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If you’re on LinkedIn, you might have heard of the LinkedIn newsletter feature and wondered how to create a newsletter on LinkedIn yourself, but more than this, you want to create a newsletter that people will actually read. One that has a large number of engaged subscribers. A newsletter that positions you as an authority. A LinkedIn newsletter that builds real brand awareness.
Well, here we are going to tell you just how you can do that.
But, if you want someone to create the concept, produce engaging article ideas, write insightful copy, create the headlines that will drive clicks, build your subscriber base, and produce branded graphics to accompany your weekly LinkedIn newsletter. LIMIVEX is the number one choice for B2B service-based businesses looking for a LinkedIn marketing agency. to manage their LinkedIn newsletters.
According to Keren Baruch, the director of product management, LinkedIn now has 63,000 newsletters, 10 times more than in 2022. Not only that, in just Q1 of 2023, LinkedIn saw 150 million newsletter subscriptions, further highlighting the success of this channel.
Many people use LinkedIn to increase their professional network, source leads, and engage with their followers. With more than 900 million members in 200 countries and regions, including 5.99% of traffic coming from the UK, it’s the perfect time to create a LinkedIn newsletter.
LinkedIn newsletters are a great way to stay up-to-date on the latest industry trends. Brands can use LinkedIn newsletters to stay relevant and thought leaders on the platform can better engage with their audience.
Now that we’ve established the potential reach of newsletters on LinkedIn, what exactly are they, and what are the best practices to make your own LinkedIn newsletter a success?
The basics of LinkedIn newsletters...
If you’ve never heard of a newsletter before, here’s a brief description: a newsletter is a regularly published series of articles that inform the public about what is happening in your business or industry. Newsletters tend to follow a consistent theme or topic and have a standardised format. Readers can choose to subscribe to newsletters they find interesting so that they will get notified with each new upload. Newsletters went from physical hardcopies sent through the mail to email newsletters to now, LinkedIn newsletters.
What makes a LinkedIn newsletter stand out? When you publish a newsletter on LinkedIn, your subscribers get in-app and email notifications, which increases the chances of people seeing and consuming your content, unlike publishing a LinkedIn article or post, which only goes into your timeline and can easily get scrolled past in users’ feeds.
Finally, newsletter readers are encouraged to visit the brand website, where it is easier to reach them with direct marketing tactics.
Maximise the ROI on your written content by including your LinkedIn newsletter articles on your website and including them in a monthly HTML email newsletter. Or, have LIMIVEX manage the entire process.
How to create a LinkedIn newsletter
Fortunately, creating a LinkedIn newsletter is a simple process. Interested LinkedIn users or pages who choose to create a newsletter on LinkedIn need to complete 3 simple steps. First, turn on “Creator Mode”. This option is found under “account tools” on your home profile page. Turning on this setting allows you to create more advanced content on LinkedIn.
Next, click “Write an article” below “Start a post” on the homepage. Once the publishing tool opens, it will give you the option to create a newsletter or an article.
The first time, the publishing editor will present you with a bunch of details to fill out, like the newsletter name, a description (around 300 characters long), a logo, and an anticipated schedule.
You can go back and change these any time, but after the first newsletter is set up, it will automatically take you to the page to upload the headline and content of your newsletter. Here, you can start writing your content.
The final step is to hit “Publish” in the top right corner. LinkedIn then presents a pop-up window which is asking you to now share the article as a LinkedIn post. This part is very important as this will help increase the reach of your LinkedIn newsletter beyond your current subscribers.
When creating a LinkedIn post for your LinkedIn newsletter, you should create this in the same way you would write a standard LinkedIn post. Think about the "headline" that is going to pique the interest of people unaware of you or your brand and drive them to either click that "see more..." link or click your article image.
The body of the LinkedIn post should contain enough information to indicate what the article is about, but try not to summarise the content - you really want to maintain the interest of your audience to the point that they will click to read your LinkedIn newsletter.
When you click "Post", your newsletter will also be shared in the feed.
After the first article is published, a newsletter page is created that will automatically update with a list of the articles in the newsletter as more are published. Your followers will also get a notification inviting them to subscribe once the first article of your newsletter is published.
The importance of your very first LinkedIn newsletter
Your very first newsletter is more important than you think. When you hit publish on this one, your entire network will receive a LinkedIn notification to inform them of your newsletter, with the aim of having them hit subscribe.
Now, of course, the larger your network at this point, the greater the impact. However, you will find that a smaller yet more engaged network will be more supportive of your newsletter than having a network of 30,000 connections that have never heard from you.
How engaged your network is at the time you decide to publish is a little outside your control now, but there are other things you can do to get your newsletter off to a flying start.
Newsletter Name - this title should summarise the topics you intend to talk about. Think about the people from your network that you would like to subscribe to your newsletter and what topics they might be interested in. This name is probably the most important setup feature.
Newsletter Logo - The small image that accompanies the newsletter name is important, although you should think of this as a "logo" and not an image. This logo will appear alongside the newsletter name in people's LinkedIn notifications when they are asked to subscribe. Don't use stock imagery here or "Canva-style" icons. Your website favicon is probably the safest bet, as this should be unique to your brand.
Newsletter Image - Using stock imagery for your LinkedIn newsletter is a big NO! Whatever stock image you choose has already been used by many people before you. You need to use custom images here. Anything less is just a poor reflection of you and your brand. Your newsletter images should maintain a similar tone, and they should be custom images which reflect your brand. In doing this, you will build the all-important awareness, and when people see these images in their feed, they will know it's from you.
Not only will LIMIVEX create show-stopping headlines and insightful copy, but we also produce engaging branded graphics that will build brand awareness and capture the attention of your audience.
How to grow your LinkedIn newsletter subscribers
At the time of writing this, there is no way to search for or discover new newsletters, in the same way, people might search and connect with others or search and join groups.
So, how do you accelerate the growth of your LinkedIn newsletter?
There are eight key strategies to consider:
Connect and invite to subscribe - Right now, when you connect with someone on LinkedIn, they are automatically invited to subscribe to your LinkedIn newsletter. They will receive an invite on LinkedIn, in the same place they would receive invitations to connect, and if not turned off, they will also receive an email with your invitation to subscribe. So, the more people you connect with, the more people are going to be invited to subscribe.
Messaging - For many of our clients, our LinkedIn outreach includes a message around the LinkedIn newsletter with a link to subscribe. If this is done well and the message comes across as "natural", it can help engage potential prospects in open dialogue—even provoking discussion around your newsletter topics.
LinkedIn Posts - From any long-form content, it can be quite easy to create short-form LinkedIn posts. But also consider including the link to subscribe to the newsletter inside the comments with a CTA within the body of your LinkedIn posts.
Featured Content - many people use the LinkedIn "featured content" section to highlight their best-performing LinkedIn posts (this is probably the biggest mistake we see on LinkedIn). This section is valuable real estate which should focus on a call-to-action of some kind. Try to include just one post here, as it will then create a full-width banner. Why not use this space to drive people to subscribe to your LinkedIn newsletter?
Creator Link - By turning on "Creator Mode", you're able to include a link under your name on your profile. You could use this link to drive people to subscribe to your LinkedIn newsletter.
Website Blog - We often talk about maximising the value of any content you/we create, and this can be done with LinkedIn newsletters too. Consider uploading your LinkedIn newsletters to your website blog, and from here, you can then distribute the content via a monthly HTML email newsletter.
HTML Email Newsletter - If you run an email newsletter, you should include the LinkedIn newsletter subscribe button in the HTML code.
Email Signature - Include "Subscribe to our weekly LinkedIn newsletter" with a link to the subscribe button in your email signature. This strategy is particularly powerful when running cold outreach email marketing as it can help establish another layer of authority and credibility.
Best Practices to Make Your Newsletter Successful
Here are some best practices to get your LinkedIn newsletter in front of a wider audience.
Choose a Memorable Name
Take your time choosing the name of your LinkedIn newsletter, you want it to be an extension of your brand. A good name should be easy to remember, describe what your newsletter is about, and capture the attention of your target audience. Your newsletter’s name should also reflect the problems you help people solve. This will help attract the right kind of audience and generate subscribers. Using SEO can help with naming your newsletter on LinkedIn to help people easily find it and subscribe.
Upload High-Quality Images
The next step is to upload a high-quality Linkedin newsletter logo, and cover photos for each individual article. LinkedIn recommends 300x300 pixels for the logo and 1920 (w) x1080 (h) pixels for the cover photos. Using images with people’s faces tends to resonate more with audiences, but try to avoid generic stock images or Clipart. Create an original logo to better reflect your brand.
Write Engaging Headlines
Each headline of your Linkedin newsletter should draw people into your article. Make your headlines clear and impactful without giving away too much on what your article is about. This way, they will be more likely to read it and potentially click through to your website. Great headlines should use keywords and feel urgent to keep readers engaged.
Create Valuable Content
Ask yourself, what value is this LinkedIn newsletter providing? Why should people subscribe? In a world filled with information overload, It's important to make your LinkedIn newsletter stand out from the rest. Always deliver quality content to help build your audience's trust in the value of your LinkedIn newsletter. First, understand what your target audience is looking for, then address their main points in a concise way that delivers the information they need.
Another big mistake businesses often make is creating bottom-of-funnel content within LinkedIn newsletters. There is very little value to readers when simply talking about your own services.
Consider instead placing the spotlight somewhere else, on topics around the peripherals of your industry which can help engage a much wider audience.
Include a Call-to-Action
The LinkedIn algorithm loves engagement. A great way to inspire engagement is to include a CTA. This can look different for everyone depending on what you want your subscribers to do. For example, you could encourage them to leave a comment, share the newsletter, visit your website, or link to another article or blog post they should read.
Drive Conversations
The ultimate goal of a LinkedIn newsletter is to have readers engage with your content. To increase engagement, add a few lines of commentary or ask a question in a post when you share your newsletter on LinkedIn. Always include content that incites discussion and encourages feedback. Ask subscribers to participate in the discussion by sharing their opinion and commenting, people are more likely to engage if they have a connection to the topic.
Publish Consistently
Consistency is king! Your subscribers should know exactly when to expect the next newsletter notification. Choose a publishing cadence that works best for your LinkedIn newsletter, then maintain it so that your subscribers can engage regularly with your content. It also helps your brand remain in the mind of your subscribers.
Of course, you have heard this before. And if you, like many, have an unpredictable work schedule, you might want to queue up your LinkedIn newsletters. Creating four or five newsletters in the very beginning before publishing your first one will help to eliminate the possibility of missing a deadline, forgetting to post, or hitting writer's block.
It's easy to create a LinkedIn newsletter and save it to drafts for publishing at a later date. Unfortunately, there is no way to auto-post these just yet. But when saving the newsletters to drafts, include at the top the LinkedIn post that will go along with that particular edition. This way, you can simply cut and paste into the post prompt box.
Share and Promote
Remember, the more people that read your LinkedIn newsletter, the more impact it will have. Your LinkedIn newsletter should not be confined only to LinkedIn. There are other distribution methods you can use to drive traffic to your newsletter on LinkedIn. For that reason, share your newsletter articles, or your newsletter page, with your network on other social media platforms or via email to expand your reach.
Key Takeaways
We hope this article is useful to those wanting to create their own LinkedIn newsletter. Understanding how to create a newsletter on LinkedIn, and what makes it stand out is the first step. Attracting new readers is easy with a memorable name, high-quality images, and engaging headlines. Turning those readers into engaged subscribers requires you to publish consistent, valuable content that drives conversations and provides a call to action. Then share and promote your LinkedIn newsletter to expand your reach. If you follow these tips, we know that your LinkedIn newsletter will succeed in finding an engaged audience.
Have LIMIVEX create and manage your entire LinkedIn newsletter marketing strategy. From concept to creation and promotion, we provide an end-to-end service to build your credibility and authority across LinkedIn.