If you’re trying to drive traffic from LinkedIn, one question comes up again and again: where should you put a link in a LinkedIn post? The placement of a link in a LinkedIn post can directly impact your reach, engagement and click-through rate so getting it right is vital.
However, there’s a lot of conflicting advice out there.
Some say never include a link in a LinkedIn post. Others suggest putting it in the comments. The truth is more nuanced. Understanding how LinkedIn distributes content will help you make the right decision.
The idea that LinkedIn “penalises” any link in a LinkedIn post is a bit of an oversimplification. However, there is some truth behind it.
LinkedIn’s algorithm is designed to keep users on the platform for as long as possible. When you include a link in a LinkedIn post that takes users off-site, it can reduce the likelihood of your content being widely distributed, especially in the early stages.
That said, this doesn’t mean you should avoid links entirely. It just means you need to be strategic about where and how you place a link in a LinkedIn post.
The most straightforward approach is to include the link directly in a LinkedIn post. This works best when your primary goal is clicks rather than engagement.
When you include a link in the LinkedIn post:
The pros of including the link in the post are:
The cons, however, are:
If you choose this method, make sure your post is interesting/compelling/challenging enough to encourage both clicks and interaction. This makes a strong hook in the first line absolutely critical.
A popular tactic is to avoid placing the link in a LinkedIn post entirely and instead add it as the first comment.
This can work because by keeping the main post free of outbound links, you can improve initial reach and engagement. Then, once people are interested, they can find the link in the comments.
If you do choose to experiment with putting the link in the comments, best practice suggests you should:
The pros of putting a link in the comments under a LinkedIn post are:
Again, there are also cons:
This approach tends to work well if your priority is visibility first and traffic second.
Another strategy is to publish your content without a link in a LinkedIn post, wait for engagement to build and then edit the post to include the link later.
You do this by:
The pros of adding the link after posting are it:
The cons of adding the link to a LinkedIn post later are that it requires time (and timing!) and monitoring and it’s not always guaranteed to work consistently which means you have to choose where and when you employ this option. This means it’s a method that’s more often used by experienced LinkedIn creators looking to optimise both visibility and traffic.
While placement of a link in a LinkedIn post is important, it’s not the only factor that determines success. The biggest drivers of performance are:
If your content isn’t engaging, changing where you put a link in a LinkedIn post won’t make a significant difference.
To get the most out of any link in a LinkedIn post, here are our top tips:
The honest answer is it depends on what you want to achieve.
If you want maximum clicks, include the link directly in a LinkedIn post.
If you want maximum reach, place the link in the comments.
If you want a balance of both, add the link after publishing.
There’s no perfect fits all placement for a link in a LinkedIn post; the best approach is the one that aligns with both your objectives and (what you know about) your audience’s behaviour.
That said, the debate around where to put a link in a LinkedIn post will of course continue as the platform evolves.
The one thing we’d underline thought is strategy matters more than rules; by understanding how LinkedIn works and testing different approaches, you will find the best way to use a link in a LinkedIn post without sacrificing reach or engagement.
Just focus on creating content people actually want to read and the clicks will follow!
If you’d like to discuss social strategy, why not get in touch today to arrange a chat?
