Personal Branding

This year is winding down, and we don’t yet know of any updates to the 2022 LinkedIn character limits. But it’s still important to know your limits when it comes to your LinkedIn profile!

As you think about updating your profile to get a jump on your 2023 personal branding, here’s everything you need to know about every customizable LinkedIn profile touchpoint.

Mark Twain once said, “I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one.” This quote applies to how you should develop your brand on LinkedIn. Less is more, as long as you tell your story. This LinkedIn character count list provides the box where you can be as creative as you’d like within the platform’s limits.

I’ve outlined all of the profile sections and their character limits for your personal LinkedIn account: the profile, contact information, and message and content posting. Each unit includes a link to show you how to edit your customized information.

While some of these profile changes can be made from your mobile device, it’s best to use the Desktop experience to make your updates. It’s just safer that way. Bigger working space. Fewer mistakes.

The Biggest Opportunity to Consider With LinkedIn Character Counts

By working with thousands of professionals in personal branding workshops when I ran the social media programs at SAP and Cognizant for ten years, I’ve found the biggest issue with LinkedIn character counts is knowing how to best use the space. For example, if you give an architect, a Realtor, and a homeowner a blank space to remodel, each will have a different approach. I would bet that the professional architect would achieve the best results. The same goes for using LinkedIn character limits to build a personal brand.

So, before we move right into a review of all the LinkedIn character counts, let’s define them.

What are LinkedIn Character Limits?

LinkedIn character counts are the limits created by the platform to ensure your branding information and messaging are neither too short nor too long.  It ensures their ecosystem thrives with hundreds of millions of users. The character limits present a box where you can be as communicative or creative as possible to leverage LinkedIn as your reputation’s destination.

You are forced to color inside these lines. Now you know what the lines are!

47 LinkedIn Character Counts for Your Profile

Use these character counts to guide you through your LinkedIn profile and messaging strategy. Please note that this list contains video, image, and photo limits. While not truly character counts, you still need to pay attention to these limits!

LinkedIn Profile Character Limits

1. First and last name: 20 characters for your first name and 40 characters for your last name. Here’s how to change the way your name appears on your profile.
2. Name pronunciation: 10 seconds. Here’s how to add your Name Pronunciation (click here) voice on your profile.
3. Former name: 50 characters. Use this link to add or adjust your former, maiden, or nickname. (click here) 
4. LinkedIn profile photo: 8MB. 400 (w) x 400 (h) pixels is the ideal size. Here’s how to change your LinkedIn Profile Photo (click here.)
5. LinkedIn profile video. 30 seconds. This link will show you how to add your Video Profile Video (click here.)
6. LinkedIn background photo. 8MB — 1584 (w) x 396 (h) pixels is recommended. View this link to see how to change your Background Photo (click here.)
7. Headline: 220 characters. Here’s how to edit your Headline (click here).  
8. Industry: LinkedIn predetermines all industry selections, which cannot be changed. Here’s how to edit your Industry (click here) choice.
9. Public-facing Business Website URL. 262 characters. Here’s how to edit the Website URL in your Introduction (click here) section.
10. Public-facing Business Website URL Description. 30 characters. Here’s how to edit the Website URL description in your Introduction (click here) section.
11. Headline Hashtags: 140 characters. Here’s how to access the Creator Mode to add or edit your Headline Hashtags (click here).
12. About (formerly Summary): 2,600 characters. Here’s how to change your About (click here) section.  

13. Featured — title: 100 characters per title. Here’s how to edit your profile’s Featured (click here) section.
14. Featured — description. 500 characters per description. Here’s how to edit your profile’s Featured (click here) section.
15. Experience — job title: 100 characters per job title. Here’s how to add or edit a job title in your Experience (click here) section.
16. Experience — description. 2,000 characters per job title. Here’s how to add or edit a job description in your Experience (click here) section.
17. Experience — skills. 80 characters. This link will help you add Skills (click here) to each of your job titles. Please note that these additions also show up in your Skills section.
18. Education: 150 characters per school name. Here’s how to add, remove, or edit an Education (click here) entry. 
19. Volunteer experience: 100 characters per organization. Here’s what to do to add, edit, or remove a Volunteer position or Cause (click here) on your profile.
20. Skills: 80 characters per skill. Here is how to change your Skills (click here) in your profile.
21. Recommendations: 3,000 characters and spaces. Here is some information to help you secure a Recommendation (click here) for your profile.
22. Accomplishments: 100 characters per entry. Here’s how to add Accomplishments (click here) to your profile.
23. Profile Publication Title: 225 characters. Here’s how to add a Profile Publication Title (click here) to your profile.
24. Profile Publication Description: 2,000 characters. Here’s how to add a Profile Description (click here)to your profile.
25. Interests: 1,000 characters and spaces. How to add, edit, or remove your Interests from your profile.

Contact Info LinkedIn Character Counts

1. Public Profile URL: 5 to 30 characters. Here’s how to add or change your Public Profile URL (click here) on LinkedIn. 
2. Website URL: 256 characters. You can now display up to three website links in your profile. Here’s how to add Website URLs (click here) to your LinkedIn profile’s Contact section.
3. Website Anchor Text: 30 characters. Anchor text describes your actual website (e.g., “Schedule time with me.” Here’s how to edit your Website Anchor Text (click here) in your Contact section.
4. Mobile Phone Number: 25 characters. Here’s how to add your Mobile Phone Number (click here) to Your Contact Information. 
5. Home or Business Address: 1,000 characters. Here’s how to change your Home or Business Address (click here.) 
6. Instant Messenger Accounts: 25 characters. Instant Messenger Account (click here) your Instant Messenger accounts on LinkedIn.

Status Update LinkedIn Character Counts

1. Post: 3,000 characters. Here’s how to Post on your feed.
2. Post Comment: 1,250 characters.
3. Post Hashtags: 140 characters. This character count is a part of your 3,000-character post or 1,250-character count limit.

LinkedIn InMail Messaging Character Counts

1. InMail — subject line: 200 characters. Here’s how to write an InMail (click here) message subject line.
2. InMail — body copy: 1,900 characters. Here’s how to write an InMail (click here) message.

Event Creation LinkedIn Character Counts

1. Event — name: 75 characters. Here’s how to create an Event (click here) from your LinkedIn profile.
2. Event — broadcast link: 1,024 characters. Here’s how to create an Event broadcast link (click here) from your LinkedIn profile.
3. Event — description: 5,000 characters. Here’s how to create an Event description (click here) from your LinkedIn profile.
4. Event — ticketing website: 1,024 characters. Here’s how to create an Event ticketing website description (click here) from your LinkedIn profile.

Invitation Character Counts

1. Invitation to Connect: 300 characters. Here’s how to send a LinkedIn Invitation (click here.)

LinkedIn Group Posts LinkedIn Character Counts

1. Groups — body copy: 3,000 characters. Here’s how to send a Linkedin Group Message (click here.) 
2. Groups — comments: 1,250 characters.

Article (Pulse, LinkedIn Publishing Platform) Posts

1. Article — title: 100 characters. Here’s how to post Articles on the LinkedIn Publishing Platform.
2. Article — copy: 110,000 characters. Here’s how to post Articles on the LinkedIn Publishing Platform. 
3. Article — comment: 1,250 characters.
4. Article — photo credit: 250 characters. Here’s how to post Articles on the LinkedIn Publishing Platform. 

Let Us Help You Develop Your Personal Branding Plan Using LinkedIn

Too much of a good thing isn’t always good, which is why there are limits. And this counts for LinkedIn, too. If you’re looking for how to develop your LinkedIn profile, then we’re here to help. Here are a few blog posts from marketingthink.com to jumpstart your LinkedIn profile update:

• 15 LinkedIn Profile Photo Tips. A great picture humanizes your profile and makes others think they want to do business with you. Since we all don’t all look like Ken or Barbie, that’s a good thing, since we are all different. Smile and let your community look into your inviting eyes.   CLICK HERE for tips to make the best first impression and not scare your community away.

• 10 Ways to Get People to Find You on LinkedIn. If you build a LinkedIn profile and no one views it, did you ever really build it? Yes, but it doesn’t count if it’s not working for you. CLICK HERE to find tactics that will make it easier for LinkedIn users to find you on the platform so you can start more valuable conversations. 

• 10 Social Media Touchpoints to Get on Someone’s Radar. Once you’ve worked on your curbside appeal, you need people to stop by your open house. Showing up at various touchpoints with value-add and trustworthy information is a great way to start. CLICK HERE to find ideas to integrate into another’s social media ecosystem at the right time and place.

3 Key Questions to Ask About Using Optimal Character Counts on LinkedIn

During my ten years at SAP and Cognizant, and the additional time running Marketingthink Consulting, I’ve spent time looking under the hood of all key social media channels. You have to understand the specs of a machine before you use it to work for you. Understanding the character counts for each LinkedIn feature enables you to create the best message for the container. My hands-on leadership experience taught me to make sure you ask these questions when building and evolving your filling in those blanks of your LinkedIn Profile Page:

• Because you have the space, should you use all of the space? Like the familiarized Spiderman quote, with great power comes great responsibility. And you have an obligation, not to bore or over-inform your audience. Make sure you use the correct number of characters to convey the message. The LinkedIn platform and community will thank you for it.

• Are you staying up to date on the character counts? Like the LinkedIn algorithm, their character limits often change. Stay on top of the changes to ensure you use the platform to its full capability.

• Do you socialize the character counts with your internal stakeholders? Everyone uses LinkedIn differently. The C-suite, thought leaders, subject matter experts, and event marketers, to name a few, all create content. Whether or not your company provides a shared-service model, everyone’s creating content to support themselves and the brand. These groups are likely not paying attention to character-count changes, so you must build a process to ensure everyone is educated. 

Your Next Move to Make You Improve Your LinkedIn Profile with the Optimal Character Counts

So, now you have a few ideas for optimizing your character counts with your LinkedIn profile and activity. It would be best if you also understood why character counts are essential. If you want to make that next move to enhance your LinkedIn strategy by using the optimal character count in the right areas but need a partner to get you there, we’d love to help.

Over 51% of people like you who want to improve their personal brand have incomplete profiles, let alone high-performing ones. A better LinkedIn profile will help you get that promotion, improve your chances for that dream job, and get you noticed by clients. What are you waiting for?

Marketingthink Consulting, LLC has years of hands-on leadership experience helping individuals and teams improve their personal brands. We want to show you what we can do for you. Make your next move by reading about our LinkedIn Profile Makeover Service, or start with a LinkedIn Profile Audit.

Again, “With great power, there must also come great responsibility,” says the Peter Parker principle. This recommendation suggests that even with all the space you can fill with characters and words on LinkedIn, be responsible, and use only what you need. This way, you’ll make a better impression on the web.

Schedule a quick 15-minute meeting with Gerry Moran to move ahead with refreshing your LinkedIn profile!

P.S. LinkedIn regularly makes changes to its platform, including character counts. If you see a change we have not noted, please let us know by commenting below or emailing gerry@marketingthink.com.