What is the ideal article size on LinkedIn?

The ideal length of a LinkedIn article depends on several factors, including your goals, target audience, and type of content. In general, articles between 1200-2000 words tend to perform best in terms of engagement and sharing. However, there are some exceptions where shorter or longer articles may be more effective.

Short Articles (under 1200 words)

Shorter articles under 1200 words can work well for things like news updates, quick tips, Q&As, and interviews. The benefits of short articles include:

• Quick, easy read for busy professionals
• Easier to scan and digest
• May generate more social shares

The downsides are that short articles provide less value, education, and depth. They also may not rank as high in LinkedIn’s algorithm compared to longer, more comprehensive posts. Use short articles sparingly for time-sensitive info or easily digestible tidbits.

Medium Articles (1200-2000 words)

Articles between 1200-2000 words tend to be the “sweet spot” on LinkedIn. This length provides enough value and depth to educate readers, while still being consumable during the average person’s commute or break time. The benefits of medium articles include:

• In-depth enough to establish your expertise
• Long enough to rank well in LinkedIn’s algorithm
• Readable within 15-20 minutes

Medium articles are versatile and can work for thought leadership, how-tos, list posts, interviews, and more. This is generally the best starting point for most content.

Long Articles (2000-5000 words)

Articles over 2000 words qualify as “long form” content. This length provides maximum value, education, and depth on a topic. The benefits include:

• Establish you as an expert on a topic
• Ability to comprehensively cover a subject
• Increased potential for links and shares

The downsides are that it requires more time to write and read. Long form posts may also have slightly lower completion rates compared to shorter pieces. Use long articles to create pillar content, ultimate guides, and thought leadership.

Ultra Long Articles (5000+ words)

Articles over 5000 words start getting into “epic” length territory. There are a few potential benefits to ultra long posts:

• Skyrocket your expertise and authority
• Increased chance of going viral
• Higher potential for backlinks

However, the extremely long length also comes with some drawbacks:

• Takes significant time to write
• Lower completion rates
• Harder to keep readers engaged throughout

In general, ultra long articles are not recommended for LinkedIn simply due to the nature of the platform. While some exceptions can perform well, most posts over 5000 words see sharp drop-offs in readership. Use judiciously when you have an epic guide, detailed case study, or truly unique viewpoint that requires an immense amount of content.

Key Factors That Impact Ideal Article Length

While the word counts above provide a general guideline, the ideal article size ultimately depends on several factors:

• Your Goals: Are you aiming for maximum engagement? Increased followers? More backlinks? Promoting a product? Driving event registration? Goals influence if you want fast, scannable content vs. comprehensive thought leadership.
• Target Audience: LinkedIn has a wide mix of job functions, seniority levels, industries, and interests. For example, CEOs may prefer shorter articles while academics favor long form content.
• Topic Type: Thought leadership warrants more in-depth content vs. news updates or tips that can be consumed quickly.
• Your Niche: Some niches lend themselves better to long form (e.g. technology) while others succeed with shorter posts (e.g. humor).

Let’s break down how your goals, audience, topic, and niche impact ideal length:

Short Articles Recommended For:

• Time-sensitive updates or announcements
• Lists and roundups
• Q&As and interviews
• Highly technical or data-driven audiences
• Breaking industry news
• Humor, stories, and personal narratives

Medium Articles Recommended For:

• How-to guides and tutorials
• Product or service overviews
• Case studies
• General professional audiences
• Thought leadership topics
• Listicles and comparisons

Long Articles Recommended For:

• Ultimate guides and definitive resources
• Research studies and data-backed evaluations
• Complex or technical topics that require detail
• Academic audiences
• Controversial or novel viewpoints

Ultra Long Articles Recommended For:

• Comprehensive books condensed into one post
• Industry-redefining thought leadership
• Technical topics requiring intricate explanation
• In-depth research papers

When To Stick With LinkedIn’s Algorithmic Preference

While each situation calls for a custom approach, generally aiming for 1200-2000 words will put you in the best position to maximize reach and engagement on LinkedIn.

This medium article length aligns with what LinkedIn’s algorithm seems to favor and promotes. Unless you have a compelling reason to go significantly shorter or longer, sticking to this word count range is a safe bet for most content.

Formatting Long Articles for Readability

If you do create long form articles over 2000 words, formatting is key for readability. Some tips include:

• Use descriptive H2 and H3 headers to break up sections
• Include bullets, numbers, bolding, and italics for scanning
• Insert relevant graphics and multimedia
• Divide into short, digestible paragraphs
• Include quotes and real-world examples
• Consider adding a table of contents

Proper formatting helps readers quickly skim and skip around to the most useful parts that interest them. Like this:

Table of Contents

• Short Articles
• Medium Articles
• Long Articles
• Ultra Long Articles
• Key Factors
• When to Stick With LinkedIn’s Preference
• Formatting Long Articles

Eye-Tracking Studies on Ideal Length

Some research has analyzed the correlation between article length and reader engagement. One eye-tracking study by BuzzSumo analyzed how long people actually read before losing interest.

They found the following dropoff rates by word count:

As you can see, reader attention peaked at 2000-4000 words, with steep drop-offs before and after that range. This aligns with our previous recommendation that medium articles tend to perform best.

Key Takeaways For LinkedIn Article Length

To summarize the ideal LinkedIn post size:

• 1200-2000 words is the sweet spot for maximizing engagement
• Go shorter for news, updates, interviews, humor
• Go longer for pillars, guides, research-based thought leadership
• Consider your goals, audience, topic type, and niche
• Proper formatting is key for long articles to enhance skimmability

While every article requires its own strategic decisions, keeping these general principles in mind will help craft content optimized for reading and sharing on LinkedIn.

Aim for the medium 1200-2000 word range for most posts, but don’t be afraid to experiment with going shorter or longer when the context calls for it. Just be sure to format lengthy articles for easy skimming to keep readers engaged from start to finish.