How to Drive LinkedIn Traffic Without Losing Your Mind

Okay, can we talk about LinkedIn for a hot second? Because I'm pretty sure we've all been living a lie. You know that "rule" everyone's been parroting about how posting links on LinkedIn is basically social media suicide? The one where you're supposed to do this weird dance of posting your content and then awkwardly commenting with the link like you're sneaking cookies from the jar?

Yeah, turns out that's complete nonsense. And honestly, I'm not even surprised because half the "rules" about social media feel like they were made up by someone who's never actually used the internet.

THE GREAT LINKEDIN LINK CONSPIRACY HAS BEEN DEBUNKED

So here's the tea: Metricool just dropped their 2025 LinkedIn Study, and it's basically the equivalent of finding out that eating chocolate doesn't actually make you gain weight. Their research looked at over 577,000 posts from more than 47,000 LinkedIn pages, and guess what? Posts with links actually get 4.9% higher impressions and 13.5% higher interactions than posts without them.

I know, I know. It's like finding out your parents lied about the ice cream truck only playing music when it's out of ice cream. The betrayal is real.

But wait, it gets better. Link clicks have increased by 28% year-over-year. So not only do links not hurt your reach, people are actually clicking on them more than ever. It's almost like people use LinkedIn to, I don't know, actually consume professional content rather than just scroll past inspirational quotes about Monday motivation.

LINKEDIN IS HAVING ITS MAIN CHARACTER MOMENT

The numbers don't lie – LinkedIn is absolutely crushing it right now. Every single engagement metric showed growth year-over-year, which is like finding out that awkward kid from high school became a successful entrepreneur while you're still trying to figure out if you remembered to wear matching socks.

Here's where it gets interesting though. Poll reach increased by an absolutely ridiculous amount, probably because LinkedIn's algorithm decided polls are the chosen ones. But here's the kicker – only 0.00034% of LinkedIn page posts actually use polls. That's like having a cheat code for a video game that nobody bothers to use because they're too busy complaining about how hard the game is.

If you're not occasionally throwing a poll at your followers, you're basically leaving money on the table. And I say this as someone who once spent three hours crafting the perfect poll about whether people prefer their coffee black or with cream, only to realize I posted it at 2 AM when exactly zero people were online.

VISUAL CONTENT IS KING (SORRY, TEXT-ONLY POSTS)

Remember when we thought LinkedIn was just Facebook in a business suit? Those days are over. Carousel posts are absolutely dominating the platform right now, getting the highest clicks, shares, and interactions of any post type. It's like LinkedIn looked at Instagram and said, "Hold my briefcase."

Meanwhile, text-only posts are basically the equivalent of showing up to a costume party in regular clothes. They ranked dead last in almost every metric – comments, likes, shares, you name it. It's not that words don't matter, but apparently, they need some visual backup dancers to really make an impact.

This shift toward visual content makes perfect sense when you think about it. We're all trying to grab attention in a world where everyone's scrolling faster than a caffeinated squirrel. A wall of text just can't compete with a sleek carousel or an eye-catching image.

THE VIDEO SITUATION IS COMPLICATED

Now, before you start planning your LinkedIn video empire, let's pump the brakes for a second. Video performance on LinkedIn is... well, it's complicated. Like trying to explain why you have seventeen different streaming subscriptions complicated.

Video actually ranked pretty low for engagement and second-to-last for comments. It's sitting firmly in the middle of the pack for most metrics. But here's the plot twist – video metrics are growing like crazy year-over-year. Video posts are up 13%, but views are up 68%, and clicks are up a mind-blowing 160%.

It's like video is that friend who's really trying to make it in Hollywood. The numbers suggest potential, but they're not quite there yet. The only metric that actually declined was shares, which means people might watch your videos, but they're not exactly rushing to show them to their friends. Ouch.

POSTING FREQUENCY: THE MORE YOU POST, THE MORE YOU GROW

Here's something that shouldn't surprise anyone but somehow still does: accounts that post more frequently tend to have more followers. Crazy, right? The average LinkedIn account posts just over 12 times a month, but there's a direct correlation between posting frequency and follower count.

Now, this could be a classic chicken-and-egg situation. Do big accounts post more because they have bigger teams, or do they have bigger teams because posting more actually works? Probably both, but the point is, if you're posting once a month and expecting to build a massive following, you might want to adjust your expectations.

The good news is you don't need a team of content creators to increase your posting frequency. You can recycle old posts, mine your podcasts for video clips, or repurpose content across different formats. It's like meal prepping, but for social media. 

Learn more about content repurposing strategies to maximize your LinkedIn presence.

THE SECRET SAUCE: EXPERIMENTATION

Here's the thing about all this data – it's incredibly helpful, but it's not a magic formula. What works for one account might flop spectacularly for another, and that's okay. The best approach is to use this research as a starting point, then experiment like you're trying to perfect your grandmother's secret recipe.

Try different post types, test various posting frequencies, and see what resonates with your specific audience. Maybe your followers love polls, or maybe they're all about those carousel posts. The only way to find out is to actually try things and pay attention to what works.

At Winsome Marketing, we believe in data-driven experimentation that helps brands find their unique voice on LinkedIn. Because at the end of the day, authenticity combined with smart strategy is what really drives results.

TIME TO STOP MAKING LINKEDIN HARDER THAN IT ACTUALLY IS

LinkedIn is no longer the boring networking platform where people humble-brag about their morning routines. It's a dynamic, visual-first platform where links actually help your reach, polls can explode your engagement, and consistent posting pays off.

The old rules about avoiding links? Throw them out the window. The idea that text-only posts are sufficient? Think again. The assumption that you only need to post when you have something "important" to say? Please.

The data is clear: LinkedIn rewards active, visual, engaging content creators who aren't afraid to experiment and adapt. So stop overthinking every post and start creating content that actually connects with your audience. Your reach will thank you, and you might actually enjoy the process instead of treating it like a necessary evil.

And if all else fails, just remember that somewhere out there, someone is probably posting inspirational quotes about how failure is just success in progress. Don't be that person. Be better. Be data-driven. Be authentic. And maybe throw in a poll every now and then – your engagement metrics will love you for it.