Videos are becoming an increasingly popular way to share content and connect with audiences on social media platforms like LinkedIn. With video views and engagement metrics now available on LinkedIn, marketers are asking: do videos get more engagement than other types of content on LinkedIn?
The short answer is yes, when done right, videos tend to see higher engagement in the form of reactions, comments, and shares compared to text and image-based posts. However, not all videos perform equally. Factors like video length, production quality, captions, and relevance to your audience can impact video engagement.
In this article, we’ll look at data and tips to help you create videos that grab attention and drive engagement on LinkedIn.
Do Videos Get More Engagement Than Images and Text?
Multiple studies have found that video posts on LinkedIn receive more engagement on average than plain text or image posts.
For example, research by Socialinsider in 2021 analyzed over 1 million LinkedIn posts and found:
- Video posts saw 19% higher comment rate compared to image posts
- Video posts received 30% more likes versus text-based posts
An analysis by Wyzowl of over 500,000 LinkedIn posts saw similar trends:
- Video posts had 36% higher comment rates than text-based posts
- Video posts received 38% more shares than images
Looking at their own data, LinkedIn reported that video posts see 30% more engagement compared to other post types.
The trends are clear: videos tend to elicit higher levels of reactions, comments, and shares compared to plain text and image content on LinkedIn.
Why Do Videos Drive More Engagement?
So why do videos tend to see better engagement on LinkedIn? Here are some of the key reasons:
- They are more eye-catching in the feed – Videos stand out against plain text and static images.
- Higher information density – Videos can communicate more information densely through visuals, motion, sound, and text compared to text or image alone.
- Better storytelling – Videos allow you to tell stories in a more immersive, emotive way.
- Higher perceived value – Viewers tend to ascribe more value to video content.
- Novelty factor – Videos are still relatively new on LinkedIn compared to text and image posts.
- Slow scroll stoppers – The motion keeps attention and stops passive scrolling.
In short, videos allow you to be more creative, deliver information memorably, tell compelling stories, and create posts that stand out and command attention on LinkedIn.
What Types of Videos Perform Best on LinkedIn?
However, not all videos are equally engaging. Certain types of videos tend to outperform others. Here are some of the top performing video styles based on research:
1. Short videos
Keep your videos short and concise. Data shows shorter videos get more engagement on LinkedIn.
According to Socialinsider, videos under 60 seconds long saw 35% higher comment rates versus videos over 60 seconds.
Wyzowl found videos under 30 seconds received 36% more likes.
LinkedIn’s own best practices also recommend videos under 3 minutes long.
2. Educational & advice-based videos
Videos that teach viewers new skills, provide how-tos, or offer expert advice generate high engagement. This includes things like:
- Quick tips
- Explanatory videos
- Technical tutorials
- Business advice
This type of helpful, educational content aligns well with the professional audience on LinkedIn.
3. Videos featuring people
LinkedIn recommends videos featuring real people instead of just screenshots or animations.
Seeing professionals on camera makes videos feel more authentic and relatable. Slides and visuals are great supporting content, but having a human speaker drives more engagement.
4. Videos that solve problems
Videos that address pain points or questions your audience has tend to perform better than generic content.
Really understand your audience and create videos to solve relevant problems for them. This makes it more likely viewers will share the content with colleagues dealing with the same challenges.
Other Video Best Practices for LinkedIn
Beyond choosing the right video style and topic, there are other best practices to boost video performance:
- Write compelling titles – Use power words and emotional keywords that will make people click.
- Craft a strong opening hook – Start the video with an attention-grabbing fact, question or statement.
- Include captions – Transcribe your videos or use auto-captions. This helps people understand your video while scrolling silently.
- Ask viewers to comment – Prompt viewers to share thoughts, reactions, and questions.
- Mention your audience – Calling out your target audience makes them more likely to engage.
Following these best practices will help you create videos that maximize engagement potential on LinkedIn.
Using Video to Boost Your LinkedIn Marketing
Here are some ideas to help incorporate video into your LinkedIn marketing mix:
Company or product videos
Create short videos to showcase your company, products, services or industry expertise. These build brand awareness and trust.
Thought leadership videos
Record advice, insights, predictions and opinions to establish your leadership in your field. Position executives as industry experts.
Employee spotlights
Highlight top employees, company culture and career opportunities to attract talent. Use employee-generated content.
Event recaps
Share video highlights, memorable moments and key takeaways from conferences, trade shows and other events.
Customer testimonials
Get video testimonials from happy customers describing their positive experiences with your brand and offerings.
Behind-the-scenes
Give an inside look at your company operations, community initiatives and events to build rapport and transparency.
AMAs and interviews
Host ask me anything (AMA) sessions or interviews with executives to engage audiences through live video.
Measuring Video Engagement
To assess how your videos are performing, monitor these key LinkedIn metrics:
Views
The number of times your video is viewed. Benchmark view rate as percentage of your followers.
View rate
The percentage of followers who watched your video. Aim for over 20%.
Avg. watch time
The average duration viewers are watching your video. Higher is better.
Completion rate
The percentage of viewers watching your full video from start to finish. Over 50% is solid.
Reactions
The number of likes, loves, wows, etc. your video receives. Compare to typical reaction rate for your posts.
Comments
The number of comments generated by your video. Higher comment rate indicates you’ve sparked discussion.
Shares
The number of times viewers share your video with their own networks. This helps expand reach.
Metric | Benchmark |
---|---|
View rate | 20%+ of followers |
Avg. watch time | 30 seconds+ |
Completion rate | 50%+ |
Reaction rate | Compare to text/image posts |
Comment rate | 2X+ text posts |
Shares | 5%+ of views |
Conclusion
Videos have major engagement potential on LinkedIn, but not all videos perform equally. Short, educational videos featuring people and solving problems tend to drive the most reactions, shares and comments. Apply video best practices and track engagement metrics to optimize your video content. With compelling videos that provide value, you can cut through the noise, engage your professional audience and accomplish your LinkedIn marketing objectives.