experience a 30% reach decrease...

You made it to the end? Congratulations!

I hope these LinkedIn publishing tips will be helpful to you.

Tell me in comments!

Xavier Degraux

P.S.: Need help? I offer LinkedIn training and coaching sessions, in-person, or remotely. Contact me ! xavier@degraux.be