Why you need to start publishing on LinkedIn now

LinkedIn never used to be the ideal place to publish content, however this has changed and the platform is attracting more readers, and more importantly, more writers. Initially, the LinkedIn publishing platform was only available to a select group of individuals, however this has changed. LinkedIn has now made the platform available to all English-speaking users. The LinkedIn “Influencers” program now comprises approximately five hundred subject matter specialists.

Potential to reach millions

If you are publishing on LinkedIn, there is the potential to reach millions of LinkedIn users who are interested in what you are publishing. It extends way beyond your personal connections. Publishing on LinkedIn is not about the number of people who read your content. The idea is to encourage the right people to read your articles, provide the right comments and to share with their respective connections.

Assist you in gaining visibility

Publishing on the LinkedIn publishing platform will assist you in gaining visibility in your industry, help you make new connections and establish you as a thought leader. Publishing online is not a boring chore. Everything is automated today and based on what you hope to achieve, picking the right platform is the most important choice for you and your company.

One million long-form posts published

To date, more than one million long-form posts have been published on LinkedIn and more than fifty thousand articles are published each week. This immense collection of opinion pieces and commentary is categorised through algorithms and editorial staff, to provide users with relevant news and opinions relating to their professions. Publishing on LinkedIn will enable you to build an identity which will extend way beyond your connections. Articles you publish on LinkedIn can lead to new business opportunities.

Viable alternative to traditional blogging platforms

LinkedIn stands out as a publishing platform because it enables you to showcase your expertise to an interested and relevant audience. LinkedIn is less rigid and a viable alternative to traditional blogging platforms such as WordPress. One of the big benefits is that you do not have to do much promoting of your published articles. If you are producing good content, it will be noticed.

Publishing tips

OkDork and Search Wilderness analysed the 3 000 most successful LinkedIn posts. Here’s what they found (Click here to access the infographic):

1. Optimal title length should be between 40 – 49 characters. If you exceed 49 characters, your title will be cut off in some areas of LinkedIn
2. Statistically, posts with 8 images perform 2.4 times better than posts with 7 images or less
3. Do not use video or other multimedia. Posts containing video and multimedia do not perform well
4. Use 5 sub-headers for optimal views. Posts with exactly 5 headings that divide its sections perform better
5. Posts with 1900 – 2000 words perform fifty percent better than the next word count (1800 words) and at least 100% better of any word counts beneath it.
6. Posts on LinkedIn with neutral sentiment perform better than those with either a positive or negative sentiment
7. The Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease test analyses text to determine how difficult the language is to comprehend as written on a scale of 1 – 100. A score of 30 is considered best understood by university graduates. Posts on Linkedin with a Flesch-Kincaid Readability Score of 80 – 89 perform best, and requiring the education of an 11 year old child.
8. Likes are the most significant driver of success. Getting that thumbs up on your LinkedIn post has a strong correlation with higher overall views. As soon as someone in your network hits the “Like” button, your post becomes viewable to more of your second level connections, thereby increasing the viral effect of your post.
9. Based on an analysis of the top 3 000 posts published on the LinkedIn Publishing platform, posts published on a Thursday got the most views
10. LinkedIn posts where the headline poses a question perform poorly, giving the lead to those that chose to make a statement instead

Did you find this useful? If so, please Like, Comment and Share with your connections.