How to Write for LinkedIn — and Why (and How) Your Business Should be Networking

With nearly 700 million users, LinkedIn is the world’s biggest network for professionals. What’s more, it can help you to get 3x more leads than any other social platform!

And you know what that means? Now is the perfect time to pick up the pace on your LinkedIn profile. 

While there are several ways that LinkedIn can help your B2B or B2C efforts, writing status updates and articles should be your number one priority.

By sharing insights, advice, and information about your business’ area of expertise, you’ll gain visibility, build authority — and earn the trust of your network. Over time, this will result in higher conversion rates and — you guessed it — higher ROI.

But let’s rewind a little. Before we explore how to increase your influence on LinkedIn, let’s get back to the basics.

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Differences between LinkedIn posts and LinkedIn articles

If you’re relatively new to LinkedIn, or haven’t yet had the chance to explore the differences between posts and articles, then worry not. We’re here to help.

The main difference between a LinkedIn post and an article is the length. Status updates are limited to 1,300 characters, while articles can be as long as 125,000 characters. 

Longer-form articles are great if you want to share expert tips and in-depth knowledge, accompanied by examples. But that doesn’t mean that you should neglect posts.

Posts better suited for updates, latest news or know-how-bites intended to quickly inform and engage your audience. 

Another major difference between posts and articles is the way they are created. Status updates can be created and posted by both members and company pages. On the other hand, articles can only be created by members.

But even if you can’t publish articles on your company page, it doesn’t mean you can’t leverage their power for your business. In fact, this is exactly what you should be doing!

The best practice is to ask key figures in your business to share your articles to their own profiles — whether that’s your CEO, your Business Development Lead, your HR Director, or your Marketing Manager.

By including well-placed business references, the articles your team members post will return leads to your company page.

So, you understand the differences between LinkedIn posts and articles. Now let’s look at how to write content that produces results...

How to write for LinkedIn in 9 easy steps

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When it comes to writing for LinkedIn, preparation is definitely key...

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1. Define your goals

To arrive at your destination, you must first know where you’re going.

To produce effective LinkedIn posts, it’s a good idea to start with an outline of exactly what you’re trying to achieve. So have a think about these questions:

• Are you aiming for awareness? 
• Do you want to promote a new product? 
• Are you trying to popularise your mission or company culture? 

Define your goals and you’ll be half way there.

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2. Identify your audience

After you’ve done this, the next step is to identify who your reader is.

Writing is only valuable if it answers the needs of your audience — and if it delivers meaningful information in a relevant voice. 

That’s why defining your reader persona — and adjusting your tone accordingly — is crucial.

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3. Plan your content

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With your goals and audience identified, you can move onto the next step: figuring out what to write about.

Ideally, you want to transform your area of expertise into actionable writing pieces.

To do this, try to brainstorm topics in advance. This will help you to avoid being overwhelmed by the need to source ideas from thin air. Plus, you’ll have a better understanding of your overall ‘vision’.

So, you’ve done all the preparation! Now let’s start writing…

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4. Craft perfect headlines

Your headline directly influences the reading-rate of your LinkedIn article.

Stats show that short headlines that contain specific numbers or “how to” advice perform best. 

That’s because people on LinkedIn are busy professionals who skim content and only stop when they see something that could deliver concise info.

So work your writing magic and craft a show-stopping headline — making sure to blend creativity with functionality.

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5. Make it about the readers

Your article should let your expertise shine through, but it also needs to be relatable.

Count the “I”s and the “me”s to see if you’ve made it more about yourself — or more about your readers. If you’ve been a bit too focused on your own point of view, reframe your writing to fit the experiences of your audience.

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6. Include relevant images

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While what you write matters most, the images you use are also really important. LinkedIn users are more likely to engage with posts that include visual content.

To grab your readers’ attention from the get-go, use a relevant image as a header. Choose a visual that summarizes your perspective on the topic — and your audience will be sure to respond.

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7. Subheadings are your best friends

Have you ever attempted to read a really long paragraph that just never seems to end? It’s the worst, right?

Help your readers follow your ideas with ease by using H2 and H3 headings. Not only will these help readers get the gist of your article from a single glimpse, but it will also help to direct their attention to the most important ideas. 

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8. Go for a balanced tone

While extremes tend to ignite the most powerful reactions, stats show that LinkedIn articles that maintain a balanced perspective get the most comments and views.

So if you’re just starting on LinkedIn, it’s wise to begin by not stepping on anyone’s toes. 

That’s not to say you should sugarcoat the truth. However, try to present both sides of a coin — and give your readers the ability to make up their own minds.

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9. Don’t forget to be human

Last but not least, remember that everyone loves to be entertained.

Even with informative articles, a light-hearted tone can go a long way. The secret to becoming an authority is to build a likeable expert persona. So let your human-side show.

Why (and how) your business should be networking

Knowing how to write for LinkedIn is just one way to use networking to your advantage.

Engaging in wider conversations, responding to comments, and sharing posts you agree with are all great ways to network — and promote your business even further.

So, why is networking important? 

Well, it’s one of the easiest ways to reach a wider audience.

If you’re looking to gain new clients, networking on LinkedIn is an excellent way to connect with potential customers. If people warm to your LinkedIn persona, you can bet that they’ll consider buying from your business in the future.

If you’re in need of extra help — or just don’t have time to think about networking — then get in touch today! Our team at Scribly can help.