Finding the exact date that a post was made on LinkedIn can be useful for a variety of reasons. As a professional social media platform, LinkedIn allows users to share content, make connections, and engage with other professionals. When browsing through posts, you may want to know specifically when something was posted. This could be to fact check information, understand the timing of major announcements, or for other personal or professional reasons.
Luckily, LinkedIn makes it easy to find the exact date and time a post was made, even though it does not display this information directly on posts. By clicking through to view the full post and accessing the post details, you can easily find this date and time stamp. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to find the exact date of any post on LinkedIn.
Viewing Post Details on LinkedIn Website
If you are browsing LinkedIn on the desktop website, you can easily access the post details to find the timestamp:
- Navigate to the post you want to check and click on it to open the full post page.
- Look for and click on the timestamp below the post text that says “xxw” or “xd” – this stands for weeks ago or days ago.
- This will open up a popup with the exact date and time the post was made, including the year, month, day, and time down to the minute.
As an example, clicking on a post timestamp of “3w” for 3 weeks ago will open up a popup stating the post was made “On December 4, 2022 at 9:23 AM”. This allows you to pinpoint the precise moment the post was published on LinkedIn.
Using Post Inspector on LinkedIn Website
Another way to find the post date is by utilizing LinkedIn’s post inspector. To use this:
- Click on the three dots “…” icon at the top right of the post.
- Select “View post insights” from the dropdown menu.
- This will open up an overlay with detailed analytics for that post. Scroll down and you will see a “Created on” timestamp showing the exact date and time.
The post inspector provides additional insights like number of reactions and comments. But this section specifically contains the creation date if you just need the timestamp quickly.
Finding Post Date on Mobile App
The LinkedIn mobile app has similar options to find the post date and time:
- Tap on the post to open it fully.
- Tap on the text showing relative time like “3w” or “5d” ago.
- This will display the full date and time the post was made.
Alternatively, tap the three dots icon in the top right corner when viewing a post. Then choose “View post insights” to see the created on date and additional analytics.
Using Direct Post URLs
Each LinkedIn post has its own unique URL that can be accessed directly. The structure of the URL contains the user name and a 10 digit post ID number. If you have this direct post URL, you can extract the post creation date.
For example: linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:1234567890
This number contains a timestamp of when it was created. There are LinkedIn URL decoder tools online that extract this timestamp from the ID. While not the fastest method, this works if you lack access to the post directly but have the URL.
Why Post Dates Matter
Being able to find the exact date and time of a LinkedIn post is useful in many scenarios, such as:
- Confirming the timing of major news announcements from companies.
- Verifying claims or statements were made before or after specific events.
- Analyzing patterns in types of content posted over time.
- Understanding interactions and engagement with followers.
- Proving ownership or authorship of unique ideas and content.
- Fact checking sources of information and misinformation.
- Tracking impacts of campaigns, promotions, or online events.
As LinkedIn continues to grow as a platform, being able to identify precise post dates will only become more useful for business, news, and online transparency.
Other LinkedIn Post Details
In addition to the date and time a post was made, LinkedIn also provides other useful details and metadata about posts:
- Number of reactions, comments, and shares.
- Which group or profile made the post.
- Any attachments like photos, videos, or documents.
- Analytics on post reach and engagement.
- Activity on shares or reshares of the post.
- Related hashtags used in the post.
- Interaction data like clicks, hovers, and time spent.
Reviewing all this post metadata provides a comprehensive picture of how content spreads and resonates with the LinkedIn audience. The exact creation date is just one piece of that, but it is foundational for mapping trends over time.
Limitations of Post Dates
While LinkedIn’s post dates can prove useful, there are some limitations to consider as well:
- Dates may reflect edits, rather than original post creation.
- It does not account for deleted and re-published posts.
- No data on how many back-and-forth draft edits occurred.
- Can’t track if post content changed substantially over time.
- Does not reveal if posts were ever scheduled or delayed before publishing.
- No insight on the device, browser, or location the post was made from.
The date shows when the current iteration of the post went live, but lacks the full backstory. Additional social listening tools or communication with the author may be needed to get this context.
Conclusion
LinkedIn provides simple options to identify the specific date and time any post was made through post details, URL metadata, and analytics. While a timestamp alone lacks complete context, it serves as an important baseline for tracking content over time. Whether fact checking, analyzing patterns, or mapping engagement, the ability to pinpoint when a post went live on LinkedIn provides valuable insights.