What a LinkedIn Poll Allows: 140 Characters, 4 Options, 14 Days

A LinkedIn poll is a post that asks one question with two to four answer options, or up to five on the iOS app, and closes after one day, three days, one week or two weeks. LinkedIn caps the question at 140 characters and each option at 30. Once the poll is posted, nothing in it can change, and the author can see exactly who voted for what.

What is a LinkedIn poll?

A LinkedIn poll is a post format that collects one vote per member on a single question, then shows the results as percentages. LinkedIn's Help Center describes the feature as a way to "engage with other members by asking them for their perspectives about various topics." Members can post polls from their homepage, and admins can post them from a LinkedIn Page or a LinkedIn Group.

The poll sits inside an ordinary post. You write the question and options in the poll box and can add more text in the "What do you want to talk about?" field above it. That surrounding text is where context goes, since the question itself has only 140 characters.

What are the LinkedIn poll limits?

A LinkedIn poll has a 140 character question, 30 character options, two to four options on desktop and Android, and a duration of up to two weeks. LinkedIn's Polls FAQ gives the character limits in one line: "poll questions are limited to a maximum 140 characters and options are limited to a maximum of 30 characters."

Rule	LinkedIn's limit
Question length	140 characters
Option length	30 characters
Number of options	2 to 4 on desktop and Android, up to 5 on the iOS app
Duration	1 day, 3 days, 1 week or 2 weeks
Default duration	One week
Votes per member	One at a time, changeable until close, removable after close
Editing after posting	Not allowed
Reopening after closing	Not allowed

The option count is the one place LinkedIn's own pages disagree. The Create LinkedIn Polls article says "There is a minimum of two options and a maximum of four options on a poll." The Polls FAQ says the count "depends on the device you're using," with four on desktop and Android and "up to five options" on the iOS app. The API allows a maximum of 4. If you want every reader on every device to see the same poll, write four options or fewer.

The no-edit rule is the one that catches people. The FAQ is blunt: "No, a poll can't be edited once it's created. A poll can be deleted after it is created." A typo in the question means deleting the poll and losing its votes, so proofread the question and all four options before you post.

Who can see how you voted on a LinkedIn poll?

The poll author can see who voted and which option each person chose, and nobody else sees individual votes. LinkedIn's FAQ states: "How you vote is visible to the author of the poll (i.e. the person or organization who posts the poll)." For a poll posted by a LinkedIn Page, the Page's admins see individual votes. For a poll in a LinkedIn Group, only the poll author sees them.

Everyone else sees aggregates. Voters see the percentage split once they vote, anyone who can see the post sees it after the poll closes, and the author sees percentages plus the number of votes per option. Voting on a poll does not put it in the voter's Activity section.

LinkedIn adds a warning that is worth repeating to anyone voting on a stranger's poll: "we cannot guarantee that a poll author will not disclose your vote to others."

Who Sees What After a Vote

The poll author sees

• Who voted and which option each person chose
• The same detail for a Page's admins, when a Page posted the poll
• Vote counts next to the percentages

Everyone else sees

• Only the percentage split, once they cast their own vote
• The final percentages, once the poll closes
• No individual votes, even in a LinkedIn Group

Who can create a LinkedIn poll?

Any member can create a LinkedIn poll from the homepage, and admins can create one from a LinkedIn Page or Group. The Create LinkedIn Polls article says "If you're an Admin of a LinkedIn Page or a LinkedIn Group you can create a poll directly from the Page or group's homepage." The Polls FAQ narrows the Page case to "super admins of LinkedIn Pages." When a Page poll will not post, check which admin role your account holds.

A poll is not the same as a Brand Survey. LinkedIn describes Brand Surveys as a sponsored format "created by companies and organizations to better understand how their brand resonates," and states that personal information is not shared with the advertiser. Polls are organic posts, and their authors can see names.

How do you create a LinkedIn poll?

Create a LinkedIn poll from the post box, where the poll option sits under the More menu. These are the desktop steps from LinkedIn's Help Center.

1. Click Start a post at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
2. Click the More icon, then the Create a poll icon.
3. Type your question, up to 140 characters.
4. Fill in at least two options, up to 30 characters each, and click +Add option for more.
5. Pick the Poll duration. The default is one week.
6. Click Done, choose who can see the post, and add supporting text if you want it.
7. Click Post.

On mobile, tap Post in the navigation bar, then More, then Poll, and the rest of the flow is the same. After posting, your connections are notified that you created a poll, and you get a notification for the first vote and later votes unless you turn that setting off.

Can a LinkedIn poll be posted through the API?

Yes. LinkedIn's Poll API creates polls through the Posts API, with the same core limits as the app and a few extra rules. The Microsoft Learn reference sets the question at a "Max length of 140 characters," requires at least two options with a "Maximum 4 options," and caps each option's text at 30 characters. Duration is an enum of ONE_DAY, THREE_DAYS, SEVEN_DAYS and FOURTEEN_DAYS.

The rules that differ from the app are these:

• "Updating poll content is not allowed," matching the app's no-edit rule.
• "API partners can only create non-sponsored poll posts."
• voteSelectionType defaults to SINGLE_VOTE, and MULTIPLE_VOTE is marked "To be supported later in future."
• isVoterVisibleToAuthor set to false "will throw 400," so an anonymous poll is not possible.

Both the API reference and the FAQ bar the same topics. Poll authors "may not ask for political opinions, health status, or other sensitive data," and the FAQ's longer list includes race, ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation, trade union membership and precise geolocation.

When does a poll make sense in a LinkedIn content plan?

A poll works when the question has a small set of honest answers and you plan to use the results. Our LinkedIn post best practices guide covers the rest of the format mix, and LinkedIn posting compares polls with text, document and video posts.

Two limits shape the plan. The 30 character options force short answers, so questions that need nuance belong in a text post that asks for comments instead. And because the author sees every vote, a poll is a poor fit for anything a voter would not say under their own name. A follow-up post that reports the results gives the poll a second life in the feed, since the poll itself cannot be changed or reopened. Instagram has a similar tool in Stories, covered in how to make a poll on Instagram.

Where AdaptlyPost fits

AdaptlyPost's LinkedIn post scheduler covers text posts, image posts, video posts and PDF document carousels, for both personal profiles and company pages. Polls are not on that list, so create the poll itself in LinkedIn and use AdaptlyPost for the posts that surround it, such as the teaser before and the results post after. The scheduler can also mention LinkedIn company pages in a post, though LinkedIn only lets tools tag company pages, not people. For hashtags on those surrounding posts, see how to add hashtags to a LinkedIn post.

Frequently asked questions

How many options can a LinkedIn poll have?

A LinkedIn poll needs at least two options. LinkedIn's Polls FAQ allows up to four on desktop and the Android app and up to five on the iOS app, while the Create LinkedIn Polls article and the API both state a maximum of four. Use four or fewer so the poll behaves the same everywhere.

What is the character limit for a LinkedIn poll?

The question holds up to 140 characters and each option holds up to 30 characters. LinkedIn states both limits in its Polls FAQ, and the Poll API reference uses the same numbers for the question and option text fields.

How long can a LinkedIn poll run?

A LinkedIn poll runs for one day, three days, one week or two weeks, and the default is one week. Once a poll closes, it cannot be reopened, and voters can still remove their vote from a closed poll.

Can you see who voted on a LinkedIn poll?

Yes, if you are the author. LinkedIn shows the poll author who voted and how each person voted, and for a Page poll, the Page's admins see the same. In a LinkedIn Group, only the poll author sees individual votes, and everyone else sees percentages.

Can you edit a LinkedIn poll after posting?

No. LinkedIn's FAQ states that a poll cannot be edited once it is created, and the Poll API states that updating poll content is not allowed. You can delete the poll and post a new one, which discards the existing votes.

Can AdaptlyPost schedule a LinkedIn poll?

AdaptlyPost's LinkedIn scheduler lists text, image, video and document carousel posts, and polls are not among them. Create the poll in LinkedIn directly and schedule the posts that promote it or report its results through AdaptlyPost.

Can you vote more than once on a LinkedIn poll?

LinkedIn allows one vote at a time on a poll. You can change or remove your vote until the poll closes. After it closes, LinkedIn's FAQ says you can still remove your vote with Remove vote, but you cannot vote again.

Does voting on a LinkedIn poll show up in your activity?

Voting on a LinkedIn poll does not appear in the voter's Activity section. Only the poll author, or a Page's admins for a Page poll, sees who voted and how.

Is a LinkedIn poll the same as a LinkedIn Brand Survey?

No, a poll and a Brand Survey are different formats. A Brand Survey is a sponsored format that companies use to understand how their brand resonates, and LinkedIn states that personal information from a Brand Survey is not shared with the advertiser. A poll is an organic post, and its author can see who answered and how, unlike a Brand Survey.

Can you add context text to a LinkedIn poll post?

You can. The question and options live inside the poll box, and the regular text field above it, labeled "What do you want to talk about?", holds any extra context you want to add.