How Adding Links to Your LinkedIn Posts Could Boost Engagement by 13%

If you’ve been following LinkedIn marketing advice for a while, you’ve probably heard that adding links to your posts can hurt your performance. The conventional wisdom has always been that LinkedIn prefers content that keeps users on the platform, so including external links might lead to fewer views or engagement. However, a new study from Metricool reveals a surprising twist—posts with links can actually increase engagement by 13%.

In this blog, we’ll dive into the findings from the study and explore how marketers can adjust their LinkedIn strategies to take advantage of these new insights.

The Surprising Findings: Links Actually Help

The LinkedIn study, which analyzed over 577,000 posts, has turned conventional wisdom on its head. Contrary to what we’ve been told for years, posts containing links perform better than those without. Specifically, posts with links receive 13.57% more interactions and 4.90% more views than posts that keep it internal.

This new research challenges a long-standing belief among social media experts that LinkedIn penalizes posts with external links. In fact, the study shows that about 31% of LinkedIn posts contained links to other websites, and these posts consistently outperformed those without links.

Content Formats That Work Best on LinkedIn

The study didn’t just look at links—it also examined how different types of content perform on the platform. Here's what the data showed:

• Carousels (Document Posts): These posts garnered the highest engagement rate, with a 45.85% engagement rate, showing that users are willing to spend time clicking through multiple slides. Carousels are clearly a format to consider for boosting your LinkedIn interactions.

• Polls: While polls account for only 0.00034% of posts, they achieved 206.33% more reach than average posts. Despite their underuse, polls are clearly a hidden gem for boosting engagement.

• Text-only Posts: As expected, text-only posts underperformed. They received the fewest interactions across all metrics, making them less effective for gaining traction on LinkedIn.

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The Rise of Video Content

Video content on LinkedIn is seeing remarkable growth. Last year alone, video posting increased by 53%, and engagement grew by 87%. This growth outpaced other platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube, which signals that LinkedIn is prioritizing video in its algorithm.

The report points out that video impressions surged by 73.39%, and video views increased by 52.17%, indicating that users are engaging more with video content than ever before.

Industry-Specific Insights: Bigger Isn’t Always Better

The study also broke down performance by industry, revealing some surprising insights. Companies in sectors with smaller followings—such as manufacturing and utilities—actually saw more engagement per post than larger industries like education and retail. This challenges the notion that having a bigger follower count automatically translates into better performance on LinkedIn.

In fact, only 17.68% of accounts gained followers in 2024, showing that growing a LinkedIn following is tougher than on other platforms. As such, it’s essential to focus not just on follower growth, but also on creating high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your audience.

Practical Tips for Optimizing Your LinkedIn Strategy

Based on these findings, here are some practical takeaways for marketers looking to improve their LinkedIn performance:

1. Don’t Avoid Links: If you’ve been avoiding links in your posts, it’s time to rethink that strategy. Including links in your posts can actually boost engagement and drive traffic to your website. Just make sure the links add value to your audience.

2. Diversify Your Content: Incorporate a variety of content types into your LinkedIn strategy. Carousels, polls, and video content should be at the forefront of your plan. These formats have proven to generate higher engagement and perform better than traditional text-based posts.

3. Leverage LinkedIn for Website Traffic: LinkedIn is proving to be a valuable platform for driving website traffic. With clicks up 28.13% year-over-year, it’s clear that LinkedIn is more than just a place to connect—it’s an effective tool for content distribution and traffic generation.

4. Focus on Engagement, Not Just Follower Count: While growing your LinkedIn followers is important, it’s not the only metric that matters. Engagement is key. Focus on creating posts that encourage interaction, regardless of the size of your following.

   
   

What’s Next for LinkedIn Marketing?

This Metricool study provides marketers with solid, data-backed insights to rethink their LinkedIn strategies for 2025. One of the most important takeaways is that the advice about avoiding links in posts is outdated. Adding links can help, not hurt, your LinkedIn performance.

As LinkedIn continues to evolve, marketers need to stay flexible and adapt to new data. What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow, so it’s crucial to test and iterate your LinkedIn strategy based on the most current information.

If you’re looking to stay ahead of the curve, it’s time to rethink your approach. Embrace video, diversify your content, and don’t be afraid to add links. With these strategies, you’ll be well on your way to boosting your LinkedIn engagement and growing your presence on the platform.

Conclusion

The world of LinkedIn marketing is changing, and marketers need to adapt. The recent study shows that adding links to your posts can boost engagement, video content is on the rise, and carousels and polls are among the most effective content types. By embracing these insights and testing them in your own strategy, you can ensure that your LinkedIn efforts are more effective in 2025 and beyond.

Are you ready to optimize your LinkedIn strategy and take advantage of these insights?

Source: Search Engine Journal, Metricool