LinkedIn Post Character Limit: A Complete 2025 Guide to Length, Truncation, and Reach

LinkedIn Post Character Limit: A Complete 2025 Guide to Length, Truncation, and Reach

Whether you’re drafting thought leadership or a quick update, character limits shape how far your message travels and how much of it people actually read. This guide clarifies the hard caps, how truncation works, and the formatting choices that keep your hook above the fold. Use it as a practical reference to optimize clarity, dwell time, and reach—without guesswork.

If you’ve ever typed a banger update only to hit the linkedin post character limit, you know how fast polish turns into pruning. This guide distills the hard limits, the softer norms that shape reach, and the formatting tricks that keep your message above the fold and in the feed.

Below you’ll find exact caps, how “See more” truncation works, ideal ranges by intent, and workflows to keep every post tight, readable, and optimized for engagement.

The limits at a glance (and what counts as a character)

As of 2025, these are the practical caps most creators and brand managers run into.

What counts as a character:

• Letters, numbers, spaces, punctuation
• Emojis (most count as one visible character; some composed emojis/flags can count as multiple in certain tools)
• Hashtags, @mentions
• URLs (every character in the link counts)
• Line breaks

Tip: Because emoji and multi-byte characters can behave inconsistently across counters, sanity-check your post inside the LinkedIn composer before scheduling.

Truncation and the “See more” fold

LinkedIn truncates feed posts quickly:

• Mobile: roughly 2–3 lines before “See more”
• Desktop: roughly 3–5 lines before “See more”

The exact number of characters varies with device size, font rendering, and your line breaks. The rule of thumb: your hook must deliver the core message before the fold.

Hooks that earn clicks without clickbait

Use curiosity with clarity:

• “Most onboarding checklists miss the one step that prevents churn. Here’s the fix.”
• “I replaced 4 weekly meetings with a 7-minute async doc. The results after 30 days.”
• “We cut paid CAC by 31% without changing budget. The lever was hiding in analytics.”
• “The problem with ‘personalization at scale’ isn’t tooling—it’s math.”
• “I’ve interviewed 120 PMs this year. These 5 notes keep coming up.”
• “Your job post is ghosting candidates. A 4-line rewrite that fixed ours.”

Make the first 1–2 lines stand alone. If a skim-reader only sees your preview, they should still take value or feel compelled to tap “See more.”

Ideal length by intent

Longer isn’t always better. You need enough substance to inform, not so much that readers bounce.

When to switch to an Article or Newsletter:

• You need sources, charts, or multiple sections
• The post exceeds ~2,200 characters and still feels cramped
• You want an indexable, shareable long-form URL with persistent value

Pro move: Publish long-form as an Article or Newsletter, then create 2–5 feed posts that each angle into one key insight, stat, or story slice.

Formatting to win within the limit

Make your post scannable and dwell-time friendly:

• Use short paragraphs (1–3 lines) and strategic line breaks
• Lightweight bullets break walls of text without bloating length
• Use emojis sparingly as signposts, not decoration
• Put a clear CTA both near the top (line 2–3) and at the end
• Keep links clean with UTM parameters for analytics
• Write for a grade 6–8 reading level to boost completion

Example UTM link (replace values to match your campaign):

https://example.com/guide?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=organic_social&utm_campaign=q1_launch&utm_content=carousel_teaser

Tip: If the URL looks long, use a branded shortener—but confirm the destination preserves UTM parameters.

Hashtags, mentions, and links: placement and reach

Best practices:

• Hashtags: 2–5 focused tags, placed at the end of the post
• Mentions: Tag only stakeholders who add context or will likely engage
• Links: External links can reduce distribution. Test your approach.

Ways to test link placement (no one-size-fits-all):

• In-post link vs. “first comment” strategy
• Post, then edit to add the link after initial engagement (10–20 minutes)
• Compare CTR vs. impressions and engagement rate over 3–4 tests

How to measure:

• Track CTR from UTM data (sessions/clicks from LinkedIn)
• Track impressions and engagement rate in LinkedIn analytics
• Calculate effective rate: clicks per 1,000 impressions (CPM-style view)
• Choose the variant that maximizes meaningful actions, not just views

Media types and captions

The 3,000-character caption limit applies to:

• Image posts
• Video posts (native upload)
• Document posts (PDF carousels)

Why carousels help: You can move step-by-step details into slides while keeping the caption tight, focused on the hook, context, and CTA. Regardless of media, ensure the first 2–3 lines stand on their own.

Recommendations:

• Image: Use 1–5 images; add alt text and caption context
• Video: Put the key idea and CTA before the fold; consider burned-in captions
• Carousel: Slide 1 should restate the hook and promise; end with a clear CTA

Workflow and tools to stay under the cap

Draft smarter, then trim:

1. Write the hook first. Make sure the “why” is clear above the fold.
2. Outline 3–5 bullets; expand to short paragraphs.
3. Cut filler and hedging (“very,” “really,” “in order to” → “to”).
4. Replace phrases with single words (“utilize” → “use”).
5. Read aloud once. If you stumble, simplify.

Use a visible character counter:

• Draft in tools that show characters (Notion, Google Docs, scheduling apps)
• Validate inside LinkedIn before posting

Quick JavaScript snippet to count characters and warn at 2,900:

function charCount(str) {
  // counts visible code points reasonably well for most posts
  return [...str].length;
}

function enforceLinkedInLimit(str, limit = 3000) {
  const count = charCount(str);
  if (count <= limit) return { text: str, count, trimmed: false };
  // Trim to 2990 and add ellipsis if needed
  const target = 2990;
  const trimmedText = [...str].slice(0, target).join('') + '…';
  return { text: trimmedText, count: charCount(trimmedText), trimmed: true };
}

Turn one long idea into a series:

• Split a 1,800–2,400 character draft into 2–3 posts by theme
• Each post gets its own hook and CTA
• Link the series with consistent hashtags or a concluding comment

Repurpose long-form:

• Article → 3–7 feed posts
• Webinar → 1 carousel (key slides) + 2 short insights posts
• Report → 1 stat thread + 1 narrative + 1 how-to

Compliance, accessibility, and inclusivity

Write for everyone—and ensure your message isn’t lost under the fold.

Accessibility must-haves:

• Alt text for images that conveys purpose, not just description
• Avoid text-only images for critical info; repeat key points in the caption
• Burned-in captions or native captions for video
• Adequate color contrast if you design graphics

Inclusive language:

• Prefer people-first, bias-aware phrasing
• Avoid jargon where a plain word works
• Don’t assume background or resources your audience may not have

Placement:

• Put the main point and CTA above the fold
• Don’t bury essential context in slide 8 or paragraph 6

Optimization checklist and FAQs

Quick checklist before you post:

• Hook delivers the “why” in the first 2–3 lines
• CTA appears near the top and bottom
• 1 idea per post, supported by 3–5 tight points
• 2–5 relevant hashtags at the end
• Clean link with UTMs, or tested link placement strategy
• Readability around grade 6–8
• Alt text added; video captioned
• Character count confirmed (<3,000)

FAQs:

• Do spaces and emojis count toward the linkedin post character limit? Yes—spaces, emoji, punctuation, hashtags, @mentions, and links all count.
• What happens if you exceed the limit? The composer will prompt you to shorten. You can’t publish until you’re under the cap.
• Do hashtags have a separate limit? No—only the overall post cap applies.
• Do personal and company posts have different limits? No—both share the 3,000-character cap.
• Are Articles different? Yes—titles ~100 characters, bodies up to ~125,000, ideal for long-form.

How to cut 10–20% without losing clarity:

• Delete throat-clearing intros; start at the insight
• Replace long phrases with shorter equivalents:
• “in order to” → “to”
• “due to the fact that” → “because”
• “make use of” → “use”
• Remove duplicate points or softeners (“I think,” “maybe,” “just”)
• Convert lists-in-sentences to bullets
• Show one example, not three
• Move tangents into a follow-up post or carousel slides

Example “tighten” pass:

• Before: “In order to successfully get started with analytics, you really need to make sure you’re tracking the right metrics.”
• After: “To start strong with analytics, track the right metrics.”

Final take

The linkedin post character limit doesn’t constrain good content—it forces crisp thinking. Lead with a hook above the fold, write for quick comprehension, and size the post to the job. When you need more room, publish long-form and repurpose. The result: higher dwell time, clearer CTAs, and better reach with the same effort.

Summary

• Keep your hook and primary CTA above the fold; assume only 2–5 preview lines show before “See more.”
• Aim for 300–1,200 characters for most posts; move deeper detail to carousels or long-form.
• Validate character count before publishing, add alt text and captions, and test link placement to maximize meaningful actions.