Best Times and Strategies for LinkedIn Posts: Data-Driven Insights for Maximum Engagement

Powdience, the Swiss AI marketing data startup, analysed 157 LinkedIn business profiles from different sectors. In total, 14'268 posts, 5'402 images and 3'105 videos were evaluated to identify the factors that drive success in LinkedIn content. I have summarised the key insights in a Q&A and compiled the most important charts from the study here:

How does follower count affect the engagement rate (ER)?

• Successful accounts have an ER that is 5-6 times higher than less successful ones.

• ER declines as follower count increases.

How does the engagement rate (ER) differ between successful and unsuccessful LinkedIn profiles, and how is success defined?

• "Success" is not determined by follower count alone, but by the relationship between the engagement rate and the median engagement rate for a given follower count.

• Successful profiles sit above this median. Unsuccessful ones sit below it. This matters because engagement rate tends to fall as follower count rises.

How often should successful accounts post, and how important is post length for success on LinkedIn?

• Successful profiles post less often each week on average (1.77 times) than unsuccessful profiles (3 times)

• But they use longer text on average (816.32 characters vs 575.97).

• This suggests that quality and depth may matter more than the sheer number of posts.

Which content types and formats deliver the best results on LinkedIn?

• Gallery posts deliver by far the highest relative engagement rate, for both successful and unsuccessful profiles.

• Images and videos also perform slightly positively

• Articles, documents and reshares (Others) tend to affect engagement rate negatively.

• In practical terms, successful accounts publish more images and galleries, and fewer articles and documents, than unsuccessful profiles.

What type of content works best?

• Text posts: Longer texts with positive or negative emotion increase engagement. Neutral text performs less well.

• Carousel and image posts: Images with people, especially groups, are particularly effective. Infographics perform worse.

• Video posts: Videos with at least 4 people (ideally 20+) perform best. Videos without captions are often more effective, unless the caption adds value.

Should call to actions (CTAs) be used?

• No CTA is the most effective.

• The only exception is "Schedule a meeting", which shows positive effects.

What impact do visual design and the use of people in posts have on the engagement rate?

• Photos with groups of people, especially 20+, achieve high engagement rates, as do images without text.

• For videos, those with mixed genders perform better. Videos without a caption are also more successful because they keep the focus on the video.

• Music matters in videos. Trending, mixes or evergreen songs perform best, especially with vocals.

Which sectors achieve the highest engagement?

• Transport & logistics, food & beverages, retail, construction & infrastructure, and industry & manufacturing perform above average.

Which sectors have the lowest engagement?

• Real estate, hospitality, technology, agriculture & environment, and financial services are below average.

When is posting most frequent?

• According to Powdience's heatmap, LinkedIn posts are most frequent in the morning and afternoon from Monday to Friday. Most posts are:

• Published in the morning (06:00–09:00) between Tuesday and Friday.

• Posted in the afternoon (14:00–17:00), especially on Thursday.

• Posted far less often in the evening (18:00–22:00).

• Hardly any posts appear at weekends (Saturday & Sunday).

When is the best time to post?

• Late evenings (22:00–24:00) drive the most engagement, especially on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and particularly on Friday and Saturday.

• Friday evening and Saturday night have by far the highest engagement (+60% and +50.8%).

• Afternoons and evenings towards the end of the week (Thursday to Saturday) also deliver above-average engagement.

• Mornings and lunchtimes usually deliver below-average engagement, especially at lunchtime on Saturday (-48.6%).

Optimal posting strategy for LinkedIn?

• Post less in the morning and at lunchtime. Posting is high then, but engagement is often weaker.

• Use Thursday and Friday evening, plus the night hours, for maximum engagement.

• Saturday is an underestimated chance for reach, despite low posting volumes.

What are the key takeaways?

• Quality over quantity: Fewer posts, but better and more emotional ones, deliver stronger results.

• Visual content: Images and videos with people work best.

• Use emotion: Emotional content performs better than neutral content.

• Use CTAs carefully: Do not use a CTA, except "Schedule a meeting".

• Consider the audience: Align content with the audience's interests.

• Review regularly: Check engagement rates and adjust the strategy.