17 Magic Numbers for LinkedIn: Character counts and more

This post is for anyone looking for some clarity around the maximum character counts (or keystrokes, because they include punctuation and spaces) for LinkedIn.

1. Company Name: 100 maximum characters.
2. Professional Headline: 120 character limit.
3. Summary: 2,000 character limit.
4. Specialties: 500 maximum characters.
5. Website Anchor Text: 30 maximum characters.
6. Website URL: 256 maximum characters.
7. Position Title: 100 characters.
8. Position Description: 200 minimum and 2000 maximum characters.
9. Interests: 1,000 Characters
10. Phone number: 25 character limit (Viewable only to 1st degree connections if populated).
11. IM (Instant message): 25 character limit (Viewable only to 1st degree connections if populated).
12. Address: 1000 character limit (Viewable only to 1st degree connections, if populated).
13. Skills: You may add up to 50 skills using 61 characters per skill. (I recommend starting with only 10-12 to get your most important skills at the top. Wait until you get 20+ endorsements for at least and then you can always add more. Also, LinkedIn is undoubtably using these “votes” in an algorithm that effects how you show up in search results.)
14. LinkedIn Status Update: You can use up to 600 characters unless you want to update your Twitter status at the same time. Twitter updates are limited to 140 characters. If you go over the 140-character limit, only the first 140 characters will be visible on Twitter.
15. Company updates are now 600 characters (250 if including a link).
16. 50 Groups max. (But sometimes I appear to have 51…don’t ask.)
17. Writing a reply comment to a group post: Limit appears to be 666 characters.

Bonus Tip: Your custom public profile (aka, vanity) URL must contain 5-30 letters or numbers and you can’t use spaces, symbols, or special characters!

UPDATED AFTER MORE RESEARCH:

This handy (maybe bookmark it?) post is for those wondering what the maximum character counts – or keystrokes, because they include punctuation and spaces – are for the most relevant fields on LinkedIn. As is true for most things on LinkedIn, some of these “magic” numbers might change in the future, but as of today, here are the ones worth noting. And for future reference, key information like this can usually be found in LinkedIn’s very handy Help Center.

1. First Name: 20 characters.
2. Last Name: 40 characters.
3. Professional Headline: 120 character limit.
4. Summary: 2,000 character limit.
5. Specialties: 500 maximum characters.
6. Website Anchor Text: 30 maximum characters.
7. Website URL: 256 maximum characters.
8. Phone number: 25 character limit (Viewable only to 1st degree connections, if populated).
9. Address: 1000 Character limit (Viewable only to 1st degree connections).
10. Company Name: 100 maximum characters.
11. Company Page Description: 2000 maximum.
12. Company Update: 600 characters or 250, if adding a link.
13. Position Title: 100 characters.
14. Position Description: 200 minimum and 2000 maximum characters.
15. Interests: 1000 Characters
16. Phone number: 25 character limit (Viewable only to 1st degree connections).
17. IM (instant message): 25 character limit (Viewable only to 1st degree connections).
18. Address: 1000 character limit (Viewable only to 1st degree connections).
19. Skills: You can add up to 50 skills using 61-80 (reports vary) characters per skill. (LinkedIn is undoubtably using these “votes” in an algorithm that effects how you show up in search results, so choose wisely and delete those random endorsements for irrelevant skills for which you don’t want to be found.)
20. LinkedIn Status Update: You can use up to 600-700 (reports vary) characters unless you want to update your Twitter status at the same time. Twitter updates are limited to 140 characters, so if you go over the 140-character limit, only the first 140 characters will be visible on Twitter.
21. Custom Public Profile (aka, vanity) URL: 29 characters after www.linkedin.com/in/ Must contain 5-30 letters or numbers and you can’t use spaces, symbols, or special characters!
22. 50 Groups max. (But sometimes I have 51 or 53, which apparently is due to being in sub-groups)
23. Writing a reply comment to a group post: Limit appears to be 666 characters.
24. Publisher Post Headline: 100 characters.
25. Publisher Post Text: 30,000-40,000 characters (reports vary).

For fans of “3 is a Magic Number” I knew I had to share links to the song and the video.

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