How to write LinkedIn posts
that people actually read.
Two things decide whether a post succeeds: the first two lines, and whether people read for long enough that LinkedIn judges it worth showing to others. This is our internal training on both. Work through it once in order, then keep it open as a reference when a draft is giving you trouble.
~140
Characters visible on mobile before the see more cut
~210
Characters visible on desktop before the cut
3,000
Hard character limit on a LinkedIn post
26-36%
Reach cost of an external link in the body, across three independent studies
0 of 6 modules complete. Progress is saved on this device.
How distribution actually works
What LinkedIn has confirmed, what the research suggests and what is folklore. Dwell time, the interest graph, link penalties, format performance.
Hooks: stopping the scroll
The fold on mobile versus desktop, eleven hook patterns that work, and a live lab where you watch your own opener get cut off.
Post anatomy by purpose
Reactive newsjacking, personal and vulnerable, pure thought leadership, client proof, contrarian. Five different structures, not one template.
Closes that get a response
Why 'who agrees' kills a post, and what to write instead. Sort real closes into weak and strong, then build one against a goal.
Teardowns
Real posts that reached far beyond their authors' followings in 2025 and 2026, rebuilt in the feed simulator with the reasons annotated line by line.
Practice and diagnostics
Paste a draft and get it scored across nine dimensions. Then a scored quiz on everything in the course.
Five things we hold to, whatever the post is.
Specific beats clever
A real number, a named month, an actual amount of money. Cleverness without detail reads as invented, because usually it is.
One idea per post
If a draft contains two arguments, you have two posts and neither is landing. Cut the weaker one and keep it for Thursday.
Write to one person
Not 'founders'. One founder, at one stage, with one problem this week. Everyone else is welcome to read over their shoulder.
Earn the second line
The first line has one job: get the second line read. The second line has to earn the third. Wide reach follows from that, not the other way round.
No bait, ever
'Who agrees', 'tag someone who', 'comment YES'. LinkedIn has said publicly it demotes this, and clients notice it before the algorithm does.
Native or nothing
The substance goes in the post. Links go in the comments, and only when there is genuinely more to get.