Oh look, Microsoft has printed its newest quarterly efficiency report, I ponder whether LinkedIn noticed “report engagement” within the interval?
Oh wow, it did. How completely surprising.
As you possibly can see on this overview taken from Microsoft’s Q3 2025 efficiency replace, LinkedIn as soon as once more noticed 9% session development within the measurement interval, with “report engagement”.
Which is identical replace that Microsoft studies for LinkedIn each quarter.
And that’s not an exaggeration, in actually each single considered one of Microsoft’s quarterly updates since 2018 (besides one), it’s shared a variation of the very same LinkedIn replace: “Classes development of x% with report ranges of engagement.”
Each quarter. Each time.
Which appears inconceivable, proper? I imply, it will probably’t be a brand new report each time. There’s the downtime over Christmas, for instance, the end-of-year interval, absolutely LinkedIn’s not seeing “report ranges” of engagement in that final three months of the 12 months over the previous interval. Proper?
Nicely, in response to dad or mum firm Microsoft, it’s all a report, with the one actual measurement that we’ve to go on being periods development.
Which has slowed of late.
LinkedIn periods development was 11% in the identical reporting interval in 2024, however its solely 8% now.
I imply, if it’s going up, that’s nonetheless a great factor, however given the restricted stats we’ve to go on, all we all know for certain, primarily based on this overview, is that LinkedIn is making more cash (income up 7% year-over-year), and that customers are coming to the app a little bit extra typically.
Although Microsoft did present some extra LinkedIn efficiency notes in its earnings name this time round.
In line with Microsoft, LinkedIn membership “continues to develop at double digits year-over-year.”
I imply, that too is a little bit of a deceptive stat, as a result of “members” usually are not the identical as “lively customers.” And contemplating that extra persons are coming into the workforce on a regular basis, you’d anticipate that the quantity of individuals signing up for LinkedIn, and changing into members, would proceed to rise.
As such, this member map:
Yeah, I don’t actually suppose this implies a lot by way of understanding the recognition or worth of the platform on this respect.
What I can let you know is that, primarily based on LinkedIn’s European utilization information, which it has to report as a part of the EU DSA laws, round 28% of the platform’s EU members (as per the above map) are logging into the app every month.
Assuming that holds for different areas, then LinkedIn’s month-to-month lively person depend is round 280 million, versus its billion-member headline determine.
I’d assume that the U.S. truly sees extra utilization, so possibly it’s extra like 300 million complete MAU. However comparatively, LinkedIn’s lively engaged viewers is far nearer to that of Reddit (189m MAU) than the larger platforms like Instagram (1b), and even X (600m).
That may present a greater measure of its precise engagement efficiency, which may assist to tell your advert spend. However then once more, LinkedIn’s viewers is fairly distinctive, so it may not make a heap of distinction both method.
Microsoft has additionally reported that point spent watching video posts within the app has elevated by 36% year-over-year, whereas feedback are up 32%.
So that they have truly given us some actual engagement information this time round, and the truth that feedback are rising so considerably is one other priceless level, which may assist to tell your method.
I’d assume that video posts are driving lots of these feedback, with LinkedIn additionally lately reporting that video content material generates 1.4x extra engagement than different put up codecs. However carousel posts additionally appeal to lots of engagement, in response to third-party evaluation.
LinkedIn’s additionally seeing extra of its viewers faucet into AI to realize new abilities and discover jobs.
“The variety of learners who’ve used AI-powered teaching elevated over 2X quarter-over-quarter.”
As extra individuals change into conscious of AI instruments, extra individuals will use them, and it’ll be fascinating to see how helpful these AI coaching components might be over time.
Lastly, Microsoft additionally says that sign-ups for LinkedIn Premium Firm Pages elevated 75% quarter-over-quarter.
Although that’s additionally a little bit deceptive, as LinkedIn solely made Premium Pages obtainable in all areas final June. Which signifies that sign-ups will inevitably have elevated, primarily based on availability alone, so unsure that is really indicative.
However that is the best way with LinkedIn, and the best way it has been because it received acquired by Microsoft again in 2016. Because it’s not obligated to share in-depth efficiency information, as a result of it’s not a listed entity inside itself, it doesn’t, and we simply need to make do with no matter scraps of information it shares with us, and take issues like “report engagement,” with no additional qualification, as reality.
However all of its information factors include a “sure, however,” all of them are barely eyebrow-raising upon scrutiny.
However in case you wished to get a deal with on LinkedIn’s precise comparative efficiency, hopefully these explanations add context.
