Linear attribution is a multi-touch model that divides credit equally across every recorded touchpoint in the buyer journey. If ten interactions precede a conversion, each receives 10% of the credit. If five interactions, each receives 20%.
How linear attribution works
The formula is straightforward:
Credit per touchpoint = 1 ÷ number of touchpoints
Applied to a closed deal, each touchpoint receives an equal share of pipeline or revenue credit. There is no weighting by position, persona, or recency — only participation in the journey counts.
Why teams choose linear attribution
- Transparency: Stakeholders can explain the math in one sentence.
- Neutral baseline: Useful when moving from first-touch or last-touch reporting to multi-touch for the first time.
- Full-funnel visibility: Channels that assist but rarely close — organic content, community, early events — finally appear on the scoreboard.
- Long B2B cycles: When many touches genuinely contribute over months, equal credit can be more honest than giving 100% to the last meeting.
Limitations of linear attribution
- Equal weight is rarely true: A three-second banner impression is not equivalent to a 60-minute executive briefing.
- Touchpoint inflation: More logged activities dilute everyone's share — incentivizing noisy logging unless governance exists.
- Still blind to the dark funnel: Untracked influence remains invisible regardless of model.
Linear attribution is best treated as a baseline inside a broader multi-touch practice — compared against U-shaped, W-shaped, or impact-weighted models to stress-test budget decisions.
When to graduate beyond linear
Consider weighted models when:
- Leadership asks which touches mattered most, not just which touches occurred.
- Sales cycles include clear milestone events worth anchoring (W-shaped).
- You have enough closed deals to validate custom weights against outcomes.