LinkedIn Comments Get Analytics 📊

TODAY’S EDITION

• LinkedIn rolls out analytics for comments.

• LinkedIn starts testing a "My Network" only feed experience.

• Instagram may launch a standalone Reels app.

• YouTube is making changes to mid-roll ads.

• Twitch introduces new brand sponsorship features. 

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DEEP DIVE

LinkedIn Rolls Out Comment Analytics to Give Users Insight Into Their Visibility

LinkedIn is rolling out comment analytics. Some users are starting to see an impression count, which refers to the number of times their comment has been viewed under their comments, next to the Like and Reply buttons.

How It Works:

• Only users can see the impression counts for their own comments (Page admins will be able to see the impression count for all comments made as a page).

• Impression counts are non-unique, meaning if the same member views a comment multiple times, each view will be counted.

• A user’s own views on a comment count toward the overall impression count.

• Comment impressions are not shown in any dashboard.

Why It Matters

No other platform treats comments as a legitimate way to increase visibility and growth like LinkedIn. Creators, marketers, and brands have built entire strategies around commenting on LinkedIn because of the exposure it can generate.

LinkedIn has confirmed the impact of commenting, stating that commenting just once a week can triple profile views. Comments enjoy high visibility, appearing in the feed and in a dedicated tab on user profiles. Comments have evolved into a content format across social media, and LinkedIn is the best example.

What It Means for Creators, Brands, and LinkedIn

With comment analytics, users can now track how much visibility their comments generate. This data helps users gauge the impact of their comments and identify where their comments are driving the most impressions—whether it's with specific creators, on certain content formats, topics, or news stories.

Less obvious use cases include creators sharing the number of impressions their comments receive when responding to others' comments on their sponsored content or tracking impressions on comments they leave on their own posts, such as when sharing a link.

Comments on LinkedIn are already up 37% year-over-year. These analytics could further boost engagement, as high comment impressions may encourage users to interact more with others' content. They could also motivate those hesitant to create posts to engage through comments, now that they can measure their impact similarly. This type of engagement is important for LinkedIn as it supports its mission to drive conversations around the business and professional world.

Christopher Cox, Co-Founder & CEO of Nebula Social, who currently has access to these analytics, shared his thoughts on what this means:

How LinkedIn Could Build On This

While impressions for comments are still basic, LinkedIn could expand on this in the future. Potential updates may include demographic breakdowns for comment impressions (similar to posts), as well as integrating impressions from comments into LinkedIn analytics.

Updates You Might Have Missed

While we wait for future updates, here are a handful of comment-related changes on LinkedIn that you might have missed:

• Redesigned Comments: An updated experience that threads comments and replies for easier readability.

• Copy Link to Comment: The ability to copy and share a link to a comment, directing users straight to it.

• Interactive Comment Experience for Newsletters: Comments are displayed to the right of the newsletter to foster discussion.

• Where You Appeared: A breakdown of the percentage of where a user’s name/headline has appeared across comments, posts, search, and recommendations, showing how their visibility is distributed across LinkedIn.

• Weekly Sharing Tracker: Available in Analytics & Tools, this tracks the number of comments users leave per week.

Across these updates, LinkedIn makes it easier to find and respond to comments, share interesting comments with others, track weekly comment activity, and gain insight into the relationship between comments and visibility.

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NEWS, TRENDS & INSIGHTS

Instagram May Launch a Standalone App for Reels amid TikTok Uncertainty

Instagram is considering launching a standalone app for Reels, according to The Information. Reportedly, the project is codenamed Project Ray and focuses on improving recommendations for new and existing users in the U.S., as well as featuring more three-minute videos.

Why It Matters: A standalone Reels app could help Instagram compete more aggressively with TikTok amid its regulatory challenges in the U.S. By creating a dedicated space for Reels, Instagram could improve recommendations, cater to creators and viewers who prefer short-form content, and roll out more video-focused updates with less resistance than within the main app. However, the biggest question remains: Are people willing to add another app to their social media routine?

Regardless of whether a standalone Reels app launches, one thing is clear—Reels continue to grow. Global video time on Instagram increased by double-digit percentages year over year last quarter, and Reels are being reshared over 4.5 billion times every day across Instagram and Facebook. Instagram shared this data while announcing that it has fully launched the updates it introduced in April 2024, aimed at helping creators of all sizes reach new audiences—along with tips for creators to take advantage of Reels' momentum. 

Related: Instagram head Adam Mosseri revealed that the algorithm considers both watch time percentage and total watch time, dispelling the assumption that longer videos are penalized simply because they tend to have lower watch time percentages than shorter ones.

YouTube Updates Mid-Roll Ads to Make Them Less Disruptive to Viewers

YouTube is updating mid-roll ads to make them less disruptive. Starting May 12, 2025, ads will appear at natural break points like pauses and transitions, rather than in the middle of sentences or actions. Older videos (uploaded before February 24, 2025) with manual mid-rolls will be updated to include automatic ad slots at natural break points.

Creators can opt out, but YouTube warns this may lower ad revenue. They can also use a new feedback tool in YouTube Studio to see if their ads are disruptive and enable automatic ad slots alongside manual ones for better optimization.

Why It Matters: These updates should improve the viewing experience by reducing disruptive ads, making viewers less likely to abandon videos. This can lead to higher retention and earnings for creators.

For creators who naturally incorporate pauses, the system should work well, but the feedback tool will help fine-tune ad placement. Those using standard mid-roll intervals should leverage both feedback insights and automatic ad slots for better optimization. Early tests show a 5%+ revenue increase when combining automatic and manual mid-rolls.

With TV being the most popular way to consume YouTube content in the US, more natural mid-roll ads will create a smoother, “lean-back experience,” similar to traditional TV commercial breaks.

LinkedIn Tests My Network Tab to Let Users See Content From Only Their Connections

LinkedIn is testing new tabs at the top of the feed, allowing users to toggle between the All and My Network tabs to filter content in their feed:

• All (Default): Displays content from connections and other LinkedIn members.

• My Network: Limits the feed to posts from connections, followed people and pages, and ads.

LinkedIn is also removing the "Sort" filter that allowed users to sort the feed by "Most Relevant" and "Most Recent" posts on desktop, aligning the desktop experience with that of the mobile app.

This test of the new tabs will run for five weeks, after which LinkedIn will review user feedback.

Why It Matters: The My Network tab gives users more control over their feed by isolating content from people they are connected to and from pages and people they follow, rather than relying on LinkedIn’s algorithmic recommendations, which include posts from both inside and outside their network.

Like other platforms, LinkedIn has shifted toward an interest-based graph. This test is likely in response to user demand for more content from the people they follow. LinkedIn’s approach mirrors Instagram's Following tab though, as it doesn’t allow users to set My Network as the default.

If this test rolls out widely and sees strong adoption, it could benefit creators with a significant number of connections and/or followers.

Twitch Introduces New Sponsorship Features to Help Streamers Monetize

Twitch introduced a Sponsorship tab in the Creator Dashboard. At launch, it consists of:

• Creator Profiles: Streamers can highlight their bio, brand interests, current partnerships, audience metrics, and more, helping them express interest in brand sponsorships. The profiles will be accessible to over 70 brands and will be downloadable for creators to use off-platform.

• StreamElements Partnerships: Streamers can view performance-based sponsorship opportunities from StreamElements directly on Twitch.

Why It Matters: This marks Twitch's biggest push into brand sponsorship monetization for streamers. Creator Profiles help streamers land more partnerships, while the StreamElements integration signals Twitch's move toward a strategy similar to Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat leveraging third-party influencer platforms and agencies to expand creator marketing opportunities, while building its own advertiser ecosystem.

WHAT I’M READING

Drop the mic: Celebrating 1 billion monthly podcast users on YouTube (YouTube)

YouTube is back with another milestone — it's now topping over 1 million monthly viewers for podcast content. With Spotify pushing for more video podcasts and Netflix reportedly exploring bringing video podcasts to its platform, YouTube will stay busy fending off competitors.

The future of the internet is likely smaller communities, with a focus on curated experiences (The Verge)

According to new research from The Verge, consumers are craving smaller, more personal, trustworthy, and intentional communities. This is happening as big tech loses trust and faces disruption, with the majority seeing the current state of social media negatively.

YouTube Star MrBeast is Raising Money at a $5 Billion Valuation (Bloomberg)

YouTube’s most popular creator is seeking to raise a funding round worth several hundred million dollars, which would value his holding company at $5 billion. His portfolio includes a video production company, the chocolate brand Feastables, and the snack company Lunchly.

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