The magic of LinkedIn impressions
LinkedIn impressions are tricky do understand. Learn what impressions mean on LinkedIn and how to use them. We have some great insights to analyze your LinkedIn impressions and help you grow.
Andi Groke
23 Oct 2024
LinkedIn Answers
7 min
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Don't want to read? Listen to this Podcast:
The short answer
LinkedIn impressions are the number of times content is shown on someone's screen. This can be a post, an article, a video, or even your profile page. LinkedIn counts an impression when at least 50% of your content is in view for at least 300 milliseconds. A user scrolling past your post might not count. Impressions are not unique and are different from views. One person can generate many impressions when looking at your LinkedIn content more than once.
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Why you should care about LinkedIn impressions
LinkedIn impressions tell you how visible your content is. They show how often your content reaches LinkedIn users. More impressions mean more exposure for your personal brand. Impressions on LinkedIn lead to more profile views and more engagement. This in turn will grow your followers.
Tracking impressions also tells you how well your content performs. It shows what's working and what needs improvement. You can analyze your LinkedIn impressions to find the best topics or types of LinkedIn posts for you. Impressions are an important metric for understanding the effectiveness of your content. Look at it this way:
The more impressions you get, the more valuable the LinkedIn algorithm rates your content.
Having a high number of impressions is crucial for building brand recognition. It means your content gets in front of many people. That’s the most important factor in growing and reaching more users. Impressions help you understand if your content is reaching your target audience. Engagement, on the other hand, tells you if your audience likes your content.
Understanding impressions on LinkedIn
Impressions tell you how many times your content gets seen by other users. This can include both organic and paid views. Each time your content appears on someone's feed, it counts as an impression, even if they don’t engage with it. You can track impressions for LinkedIn posts, articles, and your profile.
The LinkedIn algorithm decides when and where to show your content. When someone likes similar content, LinkedIn is more likely to show them your posts. This is the way impressions rise. So, posting about topics that get high engagement from your followers is key.
It's also important to understand the difference between impressions and unique views. Impressions are all the times your content shows up in feeds. Unique views count how many distinct individuals see it. Knowing this key metric helps you plan better. Higher impressions mean more chances for engagement and increase visibility within your network.
Types of impressions on LinkedIn
Organic impressions
We call them organic impressions when your content appears naturally in someone's feed. Meaning without a paid promotion. This happens because they follow you or LinkedIn’s algorithm finds it relevant.
Paid impressions
Paid impressions are when users see your content because you used paid advertising. This includes sponsored content campaigns.
Viral impressions
Viral impressions happen when your content gets shared by someone in your network. Impressions are viral when you get many views from users outside of your connections. High-quality LinkedIn content that resonates with people can spark engagement. This can lead to shares, comments, and tags, giving you more reach.
How are LinkedIn impressions calculated?
LinkedIn calculates impressions based on the number of times content is seen. If the same user sees your content many times, it counts as multiple impressions. The number of impressions can vary based on:
How visible your content is in feeds.
How much engagement do you get (likes, comments, shares).
How many connections do you have?
Some users noticed that checking their analytics on their phone inflates impressions. Viewing your own analytics can count as an impression.
Unique impressions count the number of individual users who viewed your content. If one person sees your content several times, it's still one unique impression.
Unique views give a clearer picture of your audience size. They filter out multiple views from the same person. This is a stronger indicator of the real reach of your post.
Use this table to make sense of your LinkedIn impressions over time:
Understand the different scenarios of your impression growth:
#1 High early impressions but low network impressions:
This means the LinkedIn algorithm valued your content, but your audience did not. This usually happens when you post about a relevant or trending topic. The fact that your followers are not interacting with that content means one of two things. First, your connections might not be interested in topics like this. You will have to find more connections in that industry or post about something else. Second, your audience likes the topic but not how you presented it. Rephrase your content and use visuals to make your post more interesting.
#2 High network impressions but low growth impressions:
You will have many impressions in the first 24 hours, and after that, nothing. Or at least not much. This indicates that your interaction rate is too low. Your content did not make it outside of your own network. Optimize your content more for comments and shares to make it to the next phase.
#3 High growth impressions for less than three days:
You tasted the rainbow. You did everything right, short of creating a viral post. When you see a consistent rise in growth impressions for one or two days, keep doing what you’re doing. This is the sweet spot for growth.
#4 High growth impressions for more than three days:
Congratulations. You made it. Your post is probably going viral. Viral in the sense that many people outside of your network will see it. Now the question is how big it will get. Wait and see.
Content Quality
High-quality, relevant content usually gets more impressions. If your content provides value, it is more likely to be shared and seen by more people.
Posting frequency
Posting consistently can increase impressions. It signals to the LinkedIn algorithm and your audience that you are active. This helps your content show up more often in feeds.
Hashtags and keywords
Hashtags and keywords can boost visibility. Hashtags categorize your LinkedIn content. Other users will see your posts more often in their search results.
Early engagement
LinkedIn posts that get early engagement are more likely to reach more people. When people engage with your content early on, LinkedIn's algorithm pushes it.
LinkedIn profile quality
Yes, your profile quality affects LinkedIn post impressions. A complete and professional profile increases the time spent on LinkedIn. The algorithm likes that. Thus, the LinkedIn algorithm promotes posts with a complete profile.
So now you understand how to interpret your LinkedIn impressions. After you also took care of the factors above, it’s time to create content.
Share in-depth industry insights: Go beyond repeating industry news. Share original research, case studies, or unique perspectives to stand out. Do this as soon as they are published to be one of the first to talk about it.
Develop a strong content strategy: Try different formats. Use articles, videos posts, polls, or infographics to see what your audience likes.
Create value-packed downloadable documents: Everyone loves free insights. Free resources like ebooks or guides can attract attention and build authority. Increase your engagement while you do this: “Leave a comment and I'll send you the link.”
Commenting on your own posts for initial traction:
Encourage engagement. Show LinkedIn that your content deserves more reach and start a discussion.Tag people and companies: Tagging increases visibility in your followers' network. This helps you jump-start that initial engagement.
Post regularly: Stay on a consistant posting schedule to stay top of mind and show that you are active. But remember: Quality beats quantity.
Leverage LinkedIn groups: Post your content in relevant LinkedIn groups to get more exposure. This is maximizing LinkedIn impressions by getting engagement early on.
To increase impressions, focus on creating engaging content formats that resonate. Use keywords, add images or videos, and write catchy headlines. Respond to comments and start conversations to increase interaction.
With LinkedIn analytics
LinkedIn’s built-in analytics track impressions, reach, and engagement. They show how your content is performing and where to make improvements. They are quite limited. Good enough to get you started, but you will want to upgrade to a third-party tool soon.
With third-party analytics tools
Tools like Facelift Data Studio and Octopus CRM offer advanced tracking features. They provide deeper insights into impressions and performance beyond LinkedIn’s own analytics. There are many tools to export data. Try different ones after the built-in analytics from LinkedIn don’t cut it anymore.
Impressions are the number of times your content is shown to someone. Views show how many times people actually clicked to view your content. Views are only measured on content that is clickable on LinkedIn. Those are video posts, carousel posts, or multiple image posts. Views are a better measure of genuine interest because they show intentional engagement.
The main difference between impressions and views is what they tell you. Impressions reflect exposure, while views show actual interaction. More views mean more recognition and potential connections. Views will increase your authority and thought leadership.
Views are a sign of true engagement, like likes, comments, and shares. Views show your reputation and authority.
LinkedIn impressions can be misleading. Automated scrolling tools can inflate counts. Impressions may also count self-views, even on private LinkedIn posts. Be cautious about these limitations when interpreting your data.
Also, impressions are not counted for users with ad blockers. Unless you are looking at paid impressions, your numbers might be off.
Misleading metric: Impressions don’t always reflect real engagement.
Inability to reflect content impact: Impressions don’t show how content resonates with the audience.
Irrelevant factors inflating impressions: Things like a large network or posting times can artificially boost impressions.
Limited insight into viewer demographics: LinkedIn’s basic analytics don’t offer much detail about the people viewing your content.
Lack of engagement quality data: Views don’t reveal the quality of interaction (likes, comments, and shares).
Exclusion of views from other platforms: Views from shared content on other platforms aren’t included in LinkedIn metrics.
To increase your impressions on LinkedIn, you need to create engaging content. Simple as that. The visibility of your content is directly linked to your credibility. Use your expertise to provide value and engage with your audience. Optimizing your content strategy like this, will increase your visibility. But it takes time. Post regularly to show the LinkedIn algorithm you are serious. It builds trust, and ultimately expands your professional network. Consistency, quality, and understanding what your audience wants is key. Experiment and keep refining your approach. Use native videos, images and relevant hashtags. After that you can lean back and watch your impressions grow.
Is 1000 impressions on LinkedIn good?
There’s no specific number for what is good. It depends on your goals, industry, and audience size. Focus on trends over time and how impressions relate to engagement metrics.
Are LinkedIn impressions the same as views?
No, they aren’t. Impressions show how many times content is displayed. Views show how many times it has been intentionally viewed or clicked.
What does 500 impressions mean on LinkedIn?
It means your content has been displayed 500 times in user feeds. It doesn’t tell you much on its own without looking at engagement, reach, or goals.
Do LinkedIn impressions mean anything?
Yes, they show potential reach and visibility. But you need to look at other metrics too, like engagement, to understand the full impact.
What does an impression mean on LinkedIn?
It means your content appeared on someone’s screen for at least 300 milliseconds. It doesn’t mean they actively engaged with it.
What are unique impressions on LinkedIn?
Unique impressions count the number of individual users who have seen your content. No matter how many times they saw it.
How many impressions on LinkedIn are good?
There’s no one answer. It depends on your industry, goals, and what you want to achieve. Look at your impressions alongside other metrics to gauge success.
Author
Andi Groke
Andi is the CEO of Mind Nexus and Co-Founder of postline.ai. He is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker and former Dentsu executive. Andi worked in marketing for more than 15 years, serving clients such as Disney and Mastercard. Today he is developing AI marketing software for agencies and brands and is involved in several SaaS projects.