How long should a LinkedIn post be? What 209 posts that performed show
Aim for 40 to 110 words, with a first line under 12 words that works on its own. In a set of 209 LinkedIn posts from an account whose impressions grew 906% in 28 days, the median post was 84 words and the longest was 141. The AI drafts we compared them against averaged 178 words.
The numbers
| Median length | Longest | |
|---|---|---|
| 209 posts that performed | 84 words | 141 words |
| Typical AI-written drafts (same topics) | 178 words | 233 words |
| Shortest strong posts in the set | 35 to 60 words |
Same ideas, roughly twice the words. When we traced where the extra words came from, it was the same three things every time: a warm-up line before the point, a paragraph restating the point, and a polite paragraph for the other side.
Why shorter posts win on LinkedIn
- LinkedIn shows roughly the first two lines (about 140 characters on mobile) before "see more". If the point is not in those lines, most readers never reach it.
- A short post gets read to the end, and time spent reading is a signal LinkedIn ranks on.
- One idea per post is easier to remember, save and share than three ideas in one.
The structure that showed up again and again
- Line 1: one short line that lands on its own. A real number, a sharp claim, or a moment.
- Line 2: raise the stakes or twist it.
- Two to four short lines of proof, one sentence per line.
- One closing line that lands the point. Then stop.
An example from the set, 35 words: "My US salary was $109,000. My friends in India said: That's only like 25 lakh bro. PPP. I saved 21 lakh in 8 months. They're still explaining PPP to people."
When a longer post makes sense
How-to posts that someone will save (a checklist, a step-by-step) can run longer, up to about 150 words, because the reader came for the detail. Even then, the first line has to work alone.
Paste your draft and get 8 hooks built only from what you wrote.
Try the free Hook Writer →Questions
What is the ideal LinkedIn post length?
40 to 110 words for most posts. In our dataset of 209 posts that performed, the median was 84 words and the longest was 141.
How many characters show before "see more" on LinkedIn?
About 140 characters on mobile, usually two to three short lines. Your hook needs to fit there.
Are longer LinkedIn posts better for the algorithm?
In our data, longer drafts on the same topics did worse. The extra words were mostly warm-ups, repetition and hedging.