Adding a LinkedIn feed to SharePoint can be a great way to showcase company news, employee spotlights, job postings, and more directly within your intranet. However, SharePoint doesn’t have built-in integration with LinkedIn, so getting your feed set up takes a few steps. In this article, we’ll walk through the full process start to finish.
Prerequisites
Before we dive in, there are a few key prerequisites:
- You need access to manage the SharePoint site where you want to add the LinkedIn feed.
- Your company must have an active LinkedIn page that is routinely updated.
- The updates to your LinkedIn company page must be set to “public” so that anyone can view them.
Assuming those requirements are met, you have everything you need to get started. Now let’s look at how to actually add the feed.
Step 1: Install a RSS Viewer Web Part
SharePoint doesn’t have a built-in way to display an external RSS feed. So the first step is to install a web part that can render RSS content. There are a few options out there, but a simple one that works well is the RSS Viewer by Lightning Tools.
To add it:
- Browse to your SharePoint site and edit the page where you want the LinkedIn feed to live.
- Click “+” to insert a web part.
- Search for “RSS” and select the “RSS Viewer” web part.
- A dialog box may appear asking if you want to add the web part. Click “Add”.
- The RSS Viewer web part will now be inserted onto your page.
With the web part installed, we can now point it to our LinkedIn feed URL.
Step 2: Get the LinkedIn Feed URL
To display your company’s LinkedIn feed, we need to get the specific RSS feed URL. Here’s how to find it:
- Go to your company’s LinkedIn page.
- Click the “More” menu in the top-right corner.
- Select “Embed company insights”.
- This will open a dialog box with different embed code options. Click the “Company RSS feeds” tab.
- Copy the full RSS URL. It will look something like this: https://www.linkedin.com/company/123/rss/
This is the unique URL we’ll use to connect the RSS Viewer to your feed.
Step 3: Configure the RSS Viewer
Now that we have the LinkedIn RSS feed URL, we can plug it into the web part:
- Go back to your SharePoint page with the RSS Viewer web part.
- Edit the web part.
- Paste your LinkedIn feed URL into the “RSS Feed URL” field.
- Set the number of items you want to display.
- Click OK to save the settings.
The RSS Viewer will now connect to the LinkedIn feed URL and display the latest posts right on your page.
Step 4: Customize the Look and Feel
At this point, the functionality is complete. But you may want to customize the look and feel to match your site’s branding and style.
Here are a few formatting options to consider:
- Custom CSS: Apply CSS styles directly to elements like titles, descriptions, dates, etc.
- Layout: Change the direction, number of columns, and item spacing.
- Images: Choose whether to display post images and their size.
- Text: Modify which post elements are displayed like titles, descriptions, etc.
Explore all the settings available in the web part edit pane. For advanced customizations, you can also modify the HTML/CSS directly.
Step 5: Set Up Caching
For optimal performance, enable caching in the RSS Viewer settings:
- Cache Timeout: Check this and specify a timeout period (e.g. 15 minutes).
- Clear Cache Button: Add this to let admins manually clear the cache if needed.
Caching stores a local copy of the feed to prevent hitting the LinkedIn servers every page load. The timeout sets how often the cache refreshes.
Best Practices
To ensure your LinkedIn feed integration is successful, keep these best practices in mind:
- Showcase varied content – Mix up company news, culture spotlights, employee highlights, and job postings.
- Update frequently – Post new content regularly to keep the feed engaging.
- Find the right location – Display the feed on high-traffic pages like intranet homepages.
- Make it visually appealing – Use images, company branding, and custom layouts.
- Promote it – Let employees know the feed exists and how to find it.
With the right content and promotion, your LinkedIn feed can become a hub for company information within your intranet.
Troubleshooting Issues
If you run into any problems getting your LinkedIn feed working, here are some common issues to check:
- Invalid feed URL – Double check you have the correct RSS feed URL from LinkedIn.
- Privacy settings – Ensure your LinkedIn updates are publicly visible.
- Web part errors – Check the web part error logs for any connectivity issues.
- Page editing allowed – Confirm page editing is enabled for the page with the web part.
- Permissions – Validate your account has permissions to add/edit web parts.
Additionally, try clearing the web part cache and refreshing the page if you notice any outdated content.
Alternative Options
While the RSS Viewer approach works well, there are a couple other options for integrating LinkedIn feeds into SharePoint:
iframe Embed
LinkedIn provides embed code snippets that can be added directly into SharePoint pages via script editor or content editor web parts. This renders the feed as an iframe.
Pros:
- Simple copy/paste implementation
- Handles feed styling for you
Cons:
- iframes can present security concerns
- Less customization options
Custom Development
For advanced implementations, you can build a custom web part or application page to tailor the LinkedIn integration exactly to your needs. This requires developer resources and expertise.
Pros:
- Fully customizable features and design
- Can add advanced functionality as needed
Cons:
- Requires development expertise
- More costly and time intensive
So weigh the pros and cons of each approach against your specific use case requirements.
Conclusion
Adding a LinkedIn feed to SharePoint is a great way to showcase your company news, culture, and job postings. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can get your feed up and running in no time. Use the RSS Viewer web part, get your LinkedIn feed URL, customize the layout, enable caching, and keep the content engaging. This takes your intranet to the next level with social integration.