Being able to format text in different styles like bold, italic, or underlined can help make parts of your LinkedIn posts stand out. When writing LinkedIn posts, you may want to highlight important keywords, book titles, or other key points to draw the reader’s attention. So can you make text bold or use other text formatting in LinkedIn posts? The short answer is yes, you can format text as bold, italic, or underlined in LinkedIn posts using HTML tags.
Using HTML tags to format text styles
LinkedIn allows the use of basic HTML tags to control text styling in your posts. To make text bold, you can wrap the text in HTML or tags. For example:
This text will appear in bold.
This text will also be bold.
Similarly, you can use the or tags to make text appear in italics:
This text will be in italics.
And this text will also be italicized.
Finally, underlined text can be achieved with the tag:
This text here will be underlined.
So those are the main HTML tags you can use to control text styling in your LinkedIn posts and make text bold, italicized, or underlined as needed.
Why use text formatting in LinkedIn posts?
Here are some of the main reasons why you may want to format text as bold or italic on LinkedIn:
- To emphasize important keywords, phrases, or statistics
- To make the titles of books, songs, or other creative works stand out
- To highlight key points or takeaways
- To add visual interest to large blocks of text
Applying text formatting allows you to guide the reader’s eye to the most critical or relevant parts of your posts. Strategically using bold or italics can improve readability and help direct focus.
Tips for using text formatting
When formatting text in your LinkedIn posts, keep these tips in mind:
- Use formatting in moderation – Avoid overusing it or it becomes ineffective
- Be consistent with formatting – Use the same styles to identify similar elements
- Make key points stand out – Apply formatting only to the most important text
- Consider readability – Don’t use formatting in ways that reduce clarity
- Check that it displays properly – Preview before publishing to catch issues
Applying these best practices will ensure your formatted text is as impactful and easy to read as possible.
Limitations of text formatting on LinkedIn
While LinkedIn does allow basic formatting like bold and italics, there are some limitations to be aware of:
- Only the HTML tags mentioned above can be used – No other styling options like text color, fonts, etc.
- Formatting doesn’t carry over if sharing post links elsewhere
- Some tags may be stripped on mobile platforms
- Not supported in some parts of the LinkedIn interface like comments
So the text formatting capabilities are relatively limited compared to other platforms. You’ll mainly want to stick to bold and italics in most LinkedIn posts.
Examples of formatted text in LinkedIn posts
Here are a few examples of how you can use bold and italic text effectively in LinkedIn posts:
Improve your customer retention by <i>personalizing</i> your onboarding process.
Our new product will increase productivity by 20% this year!
Check out my latest article <em>How to Manage a Remote Team</em> for tips and strategies.
The key takeaway:Formatting text as <u>bold</u>, <i>italic</i>, or <b>underlined</b> can make parts of your LinkedIn posts stand out.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn does allow you to make text bold, italicized, or underlined in your posts by using HTML tags like <b>, <i>, and <u>. This text formatting can be great for emphasizing important points, titles, keywords, etc. Just be sure to use it selectively and preview before publishing. Proper use of bold or italicized text can grab attention and improve the clarity of your LinkedIn posts.
HTML Tag | Effect |
---|---|
<b> | Bold text |
<strong> | Bold text |
<i> | Italicized text |
<em> | Italicized text |
<u> | Underlined text |
Why Use Text Formatting in LinkedIn Posts?
Here are some specific reasons why applying formatting like bold or italics can benefit your LinkedIn posts:
- Highlight relevant keywords and phrases to optimize for SEO
- Make important stats or numbers stand out from surrounding text
- Draw attention to key takeaways or conclusions from the post
- Distinguish post and section titles from regular text
- Increase clarity for skimming by emphasizing key points
When to Avoid Text Formatting
There are also some cases where you’ll want to avoid using text formatting:
- If it makes text harder to read or comprehend
- When formatting would be distracting or excessive
- For very short posts where bolding isn’t needed
- If it impacts consistency or brand standards
- When formatting doesn’t add value or serve a purpose
Applying formatting just for the sake of it can diminish its effectiveness, so be thoughtful about when to use it.
Formatting Text on Other Social Platforms
For comparison, here is how to format text as bold or italic on some other popular social platforms:
- Facebook: Use asterisks or underscores around text for bold or italics
- Twitter: Wrap text with HTML tags like <b> and <i> for formatting
- Instagram: Use asterisks (*) or underscores (_) around text to make it bold or italic
- YouTube: Use HTML tags for formatting in video titles and descriptions
So the major social platforms allow text formatting in similar ways.
Formatting Considerations for Accessibility
When applying text formatting, it’s also good to consider accessibility best practices like:
- Ensuring sufficient contrast between formatted text and background
- Using formatting judiciously so it doesn’t overwhelm or distract
- Not relying solely on formatting for conveying important information
- Checking that formatting displays properly for those using assistive technologies
- Adding alternative descriptive text for context if needed
Keeping these tips in mind will help make your formatted text as inclusive and readable as possible.
Text Formatting Options for LinkedIn Company Pages
Along with regular LinkedIn posts, text formatting using HTML tags can also be applied when posting content through a Company Page. Some key formatting options include:
- Making your company name stand out
- Emphasizing your products or services
- Highlighting company values or mission
- Drawing attention to important news or updates
- Using underlines for titles or metadata
Applying formatting in Company Page posts can make key information more scannable and eye-catching.
Text Formatting for LinkedIn Ads
In addition to regular posts, basic HTML text formatting can also be used in LinkedIn ads like Sponsored Content. Some formatting tips for LinkedIn ads include:
- Using bold to highlight ad keywords or phrases
- Italicizing the name of your product, brand, or service
- Applying underlines only sparingly to avoid clutter
- Paying attention to length – Keep text concise
- Testing different formats and converting best
Properly formatted text can capture attention but avoid overstyling ads with too many competing fonts and styles.
Troubleshooting Text Formatting Issues
In some cases, text formatting may not appear as expected in LinkedIn posts. Here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Make sure HTML tags are properly formatted with < >
- Check that tags are placed right next to the target text
- Try switching to the opposite style tag like instead of
- Preview post before publishing to test formatting
- LinkedIn may strip some tags like , try instead
- Make sure you didn’t exceed the formatting limit
Catching formatting issues before publishing can prevent problems reaching your audience. Previewing is key.
Alternative Text Formatting Options
If the basic HTML text formatting options are limiting, here are a couple potential workarounds:
- Use asterisks * or underscores _ around text for pseudo-formatting
- Insert pre-formatted image assets with styled text
- Add line breaks or extra spacing between paragraphs
- Break up dense text with subheadings using ##
- Use numbered or bulleted lists for scannability
Getting creative with asterisks, images, lists, and line spacing can help differentiate text.
Text Formatting Best Practices
To recap some overall best practices for formatting text on LinkedIn:
- Use bold and italics sparingly for maximum impact
- Be consistent with formatting choices throughout the post
- Preview on both desktop and mobile to check formatting
- Place formatting tags right next to the target text
- Make sure formatting enhances readability
- Focus on formatting key points and keywords
- Don’t overdo it – Less is often more
Following these tips will give you great results with text formatting on LinkedIn.