It’s been a few years now since LinkedIn began offering users a way to create blog posts or articles on the website and social app.
I remember a little flurry of news and excitement in the business and professional world. But it really wasn’t a major breakthrough. After all, there were a number of ways to create blog posts online at the time. LinkedIn seemed to be getting in on the game without giving it much thought.
But many big breakthroughs seem small at the beginning. After a few years it seems that LinkedIn does have something to offer that other platforms perhaps don’t.
Unlike other social apps, LinkedIn is geared around professionals. People are there to do business. That’s different from Facebook and other apps where it’s kind of a free for all.
And LinkedIn kept their article writing platform pretty simple and easy to use. And while blogging on your own website allows you to own the content and to build your own traffic, subscribers and more, LinkedIn offers a large established audience including your own connections.
Are you thinking about publishing regular articles on LinkedIn?
Here are a few types of articles to consider…
1. How To
Some of the best blogs are simple how-to articles. Well, perhaps “simple” isn’t the right term. It’s simple in the fact that you explain how to do something to the reader. But the information you provide could be simple or complex.
I find that a lot of Internet users don’t even realize that they’re reading blog as much as they are. They search for information, like how to do something, find a blog and get the help they need. Then they move on.
You’re likely an expert in your field. You probably have a lot of experience. Odds are good that you can come up with a number of topics to cover with how-to information that you can present on LinkedIn.
It’s a great strategy to offer value that users on the platform, including your connections, can find and use.
The more people you help the more they likely seek you out.
2. Q&A
Another way to provide answers is question and answer. You can seek out answers from your target audience and provide the best answer you can. Usually these will be in relation to your field. But maybe you can venture into other areas.
You can use LinkedIn to find questions. You can ask your followers for questions they have. You can also set up your feed so that you see questions people are posting on LinkedIn. And if you’re still struggling to find questions you can talk to your colleagues, customers, vendors and more to see what questions they’re all asking or getting.
You can even use other blogs, forums and social media to find questions people are asking.
3. Interviews
Interviews have become very popular in podcasting and for good reason. They provide a great format for people to find content that is entertaining and educational. Interviews have been around for a long time in all areas of content: video, audio and text.
You can use the article function on LinkedIn to publish interviews that you conduct. Some people are too busy for recorded interviews, but they may have time to respond to some of your questions via email. With their permission, ask if you can publish the interview on LinkedIn.
4. Point of View
Sometimes there is a topic that brings out your interest. You feel you have something to add to the conversation so you just provides your thoughts. I believe this is typically called a Point Of View type of article. A lot of companies do this when their customers or clients ask about a news event or something and the company provides their input.
Maybe it’s a new tax law going into effect in a state. A tax accountant could provide their point of view on it for their followers.
Maybe it’s a change to Google AdWords and an advertising specialist can provide their thoughts on what it will mean for companies that use AdWords.
5. Personal News
I don’t think you have to keep LinkedIn to professional life only. I think it can be good to mix in some personal items and news as well. You can determine how detailed you want to get and you can certainly determine the types of personal information you want to share.
But it’s good to show that you’re human. This occurs in face-to-face business. It’s typical for two people to share a little bit about themselves when they’re getting to know one another. We ultimately do business with people, not brands. And people share some level of personal information with each other.
6. Resource List
You likely have a list of tools and resources and things of that such that you use on the job. These can be helpful to others that maybe are looking for a change. You can simply provide the list or you could provide a little more insight on one of the items that you’re using.
You can also get some feedback on articles like this. Maybe someone reads your post and reaches out to you about an option that might be better for your situation.
7. Story
Sometimes the best form of communication is a story. Humans have been telling stories for centuries. It’s a great way to share a real life experience and the cool things is that each reader can kind of take away their own details and such. So each story can have different levels of meaning and usefulness for each reader.
You can share a recent or old story about your working life. But you could also share something on the personal side.
Conclusion
The article feature on LinkedIn still seems a little overlooked. And I get it. People are used to the typical social media way of writing a quick update or uploading a video or photo. Those work really well and there is no reason to abandon it. But the article function allows for something a little more substantial. And I’ve found that it’s something users on LinkedIn are interested in.
So if you’re thinking about trying it out I hope that the info here helps you begin.