Preview text
The portion of a LinkedIn post visible in the feed before the See more truncation. Roughly the first 200 characters.
LinkedIn shows only the first part of a post in the feed; the rest is hidden behind a See more link. The visible portion is the preview text and runs to about 200 characters on desktop and a bit less on mobile. Everything you want a reader to see before they commit has to fit in this window. Much of a post's job is done by the preview: the hook, the implied promise of what comes next, sometimes the entire point. Writers who plan the preview deliberately tend to outperform writers who write the post first and check the preview after, because hitting the See more cliff at a strong line of tension drives the click.
Examples
- A complete sentence that creates curiosity, followed by a paragraph break.
- A specific number plus a one-line setup that opens a question.
- A confession or admission that the reader wants the resolution to.
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Frequently asked questions
- How many characters fit in the LinkedIn preview?
- Around 200 on desktop, slightly less on mobile. The exact cutoff varies by line length and device, so plan for a hard ceiling near 180 characters.
- Should preview text end with a hook or a complete thought?
- Usually a complete thought that creates a question in the reader's mind. A cliffhanger mid-sentence reads as cheap. A clean line that implies more to come reads as confident.
Related terms
Hook
The first line of a LinkedIn post. It is shown above the See more fold and decides whether anyone keeps reading.
Scroll stopper
Any element of a LinkedIn post that breaks a reader out of passive scrolling and earns active attention.
Character limit
LinkedIn allows up to 3,000 characters in a text post. Strong posts typically use 800-1,500. The first 200 are critical.
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