Understanding LinkedIn Post Readability Scores

Ever wondered what separates effortlessly readable content from the perplexing jumble of words?

The secret is readability—specifically, the readability score.

This concise guide will unpack the essentials: understanding readability scores, their significance, and how to leverage them to enhance your LinkedIn writing.

Let's dive into the world of clear, impactful communication.

What's the Readability Score?

Imagine a readability score as a quick peek into how approachable your writing is.

It's like a numeric wingman that clues you in on the simplicity or complexity of your text.

This score crunches numbers on things like:

how long your sentences are,
the intricacy of your words, and even
syllable counts to spit out a number.

That number is essentially a heads-up on the education level someone needs to comfortably get what you're saying.

The Most Popular Readability Formulas

Among the big names in readability tests are:

✔️ Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level,

✔️ Gunning Fog Index, and

✔️ Automated Readability Index.

Still, there are over 200 formulas tailored to different fields like education and healthcare.

Here we listed just some of them.

This article will zero in on the Automated Readability Index (ARI). It rates your text on a scale from 1 (super simple) to 14 (complexity central), guiding you toward creating content that's just right for your audience.

It works like this:

Higher grade = harder to read
Lower the grade = easier to read

Remember the Hemingway app?

It exemplifies how technology can streamline our writing process, facilitating clarity and engagement effortlessly.

Hemingway stands out as the most accessible and well-known readability checker app by far.

💡 Pro Tip

Choosing the appropriate readability formula is crucial as it influences interpreting the text's accessibility level.

AuthoredUp utilizes the Automated Readability Index (ARI), similar to the Hemingway app. However, this tool distinguishes itself by offering additional features to enhance your writing process on LinkedIn:

✔️ Text Editor — Craft your LinkedIn updates while monitoring readability scores in real-time. This feature allows you to refine your content for peak performance and provides a preview of how it will appear when published.

✔️ Multiple Drafts — Save your drafts for later use. You can categorize them with tags for easy organization and even schedule them for future posting. It also enables collaboration by allowing others to contribute to your draft.

✔️ Calendar View — This convenient feature visually represents your posting timeline, helping you track your publishing schedule at a glance.

✔️ Analytics — Dive into comprehensive analytics to compare the performance of different posts, track interaction levels, monitor audience growth, and gain insights into the effectiveness of various types of content in your LinkedIn posts.

How to use AuthoredUp’s readability checker?

When using AuthoredUp's readability score, aim between 1 and 6 for optimal engagement. This range is indicative of content that is accessible and engaging for a wide audience.

Here is an example of what AuthoredUp's readability score will present to you:

Why Does Readability Score Matter?

Readability scores are essential for crafting content that resonates with your audience. Here are the key benefits:

🎯 Audience Tailoring — It allows you to adjust the complexity of your language to suit the specific reading abilities of your audience.

🎯 Inclusivity — Ensures your content is accessible to readers with varying educational backgrounds or reading levels.

🎯 Simplification of Complex Topics — Helps in breaking down intricate subjects, like quantum physics, into simpler terms for readers without prior knowledge.

🎯 Adjustment for Experts — Enables the use of sophisticated language for expert readers, such as those with a Ph.D. in physics, who are familiar with complex terminology.

🎯 Writing Improvement — Identifies parts of your text that may be too difficult for your intended audience, providing an opportunity for refinement.

🎯 Optimization — Ensures your content is perfectly tuned to engage and inform your target demographic.

5 Tricks for Lower Readability Score

If you want to lower your readability score (make the text easier to understand), then you can do a few things.

1. Use Short Sentences

One of the most effective ways to improve your readability score is to keep sentences short and concise. Aim for clarity with every sentence and ensure that each one conveys its message without unnecessary fluff or jargon.

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🟠 Original Example: "In consideration of the fact that the project's completion is of utmost importance to the overarching goals of our team, we must dedicate an increased level of attention and resources to ensure its timely conclusion."

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🟢 Improved Version: "The project's timely completion is crucial to our team's goals, so we must focus more attention and resources on it."

2. Use Simple Words

Opting for simple words is a key strategy in making your text more accessible and lowering its readability score.

This choice ensures that readers from various backgrounds can grasp your message without resorting to a dictionary.

Moreover, simpler language contributes to a more conversational and engaging tone, which is essential for resonating with an online audience.

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🟠 Original Example: "Utilize this methodology to ascertain the veracity of the information presented."

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🟢 Improved Version: "Use this method to check if the information is true."

3. Avoid Industry Jargon

Steering clear of industry jargon and technical terms is vital for making your content accessible to a wider audience.

Even individuals familiar with the subject matter may struggle with specialized language.

To guarantee comprehension across the board, replace industry-specific terminology with simpler language and clear explanations, ensuring your points are easily grasped by all readers.

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🟠 Original Example: "Leveraging robust CRM solutions can significantly optimize customer engagement metrics and drive synergistic outcomes in marketing initiatives."

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🟢 Improved Version: "Using strong customer relationship management tools can greatly improve how we interact with customers and boost our marketing efforts."

4. Break Up Long Paragraphs

Long paragraphs can overwhelm readers, making it hard for them to stay focused and absorb the information.

To maintain reader engagement and comprehension, it's beneficial to divide lengthy paragraphs into shorter segments.

This approach highlights important ideas and prevents readers from getting lost in dense text, ensuring your message is clear and accessible.

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🟠 Original Example: "When discussing the importance of environmental conservation, it's essential to consider the various factors that contribute to the degradation of our planet's ecosystems. These include pollution, deforestation, and the overuse of natural resources, among others. By taking steps to address these issues, such as implementing stricter pollution controls, promoting reforestation projects, and encouraging sustainable consumption practices, we can make a significant impact on preserving the environment for future generations."

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🟢 Improved Version: "Discussing environmental conservation means looking at what harms our planet, like pollution, cutting down too many trees, and using up resources.

We can help by doing things like controlling pollution better, planting more trees, and using resources wisely.

These actions can really help save the environment for future generations."

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💡 Pro Tip

For anyone daunted by dense text blocks, AuthoredUp provides a user-friendly Text Editor equipped with formatting tools to enhance your writing.

These include options for bolding, italicizing, underlining, creating bullet or numbered lists, and adding emojis.

Additionally, AuthoredUp features templates for compelling hooks and endings alongside the capability to craft your own snippets.

The cherry on top?

You can save multiple drafts for future reference, ensuring you can pick up right where you left off on your LinkedIn post.

Plus, with the real-time preview feature, you can see exactly how your post will appear.

5. Make Sure Your Content Flows

For a seamless reading experience, your content should naturally guide readers from one sentence and paragraph to the next.

Avoid writing that forces readers to backtrack or puzzle over your meaning.

Employ straightforward language and use transitional phrases where needed to link ideas smoothly.

This approach not only enhances the readability of your text but also helps maintain a low readability score by ensuring that your content is easy to follow from start to finish.

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🟠 Original Example: "Understanding the basics of financial planning is crucial. Many people find themselves facing financial difficulties. Simple strategies can prevent these issues. For example, creating a budget helps manage expenses."

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🟢 Improved Version: "Understanding the basics of financial planning is crucial to avoid financial difficulties. By adopting simple strategies, like creating a budget, you can easily manage your expenses and prevent common financial problems."

What Is The Best Readability Score?

If you’re wondering about the perfect readability score—welcome to the club!

The truth is, it varies based on your audience and the purpose of your writing, among other elements.

A general rule of thumb is aiming for a readability score of 8 or lower.

This range is accessible for most readers yet engaging enough to maintain interest.

However, the ideal score differs across various content types.

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For instance, the engagement level expected from someone browsing social media differs from that of a person delving into technical documentation.

For social media content, like LinkedIn posts, a lower readability score of 1-5 is common.

Our analysis of 20 LinkedIn influencers, such as Justin Welsh, Morgan J Ingram, Robynn Storey, Shay Rowbottom, and Jennifer Welsh, confirms this trend.

But remember, readability shouldn't compromise the value or effectiveness of your message.

The ultimate goal is to strike a balance: your content should be straightforward enough for quick scrolling yet substantive enough to inform and inspire action.

When crafting LinkedIn posts, prioritize simplicity and clarity to cater to fast-paced readers without compromising on quality

Wrapping Up

A readability score isn't just a number—it's your secret weapon in the art of content creation, designed to captivate without overwhelming, confusing, or losing your audience's interest.

But here's the intriguing part: Is a high readability score enough to stop your post from being scrolled past in the endless sea of content?

You've probably guessed it — there's more to crafting engaging LinkedIn content than just readability.

Behind every successful post lies a strategy, a blueprint for elevating your personal brand and supercharging your LinkedIn profile's visibility.

Enter the world of LinkedIn content creation tools — meet AuthoredUp!

We'll not only introduce you to mastering readability scores but also unveil the strategic advantages they bring to your LinkedIn content playbook.

Let’s transform your approach to content on LinkedIn, shall we?

How to Use AuthoredUp’s Readability Score Feature?

Using a readability score is easy. All you need to do is paste the text into the chosen readability checker and wait a few seconds for the score to be calculated.

When using AuthoredUp for LinkedIn posts, your grade level is calculated automatically while you write. You can see it in the footer:

Once you have your readability score, you can determine if the text is easy or hard to read and make changes accordingly.

Other text metrics that are available to you with AuthoredUp’s readability score feature include:

✔️ Characters

✔️ Words

✔️ Sentences

✔️ Paragraphs

✔️ Reading time

✔️ Raw length

How AuthoredUp Can Improve Your LinkedIn Posts

AuthoredUp is an all-in-one content creation tool designed explicitly for LinkedIn. Here are the key advantages of incorporating it into your content strategy:

🎀 Make Your Content Clear and Engaging — The Readability Radar helps you simplify complex ideas, ensuring your audience not only sees but fully grasps and enjoys your content.

🎀 Create Eye-Catching Posts — Highlight your message with the Rich Text Editor, using bold, italics, and lists to draw in and hold your audience's attention.

🎀 Boost Engagement — Access a wide range of hooks and CTAs with the Hook & CTA Library to make your posts more compelling in English, Dutch, and German.

🎀 Simplify Your Process — Manage drafts, ideas, and schedules smoothly with Draft Wizardry, making your content planning hassle-free.

🎀 Save Time with Quick Customizations — Instantly add hashtags and signatures to your posts using Snippet Vault, maintaining a consistent style effortlessly.

🎀 Gain Valuable Insights — Analyze your content's performance with Post Analytics and the Analytics Suite to fine-tune your strategy based on solid data.

🎀 Preview for Perfection — Use Post Preview to ensure your content looks great on any device, guaranteeing a flawless reader experience.

🎀 Recycle Top Content — Give your most successful posts another round of visibility with Effortless Reposting, enhancing your profile's impact.

🎀 Sharpen Your Competitive Edge — Evaluate your content's effectiveness with the Post Comparator, identifying areas for improvement.

🎀 Manage Multiple Accounts Easily — Coordinate content across various LinkedIn profiles and pages from one place with the Account Orchestrator and Profile & Page Alliance, streamlining your online presence.

Ready to explore?

Understanding LinkedIn Post Readability Scores: Importance and Practical Applications