How to Cross-Post from Mastodon to LinkedIn Automatically
Post natively on Mastodon and Ferryman automatically syncs every new post to LinkedIn — no copy-paste, no workflow change. Set up in under two minutes.
Why cross-post from Mastodon to LinkedIn
Mastodon and LinkedIn reach genuinely different audiences. Mastodon is federated, instance-driven communities — strong technical, academic, and open-source presence. LinkedIn, by contrast, is professional and B2B audience — founders, operators, engineers, recruiters, and decision-makers.
Highest-value audience for B2B and career-adjacent content. Organic reach has stayed strong relative to other platforms. If you're already putting in the effort to write good posts on Mastodon, there's no reason that work shouldn't reach a LinkedIn audience too — except that maintaining two presences manually is exhausting and easy to abandon. That's the problem Ferryman exists to solve.
Key differences between Mastodon and LinkedIn
Cross-posting isn't just a copy-paste. The two platforms have different limits and conventions, and Ferryman handles each difference so you don't have to think about it.
| Capability | Mastodon | |
|---|---|---|
| Character limit | 500 | 3,000 |
| Images per post | 4 | 9 |
| Alt text on images | Yes | Yes |
| Video support | Up to 1:00 | Up to 10:00 |
| Native threading | Yes | No |
LinkedIn's 3,000-character limit gives you 2500 more characters than Mastodon's 500. Posts that fit on Mastodon always fit on LinkedIn.
What gets synced
- Original posts (replies and quote posts are off by default and can be enabled)
- Images up to 9 per post, with alt text preserved
- Videos up to 600-second length on LinkedIn (Creator plan)
- Links — Ferryman preserves URLs and link cards where LinkedIn supports them
- Hashtags and mentions are preserved as-is; platform-specific mention syntax is rewritten
- Posts fit LinkedIn's 3000-character limit without splitting
Set up Mastodon → LinkedIn cross-posting
- Sign in to Ferryman with your X account. This is how Ferryman authenticates you — you can still set Mastodon as your origin platform afterwards.
- Go to Settings and connect your Mastodon account. This is the platform you'll post on natively.
- Connect your LinkedIn account in Settings. See the LinkedIn integration guide for the exact steps.
- Set Mastodon as your origin platform and check LinkedIn as a target. Toggle cross-posting on, and Ferryman will sync new Mastodon posts to LinkedIn within a few minutes.
Edge cases worth knowing
- Skip a specific post: include
#noferryanywhere in your Mastodon post and Ferryman won't sync it to LinkedIn. - Replies and quote posts: off by default. You can enable them in Settings if you want your Mastodon conversations to appear on LinkedIn too.
- Threads on Mastodon: LinkedIn doesn't have native threading, so Ferryman joins thread parts into a single longer post where it fits.
- Editing or deleting: Ferryman doesn't propagate edits or deletions automatically. Each platform keeps its own copy once posted.
- Scheduling: Use Ferryman's planner to schedule a post and Ferryman publishes to Mastodon and LinkedIn at the same time.
Manual cross-posting vs. Ferryman
| Task | Manual | Ferryman |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-post a new Mastodon post | Copy text, re-upload images, rewrite mentions | Automatic, within minutes |
| Handle character-limit differences | Rewrite or split by hand | Posts fit LinkedIn's 3000-character limit without splitting |
| Preserve alt text on images | Retype every time | Carried over automatically |
| Skip specific posts | Remember to not cross-post | Add #noferry and you're done |
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take for a Mastodon post to appear on LinkedIn?
Ferryman checks for new Mastodon posts every few minutes and syncs them to LinkedIn as they arrive. Most cross-posts go live on LinkedIn within five minutes of the original Mastodon post.
What happens if my Mastodon post is too long for LinkedIn?
LinkedIn's 3,000-character limit gives you 2500 more characters than Mastodon's 500. Posts that fit on Mastodon always fit on LinkedIn.
Are images and videos preserved when cross-posting from Mastodon to LinkedIn?
Yes. Images attached to your Mastodon post are uploaded to LinkedIn automatically, up to LinkedIn's limit of 9 per post. Alt text is carried over so your posts stay accessible on both platforms. Videos are preserved when both platforms support them (Creator plan).
Can I cross-post one Mastodon post but skip another?
Yes. Include #noferry anywhere in a Mastodon post and Ferryman will skip syncing it to LinkedIn (and any other connected platforms).
Does Ferryman cross-post my Mastodon replies and quote posts?
By default, only original posts are cross-posted. You can opt in to syncing replies, quote posts, or reposts from your Ferryman settings.
Is cross-posting from Mastodon to LinkedIn free?
Ferryman has a free tier that covers cross-posting between Mastodon and LinkedIn. Paid plans unlock higher post volume, video cross-posting, and additional features like scheduling.
Related cross-post guides
- LinkedIn → MastodonCross-post from LinkedIn to Mastodon automatically
- Mastodon → XCross-post from Mastodon to X automatically
- Mastodon → BlueskyCross-post from Mastodon to Bluesky automatically
- Mastodon → ThreadsCross-post from Mastodon to Threads automatically
- X → LinkedInCross-post from X to LinkedIn automatically
- Bluesky → LinkedInCross-post from Bluesky to LinkedIn automatically