Format follows message: using LinkedIn content that actually works
With text-only posts at an all-time low for deliverability on LinkedIn with a median reach of 0.961, all eyes are rightly, on video which has once again increased by a staggering 23% to a median reach of 1.491. Quite simply, no format performs better on LinkedIn than video, and it’s showing no sign of slowing down.
So what’s changing? The algorithm is favouring dwell-time, and the simple fact is, all algorithm’s favour dwell-time. The longer you spend looking at something is the easiest and best way to demonstrate to a platform that the content is interesting to the reader, closely followed by some form of engagement.
- Video is up 23% year-on-year and continues to have the highest median reach and engagement versus any other format
- Polls and documents, previously more important than video, continue to be important
- Followed by text with an image
- Then text-only posts
- Then posts with external links. You’ve no doubt seen corporate pages with thousands of followers just posting external links all day and absolutely zero engagement. This is a common trap for news sources and agencies (i.e. real estate and employment)
- And at the bottom of the pile is articles. Yep, articles, based on the findings, have the lowest reach and engagement of any post type on LinkedIn.
So should you drop it all for video right now?
Now, that isn’t to say you should just jump on the video bandwagon because it has the highest propensity to deliver reach and engagement, you need to decide if it’s fit for the message that you have. This also
applies to medium too, you don’t need to be on all social media channels just because they’re there; you need to ask yourself:
- Is my audience using it? Not theoretically and not because “everyone’s on it”. Are your clients spending time on it and, most importantly, are they actively engaging on it?
- Does the platform support the content I need to share? If your business isn’t particularly visual, why are you dedicating time and effort on Instagram?
- Can I provide something unique? If you’re just posting to Facebook and then copy pasting to Insta, LinkedIn and TikTok… newsflash, it’s not going to work. If you write an article for your local business magazine, do you then copy and paste that article and put it in a fashion mag? Of course you don’t. Yes, they’re both magazines, but with completely different uses and formats. Same applies on social.
So the question isn’t whether you should be posting video, this is a prompt to consider it. The underlying strategy never changes however, use the medium that best suits your message and craft a message that best suits your objective.
The key to crafting a message is working backwards from the end, rather than starting with an idea (“I want to record a video”) and forcing everything else to fit.
I want to increase X ▶️ I can do that by showing Y ▶️ Video is the best medium to deliver this message.
Never start with “we need to be on XYZ social network” or “we need to start doing more video”, start with your objective.
Making video worth your time (and theirs)
So if you’re now in a place that video does make sense, strategically, we need to figure out how to approach it. The most important part to remember is that you have seconds to prove to your viewers this is worth watching. Remember when you used to box-set binge on terrestrial TV, they’d always open with a mini-trailer of what to expect in that episode, the point of live TV was that they were competing for your attention against multiple other channels, right there and then. They needed to get you hooked for the next hour, so they’d show you the juiciest parts of what was going to unfold, locking you in for the next hour in the process.
A key metric to monitor for your long-form videos is watch time. The longer the video, the lower this percentage is and the harder it is to maintain attention. A TikTok video of only a few seconds might get an
average watch time (sometimes referred to as “average view duration”) close to 100%, so you’ll want to be shooting for above 80%.
But a long-form video of over 5 minutes? The benchmark is much lower, but you’re also playing a much more difficult game. Somewhere around 50% is pretty good work, anything above that is pretty sensational. Even as low as 30% will show that people are making it past your intro and watching a good minute or two of your content, that’s plenty of time to get a message across.2
It may seem like a low barrier to entry but the truth is, unless you’re publishing the John Lewis Christmas advert, you’re never going to get anywhere near 100%.
With that in mind, these are things you should consider when making your video:
- Hook fast: the first few seconds are crucial. Get to the point, set the scene and let the viewer know what to expect
- Provide value early, don’t waffle and dance around the point to force your users to stay, have faith in your content
- Prioritise sound quality and lighting over expensive editing: invest in a microphone to drown out echo and get a decent light panel
- Subtitles are an absolute non-negotiable
And most importantly, work with a partner that is good at editing the end result. With the vast array of free and cheap tools out there, it may be tempting to do it yourself, but spend the money on a good editor. If you’re low on budget, have a look at platforms like Upwork or Fiverr to get something done on the cheap.
What to measure: vanity metrics won’t pay the bills
So you’ve got your killer video, what now? It’s tempting to treat likes and comments as validation. Especially in corporate settings, where someone in a senior role might see a flurry of engagement and take it as proof the video “worked”. But let’s be honest here, internal applause doesn’t convert and won’t get you that juicy Christmas bonus. A viral video that lands you a round of applause in the team WhatsApp but zero pipeline is still a flop. Harsh, but true.
If you want to measure the impact of your video properly, you need to be looking at:
- Average view duration (AVD) – how long are people actually sticking around for? And make sure you know what good looks like (refer to previous section)
- Total watch time – this helps you gauge the cumulative interest across your audience.
- Click-throughs (CTR) – assuming your video has some form of call-to-action at the end, how many did you get?
- Lead quality or next-step movement – And following on from CTR, what was the quality of those? Did they convert, did it move anyone closer to buying, booking, or enquiring?
And if you’re not using video to sell directly , the same rules apply. What’s the purpose of the content? Awareness? Recruitment? Trust-building? Then measure accordingly. Just don’t hang your hat on empty engagement and don’t you dare let me catch you saying “it can’t be measured”. Everything can be measured.
It’s also worth remembering: a well-performing video that nobody remembers is still a failure. If you’ve gamed the system with a dramatic opener, slick transitions and nothing of substance… the algorithm might like you, but your audience won’t. This is why I always press clients to play the long game. Initial validation may feel good, but long-term, you’ll lose. Substance over surface, always. Otherwise, you’re just performing.
What we actually recommend to clients
The hardest part about video (and my job)? Not the kit. Not the editing. It’s whether the person on camera is actually any good and having to tell them if it’s not the case.
That’s not meant to be harsh. But charisma on camera is a skill, that I would argue can’t be taught. Some people light up when the red light comes on. Others sound like they’ve been taken hostage and are blinking for help. And you can’t always tell who’s who until the record button is hit and the little red light starts flashing.
This is why we never start with format, it all needs to come together naturally. When we work with clients, we start with the objective: what do you actually need to achieve? More leads? Better visibility? A shift in perception?
From there, we shape the message: what needs to be said and how do we say it in a way that lands?
Only then and only then do we consider the medium. What’s the best way to deliver this message to our target audience that ultimately delivers on the objective we have set. Sometimes, it’s a snappy one-minute video. Other times, it’s a really well-written carousel or a punchy LinkedIn post with a sharp headline.
Some of the best-performing content we’ve worked on with clients isn’t flashy at all. In fact, our best performing piece of content reached 126,000 people and delivered 2 qualified leads. The format? A damn selfie with some content unrelated to the client’s industry. I know, I know.
The goal isn’t to impress your peers, as good as it may feel. It’s to connect with your audience and deliver on your business objectives. We build strategy around that.
Format follows message. Always.
So no, you don’t need to start making videos just because everyone else is. You need to start by working out what you’re trying to achieve and then build content that actually helps you get there.
LinkedIn doesn’t reward effort. It rewards relevance. And increasingly, that means content that’s easy to engage with, aligned to your strategy and clearly made for humans rather than to feed the algorithm monster.
Whether that ends up being a video, a selfie, a carousel or three lines of text doesn’t matter half as much as why you’re doing it.
Format follows message.
Message follows objective.
And if you get that right, the results tend to follow too.
Need help figuring out what to say, how to say it and where to put it?
That’s what we do. Your next strategic move starts here.
Sources:
1. Algorithm Insights Report 2025 by Richard van der Blom
2. Average View Duration on YouTube – Uppbeat