Insights from testing Linkedin videos versus written posts

Forbes reported that 59% of senior executives agree that if both text and video on the same topic are available on the same page, they would rather watch the video. In 2010, 80% of executives said they watched more videos than the year before – a trend that has only increased with platforms like Instagram and TikTok normalizing video consumption even on professional sites like LinkedIn. Most importantly, visual elements are processed by the brain 6-600 times faster than text, making them easier to process.

Here is my most successful LinkedIn video where I reviewed the iPhone 16 the day after it launched. With 774,000 impressions, I was blown away – numbers like that would make even TikTok creators' mouths water. As for the content itself, I keep my videos under 5 minutes and talk directly to camera about technology in a language everyone can understand to make it accessible. I also post in the morning between 9 and 11 a.m. EST. If Gossip Girl covered technology, she would be me. Over time I added fun sound effects and subtitles using Capcut.

To further confirm what I saw, I reached out to Debra Aho Williamson, founder and principal analyst at Sonata Insights, who has also studied LinkedIn videos. Their most successful video, about how the public is using AI in search, has been viewed – wait for it – 6.4 million times.

Williamson says, “While LinkedIn favors video, that doesn't mean every video post is well-received. One of my videos not long ago got over 6 million views. The next one I posted didn't do well at all.” It's a reminder that video success isn't as simple as “set it and forget it.” Looking through my last five videos, my average impression count was around 250,000 views, although none exceeded 1 million like my friend here.

I also spoke with Brendan Gahan, CEO/Co-Founder of Creator Authority, to get more insight into LinkedIn's video development. He explains: “LinkedIn’s vertical video feed has transformed the reach for business-focused creators. YouTubers generate hundreds of thousands and sometimes even millions of views. Video now accounts for 60% of all social content consumed, and LinkedIn is evolving to meet this demand – making video essential for creators who want to engage their audiences and create impact.”

In short: If you're not already using videos, maybe it's time to add them to your content repertoire and see for yourself.

Written posts are best for driving targeted engagement

Now let's look at my top-performing posts by engagement, with the story reversed: my written posts dominate the top three spots for engagement, although my video posts get significantly more attention. For example, my best-written post by engagement resulted in 68 times fewer impressions than my worst-performing video post.