Anyone who has written a blog post or guest article knows that writing the actual piece is only half the battle. The real challenge is getting your post in front of your target audience. Sure, you can post the article on social media and send it out in an email, but that will only reach so many people. How can you get new eyeballs on your content?
LinkedIn Pulse may be the answer for all writers, from frustrated bloggers to aspiring thought leaders. The self-publishing platform offers a win-win for everyone involved. For writers, they get the opportunity to reach a huge audience of people, for free. For LinkedIn, they get great content that increases engagement on their site, for free.
[bctt tweet “With LinkedIn Pulse, you reach an audience that you wouldn’t reach through other social media channels.”]
Here’s everything you need to know about LinkedIn Pulse and why you should incorporate it in your agency’s marketing strategy:
What is LinkedIn Pulse
LinkedIn Pulse is LinkedIn’s publishing platform. All users are able to write an article, publish it, and distribute it to their connections. You’re basically writing blog posts on LinkedIn that targets its entire user base. All posts get published on the Pulse stream and your connections will be able to see that you wrote an article on the main LinkedIn newsfeed. However, the real power of Pulse is that you have the potential to push notifications to your entire network about your new post. Your connections will get a LinkedIn notification alert (the same alert you get when someone has looked at your profile) and it will say, “John Doe has published a new post.” The real gold here is that LinkedIn Pulse is promoting your post for you.
How it works
Once you sign in to LinkedIn, you’ll see a little pencil icon on the right-hand side of your “Share” box. Click the pencil to “compose” your post. You can add images and links in an easy-to-use interface. The tricky thing about Pulse is figuring out how to get that “push” notification from LinkedIn alerting your connections about your new post. No one really knows LinkedIn’s algorithm for doing this, but we can speculate that it depends on the number of your connections, the number of followers you have, and the number of posts you’ve published and their engagement.
Why you should use it
First, you can get free exposure to LinkedIn’s huge audience. You can reach a lot of people that you wouldn’t be able to reach through guest blogging or other social media channels. Secondly, LinkedIn Pulse is another way to build your credibility and establish yourself as a thought leader. You can write content that is super focused and relevant to your connections, showcasing your expertise and knowledge to the people that matter.
What you should write
If you are already writing posts for your own blog, get extra mileage by repurposing them for LinkedIn Pulse. Change up the headline, pick an attention-grabbing header image, and cut down the copy, and you have a post ready for Pulse. If you don’t have a blog, write about trends in your industry or share your expert advice. For example, if you have a content marketing agency, write about tips to get more traffic or how to come up with catchy titles. Remember that LinkedIn is a business-focused network, so you want to keep your content professional and relevant.
Tips for maximizing content on LinkedIn Pulse:
- Spend time writing an amazing headline.
- Keep your post brief. Seventy percent of articles featured on Pulse are under 1,000 words.
- Promote your post outside of LinkedIn.
- Publish your post at the right time. The best days to publish on LinkedIn are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
- Post consistently to grow your followers.
- Use relevant and interesting images. The header image is an important part of grabbing readers’ attention.
- Use the phrase “Tip @LinkedInPulse” in your tweets to promote your posts to the LinkedIn editors.
LinkedIn is about so much more than connecting with colleagues and growing your network. With Pulse, you have the opportunity to talk to millions of people for free. And, establish your expertise and authority with your personal connections and target audience. Why wouldn’t you start writing on LinkedIn Pulse?
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