LinkedIn is primarily known as a professional networking platform, but over the years it has evolved into much more. With over 810 million members worldwide, LinkedIn is now a popular venue for businesses and professionals to establish their personal brands, network, share content and engage with their target audiences.
One of the ways that users can share content on LinkedIn is through posting videos. But an important question arises – do people actually watch videos on LinkedIn? Or do they just scroll past video content in their feeds?
In this article, we’ll take a data-driven look at video viewership rates on LinkedIn and analyze whether people really engage with and watch video content on the platform.
Do People Watch Videos on Other Social Media Platforms?
Before diving into the LinkedIn-specific data, it’s helpful to examine video viewership rates on other major social media platforms for comparison.
Video has become a massive component of top social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. Studies show strong user engagement with video content across these channels:
– Facebook: Over 8 billion video views per day worldwide as of 2021.
– Instagram: Video posts receive up to 10 times more engagement than image posts.
– YouTube: Over 1 billion hours of videos are watched on YouTube every day globally.
– TikTok: Users spend an average of 95 minutes per day watching TikTok videos as of Q4 2021.
So video clearly resonates with users on mainstream social media sites. People are demonstrably watching billions of videos every day on platforms like YouTube and Facebook. But does this viewership carry over to a more professional, career-oriented site like LinkedIn?
LinkedIn User Behavior Insights
To understand how users engage with video on LinkedIn, we’ll analyze some key statistics and insights on general user behavior on the platform:
– The average visit duration on LinkedIn is 17.4 minutes per month as of 2022. This limits the amount of time that users realistically spend engaging with content.
– 61% of users say they use LinkedIn to research companies and brands. Many users prioritize consuming information from companies versus social media-style video content.
– Only 7.5% of users say they use LinkedIn for entertainment purposes. The platform skews towards more professional, career-driven motivations.
Overall, this data suggests that users spend limited time on LinkedIn per visit, and they largely use it as a utility for career development and business intelligence. This user behavior likely limits the appetite for watching longer videos in the feed. But the opportunity still exists for short, concise, business-relevant videos.
LinkedIn Algorithm Favors Video Content
LinkedIn’s algorithm does give some advantage and increased visibility to video content, which may drive more video viewership. Here are some key facts on how LinkedIn favours video:
– Video posts on LinkedIn receive up to 50% more impressions than non-video posts.
– Native video posts can boost feed impressions by 255% to 400% versus link share posts.
– Company Pages that regularly post native video build overall follower growth 50% faster.
So while user behavior leans against video consumption on LinkedIn, the algorithm gives an edge to video content. This balance of factors makes it even more essential to analyze real data on video viewership rates.
LinkedIn Video View Statistics
Now let’s examine some real data on video views across personal profiles and Company Pages on LinkedIn:
Personal Profiles
– As of 2020, video posts from personal profiles only saw on average 240 views.
– Less than 40% of profile video views were from unique viewers. Many views were repeat views or bot traffic.
– 80% of profile videos had fewer than 500 views as of mid-2020.
Company Pages
– Company Page videos received around 300 views on average as of 2020.
– Only 42% of Company Page video views were from unique viewers. Repeat views and bot traffic again inflated view counts.
– Just 28% of Company Page videos received over 500 views.
Based on this real viewership data, video posts on personal LinkedIn profiles tend to receive only a few hundred views on average. Company Page videos perform only marginally better. And much of that traffic is inflated by bot views or repeat low-quality views.
So while LinkedIn’s algorithm favors video, low organic reach on both personal profiles and Company Pages leads to mediocre viewership rates for most standard video posts.
Videos With High View Counts
There are certainly exceptions where videos on LinkedIn gain significant traction and go viral. Here are some factors that can help videos achieve much higher view counts:
– Videos from high follower accounts like major companies, business leaders and influencers. Their existing audience drives more video views.
– Instructive educational videos that provide users with helpful business knowledge. These align well with user motivations on the platform.
– Animated videos, infographics and visual storytelling perform better than static talking-head videos.
– Attention-grabbing preview images and optimized metadata drive more organic views.
– Videos under 2 minutes long fit better with limited user attention spans on LinkedIn.
While average video view counts are low, videos that leverage these best practices can certainly gain more traction among the LinkedIn audience.
Video Completion Rates on LinkedIn vs. Other Platforms
The number of video views doesn’t necessarily equate to how much of each video viewers actually watch. The video completion rate shows the percentage of a video that viewers watched before dropping off.
LinkedIn’s video completion rates lag behind more entertainment-focused platforms:
– LinkedIn: 21% video completion rate
– Facebook: 68% video completion rate
– YouTube: 50%+ video completion rate
The low 21% completion rate on LinkedIn indicates users lose interest quickly and drop off after watching only a fraction of videos. Again, LinkedIn visitors tend to pursue more utilitarian, professional interests – not immersive entertainment content.
Optimal Video Lengths on LinkedIn
To increase viewer retention, the optimal video length on LinkedIn is quite short:
– Videos under 60 seconds see 35% higher completion rates
– Completion rates start falling after 90 seconds
– 80% of drop-offs happen in the first 60 seconds
This data indicates that short, concise videos perform much better on LinkedIn. Even company Page videos over 2 minutes long see steep declines in completion rate as users drop off quickly if content doesn’t engage them right away.
Key Takeaways on Optimal Video Length
– 60-90 seconds is the recommended sweet spot
– Explain key messages and value fast
– Avoid long introductions or fluff
– Use concise visuals instead of heavy dialogue
Keeping videos extremely tight and densely valuable aligns with the professional mindset and limited attention spans of LinkedIn visitors.
Video Views Based on Weekday vs. Weekend
Another factor that impacts LinkedIn video viewership is weekdays versus weekends.
During weekdays, viewing activity follows more business-hour patterns:
– Highest viewership rates: Tuesday – Thursday
– Peak viewing hours: 9 AM – 3 PM
– Low points: Early mornings, evenings and late night
Weekend activity on LinkedIn drops off:
– Saturday video views: 15% lower
– Sunday video views: 40% lower
– Weekend peak hours: Still late morning
So LinkedIn usage and engagement with video content follows business rhythms and declines significantly over the weekends. Videos published during the standard workweek see substantially higher views.
| Day of Week | Relative Video Views |
|---|---|
| Monday | Average |
| Tuesday | High |
| Wednesday | High |
| Thursday | High |
| Friday | Average |
| Saturday | 15% Below Average |
| Sunday | 40% Below Average |
LinkedIn Video Statistics by Industry
Video performance can also vary significantly based on the industry.
Here are the average video view counts across some top industries on LinkedIn:
| Industry | Average Video Views |
|---|---|
| Software & Technology | 410 |
| Education | 392 |
| Media & Publishing | 377 |
| Business Consulting | 360 |
| Healthcare | 341 |
| Finance & Insurance | 312 |
Technology and education videos see above average viewership, while heavily regulated sectors like finance and insurance trail behind. Industry relevance, instructional value, and innate interest level appear to sway view counts.
Typical LinkedIn Video Topics That Attract Views
Along with industry variances, certain topics and themes perform better for videos on LinkedIn:
Highest View Topic Categories
– Career advice and professional development
– Business tips, growth tactics and industry best practices
– Workplace skills training like communication, management and leadership
– Motivational and inspirational business stories
Lower View Topic Categories
– Company product pitches and promotions
– Conferences or event highlights
– Celebrity interviews and testimonials
– Contrived inspirational content
Videos focused on helping working professionals develop and progress attract consistently higher views on LinkedIn. Users have less appetite for hyped sales content or vanity material.
Authenticity and Production Quality
Two other video factors impact viewership on LinkedIn:
Authenticity
– Videos with genuine stories and transparent insights perform better.
– Overly promotional, salesy videos turn off viewers.
– Ambitious professionals value authenticity and credibility.
Production Quality
– High quality recording, editing and graphics are expected.
– Avoid shaky video and low production value.
– But highly polished commercial styling can also be off-putting.
Striking the right balance between authenticity and professional production quality helps attract more genuine video views and retention.
Types of Videos That Gain Traction
Given all the factors and data covered above, here are some specific types of video content that tend to gain more traction on LinkedIn:
– Expert advice from recognized industry leaders
– Case studies and client success stories
– Before-and-after transformations
– Event highlights focused on the audience takeaways
– A day in the life perspectives from relatable professionals
– Experiments – trying something new and showing the results
– Data-backed lists and rankings
– Compilations and mashups
– Fun, eye-catching animations and motion graphics
Experimenting with these engaging video styles that align with professional interests is the best way for brands and professionals to capitalize on video marketing on LinkedIn.
Tips to Increase LinkedIn Video Views
Here are some key tips to help your business or personal profile drive more LinkedIn video views:
For All Videos
– Keep videos under 60 seconds if possible
– Focus on authentic useful content, not sales pitches
– Publish during peak business hours Tuesday – Thursday
– Use attention-grabbing preview image and accurate metadata
For Company Pages
– Spotlight employees for a relatable inside look
– Leverage employee advocacy to extend reach
– Promote new videos in Company Page status updates
For Personal Profiles
– Position yourself as an industry thought leader
– Share your own experiences and experiments
– Cross-promote in profile activity updates
Optimizing your video strategy using these tips and data insights can help unlock the benefits of video marketing on LinkedIn.
Conclusion
In summary, the majority of standard video posts on LinkedIn see only mediocre viewership in the few hundreds at best. But videos that leverage factors like short runtimes, optimal topics and formats, authentic styles, and strategic promotion can still gain traction.
While the platform’s professional audience has limited appetite for immersive video entertainment content overall, certain types of helpful, business-relevant videos do resonate. Brands and thought leaders that focus on concise videos with value for career development and management skills training can take advantage of video marketing on LinkedIn to engage professionals and support their business goals.