Should I Use Emojis on LinkedIn?

Do emojis have a place on LinkedIn? 🤔 The short answer is: yes, of course, they do! However, if all you wanted was the short answer then you probably would not have clicked on this article. 

Like anything, too much of something will eventually become either overwhelming, annoying or boring. So, the question you should be asking isn’t ‘should I use emojis on LinkedIn?’ The question should be ‘when should I use emojis on LinkedIn?’

When to Use Emojis on LinkedIn ✅

There are two reasons why you have decided to continue reading this article. 1) You genuinely want to know when emojis are appropriate to use on LinkedIn. 2) You believe emojis have no place on a professional platform and are curious to find out my reasons. Whichever type of person you are, there are probably some things you did not know about emojis and why they can be extremely beneficial even on LinkedIn.

Social media is the number one place where tone and intent can be grossly misinterpreted. That is because, no matter how hard you try to get your voice across, most people will read a post however they want to interpret it. This means that if they have had a bad day or this is the first time they have come across one of your posts, there is a chance they will dismiss your post as something uninteresting to them. 

This is where emojis will sweep in to save the day. Even just using a smiley face emoji can make you appear friendlier and add a lighter tone to your post. Not only this but the use of emojis can show people that you are an approachable person which will make them more likely to engage with your posts. Using a 🕿 or 👇 is also a way to quickly direct someone to contact information and make them less likely to glance over and ignore it.

Research has also shown that visuals make it much easier for people to retain information. For example, using emojis like ✔or 🌟 on posts promoting your experience boosts people’s feelings and make them more likely to remember what they have read. However, the biggest reason most people will use emojis is that, on platforms where people can fall prey to mindless scrolling, it increases the chances of someone stopping on your post above all others.

Using Emojis To Direct The Eye

If you want people to know there is more going on below, or to follow a link you can use the arrows and hand emojis to direct people to the right place. It may seem simple and you may write follow this page, an added visual aid will help people understand where they need to look next. You’ll see a lot of posts on LinkedIn use emojis as bullet points in their lists as a more “fun” way to display information. But, you need to keep those emojis relevant and don’t be tone-deaf. If you’re talking about a serious topic you don’t want to cheapen the mood with the wrong emojis.

When NOT to Use Emojis on LinkedIn ❌

The simplest way to explain how NOT to use emojis on Linkedin is that context is key. You need to be able to read the virtual room. Whilst overusing emojis is a big 👎, there are some situations where they will not be appropriate to use at all.

Even if you are someone who is happy and comfortable using emojis on LinkedIn, there are some people who will not be a fan of them at all. So, when it comes to important corporate posts, it might be best to do away with them altogether. Emojis that do not fit into the context of a post will come across as unprofessional and are more likely to have people skipping over your posts than lingering on them. Save them for posts promoting a new product or service or posts you are sharing specifically to create engagement with your audience.

When it comes to your audience, once you have been posting on LinkedIn for a while, you will get to know what people do and do not respond to. If you notice that posts containing emojis are receiving fewer views then there is a chance your audience is just not a fan of them. There is a stigma attached to using emojis on LinkedIn (this article would not exist otherwise). So, there are some connections who might believe they are unprofessional and judge your posts for using them. It all depends on the type of audience you are trying to connect with.

If you just want to push out sales posts then you might have no use for emojis. However, LinkedIn is all about building better and more personalised sales relationships. This means that you want your posts to have your unique tone of voice, and personality and to be more than just flat words on a screen. Emojis are a brilliant way to do this but never let them take over your post and leave people feeling confused.

Should you have Emojis in your LinkedIn Headline?

the short answer here is no. Your headline is used by LinkedIn to do more than showcase who you are and what you do. It also categorises it for search. By adding emojis to your LinkedIn headline the search bar will find it harder to place your profile in front of people searching for you. Some use it to stand out in the comment sections, which it might, but you’ll be foregoing search potential at the same time. So you’ll have to ask yourself if the trade-off is worth it.

Know your emojis