Emojis on LinkedIn: When and How to Use Them Effectively

LinkedIn emoji’s always find their way into conversation eventually when I’m working with a client. Although LinkedIn is a professional networking platform, it should not be seen as a place where executives and entrepreneurs have to lose all of their personality and warmth.?

Emojis, when used correctly, can add the right touch of humanity to your LinkedIn posts and comments. Typically, I leave them out of messages unless I know the person really well.?

The key is just knowing when and how to use them. The last thing that we want is to take away from your incredible content. So, let’s start by asking the question: why should we use emojis on LinkedIn?

They make your posts stand out!

Posts with emojis have the potential to attract more attention and engagement in my experience. Emojis on LinkedIn can make your content stand out among a constant push of other posts to draw in the eyes of your target audience to your posts and comments.

They are emotional!?

Humans are emotional beings and sometimes we need simple ways to do that. Using an emoji on LinkedIn can quickly do this. Otherwise, things have the potential to be lost in plain text. We can use emojis to share enthusiasm and recognition to be more relatable and human.

We process images faster!?

MIT neuroscientists “found that the human brain can process entire images that the eye sees for as little as 13 milliseconds — the first evidence of such rapid processing speed.” This is 60,000 times faster than text. ???

This rapid recognition helps improve readability to break up long blocks of text. I like to find ways to include them as bullet points too!?

It can help your personal brand!

Strategically using the right emojis for who you are as a person or organization can help to build a more approachable brand on LinkedIn. They often showcase your personality and can make content more memorable if used in the right context.?

There are some LinkedIn influencers who use the same set of a few high-performing emojis because they know what works best for them. Test and try out a few. I’ve included a long list below along with a few recommendations.?

When to Use Emojis on LinkedIn

As with most forms of communication, there are appropriate and inappropriate moments to engage. This is true for LinkedIn as well, especially when it relates to the use of the right or wrong emoji.?

Let’s consider a few more appropriate contexts:

• Celebrations and Achievements: Announcing a promotion, a new job, or company milestones are perfect occasions for emojis. ????
• Positive News: Sharing good news or positive updates can be enhanced with emojis. ????
• Engaging Content: Posts designed to engage your audience, such as questions or interactive content, can benefit from emojis. ????

A few areas where we may want to avoid the use of emojis on LinkedIn include:? Contexts:

• Serious or sensitive topics, including discussions surrounding layoffs, financial struggles, or other serious issues should avoid emojis to maintain a respectful tone.
• Formal communications, such as job applications or formal business proposals may appear to lack professionalism if emojis are used.?
• Straight overuse, as in the case when too many emojis just clutter your message.?

Use emojis to enhance your content, not overwhelm your audience

Enhance, not overwhelm. If you could remember 3 words from this, chose those. The reason being is that you know your audience already. Certain industries, like insurance and pharmaceuticals, can be more traditional and a conservative approach to emojis on LinkedIn is likely best.?

Additionally, ensure that you audience understands clearly what the emoji does for your LinkedIn post. Meaning, if you are happy for someone, a celebratory emoji or a thumbs up may be best.?

If the emoji feels ambiguous or out of place, it will likely not serve you well.?

Let's look at 3 examples for effective emoji use on LinkedIn

New Hires: Incorporating emojis into a post that welcomes someone to the team has the potential to level up your excitement for them joining. Here’s a quick example:?

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Jane Berry to our research and development team! ???? With her extensive background in pharmaceutical research and her passion for innovation, we are excited to see the incredible work she will accomplish as our next leader in clinical operations. ??

Product Updates: Announcing a new product or innovation may be a good time to use an emoji to highlight innovation, security, design, and/or speed. These uses of emojis on LinkedIn can make technical content more visually appealing and highlight main points or individual updates. Here’s a quick example:?

We're excited to announce the latest update to our software platform! ?? This new version includes enhanced security features ?? and faster performance speeds ?. Our team has worked tirelessly to bring you the best experience possible! ??

Events: When attending events, executives and entrepreneurs often use the event hashtag with their posts. As people discover the thought leaders for these events, a LinkedIn posts with an emoji may be just the thing that they need to stop and engage with your content. Here’s a quick example:?

We're excited to announce that [Company Name] will be attending #IMTS next week! ?? Come hear our panel discussion or visit us at [Location] to see our latest innovations in manufacturing technology. ???

Some parting thoughts

Emojis can be a powerful tool on LinkedIn when used thoughtfully. They have the potential to make your professional communication more engaging, personable, and memorable. The goal is to build and strengthen your network, so maintain your balance and don’t compromise your brand. Happy networking! ??

My favorite emojis for LinkedIn

Below is a list of the most common LinkedIn emoji to copy and paste directly into your posts

Here are most top 10 favorites to use:?

1. Click the link below ????
2. Making a list ?
3. Announcing something new ??
4. Showing love or support for a person or cause ??
5. Sharing something hot or striking for the industry ?? or ??
6. When we’re on an upward growth trajectory ??
7. When awards are won ??
8. Sharing complete agreement or a job well done ??
9. When it hits the right target ??
10. Sometimes the classic is best ??

Here are a whole lot more:?

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Added special characters

Feel free to copy and paste the below:

Circled: ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Circled (neg): ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Fullwidth:ａｂｃｄｅｆｇｈｉｊｋｌｍｎｏｐｑｒｓｔｕｖｗｘｙＡＢＣＤＥＦＧＨＩＪＫＬＭＮＯＰＱＲＳＴＵＶＷＸＹＺ

Math bold: ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Fraktur: ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

italic: ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

script: ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

double struck: ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

monospace: ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

sans: ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

sans bold: ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

sans bold italic: ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

sans italic: ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Parenthesized: ????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Squared: ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

The full unicode list is here: https://unicode.org/emoji/charts/full-emoji-list.html ?

Message me or leave a comment with any questions.