The LinkedIn Advice You Followed in 2025 Is Hurting You Now

Every year, we publish The Executive LinkedIn Report.

This is our fourth year running it. And this year's dataset is the largest we've ever had: 6,035 posts, 33 million impressions, 457,000 engagements - all from CEOs, C-suite members, and senior leaders. 

None of these are influencers, coaches, or content creators. They’re all people running significant organizations, for whom LinkedIn is one of dozens of demands on their time.

The goal of this report has always been to replace the conventional wisdom with concrete data. 

This year, the data is particularly unsparing about that wisdom.

The Advice You've Been Given is Wrong

Here's what we saw when we looked at the most common LinkedIn best practices:

“Reshare great content to add value.”

Our data disagrees: original posts reach 5x more people than reshares. The average original post is 5,959 impressions, while the average reshare is 1,192. Audiences will always respond more to a fresh perspective - when they see an executive's original take, they engage. When they see a reshare, they scroll.

“Add hashtags so people can find your content.” 

The truth: posts without hashtags average 5,732 impressions, while posts with hashtags average 4,350. That's a 32% reach penalty with zero difference in engagement rate. Two years of our data now point in the same direction.

“End posts with a question to drive conversation.” 

In reality: posts ending with a question averaged 6.4 comments, while posts without one averaged 6.8. Questions don't move the needle on replies at all, and worse, they carry a reach penalty. What really drives comments is a provocative position or a relatable story - where the invitation to respond is earned, not requested.

The Better Advice to Follow

Several findings consistently predict high performance in our data. 

For example, images generate the highest average impressions at 7,031 per post - 31% more than text-only - and personal stories outperform every other content type, averaging 6,907 impressions. 

The 15 highest-performing posts in our dataset, ranging from 140,000 to 669,000 impressions, also shared one consistent trait: they took a position and didn't hedge.

And the executives generating the most reach on LinkedIn aren't necessarily the most talented communicators. In our data, the seven executives who posted 15 or more times per month generated 47% of all impressions in the dataset, nearly half of 33 million impressions from just 13% of the group. Above all else, consistency is earning them audience attention.

These are just a few of the findings in our report, but some of the most valuable.

A Note About AI

We're now over a year into large language models being in the mass market. In that time, my team and I have watched companies try to replace human writers with AI.

We've also watched many of them come back. 

The consistent feedback: AI-generated content sounds like AI. It lacks the voice, edge, and credibility that audiences look for in an experienced leader.

And yet, AI-fueled content is flooding LinkedIn. This AI content explosion is clogging the feed - but it’s also creating a premium for authenticity.

Because everything is starting to sound the same, content from a leader with genuine conviction and a strong voice is becoming more valuable.

According to our data, the executives breaking through the noise aren't automating their voice, but investing in it. Whether they write posts themselves or work with professionals who can capture their thoughts, these executives have a much greater chance of standing out.

The Full Report is Free

We have seven data-backed findings. The anatomy of a breakout post, the state of the platform, and what the executives generating the most reach are doing right.

Download it here: https://executivepresence-21813331.hubspotpagebuilder.com/the-executive-linkedin-report-2026 

— Justin

Justin M. Nassiri | Founder & CEO
M: 650.353.1138 | E: [email protected]
250 Fillmore St Suite 150, Denver, CO 80206
www.ExecutivePresence.io

Executive Presence specializes in helping top-tier executives boost their visibility, activate their network, and position themselves as thought leaders via our premium, fully-managed LinkedIn service.

Our unique process involves ex-McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants conducting monthly hour-long interviews with our clients, and turning them into impactful daily LinkedIn posts to establish their unique voice and authority. On average, our clients see a 500% bump in engagement in their first 30 days with us. Data is continuously analyzed to improve engagement and identify impactful messaging that you can use for conferences, podcasts, and internal communications.