Nature and Benefits: LinkedIn articles are key for content strategy, enabling users to share insights, enhance their professional brand, and connect with a wider audience. Indexed by Google, they extend reach beyond LinkedIn.Key Takeaways
Creation and Best Practices: Easy to create with a click in the LinkedIn Feed, optimal articles are 1,500-2,000 words with a 150-character headline limit and recommended image size of 1280×720 pixels.
Articles vs. Posts: Articles provide in-depth insights with greater length and SEO potential, suitable for establishing thought leadership, while posts are ideal for brief updates.
Strategy Integration: Effective use includes keyword-rich titles, compelling descriptions, visual enhancements, and engagement with the community by sharing and responding.
Writing and Reposting Guidelines: Maintain a unique voice, concise headlines, and a readable format. Reposting blog content on LinkedIn with links to the original is beneficial for SEO and driving website traffic.
Flexibility and Quality: Article length should suit the content’s needs, with a focus on well-researched, engaging, and informative writing that offers value to the reader.
What are LinkedIn Articles?
LinkedIn articles are blog posts created, published, and hosted on LinkedIn, forming a crucial part of a comprehensive LinkedIn content strategy.
Every LinkedIn user has the ability to publish articles.
These articles are an excellent way to share insights and connect with like-minded professionals, offering a unique opportunity to build your brand, showcase 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 search results as stand-alone content, similar to any blog post.
The exact ranking of these articles in Google’s SERPs isn’t clear, but it likely involves the author’s LinkedIn profile strength and backlinks, among other factors.
This indexing by Google makes writing LinkedIn articles particularly beneficial, as they’re exposed not only to LinkedIn users but also to a wider Google audience.
Benefits of Publishing Articles on LinkedIn
Publishing on LinkedIn is a powerful way to build your professional brand and connect with a broader network.
By sharing your expertise, you position yourself as a thought leader in your field, potentially attracting new clients and opportunities.
Additionally, publishing on LinkedIn can enhance your visibility on the platform, increasing the chances of your content reaching 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
Technical limitations and best practices for LinkedIn Articles:
- Headline length is capped at 150 characters.
- No significant character limit for the main body; a 30,000-word article is possible but not practical.
- Optimal length is 1,500-2,000 words, though deviations are acceptable if content demands.
- Image size limit is 8MB.
- Ideal cover image size: 1280×720 pixels, also recommended for other article images.
LinkedIn Articles vs Posts: 11 Key Differences
Understanding the distinctions between LinkedIn articles and posts is crucial for effective marketing on this platform. Each has unique benefits:
- Length: Articles are longer with no set limit, while posts are capped at 1,300 characters.
- Media Richness: Articles can include multiple images/videos; posts are limited to one video or 1-9 images, but not both.
- SEO Potential: Articles offer more opportunities for keywords and links, enhancing search engine rankings.
- Professional Appearance: Articles have a structured layout, resembling traditional magazine or newspaper articles.
- Tone: Posts are more informal and brief, ideal for quick updates or personal insights.
- Editability: Articles can be fully edited post-publication, while only the text of posts is editable.
- Publishing Platform: Articles are on LinkedIn Pulse, whereas posts appear on your LinkedIn profile.
- Google Indexing: Articles are more likely to appear in Google search results; posts seldom do.
- Thought Leadership: Articles establish expertise, while posts are better for sharing news and updates.
- Lead Generation: Articles can include a call-to-action (CTA) for leads; posts lack this feature.
- Audience Reach: Articles target a broader audience, whereas posts are primarily seen by your connections.
How to Incorporate LinkedIn Articles into Your LinkedIn Content Strategy
If you’re aiming to maximize your LinkedIn content strategy, including LinkedIn Articles is a smart move.
LinkedIn Articles offer a platform to showcase your expertise and thought leadership, significantly enhancing your visibility and searchability.
With LinkedIn’s updated algorithm favoring native content, your articles are now more likely to reach a broader audience.
Here’s how to effectively use LinkedIn Articles in your content strategy:
- Use Keyword-Rich Titles
Utilize keywords in your titles to enhance findability when users search for relevant topics.
- Write Compelling Descriptions
Craft descriptions that grab attention and include a call-to-action, guiding readers on what to expect from your article.
- Incorporate Images and Videos
Enhance your articles with images and videos. LinkedIn’s native video content feature is a great tool to engage your readers visually.
- Share Others’ Articles
Sharing relevant content from others can build industry connections and offer more value to your audience, establishing you as a resourceful thought leader.
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 useconversational language
- Make your headlinesconcise and click-worthy: try not to go over 50 characters
- Sharerelevant insights: take advantage of LinkedIn Articles’ ability to share data and statistics by including relevant insights throughout your piece
- Writecatchy 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 AMis a safe bet. Weekends and Mondays are usually not the best time
- Promote your articles: don’t forget topromote your LinkedIn Articleson other channels, like your website and social media accounts.
- Analyze your metrics and try to draw conclusions so you canadjust your approach
- Aim for hefty 1,500-2,000 words butdon’t force it; less or more than that is perfectly fine if you have good reasons it
- Answer commentsand encourage discussion
- Avoid being pushyor too promotional with your articles
- Inserting your personality, hobbies, and passions into your articles isperfectly 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 thatit’s safe to repostyour 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 with1,500-2,000-wordarticles 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 valueto 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?
A: Click the “My items” button in the profile widget on your LinkedIn Feed.
Q: What is the best time to post articles on LinkedIn?
A: The best times are Tues/Wed/Thurs mornings in your audience’s time zone. Avoid Mondays and Weekends, as people spend less time on work-related platforms.
Q: Can I delete articles on LinkedIn, and how?
A: Yes. Navigate to the article creation page via the “Write article” button on your LinkedIn Feed. Then, select “Publishing menu” > “My articles” and use the “Delete” button for the chosen article.
Q: Can I schedule LinkedIn articles?
A: LinkedIn itself doesn’t offer scheduling. However, some 3rd party social media tools do.
Q: Should I use hashtags in my LinkedIn articles?
A: Yes, hashtags can help you reach specialized communities on LinkedIn.
Q: How to add hashtags to LinkedIn articles after posting?
A: Edit your article by clicking “Write article” > “Publishing menu” > “My articles.” Then, select “Edit” under your article and add hashtags.
Q: Can I add LinkedIn articles to my profile, and how?
A: Add articles to your profile by navigating to your Homepage and scrolling to the “Featured” section, where you can use the plus icon to add content.
Q: How to find articles I commented on LinkedIn?
A: Click on your profile picture with “Me” underneath, select “Posts & Activity,” then “All activity” to find your Comments, Replies, and Likes.
Q: Do LinkedIn followers get updates when articles are published?
A: Yes, your articles are shared with your connections and followers on LinkedIn.
Q: Can I add videos to my LinkedIn articles?
A: Yes. On the article creation page, click the icon resembling a square with a plus sign to add a video, image, slide, link, or snippet.
Q: Should I add sources to my LinkedIn articles?
A: Absolutely, adding sources is a good practice on any platform, including LinkedIn.
Q: Can I pin articles to my company’s LinkedIn?
A: Pinning articles isn’t possible yet, but you can add them to your company profile’s “Featured” section.
Q: How do I share articles in groups I belong to on LinkedIn?
A: Click “Share” on the article, select “Share as post,” then choose “Group members” and the specific group for sharing.
Q: Should I add photo credits for LinkedIn articles?
A: Yes, giving photo credits is the right thing to do on any platform, including LinkedIn.
