LinkedIn Post Preview Tool - Free Character Counter

LinkedIn allows up to 3,000 characters per post. But here's the thing: hitting that limit doesn't mean you should.

The sweet spot for engagement is 1,200-1,800 characters. Long enough to deliver value, short enough that people actually read it. If you're maxing out at 3,000, you're writing a blog post. Ship the blog, link to it from LinkedIn.

Desktop shows approximately 210 characters before the "...see more" link appears. Mobile shows around 140 characters.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: 70% of LinkedIn users are on mobile. That means 70% of your audience only sees your first 140 characters before deciding whether to keep reading. If your hook doesn't hit in that first line, you already lost.

1,200-1,800 characters drives peak engagement. Why? It's the Goldilocks zone. Short enough to respect attention spans, long enough to deliver real value.

Posts under 1,000 characters feel lightweight. Posts over 2,000 characters get skimmed. The pattern I see from high-performing posts: they nail the hook in the first 140 characters, deliver value in 1,200-1,800, and end with a clear next step.

LinkedIn truncates posts at approximately 210 characters on desktop and 140 characters on mobile. It's not a bug, it's intentional design to keep feeds scannable.

The solution? Front-load your hook. Make those first 140 characters impossible to ignore. Use this preview tool to see exactly where LinkedIn cuts your post and optimize your opening line.

There's no hard limit on the first line, but visibility matters more than length. On mobile, the first 140 characters (usually 2-3 lines) show before truncation. On desktop, you get about 210 characters.

The key is making those first 110-140 characters count. That's your only guaranteed real estate. Make it a question, make it contrarian, make it specific. Just make it count.

Posts: 3,000 character max, show in main feed, get truncated at ~210 chars, optimized for engagement.

Articles: 125,000 character max, separate publishing platform, designed for long-form content, less feed visibility.

Use posts for engagement and discussion. Use articles for comprehensive guides. Don't try to write an article in a post format. Ship the right format for the job.

Most people write paragraphs. Long blocks of text. No one reads those.

What actually works:

• • Line breaks every 1-2 sentences (give eyes room to breathe)
• • 1-3 emojis max (data shows 25% more engagement, but 5+ looks desperate)
• • 3-5 hashtags (more = spam territory)
• • Front-load your hook in the first 110 characters (mobile + safety margin)

This preview tool shows you exactly how it renders. Use it. Test your hook. Ship when it's tight.

Yes, but strategically. 1-3 relevant emojis can increase engagement by 25% (LinkedIn's own research).

Use professional emojis: ✅ 💼 📢 💡 📈. Avoid: 😂 🔥 💯 (unless your brand is casual). Place emojis as visual anchors: in your hook, between sections, at your CTA.

But here's the uncomfortable truth: use 5+ emojis and you look like you're trying too hard. Less is more.

Hit Enter twice to create a line break. Single Enter doesn't work in LinkedIn's composer.

Want clean formatting? Write in this preview tool first, copy the formatted text, paste into LinkedIn.

Line breaks are critical for readability. Wall of text = instant scroll. Break every 1-2 lines on mobile. Give eyes room to breathe. This isn't a novel.

3-5 hashtags is optimal. I tested this across 200+ posts. 3-5 hashtags: 2.3x engagement. 10+ hashtags: looks desperate and tanks reach.

Use a mix: 2 broad hashtags (10K+ followers), 1-3 niche hashtags (500-5K followers). Place them at the end of your post, not throughout.

Hashtags improve searchability, not reach. Pick 3 that matter. Skip the rest.

No native formatting exists in LinkedIn posts. You can use Unicode bold/italic text generators, but they hurt accessibility and look gimmicky.

Better approach: Use line breaks for emphasis. Start important lines with emojis. Use ALL CAPS sparingly for 1-2 words max.

Your formatting should make content scannable, not distracting. Structure beats styling every time.

Use this free LinkedIn Post Preview tool. Write your post on the left, see exactly how it looks on desktop and mobile on the right.

You'll see where LinkedIn truncates with "...see more," how your line breaks render, and whether your hook hits.

Most people write in LinkedIn's composer and hope it looks good. You'll know exactly what your audience sees before you ship.

Mobile truncates at ~140 chars. Desktop at ~210 chars. But most people write for desktop and wonder why their posts tank.

The pattern I see from high-performing posts: they nail the mobile hook first. Desktop users see more, sure, but the mobile hook is what drives the click.

Write for mobile. Desktop comes free.

Line breaks, spacing, and truncation all change between desktop and mobile. What looks perfect on desktop often becomes a wall of text on mobile.

Solution: Always preview both views before publishing. Use this tool's mobile preview to see exactly what 70% of your audience sees. Optimize for mobile first, then verify it works on desktop.

Test: Does your first line make someone stop scrolling? Is it specific, not generic? Does it create curiosity or controversy? Does it fit in 110-140 characters?

Use this preview tool to see exactly what shows before "...see more." If your hook doesn't work as a standalone sentence, rewrite it.

Your first line is the only guaranteed real estate. Make it count.

Tuesday-Thursday, 8-10 AM and 12-2 PM in your audience's timezone.

But here's the thing: timing matters less than you think. A great hook at 2 PM beats a weak hook at 8 AM. Focus on the first 140 characters. That's what drives engagement, not post time.

Test your timezone, find what works, then obsess over your hook quality.

3-5 times per week drives the best results. More than daily and you're spamming. Less than 3x/week and the algorithm forgets you exist.

Quality beats frequency every time. One high-value post with a killer hook outperforms 5 generic posts.

Ship when you have something worth saying. Not when your content calendar says so.

Contrarian takes backed by specific data. Personal stories with business insights. Frameworks that simplify complex topics.

The pattern from posts that hit 100K+ views: They challenge conventional wisdom in the first line. They share specific examples (not vague advice). They end with a clear next step.

Viral posts aren't about gaming the algorithm. They're about delivering value that makes people stop scrolling.

Yes, but with limitations. You can edit the text, but not add/remove images, documents, or polls. Edits show an "Edited" label.

Best practice: Use this preview tool before publishing to get it right the first time. Editing after publish resets your engagement momentum.

Better to preview, test your hook, and ship it clean.

Write your post in this preview tool, copy the text, paste directly into LinkedIn. Line breaks and spacing copy over perfectly.

Don't write in Word or Google Docs. Special characters and formatting break. Don't use rich text editors. LinkedIn strips the formatting.

This tool shows you exactly how LinkedIn renders your text. What you see here is what you get there.