LinkedIn Post Format Guide: Text, Images, Video & More

LinkedIn gives you more post formats than most people realize. Text, single images, multi-image posts, native video, document carousels, polls, articles, newsletters, and link posts each behave differently in the feed and suit different goals. This guide covers every format with the specs, character limits, and practical advice on when to pick one over another.

Key takeaways

• LinkedIn supports at least nine distinct post formats, each with its own dimensions, character limits, and feed behavior.
• The first two to three lines of any post are the most important because they appear before the "See more" cutoff.
• Document carousels (PDF uploads) and native video are commonly observed to earn strong engagement, but format alone does not determine results.
• Portrait images (1080 x 1350, 4:5 ratio) take up the most real estate in the mobile feed.
• Upshot lets you schedule posts with photos, documents, video, and polls so your content is ready when your audience is active.

Every LinkedIn post format at a glance

Format	Character limit	Media specs	Best for
Text only	3,000 characters	None	Stories, opinions, quick tips
Single image	3,000 characters	1080 x 1350 (portrait), 1080 x 1080 (square), 1200 x 627 (landscape)	Visual proof, infographics, quotes
Multi-image	3,000 characters	Up to 20 images, same specs	Before/after, event recaps, step-by-step
Native video	3,000 characters	Up to 10 min recommended, max 15 min; 1080 x 1920 (vertical), 1920 x 1080 (landscape)	Tutorials, commentary, behind-the-scenes
Document / carousel	3,000 characters	PDF upload, up to 300 pages; 1080 x 1080 or 1080 x 1350 per slide	Frameworks, guides, educational series
Poll	3,000 characters	Up to 4 options, runs 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, or 2 weeks	Audience research, conversation starters
Article	~110,000 characters	Rich text editor with images, headers, links	Long-form thought leadership
Newsletter	Same as articles	Rich text plus subscriber notifications	Recurring deep dives, building a subscriber base
Link post	3,000 characters	Auto-generated preview card	Driving traffic to external content

Now let's dig into each one.

Text-only posts

A plain text post is the simplest format on LinkedIn and still one of the most effective when the writing is good. No image, no link preview, just words.

When to use text

Text posts work best for personal stories, opinions, lessons learned, and short tips. They feel conversational, which tends to invite comments. If your goal is discussion rather than clicks, text is a strong choice.

Formatting tips for text posts

LinkedIn's post editor is basic. There are no native buttons for bold, italic, or headers. People work around this with Unicode characters from external formatter tools, but use them sparingly. Screen readers can struggle with Unicode bold and italic, and overusing them makes a post look cluttered. For a full breakdown, see our guide on how to format text in a LinkedIn post.

What matters more than fancy formatting:

• The hook. Only about 140 characters show before the "See more" button on mobile. Your first two to three lines need to earn the click. We collected 25 examples of hooks that stop the scroll.
• White space. Short paragraphs with a blank line between them are far easier to read on a phone than dense blocks of text.
• One idea per post. Posts that try to cover three topics usually land none of them.
• A closing question or prompt. Asking for a response gives people a reason to comment.

The 3,000-character limit is generous. Most strong text posts use far less. Something in the range of 150 to 300 words tends to hit a good balance between substance and scannability.

If you need help deciding what to write about, here are 30 content ideas that work on LinkedIn.

Single image posts

Adding an image to your post gives it more visual weight in the feed. The image appears below your text and takes up a good chunk of screen space, especially on mobile.

Image dimensions

• Portrait (4:5): 1080 x 1350 pixels. This is the largest an image can appear in the mobile feed and is widely considered the best option when you want maximum real estate.
• Square (1:1): 1080 x 1080 pixels. Clean, works well on both desktop and mobile.
• Landscape (1.91:1): 1200 x 627 pixels. Standard web aspect ratio but shows smaller on mobile.

Save images as PNG for graphics and text-heavy visuals, JPEG for photos. LinkedIn compresses images, so start with a high-quality file.

When to use a single image

Single images work well for infographics, quote cards, screenshots, photos from events, and any time you want to pair a visual with your text. If you are sharing data or a framework, putting it in an image can stop people mid-scroll. For design inspiration, see our LinkedIn post design ideas.

Common mistakes

• Tiny text on the image that is unreadable on a phone.
• Stock photos that add nothing. A generic handshake photo will not help your post.
• Forgetting to write strong text above the image. The caption still matters.

Multi-image posts

LinkedIn lets you attach up to 20 images to a single post. They display in a grid layout, and users can tap through them.

Multi-image posts are useful for event recaps, before-and-after comparisons, step-by-step sequences, and showing multiple products or examples. They tend to work best with three to five images. Twenty images is a lot to ask someone to click through.

Use the same dimensions for all images in a set so the grid looks consistent. Portrait or square formats work best.

Document posts (carousels)

Document posts, often called carousels, are one of the most popular formats on LinkedIn right now. You upload a PDF (or PowerPoint) and it renders as a swipeable slideshow in the feed.

Why carousels work

Creators widely observe that carousels earn strong engagement. The swipe mechanic keeps people on the post longer, and LinkedIn appears to reward that dwell time with more distribution. Each slide is a chance to deliver a small piece of value that motivates the next swipe.

Specs

• Upload as a PDF for the most consistent rendering.
• Up to 300 pages, though most carousels are 5 to 15 slides.
• Recommended slide size: 1080 x 1080 (square) or 1080 x 1350 (portrait).
• Keep text large and readable on mobile. If someone has to pinch and zoom, they will just keep scrolling.

How to create one

You can design slides in almost any tool (Canva, Figma, PowerPoint, Google Slides) and export as a PDF. We have a step-by-step guide on how to create a LinkedIn carousel and a collection of carousel examples that drive engagement.

Tips

• Put a strong hook on slide one. It is your thumbnail in the feed.
• End with a call to action: follow, comment, share, or visit a link in the comments.
• Keep slides scannable. One idea per slide, big fonts, minimal clutter.
• Add your name or brand to the first and last slide so it is clear who made it.

Native video

Native video means uploading a video file directly to LinkedIn, as opposed to pasting a YouTube link (which creates a link post with a preview card). Native video auto-plays in the feed on mute, which is a big advantage for grabbing attention.

Video specs

• Vertical (9:16): 1080 x 1920 pixels. Best for mobile viewing and LinkedIn's vertical video feed.
• Landscape (16:9): 1920 x 1080 pixels. Standard for talking-head or presentation-style videos.
• Square (1:1): 1080 x 1080 pixels. A compromise that works on both mobile and desktop.
• Length: LinkedIn allows videos up to 15 minutes for most accounts. Shorter videos (under 2 to 3 minutes) tend to hold attention better in the feed. For the vertical video feed, shorter clips are the norm.
• File size: up to 5 GB.
• Format: MP4 is the safest choice.

When to use video

Video works well for tutorials, commentary on trends, behind-the-scenes content, product demos, and founder updates. It adds a personal dimension that text and images cannot. We cover this in detail in our guide to posting video on LinkedIn and our video best practices for 2026.

Tips

• Add captions. Most people scroll with sound off, and auto-play is silent by default.
• Get to the point in the first three seconds. If the opening is slow, people scroll past.
• Vertical video (9:16) is worth testing if you have not already. LinkedIn has been investing heavily in its vertical video feed. See our LinkedIn vertical video guide for sizing and safe zones.

Polls

LinkedIn polls let you ask a question with up to four answer options. You choose how long the poll runs: one day, three days, one week, or two weeks.

When to use polls

Polls are great for audience research, sparking conversation, and getting quick signal on what your network cares about. They tend to generate high engagement because voting is low-effort.

Tips

• Pair the poll with a text explanation of why you are asking. Naked polls with no context feel lazy.
• Use the comments to dig deeper. "Why did you pick that?" turns a vote into a conversation.
• Do not overdo them. A poll every week gets old fast.

Articles and newsletters

LinkedIn articles live in a rich text editor with proper headers, inline images, links, and full formatting. They are essentially blog posts published on LinkedIn.

Newsletters are recurring articles that people subscribe to. Subscribers get a notification each time you publish, which gives you a built-in distribution channel.

When to use articles or newsletters

Articles make sense when your topic needs more depth than a 3,000-character post allows, or when you want something that lives on as a reference piece. Newsletters are ideal if you plan to publish regularly on a theme. We cover this in more detail in writing articles on LinkedIn and newsletter best practices.

The tradeoff: articles and newsletters live on a separate page, not in the feed. They get distribution through notifications (newsletters) and your activity (articles), but they do not auto-play or appear inline the way a video or carousel does. Some creators find articles get fewer impressions than regular posts but attract a more committed reader.

Link posts

A link post is any post where you paste an external URL. LinkedIn generates a preview card with the page title, description, and thumbnail.

The reach question

Many creators observe that link posts get less organic distribution than other formats. The widely held theory is that LinkedIn prefers to keep people on the platform, so posts that send users elsewhere get shown to fewer people.

Common workarounds:

• Post the link in the first comment instead of the post body, and mention in the text that the link is below.
• Write a text post summarizing the content and add the link as a comment.

Neither approach is guaranteed to improve distribution, but both are commonly used. For more detail, read our guide on how to add a link to a LinkedIn post without killing reach.

How to choose the right format

There is no single best format. The right choice depends on what you are trying to say and what you want people to do.

Choose text when you have a personal story, a quick opinion, or a tip that stands on its own.

Choose an image when a visual adds real information, like a chart, a screenshot, or a photo that tells part of the story.

Choose a carousel when you have a step-by-step process, a framework, or a list that benefits from being broken into slides.

Choose video when showing is better than telling, when personality matters, or when you are demonstrating something.

Choose a poll when you want audience input or want to start a conversation with a low-friction prompt.

Choose an article or newsletter when the topic needs real depth and you want a durable, referenceable piece.

Choose a link post when you need to drive traffic somewhere, and accept that distribution may be lower.

Mixing formats over time is better than picking one and sticking to it. A content calendar helps you plan variety without overthinking each post.

Scheduling and posting across formats

Once you know what format to use, timing matters. Getting your post in front of your network while it is fresh can help with early engagement, which is one of the signals LinkedIn uses to decide whether to show a post to more people.

Upshot lets you schedule posts with photos, documents, video, and polls, so you can prepare content ahead of time and publish when your audience is most active. When your post goes live, your crew (your colleagues, friends, or community on Upshot) gets an alert so they can show up with genuine likes and comments in the first hour. No bots, and nothing likes or comments for you. Just real people reacting on LinkedIn themselves.

A quick formatting checklist

Before you hit publish on any format, run through this:

1. Hook in the first two lines. Does your opening make someone want to tap "See more"?
2. White space. Are your paragraphs short enough to scan on a phone?
3. Media specs. Is your image, video, or PDF the right size and readable on mobile?
4. One clear point. Does this post try to say one thing well, or three things badly?
5. Call to action. Is there a reason for someone to comment, save, or share?
6. Proofread. Typos in the first line will undermine everything else.

LinkedIn gives you a lot of formats to work with. The ones that perform best are not the fanciest. They are the ones where the format matches the message and the first few lines earn attention. Start with what you want to say, then pick the format that says it best.