LinkedIn in 2025: What’s Working (And The Numbers to Prove It)

If you’ve been wondering whether your LinkedIn strategy is keeping pace with what’s actually working in 2025, I’ve got some fresh data that might either validate your approach or make you rethink everything.

A new study analysing over 1 MILLION LinkedIn posts from 9,000 business pages has revealed some genuinely surprising trends. Let’s cut through the jargon and get to what actually matters for your brand.

The Numbers That Made Me Pay Attention

First, the headline news: LinkedIn engagement has jumped 30% year-over-year. Unlike some platforms where organic reach is practically on life support (*cough* Facebook *cough*), LinkedIn is still very much a place where your content can reach people without paying for the privilege.

But not all content is created equal, and this is where it gets interesting…

Content Formats: The Clear Winners and Losers

Let’s start with the most engaging formats based on engagement rate:

1. Multi-image posts: 6.60% (Those carousel-style photo galleries)
2. Native documents: 6.10% (PDF slide decks uploaded directly to LinkedIn)
3. Video: 5.60% (Up significantly from 4.00% last year)
4. Single image: 4.85%
5. Polls: 4.40% (Doubled from last year)
6. Text-only: 4.00%

What immediately jumps out is how multi-image posts are absolutely crushing it. Yet when we look at what brands are actually posting, there’s a massive disconnect:

– 31.3% of brand posts are single images
– 28.5% are link posts
– Only 4.4% are multi-image posts

In other words, brands are primarily using the formats that perform *worst* while barely touching the formats that perform *best*. If that’s not a strategic opportunity, I don’t know what is.

I saw this firsthand with a client last month who switched from primarily posting single images to a mix of multi-image posts and native documents. Their engagement rate jumped from 3.2% to 5.7% almost overnight.

Video: The Growing Giant

Video watch time is up 36% year-over-year, and the data shows it’s the third most engaging format overall. Yet only 13.9% of brand content is video.

For smaller accounts (under 5K followers), videos average around 190 views. But for accounts with 100K+ followers, that jumps to 2,430 views per video. That’s a huge visibility opportunity for established brands.

What’s working isn’t polished, corporate productions. It’s authentic, to-the-point videos that deliver value quickly. This matches what I’ve seen with clients – the “perfect” videos often underperform compared to more authentic content where someone simply shares expertise directly to camera.

The Poll Paradox

Here’s something fascinating: polls generate the highest number of impressions of ANY content type, especially for larger accounts. Pages with 100K+ followers see an average of 28,700 impressions on polls versus 10,000 for multi-images.

Yet polls only have a 4.40% engagement rate and receive fewer likes than other formats. So what’s happening?

Polls are impression machines but conversion lightweights. They’re excellent for visibility but not for deep engagement. They’re the perfect top-of-funnel content – getting eyes on your brand but not necessarily creating meaningful connection.

I’ve had several clients use this strategically: posting a poll early in the week for visibility, then following up with multi-image or document posts later in the week that convert that attention into deeper engagement.

Growth Rates: Size Matters, But Not How You Might Think

The smaller your account, the faster you can grow: pages with 1-5K followers saw 40.75% growth year-over-year, while accounts with 100K+ followers grew by only 21.60%.

This is actually encouraging for smaller brands – you have the greatest growth potential. The key is consistency and focusing on high-performing formats rather than what’s easiest to create.

What You Should Be Doing Differently

Based on this data, here are the strategic shifts worth making:

1. Dramatically increase your use of multi-image posts and native documents. These formats get nearly 50% more engagement than single images, yet most brands rarely use them.

2. Post at least 2 videos per month, not 1. The average brand posts about 1-2 videos monthly, but given video’s engagement potential, doubling your output could significantly impact your overall performance.

3. Use polls strategically for visibility, not engagement. A well-crafted poll can expand your reach substantially, making more people aware of your brand. Just don’t expect deep engagement from this format.

4. Cut back on link posts unless absolutely necessary. They’re the engagement graveyard of LinkedIn. If you must share a link, consider using a multi-image post with the link in the first comment instead.

5. Don’t obsess over posting frequency. The data shows quality and format matter far more than quantity. Better to post 8 high-performing posts monthly than 16 mediocre ones.

I’ve been testing these approaches with clients over the past quarter, and the results have been striking. One professional services firm shifted from primarily posting links and single images to a mix of multi-image posts, native documents, and one weekly video. Their engagement rate doubled in six weeks.

The Bottom Line

LinkedIn in 2025 rewards visual storytelling, authentic video, and strategic content diversity. Most brands are still stuck in the old paradigm of link-dumping and random image posting, creating a massive opportunity for those willing to adapt.

If you’re ready to revamp your LinkedIn strategy based on what’s actually working, start by auditing your content mix and gradually shifting toward the higher-performing formats. The results might surprise you.

What’s your experience been with LinkedIn lately?
Have you noticed certain content formats performing better than others?

Hit reply and let me know – I’m genuinely curious about your observations!