The first ~210 characters of your LinkedIn post are the only ones most people ever read. Everything after the “…see more” link is invisible to anyone who doesn’t tap it — and on mobile, that cutoff falls even earlier, around 140 characters. Your hook is not a preamble. It is your post.
What counts as the “see more” cut?
LinkedIn shows about 210 characters on desktop and 140 on mobile before truncating with “…see more”. This includes spaces, punctuation, and line breaks. A single line break counts as one character.
You can see exactly where your text gets cut using the See-More Preview tool. Paste your draft and the tool highlights the visible portion in yellow, with the cut marked by a dotted line.
Why most LinkedIn hooks fail
Most people open a post the same way they’d start an email: with context. “I wanted to share something I’ve been thinking about.” “Last week I had a fascinating conversation.” “Here’s a thread on X that got me thinking.”
These openings consume your entire 210-character budget telling the reader nothing. By the time you get to the point, they’ve already scrolled past.
The hook’s only job is to give the reader a reason to tap “see more”. That’s it.
What makes a hook work
The best hooks do one of three things:
1. State a surprising or counterintuitive fact
“Most LinkedIn posts get fewer than 100 impressions. The ones that go wide all share one trait — and it has nothing to do with hashtags.”
2. Make a direct, specific claim
“I’ve hired 47 people in the last 3 years. Here’s what separates the profiles I remember from the ones I don’t.”
3. Ask the exact question your target reader is already asking themselves
“Why does LinkedIn show your post to 200 people and then just… stop?”
Notice what’s missing: pleasantries, qualifications, slow builds. The hook drops you into the middle of something.
The “so what?” test
Write your hook, then ask: if someone read only this line, would they care? If the answer is “probably not” or “depends on context”, the hook isn’t there yet.
A useful rewrite technique: start with your most useful sentence from anywhere in the body, and put it first. Often the best hook is buried three paragraphs in.
Length and formatting
Hooks work best as one short sentence or two very short ones. Three lines with a punchy rhythm can also work. What never works: a paragraph that takes ten seconds to parse.
Bold text helps the hook stand out in the feed — but only if it’s used on one or two key words, not the entire line. Use the Text Formatter to add bold without leaving your draft.
Practical checklist before you post
- Paste your draft into the See-More Preview — is the hook fully above the cut?
- Read just the hook in isolation. Is it interesting on its own?
- Does it create a reason to read on — curiosity, a claim, a question?
- Is the character count under 210 for the opening section?
- Would you stop scrolling if you saw this from someone you half-follow?
If any answer is no, the hook needs another pass. The post body can be excellent — but if nobody taps through, it doesn’t matter.
Related tools: See-More Preview · Text Formatter · Character Counter