365 Days on LinkedIn: Data, Insights, and Lessons Learned
I tracked a full year on LinkedIn. See data, content tips, and lessons on engagement, messages, and profile mistakes you can avoid.
I spent 365 days tracking my LinkedIn activity: every message, post, and piece of content I shared. Along the way, I collected LinkedIn data, analyzed insights, and uncovered lessons about what really works on the platform. To do this, I built my own tools, tested existing ones, and even used AI to dive deeper into the numbers.
It may sound like a huge time investment, but it wasn’t. Most days, I spent only 30 minutes in the evening, with a little extra time on Sundays. The secret is setting up a system that saves time later.
Those 30 minutes became a routine that turned into a hobby. Anyone can do the same without disrupting their work schedule. And the LinkedIn insights you gain will help you improve your content, grow your network, and work smarter.
For those who know me, it won’t be a surprise that I like data. This project gave me plenty. The numbers showed what worked, what didn’t, and proved that small, consistent LinkedIn habits matter more than big one-time efforts.
Why Sharing LinkedIn Data Builds Trust and Teaches Lessons
I’ve always trusted data more than opinions. Numbers don’t lie unless someone changes them on purpose. They show what we really do, not just what we think we do.
The main reason I share my results is simple. Years ago, I learned a lot from people who shared their own data. They showed both their wins and their mistakes. Seeing their honesty helped me make smarter choices. Now it feels right to give that same value back.
When I share my numbers, it’s not about bragging. It’s about giving others something they can learn from, the same way I once learned from others. And if my example inspires you to share your own year on LinkedIn, that’s even better.
At the end of the day, this isn’t about likes, followers, or charts. Every number connects to a real story, and every message I answered came from a real person.
How Replying to LinkedIn Messages Boosts Engagement and Respect
From July 17, 2024, to July 17, 2025, I replied to 7,849 people on LinkedIn. Add another 228 who reached me by email or through my newsletter, and that’s more than 8,000 replies in one year.
Why reply to so many? Because every response shows respect. A short answer tells someone you noticed them. Most people don’t need a long reply, they just want to feel heard or get pointed in the right direction.
People often ask, “Jan, where do you find the time?” The truth is simple. I block 30 minutes every evening to answer messages. What looks like a long task is much faster because I use tools like Briskine, a text expander. Most of the questions I get are the same, so I built eight templates that cover almost all requests.
Some say, “I don’t have time to answer everyone.” But the math proves otherwise. With Briskine templates, I saved about 58 days of response time in a year. A single reply takes me around 5 seconds. Answering 20 people takes about 2 minutes. On average, I got 21.5 messages a day, which means I only need about 5 minutes daily to reply.
The only thing that slows me down is HTTP ERROR 429. That happens when LinkedIn thinks I’m a bot because I reply too quickly. Now and then, LinkedIn blocks me for a few minutes and tells me to slow down.
So the real challenge isn’t time, it’s willpower. Most people do have the time to reply. They just choose not to.
LinkedIn Analytics: My Year in Numbers and Key Takeaways
Numbers don’t tell the whole story, but they give a clear picture of what a consistent year on LinkedIn looks like.
Here’s my breakdown from the past 12 months:
Followers: 203,117 as of July 17, 2025, a 60.7% increase from last year. That’s 76,722 new people who decided to follow my content.
Posts: 311 LinkedIn posts.
Articles: 13 articles in my LinkedIn Talent Spotlight newsletter.
Messages: 7,849 replies on LinkedIn plus 228 email responses.
Quick call requests: 196 people asked for a call without saying why. Almost all were job search questions that I could answer with one message. I only had one call.
“Hi” messages: 97 messages were just “Hi” or “Hi Jan.” 95 were job search questions, 2 were sales pitches.
Scams: 21 scam attempts, mostly about crypto and shady investments.
Agencies: 112 reached out asking for a call. Saying no saved me 56 hours, since “short calls” rarely take only 15 minutes.
Job offers: 11 total, 7 were irrelevant.
Tools: 75 tools offered for testing. Only 2 were worth my time.
These numbers helped me see the big picture. If I had said yes to every call, I would have spent 56 hours with agencies and 98 hours with job seekers outside my industry. That’s 154 hours total, about 7.4% of a full work year. And recruiters don’t really stick to 40-hour weeks, so that time would come out of personal hours.
That’s one reason I started the Job Search Guide newsletter. Writing one article that helps thousands of people is a better use of time than dozens of calls that go nowhere. Plus, I can send people to past articles when they ask the same questions.
As for sales pitches and demo requests, most tools weren’t new or useful. By skipping 73 of them, I saved 36.5 hours — about four full workdays. Many requests were just people trying to get free advice.
LinkedIn Content Strategy: What 311 Posts and 13 Articles Taught Me
I’ve always liked writing, and LinkedIn became the place where I could share daily without overthinking. In the past year, I published 311 posts: 203 were text-only, 91 had photos, and 17 were videos. I also wrote 13 LinkedIn articles and 76 articles outside the platform.
People often ask me how I find the time. The truth is, I write a lot. Sundays are my main writing days, when I create content for the week ahead. Sometimes I add short writing sessions in the evening or while traveling. After years of practice, writing a LinkedIn post doesn’t take long. The harder part is figuring out what topic to write about.
Everyone technically has time to write. The question is what you’re willing to trade for it. If you’d rather watch Netflix than type posts, that’s fine — not everyone wants to be a writer. The world already has plenty of voices. Sometimes it’s okay to just watch and enjoy.
Here’s what my LinkedIn content produced:
From 13 articles:
1,920 likes (~148 each)
414 comments (~32 each)
530,948 views (~40,842 each)
From 311 posts:
112,591 likes (~362 each)
17,640 comments (~57 each)
32,934,560 impressions (~105,899 each)
Not every post works, and that’s normal. Some people act like every post they write is gold, but I see value in both wins and failures. That’s where the learning happens.
Best LinkedIn Post Length for Engagement (Data from 365 Days)
Not every type of post performs the same. Over the year, I learned what length and format drive more engagement:
By post length:
Under 100 characters: weakest, about 205 average engagement. Too short, not enough context.
100–300 characters: solid, around 392 average engagement.
300–600 characters: best, about 491 average engagement. Enough space for a hook and a point.
600–1000 characters: still strong, around 458 average engagement.
1000–2000 characters: weaker, about 347 average engagement. Readers drop off.
2000+ characters: mixed. Some go viral if the story is strong, but most do not.
By post type:
Photo posts: strongest overall, about 512 average engagement.
Text posts: steady, about 380 average engagement.
Videos: weakest, about 376 average engagement with fewer comments.
For me, the sweet spot has been photo posts between 300–600 characters. Short enough to hold attention, long enough to tell a story.
Still, the main factor is the content itself. A good story can work at any length. The posts that perform best are always the ones that feel personal and trigger emotion, no matter how short or long they are.
Bold, simple images, infographics, selfies, or photos of well-known people usually attract more likes, especially when matched with strong content. Good content will always be the key.
But a note of caution: what works for me might not work exactly the same way for you!
Dealing with Criticism and Hate on LinkedIn: My Experience
It would be easy to only share the shiny numbers, but the truth is that visibility on LinkedIn comes with its downsides too. Along with likes and support, there’s also criticism, hate, and trolls.
Here’s what I faced in the past year:
17 people left negative comments about me.
2 people wrote posts so offensive that LinkedIn removed them.
4 people created posts just to criticize the advice I shared.
1 LinkedIn influencer sent me hate messages. Her public posts looked polite, but her InMails were not. (I blocked her.)
9 people called me names in private messages because they disagreed with my content or templates.
94 companies tried to promote themselves for free in my comments. I deleted those right away.
None of this is fun, but it’s part of being visible online. When adults forget how to have a real conversation and start acting like kids, the best move is simple: don’t reply, or just hit block.
Positive LinkedIn Feedback: Supportive Messages That Matter
Negative comments can sting, but they’re only part of the story. For every hater, there are many more people who bring support and encouragement.
In the past year, I received:
113 messages from people who said they enjoy my content.
34 notes from people who told me they found a job thanks to my job search tips.
22 recruiters who gave me positive feedback on Full Stack Recruiter.
44 job seekers who said the Job Search Guide made a real difference for them.
13 readers who said How to Talk to AI helped them at work and in life.
This balance is what keeps me going. Yes, negative feedback exists, but the quiet “thank you” messages matter much more.
Ghostwriting on LinkedIn: Lessons from Writing for 34 People
One part of my LinkedIn year that most people don’t see is ghostwriting. Over the last 12 months, I wrote posts for 34 different people. Some were recruiters, others were job seekers, and a few were leaders who wanted to share more but didn’t know how to start.
Ghostwriting taught me something important. Even though overall reach on LinkedIn is dropping, strong posts with clear stories still break through. When a post feels real and honest, people stop scrolling and pay attention. It doesn’t matter if it’s under your name or written for someone else.
Helping others shape their message has been just as rewarding as writing my own. LinkedIn isn’t only about personal growth, it’s also about helping other voices be heard. Sometimes, people just need a little push to begin.
LinkedIn Algorithm Myths: The Reality of A/B Testing
I often see people complain about A/B tests they’ve done on LinkedIn. Some say the platform promotes one group of users while holding back another. But the truth is, it’s almost impossible to run a real A/B test on LinkedIn.
Everyone has a different network, with different activity levels and people spread across the world. Even if two people post the same content, their results won’t be the same because their audiences are different. To compare results fairly, you’d need to run many posts across several accounts with almost identical networks. Most people never do that. Even influencers who report on the LinkedIn algorithm are usually sharing guesses, not real data.
I’ve looked at many of the profiles of people who say they’re “shadowbanned.” Most of them fall into common groups:
They post low-quality content.
They repost too often, sometimes several times a day.
They use spammy words.
They publish content that goes against LinkedIn rules.
The people they compare themselves to are usually doing better with content, timing, and consistency. That’s why their results look stronger.
Yes, the LinkedIn algorithm does push some posts down. It looks at quality, user activity, the words you use, how many people report your posts, and more. But at the end of the day, three things matter most, and they’re all in your control: your content, your network, and your timing.
Here’s an example: good content performs well no matter who posts it. In this case, one post is the original (my post), while the other was copied (stolen) by Toufic Braidi without permission or even asking.
Losers constantly steal my content; these mediocre thieves swipe my work (and the work of others) because they can’t create original ideas, so they slap their name on other people's efforts and hope no one notices. They have no vision, no grit, and no integrity, just the arrogance to steal and the cowardice to hide behind copied content.
But here is the good news: if someone steals your content, you can report it to LinkedIn. They’ll remove the content (even if it takes a bit of time) and often block the offending accounts. One person with 75K followers lost their account permanently because they’d stolen tons of posts from others. So, if you’re thinking about doing the same, make sure to ask for permission, repost properly, or give credit where it’s due!
LinkedIn Profile Mistakes That Hurt Your Job Search
During this year, I noticed that many job seekers who reached out to me had weak LinkedIn profiles. In fact, about 38% of the profiles I reviewed had big issues.
The most common problem? No profile photo or an incomplete profile. Without it, your profile looks unfinished and untrustworthy. LinkedIn’s algorithm also pushes these profiles lower in recruiter searches. This often happens when people don’t reach “All-Star” profile status or lose it after layoffs.
Another big issue is missing or vague job details. Some profiles only show company names and job titles but no description of what the person actually did. If a recruiter searches for a specific skill and your profile is blank, they will move on, even if you’re qualified. The fix is easy — write two or three sentences under each role so people understand your work.
Then there are profiles with almost no information at all. No summary, no skills, sometimes not even a location. These look inactive, and recruiters won’t spend time guessing. Incomplete profiles are basically invisible on LinkedIn.
The truth is, it doesn’t take much effort to fix these problems. Add a professional photo, write short descriptions under each job, and list your skills. You don’t need long essays — just enough detail so recruiters and hiring managers see what you can do.
Here’s what I’ve seen again and again: people who put effort into their profiles get noticed. People who don’t, no matter how talented, get buried. In today’s job market, first impressions often happen online. Skipping your profile is like showing up to an interview without preparing.
LinkedIn is more than a social network. It’s a career tool that can either open doors or quietly close them. Spending a few minutes to update your profile is one of the simplest and smartest career moves you can make.
Lessons from 365 Days on LinkedIn: Consistency, Connection, and Respect
To manage the large number of messages I get, I rely on templates. I believe it’s better to send a short reply than to ignore someone. Even a simple response shows respect. It tells the person their message mattered enough to be noticed.
Some people dislike templates and think they feel impersonal. But in my experience, that’s rare — maybe one out of a thousand. Most people, especially job seekers, are just grateful to get a reply at all. I often hear, “Finally, someone answered.” That says a lot about the job market today.
The truth is, most people don’t expect a long conversation. They don’t need pages of advice. They just want a sign that they’ve been heard. Sometimes pointing them to the right resource or giving a quick acknowledgment is enough to make a real difference.
In a time when inboxes are full of automated replies and AI-written answers, even a short human note can feel special. That contrast matters. Technology should support human connection, not replace it.
This year-long project wasn’t really about the numbers, even though I tracked plenty of them. It was about the people behind those numbers — thousands of individuals with questions, worries, or goals. Each message was a chance to connect, to help, or at least to show respect.
The main lesson is clear: consistency matters, attention matters, and kindness matters. In today’s job market, small acts of humanity go further than any metric. At the end of the day, the numbers are just data. What truly counts are the moments when we pause, notice each other, and take the time to respond.