Study Reveals LinkedIn Video Posts Deliver 3X More Reach

A recent study has found that LinkedIn video posts outperform text content by a significant margin, reaching three times more people. This insight suggests that video content has become a more effective way to engage users on the platform, especially when shared at specific times.

The research highlights that video posts shared in the morning and kept under five minutes tend to perform the best. Shorter, concise videos are more likely to capture the attention of viewers and generate higher levels of reach compared to longer formats.

On the other hand, text posts still have their strengths, particularly when it comes to engagement. Text-based content tends to generate more interaction from existing connections, making it a useful tool for building deeper relationships within your network.

However, for broader reach and visibility, incorporating videos into your LinkedIn strategy seems to be the way forward, especially if you aim to maximise your content’s potential impact during peak engagement times.

LinkedIn’s growing emphasis on video content is proving to be a strategic success, according to new research conducted by marketing expert Caroline Giegerich. The study, published in *Adweek*, set out to test LinkedIn’s bold assertion that video posts generate five times the engagement compared to traditional text-based content.

Caroline Giegerich was intrigued by this claim and decided to conduct her own analysis to determine whether this was indeed the case. With a keen interest in how video could enhance engagement, she aimed to go beyond surface-level statistics to uncover the true potential of this format for marketers and content creators. Giegerich’s research came at a time when video content has become an integral part of marketing strategies, with an impressive 84% of marketers incorporating video into their overall content approach.

As video continues to dominate the digital landscape, Giegerich’s analysis was not just about testing LinkedIn’s claim but also about understanding the real value of video in terms of user interaction and reach. Her study dives deep into how this format can boost visibility, engagement, and ultimately influence the way businesses and individuals use LinkedIn to connect with audiences.

Key Findings

Giegerich’s 90-day analysis of LinkedIn video posts showed a clear trend: video content consistently outperformed written posts in terms of reach. Even her lowest-performing videos garnered nearly triple the impressions of her highest-performing text-based posts, highlighting the power of video in driving engagement.

One of her most successful video posts reached an impressive 774,000 impressions, while the average number of views across her videos was around 250,000. These findings demonstrate the significant potential of video content on LinkedIn, especially when it is tailored to capture the audience’s attention effectively.

Giegerich discovered that videos under 5 minutes in length were particularly successful. She also found that a direct-to-camera approach, where she spoke directly to her audience, was an effective method for building a personal connection. Additionally, her videos performed best when posted in the morning, between 9-11 AM EST, aligning with peak engagement times on the platform.

To further enhance the performance of her videos, Giegerich added her own personal flair to the content. As she explains, “In terms of the content itself, I keep my videos under 5 minutes and speak directly to the camera about technology in terms everyone can understand to make it accessible.” Over time, she began incorporating fun sound effects and captions using Capcut, which likely contributed to the enhanced engagement of her posts.

When To Use Text Posts

Giegerich explains that video content is particularly effective for creating awareness at the top of the sales funnel. Once awareness has been established, text posts become more valuable in driving engagement and interaction with the audience.

She shares that her written posts consistently dominated the top three spots for engagement, despite her video posts generating significantly more awareness. As an example, her top-performing written post drove 68 times fewer impressions than her lowest-performing video post, emphasising the difference in reach between the two formats.

From her testing, Giegerich observed that text posts were distributed more selectively to her existing connections. In contrast, video content was widely recommended to people outside her immediate network, which likely contributed to its broader reach.

Giegerich further elaborates, saying, “One format is more targeted to my network and the other is being heavily fanned by the LinkedIn algorithm to an audience outside of my immediate network.” This difference in how the two formats are handled by the platform’s algorithm explains why video content tends to drive more initial awareness, while text posts are better for deeper engagement within her network.

Limited Monetization Opportunities

The study draws attention to LinkedIn’s comparatively limited monetisation options when placed alongside its competitors in the social media and content creation space. At present, LinkedIn’s creator economy is primarily built around sponsored posts and consulting opportunities, which, while valuable, are somewhat restrictive for creators who are looking to diversify their income streams. Unlike other platforms, LinkedIn has yet to fully leverage the potential for revenue generation beyond these basic offerings, meaning creators may feel their earning potential is capped unless they engage in external partnerships or off-platform business ventures.

Moreover, LinkedIn’s Creator Accelerator Program, which offers more substantial rewards and recognition, remains highly exclusive. This programme, which was only available to 100 participants selected in 2022, has created a barrier to entry for many creators who may have benefited from access. The limited number of participants means that the programme’s benefits are out of reach for the majority of content creators on the platform, which could hinder LinkedIn’s ability to attract and retain talent.

When comparing LinkedIn’s monetisation efforts to platforms like TikTok and Instagram, it’s clear that LinkedIn has room for improvement. Both TikTok and Instagram have rolled out a wider range of monetisation options, such as ad revenue sharing, tipping, and in-app product sales, all of which provide creators with more ways to earn income directly on the platform. This has made them much more attractive to content creators seeking financial incentives. LinkedIn’s more traditional, business-focused approach to content creation has yet to provide the same level of creator-centric opportunities, potentially causing it to fall behind in the increasingly competitive social media landscape. As other platforms continue to innovate with new ways to support creators, LinkedIn will need to ramp up its efforts to stay relevant in the creator economy.

What This Means

LinkedIn’s algorithm generally prioritises video content, as video posts tend to attract higher reach and impressions. Giegerich’s research underscores this, noting that videos are particularly effective for building broad awareness. They have the potential to reach a wide audience and capture attention, often surpassing text-based content in terms of visibility. However, the performance of video posts can be somewhat unpredictable, with engagement levels fluctuating depending on factors such as timing, content quality, and audience interest.

On the other hand, written posts tend to foster stronger engagement within established networks. While they may not generate the same high impression counts as videos, written content tends to resonate more with a creator’s direct connections, encouraging interactions such as comments, likes, and shares. This makes text-based posts more effective for cultivating relationships and sparking conversations within a specific community.

For marketers, Giegerich suggests adopting a balanced content strategy. Videos should be used to increase visibility and capture a broader audience, while written posts should be leveraged to drive deeper engagement with an existing network. By strategically combining both formats, marketers can maximise their reach while also fostering meaningful connections with their target audience.