Distribution
PDF to LinkedIn video that survives the feed
The feed is a hostile environment for document content: no sound, a small frame, and about two seconds to earn the next ten.
Assume no sound
LinkedIn autoplays muted. A meaningful share of views never unmute, which means for those viewers the narration does not exist and the video is a silent slideshow with captions.
So the video has to work silently. Captions are not accessibility here, they are the primary channel — burned in rather than a sidecar file, positioned away from the bottom edge where the UI overlays them.
Two seconds, not eight
YouTube gives you about eight seconds before a viewer decides. A feed gives you two, because leaving costs nothing but a thumb movement.
The first frame has to carry a complete claim. Not a logo, not a title card, not a fade-in — the number or the statement, legible immediately. Everything else is the second thing they see, if there is one.
Vertical or square, never landscape
Landscape video in a mobile feed occupies about a fifth of the screen. Square occupies roughly half; vertical fills it. That difference is larger than any content decision you will make.
Square is the safe default for LinkedIn specifically, since it works on desktop too, where a meaningful share of LinkedIn use still happens. Vertical is better on mobile and worse on desktop.
- Square 1:1 — the LinkedIn default.
- Vertical 4:5 — allowed, and the best mobile compromise.
- 9:16 — save it for Shorts and Reels.
- 16:9 — only if the video also lives on YouTube and you are cross-posting.
Ninety seconds
Document videos on LinkedIn should be sixty to ninety seconds carrying exactly one idea. Not a summary of the report — one finding from it.
The full version lives on YouTube or your site, and the post's text links there. Trying to fit the whole document into the feed cut is how you get a video that covers everything and communicates nothing.
The post text does half the work
The video does not stand alone. The accompanying text is what appears in the feed before anyone presses play, and it is indexed, quotable, and skimmable in a way the video is not.
Write the claim in the first line, before the 'see more' fold. Then the context in a short paragraph. Then the link to the document — in a comment rather than the post body if you are avoiding link suppression, though the effect of that is smaller than commonly claimed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best aspect ratio for LinkedIn video?
Square 1:1 as the default, since it works on both mobile and desktop. Vertical 4:5 if your audience is overwhelmingly mobile.
How long should a LinkedIn document video be?
Sixty to ninety seconds, covering one finding. Longer versions belong on YouTube with the post linking to them.
Do I need burned-in captions?
Yes. LinkedIn's own caption rendering is inconsistent across surfaces, and muted autoplay means captions are doing the primary communication rather than supporting it.