10 Reasons Why You Should Publish Content On LinkedIn

The ability to publish long form posts on LinkedIn used to be a feature reserved for the elite of the network, aka LinkedIn Influencers. Those days are over and now anyone can use the LinkedIn publishing platform and there are an exciting amount of benefits for anyone active on the network.

Many wondered what benefits would be available that blogging doesn’t already provide and I’m VERY pleased to say I’ve been blown away by the results I’m seeing for myself and my clients so far.

1. Give Old Content New Life

Post your older content that is still great (and relevant) using the LinkedIn Publishing platform. I’ve been doing this with my best blogs and it’s resulted in a ton of engagement, new exposure and a few great leads.

Here is one of the most popular articles on my blog:

I got over 7900 additional views to my article by re-posting it via LinkedIn Publisher nine months later:

2. Position Yourself As The Expert

Blogging already did this for you but now you have a convenient distribution platform from the moment you hit “Publish”. Everyone in your LinkedIn network will start to become more and more familiar with you and the work you do because they’ll receive a notification every time you post to LinkedIn Publisher.

Over time your network will see you at the go-to expert in your field…as long as your content is high quality!

3. LinkedIn Might Promote You

If your article is really good, it’s possible that LinkedIn will publish it in one of the categories on Pulse or, even better, right on the homepage. You might also notice that LinkedIn will occasionally send you an email to let you know about the most popular posts in your network – this has happened to me several times and always results in a significant boost in readership.

4. Reach Your 2nd and 3rd Level Connections

It’s a given that your 1st level connections will be seeing your posts but as soon as they begin to like, comment and share, your content will be seen beyond your immediate network. This is exactly what’s happening when you noticed posts on your LinkedIn home page that aren’t shared directly by your 1st level connections.

5. Anyone On LinkedIn Can Follow Your Posts

People don’t have to be connected to you on LinkedIn to stay updated on your posts, they can use the “Follow” button. Previously the only social proof you could get on LinkedIn is having others see you have 500+ connections. With the LinkedIn Publishing platform, everyone can see how many people are following your posts so the rising thought leaders are no longer held in secret.

6. Small Networks Don’t Hold Back Great Content

If you think that you won’t get any traction because your LinkedIn network is too small, think again. Marketing coach Wendy McCelland has 7 posts on the LinkedIn Publishing platform with most posts getting between 200-300 views…that’s if you don’t count her viral post, “Why I Say NO To Coffee Meetings”. Wendy had no idea the response she was going to get and since posting in April, the post has had over 60,000 views and over 500 comments, with most coming in the first day!

The response she got was so overwhelming that she had to release a follow up article the next day to address some of the points of contention that generated the controversy. On a side note, a little controversy can be a good thing when done right.

7. Learn More About Your Readers With Analytics

Sure, you’ve got Google Analytics to break down your web statistics but does it tell you the most common industries and positions that are following your blog? Heck no! Learn more information about your readers with demographic insights from the LinkedIn Publisher platform.

8. Engagement Is HIGH

Although I don’t have data to back this up, I’ve noticed that engagement is impressively high for myself, my clients and many small business owners that I see using the LinkedIn Publishing platform. I’m getting comments almost instantly after publishing, which is rare for my Top Dog Social Media blog despite the fact that I get a ton of traffic here.

Topics that resonate with the LinkedIn community have a great shot at getting high exposure and engagement so experiment to find the content that works best for you.

9. Reach A Unique, High Quality Audience

A 2012 survey concluded that 49% of LinkedIn users have a household income of over $100,000 and more recent stats have shown us that it’s 277% more effective for B2B lead generation than Twitter or Facebook. With the results I’ve seen so far, I’m prepared to say that ONE view on the LinkedIn Publishing platform is equal to at least 10 on my regular blog.

10. Gauge Your Best Content

If you’ve done a good job building your LinkedIn network with relevant connections and prospects, the posts that perform well via the LinkedIn Publisher platform will be a strong indicator of what resonates with your target audience.

LinkedIn Publishing Platform: Best Practices & Tips

• Write in a conversational tone
• Be specific, clear and concise
• Don’t be afraid to create controversy (as long as it’s not offensive or inappropriate)
• Avoid being self-promotional, aim to provide high value instead
• Use pictures, videos and slideshow presentations in your posts where possible
• Add all three topic tags at the bottom of the post

LinkedIn also makes a great point on what NOT to do on their official help page that I fully agree with:

“LinkedIn is an ideal platform to develop and strengthen your professional identity by sharing your knowledge and expertise in your job. It will be tied to your professional profile. The focus on your professional life is what differentiates it from other social media networks. Please keep this in mind when writing your long-form posts.”

Are you using the new LinkedIn publishing platform? Let us know your experience in the comments below.