We have all been there; you spend time writing a post on LinkedIn, and you know when to publish and what you want to say. You are satisfied with the post content and click publish. But...
It doesn't look good in the feed!
Your sentence gets abruptly cut off. The paragraphs appear bulky and overwhelming. The opening line (aka Hook) doesn't display properly, and the last sentence is hidden behind the "see more" button
Yes, something like this:
Now what?
You're faced with three less-than-ideal options:
- edit the post with no guarantee of success (and risk lowering your reach),
- delete and repost (which is terrible if you've already gained some traction),
- or leave it as is, knowing it won't achieve its full potential.
Each time this happens, the same thoughts come to your mind.
Ohh if only there's a way I could preview my post before publishing it!
Guess what?
There is!
And in this blog post, we will show you how to do that.
We'll tell you exactly how to preview your LinkedIn post before you hit that publish button so you can make sure it looks perfect in the feed.
So, let's get started!
Why is it important how someone sees your post in the feed?
The importance of how your post appears in the feed is a combination of 1) LinkedIn's algorithm preferences and 2) human psychology.
LinkedIn's algorithm considers a click on the 'see more' button twice as significant as a 'like'. This means the algorithm favours posts that entice users to expand and read the full content.
From a psychological perspective, people are more likely to engage with content that is visually appealing and easy to digest. When scrolling through the feed, a user's attention is limited, and only the most captivating posts will make them stop and click 'see more'.
Engagement is About Content and Presentation
Knowing this, it's clear that engagement is about more than just content; it's also about how it's presented. To maximize engagement, your posts should:
Have a Compelling Hook: The opening lines should be engaging and make the reader want to click 'see more'.
Be Well-Formatted: The posts should be visually appealing and easy on the eyes. They should be formatted to make them easy to read and scan through.
Be Concise and Clear: The message should not require the reader to work hard to understand what is being communicated.
Think about it: When you are scrolling through the feed, how do you choose when to stop and read the post?
You probably stop when the post catches your attention, right?
But what makes a post catch your attention?
It's usually those first few sentences visible in the feed without having to click "see more".
If those first few sentences manage to catch your attention, the first objective of the post is complete: to make you stop and click "see more".
But...
What happens when you click "see more" and the post has a lot of paragraphs and is hard to read?
You probably scroll down and move on, right?
On the other hand, if you click to "see more" and the post is nicely formatted and very easy to read, you are more likely to read it all the way through and engage with it. This would mean that the second objective of the post is also complete: to make you read it all the way through.
And you can be sure that others are doing the same thing.
This is mainly due to the information overload in today's world, which has led to dwindling attention spans. The average attention span has plummeted from 12 seconds in 2000 to a mere 8 seconds today.
This means that we must work harder to make our content stand out and be easily digestible if we want people to read it.
The good news is that there are 2 things you can do to ensure your posts get noticed and stand out in the feed:
- Ensure the first sentence or two (known as a Hook) are exciting and make people want to click "see more".
- Make sure your posts are formatted to make them easy to read.
Both of these things will increase the chances of your posts getting noticed and, as a result, getting more engagement.
But how can you be sure if the post is going to look good in the feed, are the first few sentences that would be shown going to be interesting enough, and is the post going to be easy to read?
The answer is simple: you need to test Linkedin post before publishing.
In this way, you can ensure that the first few sentences are exciting and that the post is formatted in a way that makes it easy to read.
Before we go into how to preview posts on LinkedIn, let's first cover the differences in how people see your posts.
Differences in how people see your post
The way people see your post in the feed depends on 2 things:
- The device they are using: Mobile, tablet, or desktop
- The type of the post: Text, image, video, etc.
To help you understand the difference, let's take a look at examples for each of these.
On tablet
Before clicking "see more":
After clicking "see more":
On desktop
Before clicking "see more":
After clicking "see more":
As you can see, the post looks different on each device, and the main differences are in the first few sentences shown and the formatting.
Text, Image, and Video
For these, I don't think there's a need to show plenty of examples since it's pretty self-explanatory, and I am pretty sure you've already seen a bunch of text, image, and video posts.
Now that you understand how people see your post, let's move on and look at how you can preview your LinkedIn posts.
How to Preview a LinkedIn Post
For those new to LinkedIn or unfamiliar with it, previewing a post is simply checking how it will look in the feed before you publish it.
And as we already mentioned, this is very important as it can make a massive difference between a post that gets noticed and one that doesn't.
So, how can you preview your LinkedIn post?
The answer is: By using AuthoredUp.
LinkedIn itself doesn't have a preview function built into its platform, so we decided to create AuthoredUp, the all-in-one LinkedIn content creation tool.
When I noticed the importance of previewing posts, I started looking for a way that doesn't involve posting and then deleting/editing the post.
However, to my surprise, I couldn't find anything to allow me to do that. LinkedIn doesn't have a preview function, and no tools would allow me to preview my posts.
That's when the idea to create a LinkedIn post preview tool was born.
A tool allowing LinkedIn users to preview their posts before publishing them.
A tool that would save them time and help them create better content.
A tool that would increase engagement on posts.
And that's how AuthoredUp came to be.
With AuthoredUp, you can preview your post before you publish it and ensure it looks how you want it to.
You can format LinkedIn posts to make them easy to read - put text in bold and italics and add emojis to make your post even more engaging.
You can also save posts as drafts and come back to them later.
But, for this article's sake, we will focus on the preview function.
Before we tell you how to preview posts on LinkedIn, we first need to tell you how AuthoredUp works.
AuthoredUp is pretty, very simple to use; it's an extension that you can add to your browser, be it Chrome, Brave, Edge, or Opera.
After you add the extension, go to LinkedIn, click new post and enable it.
Once the extension is enabled, your post editor will change from this:
To this:
As you can see, the post editor is now much more user-friendly and has a lot more features; however, the most significant difference is that now, on the right side of the editor, you have the preview function that allows you to see how your post will look like in the feed.
Plus, another very useful feature I want to mention here is the "Preview Size" function. Here's what it looks like:
This feature allows you to see how your post will look on different devices, so you can make adjustments if you need to.
Okay, now that you know the basics of AuthoredUp, let's see how you can use it to preview your LinkedIn post.
Preview LinkedIn text post
Previewing a LinkedIn text post is very easy with AuthoredUp; all you have to do is write the post in the editor, and on the right side of the screen, you'll see how your post would look in the feed.
You can adjust your post if you need to, and once you're happy with it, you can publish it.
Here's what that looks like:
As you can see previewing a LinkedIn text post is very simple and it is done automatically. You don't need to do anything.
You can also see what would post look like in the feed before people click "see more":
This allows you to make adjustments to your post and make sure these first few sentences people see are interesting enough for them to click "see more". Also, this applies to all types of posts: Text posts, posts with an image, and posts with link.
Preview post with an image
If you want to preview a post with an image, the process is the same. Simply add the image to your post, and on the right side of the screen, you'll see the preview image within your post:
The process is the same when you want to add multiple images (2 to 9) and see how the post with images will look like.
Preview Linkedin post with links
Previewing posts with links is as easy as previewing any other type of post. Just add a link you want, and the right side of the screen will show you what your post would look like.
Here's an example of a link preview:
So there you have it, a quick and easy way to preview your LinkedIn post without having to publish it first.
You can also preview other types of posts - documents and pdfs, videos, you name it.
AuthoredUp has got you covered.
Install the extension, and you are ready to go!
Conclusion
When we started creating AuthoredUp, we had one goal in mind: To create a LinkedIn post preview tool, that would enable Linkedin content creators to know how their content would look in the LinkedIn feed after publishing.
However, as we were developing it, we thought:
Why just make a LinkedIn post preview generator when we can make something much more powerful? Something that can bring more impressions and engagement to LinkedIn posts. Something that generates real results from LinkedIn content creation.
So AuthoredUp is not just a LinkedIn post checker tool and LinkedIn post preview generator; it's an all-in-one LinkedIn content creation tool.
With AuthoredUp, you can:
- Preview the post on LinkedIn and see how the Linkedin post mockup will look in the feed before publishing
- Format LinkedIn posts however you like, you can put text in bold and italics, and you can add emojis and bullet points to make your post even more interesting.
- Keep all your ideas and drafts in one place so that you can generate content for LinkedIn even faster.
- Drag and drop or paste images
So if you are looking to build a LinkedIn community around yourself or your company and generate followers, clients, candidates, and leads through the content you publish on LinkedIn, we highly recommend you try out AuthoredUp.
Whether you're just starting out with creating and publishing content on LinkedIn or are a seasoned pro, AuthoredUp can help you get the most out of LinkedIn.
Ready to take your LinkedIn posts to the next level? Try AuthoredUp today and experience the difference!
Can I preview your Linkedin post before posting?
Yes, you can. You can preview all your Linkedin posts with AuthoredUp. Not only will you be able to see how each post looks on mobile, tablet, and desktop devices, but you will also be able to see how your post headline looks. Use that to optimize the hook and get as many Linkedin users to click see more button.
Why is it important to preview a LinkedIn post before publishing?
Previewing a LinkedIn post is crucial for several reasons:
- Engagement: You can ensure the opening lines are engaging, which is vital for getting users to click on 'see more'.
- Formatting: It allows you to check the formatting, ensuring that the text is not cut off and that the post is visually appealing.
- Optimization: You can optimize the post for different devices, ensuring it looks good on mobile, tablet, and desktop.
Can I preview how my LinkedIn post will look on different devices?
Yes, with tools like AuthoredUp, you can preview how your post will appear on mobile, tablet, and desktop. This is important as the display can vary between devices, and optimizing for all devices can maximize engagement.
What should I focus on when previewing my LinkedIn post?
Focus on the following elements:
- Opening Lines: Ensure they are catchy and engaging.
- Formatting: Check for proper paragraph breaks, bullet points, and number lists.
- Visual Elements: Ensure that images or videos are correctly displayed.
- Readability: Make sure the post is easy to read with short paragraphs and sentences.
How can I optimize the 'see more' section of my LinkedIn post?
To optimize the 'see more section:
- Make the opening lines engaging to prompt users to click on them.
- Use AuthoredUp's hook templates, which offer more than 150 hooks, to grab attention.
- Ensure that the content following 'see more' is well-structured and continues to hold the reader's interest.
Does the LinkedIn platform have a built-in LinkedIn post checker?
No, LinkedIn does not have a built-in feature to preview posts. However, AuthoredUp is a third-party tool that allows you to preview and optimize your posts before publishing them on LinkedIn.
Can previewing my LinkedIn post help in increasing its reach?
Absolutely! By previewing and optimizing your post for the LinkedIn feed, you can create more engaging content. This will likely receive more clicks, likes, and shares, increasing its reach.
How can I ensure my LinkedIn post is visually appealing in the feed?
To make your post visually appealing:
- Use concise paragraphs and sentences.
- Include bullet points and numbered lists for clarity.
- Add relevant images or videos.
- Use AuthoredUp for advanced formatting options not available in LinkedIn's native editor.
- Use AuthoredUp's readability level feature to ensure your post is easily read.
- Make the opening lines attention-grabbing, possibly using one of AuthoredUp's hook templates.