Doing a newsletter on LinkedIn is absolutely possible and can be a great way to engage your connections, establish yourself as an industry expert, and grow your audience. Here’s what you need to know about creating and distributing a newsletter on LinkedIn.
What is a LinkedIn newsletter?
A LinkedIn newsletter is a regularly distributed communication that provides valuable, relevant content to your LinkedIn connections. It can cover industry news and trends, insights and tips, or announcements about your company or brand. The goal is to create ongoing value that motivates people to open and engage with your newsletter each time a new edition is published.
Newsletters are distributed through LinkedIn’s messaging system. As the newsletter author, you can write and design the content then send it to your connections directly on LinkedIn. This allows you to leverage your existing network instead of having to build a new subscriber list from scratch.
Benefits of doing a LinkedIn newsletter
There are many advantages to distributing a newsletter directly through LinkedIn:
- Build authority and thought leadership. A consistent newsletter demonstrates your knowledge and establishes you as an industry expert.
- Engage your network. Newsletters give you an ongoing way to provide value to your connections.
- Get found by new contacts. When your connections share and interact with your newsletter, it can reach new people organically.
- Promote business objectives. Share company news, promote products/services, or direct people to your website.
- Gain data and insights. LinkedIn provides analytics so you can see opens, clicks, shares, and more.
LinkedIn newsletter best practices
To create an engaging, successful newsletter on LinkedIn, keep these best practices in mind:
- Establish a consistent schedule and stick to it. This could be weekly, monthly, quarterly. Make sure it aligns with the type of content you’re sharing.
- Craft attention-grabbing subject lines. This motivates people to open your email.
- Focus on quality over quantity of content. 1-3 well-written, relevant articles are better than overloaded emails.
- Write strong headlines and intros. Draw readers into your articles and make them want to continue.
- Include a personalized greeting. Connect with readers by addressing them directly.
- Make it skimmable. Use sections, lists, images, and white space for easy scanning.
- Optimize for mobile. Many will view your newsletter on their phones.
- Use LinkedIn’s analytics. See what content resonates so you can refine your approach.
- Segment your list. Send targeted updates to different groups based on preferences.
Types of LinkedIn newsletter content
When it comes to creating content, focus on topics and formats that align with your industry, brand, and audience preferences. Consider including:
- Industry trends, insights, and best practices
- Q&As with industry experts
- Pro tips, how-tos, and actionable advice
- Case studies and client success stories
- Stats and original data from surveys or research
- Quotes and excerpts from business leaders
- Book reviews and recommendations
- Upcoming events, workshops, and webinars
- Company and product updates
Tools for creating LinkedIn newsletters
To design beautiful, professional newsletters, use tools like:
Tool | Key Features |
---|---|
Mailchimp | Templates, automation, analytics |
Constant Contact | Email builder, segmentation, A/B testing |
HubSpot | Drag-and-drop editor, workflows, scheduling |
ConvertKit | Landing pages, automation, course platform |
Drip | Workflows, ecommerce, site integration |
These tools connect with LinkedIn to help streamline newsletter creation and distribution.
How to send a LinkedIn newsletter
Once your newsletter is designed, here are the steps to send it out:
- Go to the LinkedIn Messages section.
- Click “Start a Message.”
- Select the connections you want to send the newsletter to. You can choose connections, groups, or send to your entire list.
- Give your message a subject and write a short preview text.
- Paste your newsletter content into the message body.
- Personalize the message by adding the recipient’s first name.
- Click “Send” to distribute the newsletter.
One thing to note is that LinkedIn limits how many messages you can send per month depending on your account type. So be mindful not to hit the limit too quickly.
Measuring success with LinkedIn analytics
Take advantage of LinkedIn’s analytics within the messaging section to see:
- Open rate – Percentage of people who opened your newsletter.
- Click rate – Percentage who clicked links in your content.
- Unsubscribe rate – Percentage who opted out of future messages.
- Comments – Direct feedback from readers.
- Shares – How many people reshared your content to their network.
Tracking this data over time provides valuable insight into how your newsletter is performing and how engaged your audience is. You can use it to refine your strategy.
Tips for growing your newsletter list
Here are some approaches to build up your newsletter subscribers on LinkedIn:
- Promote it in your LinkedIn profile summary section.
- Mention it on other social channels like Twitter and Facebook.
- Encourage signups in your LinkedIn Groups and on Company Pages you manage.
- Send connection requests with a note about your newsletter.
- Offer it as an option alongside other lead magnets and content upgrades.
- Highlight subscriber testimonials and benefits.
- Run giveaways and contests for subscribers.
Conclusion
Publishing a regular newsletter on LinkedIn is a highly effective tactic to engage your professional network, establish thought leadership, and grow your audience. Leverage LinkedIn’s built-in messaging capabilities and analytics to distribute your content to the right connections and measure performance.
With a consistent newsletter that provides relevant value, you can position yourself as a trusted source, connect with more potential customers and partners, and accomplish key business goals.