Emily wrote what she thought was her best LinkedIn post yet: a 300-word breakdown of a client win, complete with lessons learned and actionable takeaways. She published it, proud of the depth and clarity. Two hours later: 4 likes, zero comments.
Confused, she opened the post on her phone to see how it looked in the feed. The first three lines read: "I'm excited to share something I learned this week. I've been working with a client on a project that taught me a lot about communication and expectations."
Everything after that—the actual story, the insights, the payoff—was hidden behind "See More." And nobody clicked. Her opening was so vague, so generic, so devoid of tension that readers assumed the rest would be too. She'd buried the lead. Mastering LinkedIn first three lines isn't about writing better content. It's about showing your best content upfront.
How LinkedIn's "See More" Cutoff Actually Works
LinkedIn displays approximately the first 140 characters of a post before truncating it with "See More." Depending on device and font size, that's usually 2-3 lines. Everything beyond that is invisible until someone actively chooses to expand the post.
What this means:
- Your first three lines are the only guaranteed real estate you have
- If those lines don't create curiosity, tension, or recognition, readers keep scrolling
- The "See More" button is a threshold: you either earn the click or lose the reader
This isn't a bug in LinkedIn's design—it's a feature. The platform prioritizes skimmability. Your job is to make those first three lines impossible to skim past.
The Anatomy of Effective Preview Copy
Think of your first three lines as a movie trailer, not a summary. Trailers don't explain the whole plot. They show enough to make you want to buy a ticket. Your preview copy should do the same.
What Works in the First Three Lines:
Specific, unexpected detail:
"I lost a $40,000 deal because I said 'no problem' instead of 'you're welcome.' Here's why that tiny phrase cost me everything."
A bold or contrarian statement:
"Your LinkedIn strategy is backwards. You're optimizing for connections when you should be optimizing for conversations."
A relatable struggle or question:
"Do you ever feel like you're doing everything right on LinkedIn but still getting ignored? I did too. Then I changed one thing."
A before/after tease:
"Six months ago, I was getting 12 profile views a week. Last week: 680. The shift wasn't what you'd expect."
Notice what these examples have in common: they create a gap. Something's unresolved. There's tension. The reader wants to know what happens next, what you learned, or how you changed. That gap is what drives the click.
What Doesn't Work in the First Three Lines:
Generic preamble:
"I've been thinking a lot about [topic] lately. It's something that's really important in today's professional landscape."
Throat-clearing language:
"I wanted to share some thoughts on something that came up in a recent conversation I had."
Stating what you're going to say instead of saying it:
"In this post, I'm going to talk about three key lessons I learned from a recent experience."
These openings are invisible. They sound like every other post. They promise nothing specific. Readers scroll past because there's no signal that this post is worth their time.
For more on crafting strong openings, see how to write hooks that stop the scroll.
Using Curiosity Loops to Drive Clicks
A curiosity loop is a narrative technique that opens a question or tension in the preview copy and resolves it in the full post. The gap between "what happened" and "how/why it happened" compels readers to click "See More."
How to Build a Curiosity Loop:
Step 1: Introduce the outcome or surprise.
"I doubled my LinkedIn engagement in two weeks without posting more often."
Step 2: Withhold the mechanism.
Don't explain how or why yet. Let the reader wonder.
Step 3: Hint at resolution.
"The change wasn't what I expected. It had nothing to do with my content."
Now the reader has three open questions: How did you do it? What was the change? Why didn't it relate to content? They click "See More" to close those loops.
Weak curiosity loop:
"I learned something interesting about LinkedIn this week. Let me share it with you."
Strong curiosity loop:
"I accidentally broke a LinkedIn rule everyone swears by. My engagement tripled. Turns out, the rule was wrong."
The strong version creates three loops: What rule? How did you break it? Why was it wrong? Each loop is a hook pulling the reader into the full post.
Testing Your Preview Copy Before Publishing
Don't guess how your preview will look. Test it. Before you hit "Post," do this:
1. Draft your post in a notes app or doc.
Count the first 140 characters. That's your preview zone.
2. Read only those 140 characters.
Would you click "See More" based on that alone? Be honest. If the answer is "maybe," rewrite.
3. Use the LinkedIn mobile app preview.
Most engagement happens on mobile. Preview your post on your phone to see exactly where the cutoff lands.
4. Ask: Does this create a gap I want to close?
If your preview copy resolves the tension instead of creating it, you've given away the ending. Pull back. Tease, don't tell.
Once you've nailed the preview, the rest of your post needs to deliver. Learn how to structure the full post in the anatomy of a high-performing LinkedIn post.
Common Mistakes That Waste Your First Three Lines
Starting with a greeting or pleasantry
"Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend."
Nobody scrolls LinkedIn for weekend recaps. Get to the point.
Being meta about the post itself
"I don't usually post about this, but I felt like sharing today."
Readers don't care about your posting habits. They care about whether this post will teach, challenge, or resonate with them.
Apologizing or hedging
"This might not be for everyone, but I thought I'd share anyway."
If you don't believe in your post, why should anyone else? Lead with confidence, not disclaimers.
Long narrative buildup
"Three years ago, I was in a very different place. I didn't know much about my industry yet, and I was just starting to figure out my career path."
Context is important, but not in your preview. Start with the moment of change, the realization, or the tension. Save backstory for after the click.
For strategies on maintaining reader attention throughout your content, see storytelling on LinkedIn.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many characters exactly does LinkedIn show before "See More"?
It varies slightly by device and screen size, but the general range is 135-150 characters, typically translating to 2-3 lines. On mobile, it's often closer to 140 characters. To be safe, treat your first 2 lines (about 120-140 characters) as your preview zone. Test on multiple devices to see exactly where your content gets cut off.
Should I always end my preview copy mid-sentence to force curiosity, or is that too manipulative?
Ending mid-sentence can work, but it risks feeling gimmicky if overused. A better approach: end on a complete thought that raises a question. Instead of "I learned the hard way that..." (mid-sentence cutoff), try "I learned the hard way. Here's what nobody tells you." The second version feels complete but still creates a gap. Use mid-sentence cliffhangers sparingly, and only when they feel natural.
What if my post is a quick tip or insight that doesn't need a "curiosity loop"?
Even quick tips benefit from strong preview copy. Instead of "Here are three ways to improve your LinkedIn headline," try "Your LinkedIn headline is doing one of three things. Two of them are killing your visibility." The second version takes the same tip and frames it with tension. Every post—no matter how tactical—can start with a hook that makes readers want more.
If I rewrite my opening to be "hookier," does that mean I'm sacrificing clarity or professionalism?
Not if done well. A strong hook isn't the opposite of clarity—it's clarity with urgency. "I analyzed 500 LinkedIn profiles and found a pattern" is both clear and intriguing. "Let me tell you about some research I did on LinkedIn profiles" is neither. Professionalism doesn't require blandness. It requires respect for your reader's time, which means earning their attention with something worth reading.
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