LinkedIn articles offer a chance for an in-depth look at topics you find valuable for your brand building and marketing efforts.
This definitive guide to LinkedIn articles will teach you everything you need to know before you sink your teeth into this overlooked marketing opportunity.
Let’s jump in!
What are LinkedIn Articles?
LinkedIn articles are blog posts created, published, and hosted on LinkedIn. As such, they should be a part of every comprehensive LinkedIn content strategy. The option of publishing articles on LinkedIn is available to every LinkedIn user.
LinkedIn Articles are a great way to share your insights and connect with like-minded professionals. They offer a unique opportunity to build your brand, show off your expertise, and drive traffic to your website or blog.
Are LinkedIn Articles Indexed by Google?
Yes, LinkedIn articles are indexed by Google. They can appear in the search results as a stand-alone piece of content, just like any other blog post. It is unknown how Google ranks LinkedIn articles in the SERPs.
Still, it is most likely using a combination of “strength” of the author’s LinkedIn profile in terms of connections and good old backlinks. Of course, there are many more parameters that Google considers, but those two are most likely the most important ones.
The fact that Google indexes LinkedIn articles is a great case for writing articles for LinkedIn because not only will they be exposed to the LinkedIn user base, but you have the potential to reach Google users as well.
Benefits of Publishing Articles on LinkedIn
Publishing articles on LinkedIn can be an excellent way to build your professional brand and connect with a broader network of like-minded individuals. By sharing your expertise and insights on LinkedIn, you can position yourself as a thought leader in your field, which can help to attract new clients and opportunities.
In addition, publishing articles on LinkedIn can help to boost your visibility on the platform, increasing the likelihood that your content will be seen by a larger audience.
How to Create a LinkedIn Article?
Creating LinkedIn articles is very easy. It only requires a single click from your Feed to take you to the article creation page. You simply have to click the “Write article” button at the top of your LinkedIn Feed.
This will bring up the article creation page where you can start creating your LinkedIn article.
LinkedIn Articles Limitations and Recommendations
LinkedIn poses a few technical limitations to their articles as well as recommends a few best practices-type guidelines like:
- Headline length is limited to 150 characters
- LinkedIn articles don’t have any meaningful main body character limitations. For example, you could easily make a 30,000-word article if you wanted. However, you will never do that because articles aren’t meant to ever come even close to that long.
- Recommended length for LinkedIn articles is 1,500-2,000 words on average. It’s perfectly fine to break this guideline if the content warrants it.
- Image size is limited to 8MB
- For cover images, LinkedIn recommends uploading a 1280×720 pixels image for best results
- The same 1280×720 pixels image size works very well for other images in your article as well
LinkedIn Articles vs Posts: 11 Key Differences
Understanding the key differences between LinkedIn articles vs posts is essential for any marketer looking to get the most out of this powerful business platform. Both articles and posts can be used to share valuable content with your target audience, but they each have their own unique advantages. Here are 11 key differences to keep in mind:
1. Articles are longer than posts. Articles don’t have any limitations regarding length, while posts are limited to 1,300 characters.
2. Articles are more media-rich. You can post however many images and videos in articles, and posts can only contain one video or 1-9 images. You can’t post both videos and images in posts combined.
3. Articles offer more SEO opportunities. You can include keywords and links in your article, which will help it to rank higher in search engines. Although LinkedIn said it wouldn’t penalize posts with external links, I would still avoid doing.
4. Articles look more professional than posts. They have a dedicated layout with a headline, subheadings, and images, which makes them look more like traditional articles published in magazines or newspapers.
5. Posts are more informal than articles. They’re typically shorter and less formal in tone, which makes them more suitable for quick updates or sharing personal thoughts.
6. Articles can be edited in their entirety after they’re published. You can only edit the text part of posts. Images and videos within posts can’t be edited after the post has been published.
7. Articles are published on LinkedIn Pulse, which is a dedicated LinkedIn platform for articles. In contrast, posts are published on your LinkedIn profile.
8. Both articles and posts are indexed by Google, but articles show up in the search results (SERPs) vastly more often than posts. In fact, I’ve never seen a LinkedIn post appear in the Google SERPs.
9. LinkedIn articles are a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field and build thought leadership. On the other hand, posts are better suited for sharing news and updates about your business or industry.
10. LinkedIn allows you to include a call-to-action (CTA) at the end of your articles, which can be used to generate leads. Posts do not have this feature, so they’re far less valuable for lead generation.
11. Articles are generally aimed at a broader audience, while posts are typically only seen by your connections on LinkedIn.
How to Incorporate LinkedIn Articles into Your LinkedIn Content Strategy
Suppose you want the most out of your LinkedIn content strategy. In that case, you should consider incorporating LinkedIn Articles into your mix.
Not only do LinkedIn Articles give you a chance to share your expertise and thought leadership with a wider audience, but they also help boost your visibility and searchability on the platform.
Plus, with LinkedIn’s new algorithm favoring native content, you can be sure that your articles will get seen by more people than ever before.
Here are a few tips on how to make the most of LinkedIn Articles in your content strategy:
1. Use Keyword-Rich Titles
Just like with any other piece of content, it’s important to use keywords in your titles so that people can easily find your articles when searching for relevant information.
2. Write Compelling Descriptions
In addition to using keywords, you also need to write descriptions that will entice people to click through and read your articles. Make sure to include a call-to-action in your description so that people know what they can expect when they read your article.
3. Use Images and Videos
Adding images and videos to your articles can help break up the text and make your content more visually appealing. Plus, LinkedIn now allows you to upload native video content, so take advantage of this feature to further engage your readers.
4. Share Other People’s Articles
In addition to sharing your own articles, you should also share other people’s relevant content with your audience. This helps build relationships with other thought leaders in your industry and allows you to provide even more valuable content to your readers.
LinkedIn Articles Tips and Best Practices
Linkedin articles are a great way to share your expert insights with the LinkedIn community. But how do you make sure your article really stands out? Here are some tips and best practices:
- Find your own voice and use conversational language
- Make your headlines concise and click-worthy: try not to go over 50 characters
- Share relevant insights: take advantage of LinkedIn Articles’ ability to share data and statistics by including relevant insights throughout your piece
- Write catchy introductions: the first few sentences of your article are crucial in grabbing people’s attention and making them want to read more. So make sure you start strong!
- Format your articles for easy reading: avoid huge blocks of text, so be sure to format your articles using short paragraphs, subheadings, and bullet points
- Publish your articles when your audience is online: typically, Tues-Wed-Thurs in the AM is a safe bet. Weekends and Mondays are usually not the best time
- Promote your articles: don’t forget to promote your LinkedIn Articles on other channels, like your website and social media accounts.
- Analyze your metrics and try to draw conclusions so you can adjust your approach
- Aim for hefty 1,500-2,000 words but don’t force it; less or more than that is perfectly fine if you have good reasons it
- Answer comments and encourage discussion
- Avoid being pushy or too promotional with your articles
- Inserting your personality, hobbies, and passions into your articles is perfectly fine
Image Size for LinkedIn Articles
Images for LinkedIn articles are limited to 8MB. Other than that, there are no more limitations. However, LinkedIn recommends a 1280×720 pixels format for your cover image. This format will work well for any other image in the body of your article. Avoid using small or blurry images because they will detract from the look of your article.
Is it Safe to Repost Blog Articles on LinkedIn?
Most SEO experts agree that it’s safe to repost your blog articles on LinkedIn. It’s advisable to link to your original blog article to give another hint to Google about which article it should prioritize when it comes to ranking it in the SERPs.
Bonus tip: if you want to drive traffic to your website, you can always publish only a part of your blog article on LinkedIn and ask your audience to continue reading the rest on your blog with a link pointing to it.
How Long Should LinkedIn Articles Be?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Many publishers see great results with 1,500-2,000-word articles on LinkedIn. This, of course, depends on many factors like your own brand voice, style, topic, industry, and so on. If you’re concise, comprehensive, and stay on topic, it doesn’t really matter how many words your article has.
Adding Links to LinkedIn Articles
Add links to your LinkedIn article just as you would to your blog article. Use links to add value to your article by linking to authoritative and trustworthy sources and help your audience find explanations to important ideas or subtopics within your article that you didn’t cover in-depth yourself.
LinkedIn Articles Examples
Here are a few good examples of what a LinkedIn article should look like:
Brand Marketing: Building Value and Trust on LinkedIn
20 Books Every Marketer Should Read in 2022
What Is A Customer Journey Map And Why Are They Important?
These LinkedIn articles have several things in common:
- They’re well-researched
- They’re engaging and easy to read
- They’re well-written and free of grammatical errors
- They offer value and insights or information that users will find helpful or interesting
- Their headlines are concise and catchy, which makes them shareable
LinkedIn Articles FAQs
Q: How do I find my saved LinkedIn articles?
Click the “My items” button the profile widget on your LinkedIn Feed.
Q: What is the best time to post articles on LinkedIn?
A: The best times to post on LinkedIn are Tues/Wed/Thurs mornings in your audience’s time zone. Typically, Mondays and Weekends are bad because people tend to spend less time on work-related platforms and websites those days.
Q: Can I delete articles on LinkedIn, and how?
A: Yes, you can. Click on the “Write article” button on top of your LinkedIn Feed to navigate to the article creation page. From there, click on the “Publishing menu” in the top-left corner and choose “My articles.” This will pull all your published articles and you can simply click the “Delete” button for any article you wish to delete.
Q: Can I schedule LinkedIn articles?
A: LinkedIn does not offer a scheduling functionality on their platform. However, some 3rd party social media tools offer this functionality.
Q: Should I use hashtags in my LinkedIn articles?
A: Yes, using hashtags in your LinkedIn articles is a good idea if you want to reach more specialized communities on the platform.
Q: How to add hashtags to LinkedIn articles after it has been posted?
A: You can edit your article by clicking the “Write article” button at the top of your LinkedIn Feed. This will take you to the article creation screen, and from there, click on the “Publishing menu” and choose “My articles.” Click the Edit button underneath the article you wish to edit and add the hashtags.
Q: Can I add LinkedIn articles to my profile, and how?
A: You can add articles to your profile by navigating to your profile Homepage and scrolling down to the “Featured” section. Click on the plus icon in this section to add an article, post, link, or media to your profile.
Q: How to find articles I commented on LinkedIn?
A: In the main header on LinkedIn, find your profile picture with “Me” written under it. After clicking on it, choose “Posts & Activity” in the dropdown menu. Next, click on the “All activity” button at the top of the Feed, and there you’ll find all your Comments, Replies, and Likes.
Q: Do LinkedIn followers get updates when articles are published?
A: According to LinkedIn, when you publish an article, it is shared with your connections and followers.
Q: Can I add videos to my LinkedIn articles?
A: Yes, you can. On the article creation page, click on the icon that looks like a square with a plus sign in its bottom right corner. This will bring up a menu where you can choose to add a video, image, slide, link, or snippet to your article.
Q: Should I add sources to my LinkedIn articles?
A: Yes, adding sources to your articles is a good practice no matter what platform you’re using, including LinkedIn.
Q: Can I pin articles to my company’s LinkedIn?
A: No, you can’t pin articles yet on LinkedIn. You can, however, add articles to your company profile “Featured” section.
Q: How do I share articles in groups I belong to on LinkedIn?
A: Navigate to the article you want to share and click the “Share” button at the bottom of the article. In the dropdown menu, choose “Share as post” and choose “Group members” in the “Who can see your post” options. The last step is to simply choose the group you want to share the article with.
Q: Should I add photo credits for LinkedIn articles?
A: Yes, adding photo credits is considered the right thing to do no matter the platform, including LinkedIn.
Conclusion
LinkedIn articles are a powerful way to reach out to your audience and share your insights with the world. They offer many benefits, such as increased exposure, thought leadership, and SEO value. If you’re not already using LinkedIn articles, now is the time to start!
In this guide, I’ve outlined everything you need to know about creating and publishing articles on LinkedIn. I’ve also provided some tips and best practices to help you get the most out of this valuable content marketing tool.
Let me know in the comments if this article inspired you to give LinkedIn articles a go!