LinkedIn is not only the worlds largest B2B platform, it is also one of the best social networks and has now added a self publishing feature, allowing users to post articles directly to their audience.
This feature is slowly being rolled out to users, and if you have already been given this feature, you will see the below box appear on your LinkedIn Homepage. To publish, click on the pencil icon in the “share an update” section and you will be taken through the necessary steps to publish your first article. Applications for the early pass to LinkedIn Publishing have now been closed however, don’t worry as every LinkedIn user will have the feature very soon.
I published my first article; “How Much Time Does a Social Media Strategy Plan Take” just yesterday and have already had 593 views, 42 likes and 7 comments in less than 24 hours and has increased my followers to nearly 4,000. Although the feature has only been introduced this month, it is definitely a great way to share your articles and build a strong online reputation as a thought leader in your industry.
The image below let’s you see what your posts look like on your personal profile page.
For now, only English-Language posts can be published however, I am sure this will change over time. Any content you post through the self publishing tool will become a part of your professional profile and will appear under the “posts” section of your LinkedIn profile.
Another great part of this new LinkedIn feature is the ability to reach even more people by sharing your long-form post with not just your connections, but everyone else. Users can actually follow you from your posts and receive updates when you next publish and is searchable inside and outside of LinkedIn.
This is a great step for business and online influencers to engage with an even bigger community. Building up your own blog, separate from social media is important however, using tools like LinkedIn Publishing is a great way to spread the word.