12 Content Generation Tips for Linkedin Publisher Posts

In part 2 of this 3 part series, I offer tips on how you can make the most of Linkedin's Publishing Platform, your ability to create long-form posts, and then how to amplify your message for maximum viewership.

If you don't (or don't know if you have) Linkedin Publishing on your account see part 1.

Please note: In this article I won't get into the why's of being a Linkedin Publisher or even content marketing as a tool to become a thought leader in your industry. I will assume you know that already and skip to the tips.

That said, here are 12 tips (basics first) to help you get your message read by a wide audience on Linkedin:

1. Only Publish quality content. Do not publish fluff! Just publish content that resonates with your target market. Social media marketing and the possibility of becoming a thought leader are all about the "give to get"!

Tips: Be helpful. Give rich information and background on subjects you have expertise and experience in (meaning you are already an SME Subject Matter Expert). Provide instructions, industry insights, how-tos that benefit people in your target market. Beyond written articles you can embed and publish video's and slides (and full presentation decks) using the tool bar link that looks like < >.

2. Before you publish anything, first ask yourself, "is this shareworthy?"

In fact, your objective with Linkedin long form posts is to provide such great info that people are compelled to click the sharing buttons (e.g., LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook). Shares, likes and comments are your goal, too (more about that below).

3. Carefully consider and craft your headline. Spend as much time as you can on coming up with the best headline you can for your post. Headlines grab peoples’ attention and generate readership. Here are some ideas for your headlines: provoke; ask a question; mention a hot-button topic in your industry; be controversial.

TIP: When I write headlines, I'm always thinking, "What will get someone to read on?" Its kind of like a subject line in an email, or the copy on the outer envelope of a direct mail piece. You can't spend enough time here. (Note: you can change a headline after the fact on LinkedIn's platform. When you do so, there's a radio button that allows you to inform your following of the change. Make sure you check that button and also tweet the article and share via other social sites.)

4. Don't be self-serving. Again, think "give to get" here. Don't sell - inform. Self-serving or sales pitches won't get you anywhere and may wind up hurting your credibility in the long run.

5. Think keyword rich, but don't publish for SEO's sake. Linkedin has an algorithm that helps spread posts to the appropriate people in your "following" (you have both connections and followers which make up your following). Articles that resonate can go beyond your following and make it to Linkedin's Pulse, a modern day publishing platform broken into categories.

Sidebar tip: You can choose the categories you want to follow by clicking on "Pulse" in the "Interests" menu on LinkedIn's navigation menu.

Hopefully your posts will be discussing items of interest to your target market so search engine optimization will happen organically, but it doesn't hurt to make sure your SEO folks have a look at articles before they're published.

BTW, your posts on LinkedIn are searchable by Google and other search engines; they're not just limited to LinkedIn.

6. Build your LinkedIn following to increase the reach of your posts. Import your address book (it's safe), connect with all new contacts you meet (virtually meet too), and even accept link requests from people you don't fully know (a bit of a paradox I know, but the more people you have as connections on LinkedIn, the more your message gets seen).

Another tip: Add your LinkedIn profile to your business card and email signature. In fact, add it anywhere you can think people will see and connect with you.

7. Stir the pot. I like to serve up my opinions in addition to being informative. I've found that the more I offer opinions that polarize people, the more comments, tweets, likes and shares I get.

Important distinction: Some of my more informative posts don't get as many views, etc., but I don't discredit them as failures either.

For instance, when I publish a catalog marketing article and it doesn't go viral like my aforementioned (in part 1) slam on Mark Zuckerberg, I know I'm reaching less people overall, but a more highly targeted group (who are more likely to use my services). Get the picture?

I aim to write a balance of articles between controversial, think pieces and how-tos so I can reach the widest possible audience in my target market.

8. Share your posts on other social networks. Tweet them (if you connect your Twitter account, a pop-up launches after you post) and post on Facebook and Google+ too. And by all means, click the button to share your post on your LinkedIn's news feed. Once shared there, post it to groups you belong to as well.

Note (and small personal rant): LinkedIn's best practices say not to post to more than a few groups. I typically share my articles in all 50 groups I belong to. Turns out that "oversharing" in this way got me dinged, marked as spam (I think there's some overlap in groups I belong to) and now I have my posts being moderated individually in some groups — something I need to now contact group owners and fix which ticks me off as I'm not a spammer. In essence, use caution when posting to multiple groups even if it makes sense to do so!

9. Always respond to comments. (This tip really helps amplify your posts). When someone comments on a post, it's broadcast to the commenter's followers.

Always respond to comments. Duh, right? Well, you'd be surprised how many people don't do this simple task. To me it's a sign of respect and a thank you to the commenter.

Another huge tip: Don't just thank commenters; add value by responding to the specific comment with either additional information or your "respectful" opinion.

10. Always use images in your posts. Images, charts, products shots, etc., all help you get noticed and break through the clutter. Images help a post stand out visually! This is the same as in other social media channels. Use images wisely!

11. Use links. Add external links to your posts. Reference sources, other articles you've written, etc. In essence, provide links in your post to build credibility with readers. And doing so helps with SEO too!

12. Add a footer. Make sure you add at the bottom of your post more information about you and what you do. Include links to your Twitter and Facebook pages, your email address, and a description of what you do. A few sentences and/or links will do. Since some of my articles are repurposed from my ROI column, I always reference and link back to my column (it helps the magazine with a backlink too).

Check back next week for the third and final part of this series, when I give suggestions for how LinkedIn's publishing platform can be improved on for its next iteration.

Got comments? Did I miss something? Comment below...

Jim Gilbert is President of Gilbert Direct Marketing Inc., a full-service catalog, direct marketing and social media agency. His LinkedIn profile can be viewed at www.linkedin.com/in/jimwgilbert. You can email him at jimdirect@aol.com, follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gilbertdirect

Note: This article originally published for my Retail Online Integration Magazine column.

Mary Elizabeth Bradford, CMRW-EE, CERM, CERW, IBDC.D, MCD, NCOPE

Executive Resumes, Board Resumes & LinkedIn Profiles for C-Suite and BOD | Founder of CEOresumewriter.com | Forbes Top 100 Career Website | Past Executive Recruiter | 7x Award Winning Resume Industry Thought Leader

5y

These are great, Jim. Thank you so much.

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Sunil Thapa

Consulting | Digital Marketing | EdTech |

8y

Really helpful. Jim, how do we get the social share icon in the pulse below the heading?

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Ramprakash K. Nair

Lead Sales Service & Administration at Raymond Limited

8y

Great post

Victoria B.

On a mission to transform the film industry by creating entertainment that inspires positive change.

9y

Great post..

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