- Why LinkedIn Articles?<\/a><\/li>
- How to Write a LinkedIn Article: Let\u2019s Talk About Value<\/a>
- Actionable Value<\/a><\/li>
- Inspirational Value<\/a><\/li>
- Examples<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Topic Ideas<\/a><\/li>
- Crafting a Title<\/a><\/li>
- Crafting the Body<\/a>
- Consider the First-Person<\/a><\/li>
- Keep it to Less Than 800 Words<\/a><\/li>
- Avoid Fluff<\/a><\/li>
- Use Your Headings!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Ending a LinkedIn Article the Right Way<\/a>
- Truncating<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Your Cover Photo Matters<\/a><\/li>
- Split the Text Up with Pictures<\/a><\/li>
- Optimize Your Article for Mobile<\/a><\/li>
- Add Hashtags<\/a><\/li>
- Promoting Your LinkedIn Article<\/a>
- Make Sure It Is SEO-Optimized<\/a><\/li>
- Cross Promotions<\/a><\/li>
- Use LinkedIn Pods<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What to Do After?<\/a><\/li>
- Takeaways<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
Why LinkedIn Articles?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Linkedin articles are one of the best ways of giving value to your followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They\u2019re essentially like blog posts, but instead of being on your website, they\u2019re present on LinkedIn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now using posts is important if you want to expand your reach on LinkedIn. They allow you to showcase your knowledge and give visitors to your profile instant access to your writing without technically leaving the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the plus side, if you\u2019re aiming to be a LinkedIn influencer, having published posts is a great way to show visitors social proof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s not doubt that LinkedIn posts are the way to go, but if you\u2019re looking for a more feature-packed way to express yourself, articles are the way to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to Write a LinkedIn Article: Let\u2019s Talk About Value<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat should I write about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anything really.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, that\u2019s not the question you should be asking when writing articles on LinkedIn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question should be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow do I give value to my readers?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A lot of people use LinkedIn articles for traction, traffic, exposure, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, that comes after you\u2019ve provided value <\/em>to your potential readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are a couple of things you can keep in mind when picking out a topic for your next LinkedIn article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actionable Value<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Actionable content is content that can help you take action and get results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Say, for example, you wanted to talk about growth hacking in the B2B landscape, an actionable way of doing it is to give an instructional on how to get more leads using a particular piece of software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This type of content packs a lot of value because it tells the reader exactly what they need to do to create for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given our years of growth hacking, we\u2019ve found that the most engaging types of content are actionable ones. These are also the pages that people frequently bookmark and share with other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actionable LinkedIn articles include guides, instructional, how-to\u2019s, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you include a lot of screencaps to serve as examples and to make things easier for your reader to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspirational Value<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The plain-text founder story is probably one of the best examples of inspiring stories being used to provide value, and they shouldn\u2019t just be limited to your LinkedIn posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have an inspiring story that you want to share, but find that it\u2019s too long to be fit neatly in a LinkedIn post, consider using a LinkedIn article to share it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This way you\u2019ll have more space to tell your story and you can even include some media in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspiring stories work because they\u2019re usually relatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, note that you can just write about anything that inspires you, they still have to be relevant to your target audience so that the messaging will resonate better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Examples<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Growth hackers and prospects, alike, love real-life examples and case studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And, here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They\u2019re relatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People want to hear about what could have happened to them, without taking the risk of doing it first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These examples serve as real experiments that they can learn and get inspiration from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you add data to it, it becomes even more valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Topic Ideas<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Here are a couple of topic ideas that you can play around with to get you started with LinkedIn articles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Industry trends and how they affect your niche<\/li>
- Instructions on how to perform specific tasks<\/li>
- News<\/li>
- Case studies<\/li>
- Infographics<\/li>
- Definitions<\/li>
- Product and service guides<\/li>
- Founder stories<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Crafting a Title<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pay attention to your title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s the first thing that your reader reads before they even get to the body of your work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your first step in crafting a title is making sure that your keyword research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since LinkedIn articles are indexed, you want to make sure that your primary keyword is in your title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now there are different ways to craft a title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are a couple of pointers that can help you out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Make sure it\u2019s short and easy to read.<\/li>
- Use exciting language, but avoid using clickbait strategies to lure readers in.<\/li>
- Use power words that are relevant to your industry, e.g., in marketing you can use the word \u201cconvert\u201d instead of \u201csell\u201d.<\/li>
- Listicles work, but make sure you have a list that actually has value. (If you\u2019re using numbers, you\u2019ll find that odd numbers work better than even numbers.)<\/li>
- Consider converting the title into a question so that you can elicit curiosity.<\/li>
- \u201cHow-to\u201d titles \u2013 just like the title of this guide \u2013 work well, too.<\/li>
- Use techniques such as alliteration or assonance.<\/li>
- Get a colleague to check out the title and get their feedback.<\/li>
- Two-part titles are okay, but your challenge is to keep them short and brief.<\/li>
- Google your title before you use it, chances are there\u2019s another article related to the one you\u2019re writing and you can get a couple of good ideas for titles.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Crafting the Body<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are different ways to craft the body of your LinkedIn article, and most of the time it is dependent on your writing style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, there are styles that work better on LinkedIn than on any other platform. Here\u2019s how to write a LinkedIn article\u2019s body using our best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider the First-Person<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Writing in the first person allows you to keep things engaging with your reader, and it\u2019s slowly becoming the style of choice for many professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s easier to connect with a person if the style is conversational because it\u2019s a break from the usual formality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, this shouldn\u2019t always be the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’re writing to a very formal audience, it would still make sense to write in the third person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep it to Less Than 800 Words<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The average LinkedIn reader should be able to comb through your article and grab value in less than 10 minutes. This means you should fight the urge to write an article with complex metaphors or too many anecdotes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep things as simple as you can and aim to engage an emotional response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This also helps with your mobile optimization \u2013 as we\u2019ll discuss later on in this guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Avoid Fluff<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
People who read LinkedIn articles are busy professionals who are coming in from LinkedIn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since you\u2019re already keeping articles to less than 800 words, it would make sense not to include any fluff in your writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Less fluff allows you to maximize your word count, and keep things lean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use Your Headings!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Always make sure that you use your headings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This doesn\u2019t just help you organize your writing, but it also helps with SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remember, LinkedIn articles can get indexed by Google. You want to show crawlers how your article has been structured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ending a LinkedIn Article the Right Way<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are a bunch of ways to end a LinkedIn article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can for the old-fashioned approach and just add a couple of takeaways, you can truncate, you can end with humor, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But here\u2019s what matters the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Always make sure that you end with a thought that they can take with them after they close the article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This could be a statement that makes them question the status quo or a piece of advice that they can apply to their business in the next hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whatever it is, it has to stick in the person\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a high probability that your reader is still going to go back to LinkedIn after they\u2019re done with your article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can, add your contact information and how they can view more of your products or services, or schedule a quick meeting with you. This helps turn the LinkedIn article into a passive lead generation mechanism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Truncating<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Alternatively, you may choose to truncate the article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This means posting only half an original article and hosting the full version on your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This helps keep your LinkedIn articles shorter and also aids in driving traffic and sessions into your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, you still need to have a CTA with a link to the website. You also need to make sure that it is clear to the reader that the article has been truncated and that isn\u2019t offered in its complete form on LinkedIn Publishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can even use ellipses to splice our truncated articles, this helps build a little mystery and gets people to click on the full article links on your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bamf.lovelacecreative.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-to-write-a-linkedin-article-2.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYour Cover Photo Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Your cover photo is as important as your title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It takes up a lot of visual real estate and its primary purpose is to get people to click on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think of it as a visual CTA that serves to covert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bamf.lovelacecreative.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-to-write-a-linkedin-article-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThere are several ways of crafting an article cover photo, and we can\u2019t use the same rules as your LinkedIn profile cover photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Make sure that you include your title in the cover photo<\/strong>. Chances are people will see the title on the cover photo before they see the title on the article itself. This means it has to be pronounced.<\/li>
- Your ratio of text to graphics must be low<\/strong>. Your article should contain most of the words, not your cover photo.<\/li>
- Include a lot of empty space<\/strong>, this helps create emphasis on the various elements of your cover photo such as the graphics, photos, etc.<\/li>
- Use photos<\/strong> whenever you can. At BAMF, we use photos of people because it\u2019s more engaging. It helps build trust and gets people interested in the article.<\/li>
- Use the proper cover photo dimensions<\/strong> on your LinkedIn article.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Your ratio of text to graphics must be low<\/strong>. Your article should contain most of the words, not your cover photo.<\/li>
- Make sure that you include your title in the cover photo<\/strong>. Chances are people will see the title on the cover photo before they see the title on the article itself. This means it has to be pronounced.<\/li>
- Cross Promotions<\/a><\/li>
- Your Cover Photo Matters<\/a><\/li>
- Keep it to Less Than 800 Words<\/a><\/li>
- Inspirational Value<\/a><\/li>
- How to Write a LinkedIn Article: Let\u2019s Talk About Value<\/a>
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bamf.lovelacecreative.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-to-write-a-linkedin-article-4.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bamf.lovelacecreative.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-to-write-a-linkedin-article-3.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n