LinkedIn engagement rose even as visible reactions weakened, according to a new Metricool study of 673,658 posts from 63,108 accounts worldwide released in April 2026. The shift shows users are still interacting with content, but increasingly through private actions such as clicks, swipes and video views.
LinkedIn engagement is moving beyond likes
Metricool found average clicks per post rose from 97.54 in 2025 to 102.32 in 2026, while overall engagement climbed from 12.21% to 13.90%, according to its 2026 LinkedIn trends analysis. At the same time, public signals weakened, with likes, comments and shares falling across company pages.
The full LinkedIn Study 2026 says these “invisible interactions” include link clicks, carousel clicks and video clicks. That finding changes how marketers should read performance: A post with fewer likes may still be driving stronger audience action.
A separate NetInfluencer report on the study noted that company page impressions fell 10% year over year, while clicks per post rose 5%. For brands, that means declining public applause does not necessarily mean declining attention.
Personal profiles keep an edge
Personal profiles generated a 63% higher engagement rate than company pages, Metricool found. The same report said personal profiles averaged 2.60% engagement, compared with 1.60% for company pages, while posting more often each week.
The pattern fits a longer trend. Metricool’s 2025 LinkedIn study had already shown rising clicks and strong carousel engagement, suggesting LinkedIn users were shifting toward deeper, less visible actions before this year’s broader jump.
Why hidden clicks matter
Older guidance also pointed in this direction. Hootsuite’s 2025 LinkedIn algorithm guide said the platform was giving more weight to dwell time and meaningful discussion, while Socialinsider’s LinkedIn algorithm analysis emphasized early engagement, conversations and format testing.
Academic research has reached similar conclusions about visible metrics. A 2025 Sage Journals study, “What Predicts Engagement on LinkedIn?”, found reactions, comments and reposts are interrelated, but also noted that the public still lacks definitive knowledge of LinkedIn’s ranking system.
LinkedIn’s own technical direction suggests attention quality is becoming more important. A 2026 paper on LinkedIn feed ranking described a transformer-based recommender that improved time spent in online tests.
What it means for brands
The study does not mean likes no longer matter. It means they are no longer enough. Carousels, polls, useful videos and posts that invite a specific action may create more valuable engagement than posts written only to earn quick reactions.
For marketers, the clearest takeaway is to measure LinkedIn engagement by clicks, saves, comments, profile visits and downstream conversions, not likes alone. The public counter may be sinking, but the audience may still be moving.
