Ask where an employer brand belongs on social media and most people say LinkedIn. It is the world’s largest professional network.
A place people use throughout their working lives, not only when they are looking for a job. They come to follow companies, learn about their field, and consider what might come next.
We analyzed posts from 365 major employers’ LinkedIn company pages, published from May 2025 to August 2026, and sorted them by purpose.
Employer branding and recruitment marketing speak to current and future employees. Corporate branding and consumer marketing speak primarily to customers and markets.
On the one platform built around working life, less than a quarter of what these companies post is about working there. Closer to a fifth.
Employer branding ranks third, behind two kinds of marketing
Scroll a major employer’s LinkedIn page and here is the mix. About three-quarters of it (76%) is corporate branding or consumer marketing. Employer branding, the posts about culture and working life, only 16%. Job posts, just 6%.
| Category | % |
|---|---|
| Corporate branding | 59.2% |
| Consumer marketing | 16.3% |
| Employer branding | 15.7% |
| Recruitment marketing | 5.7% |
| Off-topic | 3.1% |
Employer content out-engages the feed
An easy explanation is that this is demand, not neglect. Employer content underperforms, so companies make less of it. The numbers show otherwise.
The typical employer branding post earns a median of 190 engagement interactions — reactions, comments and shares — against 167 for the typical corporate post and 149 for consumer marketing. Job posts earn the least at 102. So the audience is not turning away from employer brand content.
| Category | Median interactions |
|---|---|
| Employer branding | 190 |
| Corporate branding | 167 |
| Consumer marketing | 149 |
| Recruitment marketing | 102 |
Nor does the audience tire of it where companies commit. Across companies, how much of a feed is talent-facing bears no meaningful relationship to how that content performs: the heaviest posters earn engagement in line with the lightest. More does not wear the audience out.
| Talent-facing share of a company's posts | Median engagement on those posts |
|---|---|
| 1.4 | 39 |
| 2.1 | 84 |
| 2.3 | 1055 |
| 3.3 | 456 |
| 3.6 | 203 |
| 3.7 | 117 |
| 3.7 | 118 |
| 3.8 | 36 |
| 3.9 | 292 |
| 3.9 | 322 |
| 4 | 183 |
| 4.1 | 274 |
| 4.2 | 130 |
| 4.2 | 151 |
| 4.4 | 168 |
| 4.6 | 104 |
| 4.7 | 502 |
| 5.1 | 306 |
| 5.2 | 553 |
| 5.3 | 88 |
| 5.4 | 745 |
| 5.7 | 381 |
| 5.8 | 149 |
| 6 | 423 |
| 6.1 | 385 |
| 6.2 | 82 |
| 6.3 | 766 |
| 6.6 | 216 |
| 6.7 | 87 |
| 6.7 | 611 |
| 6.9 | 162 |
| 7 | 49 |
| 7 | 135 |
| 7.2 | 186 |
| 7.3 | 367 |
| 7.3 | 244 |
| 7.3 | 211 |
| 7.4 | 305 |
| 7.4 | 169 |
| 7.4 | 555 |
| 7.5 | 126 |
| 7.7 | 173 |
| 7.7 | 189 |
| 7.9 | 117 |
| 7.9 | 105 |
| 8 | 537 |
| 8.1 | 238 |
| 8.1 | 252 |
| 8.1 | 165 |
| 8.1 | 960 |
| 8.2 | 184 |
| 8.2 | 566 |
| 8.3 | 256 |
| 8.4 | 359 |
| 8.4 | 618 |
| 8.5 | 113 |
| 8.9 | 87 |
| 9 | 268 |
| 9 | 595 |
| 9.3 | 279 |
| 9.3 | 415 |
| 9.3 | 739 |
| 9.3 | 158 |
| 9.5 | 570 |
| 9.5 | 204 |
| 9.5 | 43 |
| 9.6 | 319 |
| 9.6 | 323 |
| 9.6 | 141 |
| 9.7 | 175 |
| 10 | 111 |
| 10.2 | 85 |
| 10.2 | 442 |
| 10.6 | 314 |
| 10.6 | 149 |
| 10.8 | 54 |
| 10.9 | 129 |
| 10.9 | 263 |
| 11 | 281 |
| 11 | 232 |
| 11.1 | 203 |
| 11.1 | 187 |
| 11.1 | 67 |
| 11.3 | 739 |
| 11.3 | 100 |
| 11.4 | 412 |
| 11.4 | 239 |
| 11.5 | 482 |
| 11.5 | 117 |
| 11.5 | 429 |
| 11.6 | 74 |
| 11.6 | 140 |
| 11.6 | 27 |
| 11.9 | 563 |
| 12 | 105 |
| 12.2 | 561 |
| 12.4 | 370 |
| 12.6 | 59 |
| 12.8 | 319 |
| 12.9 | 154 |
| 13 | 271 |
| 13 | 418 |
| 13.1 | 84 |
| 13.2 | 59 |
| 13.2 | 136 |
| 13.3 | 150 |
| 13.3 | 334 |
| 13.4 | 228 |
| 13.6 | 42 |
| 13.7 | 516 |
| 13.7 | 117 |
| 13.8 | 208 |
| 14 | 58 |
| 14.3 | 532 |
| 14.3 | 149 |
| 14.4 | 1000 |
| 14.5 | 1210 |
| 14.5 | 143 |
| 14.6 | 203 |
| 14.7 | 566 |
| 14.9 | 335 |
| 14.9 | 191 |
| 15.1 | 189 |
| 15.1 | 355 |
| 15.2 | 160 |
| 15.3 | 161 |
| 15.3 | 387 |
| 15.5 | 43 |
| 15.7 | 115 |
| 15.7 | 185 |
| 15.8 | 70 |
| 16.1 | 96 |
| 16.2 | 111 |
| 16.3 | 57 |
| 16.3 | 207 |
| 16.4 | 306 |
| 16.4 | 320 |
| 16.6 | 89 |
| 16.7 | 139 |
| 16.8 | 106 |
| 16.9 | 96 |
| 16.9 | 164 |
| 17.1 | 120 |
| 17.3 | 373 |
| 17.3 | 230 |
| 17.4 | 242 |
| 17.6 | 176 |
| 17.6 | 273 |
| 17.7 | 278 |
| 17.8 | 1031 |
| 18.2 | 163 |
| 18.2 | 77 |
| 18.2 | 221 |
| 18.5 | 1609 |
| 18.5 | 222 |
| 18.7 | 277 |
| 18.8 | 301 |
| 18.8 | 46 |
| 18.9 | 100 |
| 19 | 9 |
| 19.1 | 553 |
| 19.1 | 206 |
| 19.1 | 261 |
| 19.3 | 418 |
| 19.3 | 73 |
| 19.4 | 195 |
| 19.5 | 265 |
| 19.5 | 241 |
| 19.7 | 63 |
| 19.7 | 410 |
| 19.8 | 652 |
| 19.9 | 102 |
| 19.9 | 105 |
| 19.9 | 48 |
| 20 | 55 |
| 20.4 | 90 |
| 20.4 | 434 |
| 20.5 | 91 |
| 20.5 | 278 |
| 20.8 | 234 |
| 20.9 | 98 |
| 20.9 | 108 |
| 21.4 | 472 |
| 21.6 | 110 |
| 21.6 | 93 |
| 21.7 | 497 |
| 21.8 | 182 |
| 21.8 | 241 |
| 22 | 211 |
| 22 | 270 |
| 22.2 | 728 |
| 22.2 | 37 |
| 22.3 | 125 |
| 22.4 | 158 |
| 22.4 | 217 |
| 22.8 | 188 |
| 22.8 | 194 |
| 22.9 | 169 |
| 23.5 | 142 |
| 23.5 | 208 |
| 23.9 | 89 |
| 24.2 | 101 |
| 24.3 | 163 |
| 24.6 | 104 |
| 24.6 | 153 |
| 24.7 | 193 |
| 24.9 | 194 |
| 25 | 735 |
| 25 | 36 |
| 25.3 | 391 |
| 25.3 | 155 |
| 25.4 | 450 |
| 25.4 | 117 |
| 25.4 | 269 |
| 25.5 | 199 |
| 25.5 | 197 |
| 26.2 | 68 |
| 26.6 | 127 |
| 26.9 | 192 |
| 27 | 454 |
| 27.1 | 134 |
| 27.2 | 185 |
| 27.3 | 248 |
| 27.3 | 161 |
| 27.5 | 206 |
| 27.7 | 185 |
| 27.7 | 193 |
| 27.9 | 67 |
| 28.2 | 190 |
| 28.3 | 97 |
| 28.3 | 243 |
| 28.4 | 142 |
| 28.7 | 383 |
| 28.7 | 58 |
| 28.8 | 174 |
| 29 | 230 |
| 29.1 | 158 |
| 29.3 | 64 |
| 29.3 | 808 |
| 29.5 | 137 |
| 29.7 | 124 |
| 30.1 | 176 |
| 30.2 | 142 |
| 30.3 | 400 |
| 30.4 | 235 |
| 30.4 | 204 |
| 30.8 | 413 |
| 30.8 | 119 |
| 30.8 | 284 |
| 31 | 172 |
| 31.1 | 78 |
| 31.1 | 200 |
| 31.2 | 471 |
| 31.3 | 69 |
| 31.8 | 708 |
| 31.9 | 222 |
| 32.4 | 481 |
| 32.7 | 1149 |
| 32.8 | 332 |
| 32.8 | 61 |
| 32.9 | 126 |
| 33.3 | 35 |
| 33.5 | 445 |
| 34.2 | 343 |
| 34.2 | 207 |
| 35 | 126 |
| 35.1 | 186 |
| 35.3 | 76 |
| 35.3 | 275 |
| 35.7 | 166 |
| 35.8 | 37 |
| 36.1 | 226 |
| 36.3 | 30 |
| 36.9 | 239 |
| 37 | 126 |
| 37.5 | 642 |
| 37.8 | 351 |
| 38 | 106 |
| 38.3 | 405 |
| 38.3 | 94 |
| 38.5 | 122 |
| 39.1 | 76 |
| 39.7 | 138 |
| 40.2 | 211 |
| 40.3 | 217 |
| 40.7 | 610 |
| 40.9 | 51 |
| 40.9 | 144 |
| 42.4 | 125 |
| 42.4 | 17 |
| 42.7 | 561 |
| 43 | 208 |
| 43.1 | 1365 |
| 43.6 | 1158 |
| 44.1 | 313 |
| 44.3 | 97 |
| 46 | 448 |
| 46.2 | 207 |
| 46.7 | 862 |
| 47.4 | 149 |
| 47.7 | 160 |
| 49.3 | 136 |
| 49.5 | 302 |
| 49.7 | 125 |
| 54 | 37 |
| 54.1 | 79 |
| 58.3 | 80 |
| 58.9 | 220 |
| 59 | 323 |
| 60.1 | 181 |
| 61.9 | 121 |
| 61.9 | 451 |
| 62.1 | 225 |
| 63.4 | 575 |
| 64.3 | 430 |
| 64.4 | 95 |
| 66.2 | 199 |
| 66.7 | 49 |
| 68.8 | 181 |
| 69 | 203 |
| 69.4 | 439 |
| 70.1 | 216 |
| 71.3 | 91 |
| 71.7 | 52 |
| 72.7 | 160 |
| 72.7 | 192 |
| 73.6 | 126 |
| 74.3 | 159 |
| 77.2 | 412 |
| 78.3 | 172 |
| 79 | 60 |
| 79.7 | 41 |
| 81.7 | 31 |
| 82.2 | 41 |
| 86.1 | 141 |
| 86.6 | 462 |
| 87.8 | 76 |
| 92.6 | 92 |
| 93.5 | 108 |
| 97.3 | 67 |
| 97.4 | 288 |
Employer brand post share is highest on LinkedIn
Another explanation could be that companies are doing their employer brand somewhere else. They’re not. We track Instagram and YouTube, too.
Measured like-for-like, across the same 104 companies active on all three channels over the same window, LinkedIn has the largest share of employer content by a wide margin: nearly double Instagram’s, and about two and a half times YouTube’s.
LinkedIn is where companies do the most of their employer branding. And “the most” turns out to be about one post in five.
| Category | % talent-facing |
|---|---|
| 21.8% | |
| 12.4% | |
| YouTube | 8.6% |
Content split is a choice and most companies make the same one
If it is not the audience, and it is not being routed to another channel, that leaves the companies. Company by company, the range is enormous.
Four companies posted nothing about working there across the whole fifteen months. At the other end, fifty-eight devote more than 40% of their posts to employer content, and one runs near 97%. Same platform, similar audience, and an employer post costs no more to publish than a marketing one.
| Talent-facing share | Companies |
|---|---|
| 0–10% | 86 |
| 10–20% | 104 |
| 20–30% | 66 |
| 30–40% | 42 |
| 40–50% | 21 |
| 50–60% | 5 |
| 60–70% | 12 |
| 70–80% | 11 |
| 80–90% | 5 |
| 90–100% | 4 |
The natural follow-up question is whether this is just different kinds of company behaving differently. A consumer brand has products to sell. A consultancy has its people. The data says not.
The spread sits far more inside industries than between them. More than 70% of the variation in talent-facing share is within industries, not between: direct competitors, in the same business with the same things to sell, land at opposite ends of the range.
| Industry | Lowest company | Highest company | Industry mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care | 5.1% | 82.2% | 34% |
| Software | 3% | 86.1% | 30% |
| Motor vehicles | 0% | 69% | 29% |
| Financial services | 0% | 71.7% | 27% |
| Banking | 1.6% | 35% | 19% |
| Pharmaceuticals | 4.4% | 34.2% | 18% |
| Chemicals | 2.2% | 30.4% | 16% |
| IT services | 1.1% | 92.6% | 14% |
Some of the world’s biggest consumer brands, the companies with the most product to push, devote more of their feed to their people than to their product. Nike, PepsiCo, Nestlé and LEGO all post more about working there than about what they sell. Content mix is a company’s decision far more than its industry’s.
| Company | Consumer marketing | Talent-facing |
|---|---|---|
| Nestlé | 19.5% | 37.0% |
| PepsiCo | 12.8% | 37.8% |
| Nike | 27.7% | 43.1% |
| Walmart | 22.4% | 28.7% |
| Target | 9.6% | 59.0% |
| Mars | 5.9% | 60.1% |
| LEGO | 27.6% | 40.7% |
| Home Depot | 0.0% | 69.4% |
Share of voice is waiting to be claimed
Step back and it is simple. The audience is here, in a professional frame of mind. The content made for them performs. It costs no more to post. And most companies are barely posting it.
The employer-brand share of voice on LinkedIn is there to be taken, and a company that takes it will have little competition for it.
About the data
The figures come from Additive Force’s employer-brand intelligence database. We analyzed all 96,854 posts published on the LinkedIn company pages of 365 major multinational employers between May 13, 2025 and August 2, 2026, sorting each into a primary content type: corporate branding, consumer marketing, employer branding, recruitment marketing, or off-topic.
Talent-facing means employer branding plus recruitment marketing; marketing means corporate branding plus consumer marketing. Every post in the panel has been classified.
The panel is limited to companies whose posts the database has finished indexing, so the mix is measured only on complete pages. Figures are a snapshot as of August 8, 2026 and will move as companies keep publishing.
These are the companies’ own main LinkedIn pages, not their careers or “Life” pages, which reach mainly people who are already looking. The findings describe what these 365 companies publish on their own LinkedIn pages.
They are not a claim about LinkedIn as a whole, and, because the data is a single cross-section, not a claim about any trend over time. Content type is assigned by a large language model at high confidence. It has not been independently validated by human coders, and employer branding and recruitment marketing are modestly harder to tell apart than corporate branding.
Engagement is a post’s reactions, comments and shares combined. Because a few viral posts skew the average, we report medians rather than means. Engagement is measured only on the posts these companies chose to publish, so it shows the audience does not reject employer content, not that the same demand would hold if far more of it were posted.
The cross-channel comparison uses the 104 companies active on LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube over the same window, so a 15-month LinkedIn record is not measured against a longer back catalog elsewhere.
How these articles are written — where automated analysis ends and human editing begins — and full detail on how the database is built and what it records are on the methodology page.