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Formatting a LinkedIn post: bold, italic, lists and the Unicode pitfalls

As far as we know, the LinkedIn post editor has no bold or italic button. People use Unicode characters instead: handy, but with a few pitfalls worth knowing.

· 2 min read

How LinkedIn “bold” works

A formatting tool does not produce real bold: it replaces each letter with a Unicode character that looks different (bold, italic “mathematical” letters, and so on). You copy the result and paste it into LinkedIn, which shows it as is. The text is therefore a string of symbols that look like letters.

The pitfalls to know

  • Accessibility. Some screen readers read these characters poorly, or even spell them out one by one.
  • Search. A Unicode bold word is not always recognised as the same word as in plain text.
  • Length. On LinkedIn a bold or italic letter counts as 2 characters: your 3,000 characters go faster.
  • Accents. Accented letters need care: a good tool keeps the accent.
  • Display. Depending on the device and font, some very decorative styles display badly. Sober styles are safer.

Layout good practice

  1. Little bold. One or two words per paragraph, never a whole post.
  2. Short paragraphs. One idea per paragraph, separated by a blank line, using the Enter key.
  3. Short lists. Three to five bullets are enough; use simple symbols (•, →, ✓) rather than a string of emojis.
  4. Emojis in moderation. An emoji can act as a visual marker; too many make reading heavy.
  5. A hook at the top. Formatting does not replace a clear first sentence.

How to do it with LinkedIn Format Pro

  1. Write or paste your text in the editor.
  2. Select the words to highlight, then pick a style (bold, italic, underline, strikethrough or another of the 16 styles).
  3. Add bullets and symbols with the quick symbol bar.
  4. Check the mobile and desktop preview, then the “See more” cut.
  5. Copy the text and paste it into your LinkedIn post.

The “Clean” button removes the formatting if you change your mind. The text stays in your browser.

Checklist

  • Is bold limited to the essential words?
  • Does the text stay understandable with no formatting at all?
  • Are paragraphs short and airy?
  • Does the counter stay under the 3,000-character limit?

Try the editor

The figures on “See more” are observed values, not published by LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a trademark of LinkedIn Corporation; LinkedIn Format Pro is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by LinkedIn.

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