LinkedIn’s publishing platform allows users to publish long-form posts that appear in the LinkedIn feed. This platform enables users to establish themselves as thought leaders and subject matter experts. Published posts have greater visibility and distribution than regular status updates.
However, users must first enable the publishing functionality before they can create and share posts. The publishing menu is how users access the publishing features.
Enabling the publishing menu
The publishing menu does not appear by default for all LinkedIn users. You must first enable the functionality on your profile.
Here are the steps to enable publishing:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile page
- Click on the “More” icon near the top right corner of the page (it looks like 3 dots)
- Select “Manage my publications” from the dropdown menu
- On the next page, toggle the button to turn on publishing capabilities
- Agree to the Terms of Service
Once enabled, you will now see a “Write an article” option on your LinkedIn profile under the publishing menu.
Accessing the publishing menu
After enabling publishing, there are a couple ways to access the menu:
From the LinkedIn homepage
- Go to the LinkedIn homepage by clicking the LinkedIn logo at the top left of the page
- Click on the “Write an article” button next to your profile photo in the top navigation bar
This will open the article editor where you can create a new post.
From your profile page
- Go to your profile page
- Scroll down to the “Publishing” module
- Click on the “+ Write an article” button
Again, this will launch the publishing editor.
From the dropdown menu
- Click on the “Me” icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage (your profile photo)
- Select “Publishing” from the dropdown menu
This navigates you to the publishing section of your profile page.
Publishing menu options
When you access the publishing menu, you will see the following options:
- Write an article – Launches editor to create a new post
- Manage publications – Settings to control publishing capabilities
- Analytics – View performance data on your published posts
- Earnings – See earnings from published posts (for eligible creators)
Let’s explore these options in more detail:
Write an article
This opens the LinkedIn article editor where you can create a new long-form post. You can:
- Enter a title and subtitle
- Write and format the body content
- Add images and embed rich media
- Select tags and topics to categorize the article
- Preview how the post will look
- Publish publicly or restrict access
Manage publications
These settings allow you to:
- Turn publishing on or off
- Control notifications for likes, comments, and shares on your posts
- Connect to third-party publishing platforms like WordPress or Medium
- View policies, terms, and guidelines for publishing on LinkedIn
Analytics
The analytics page shows you:
- Total views for each published post
- Engagement metrics like likes, comments, and shares
- Top referring sites driving traffic to your posts
- Demographics data on who is viewing your posts
This data can help you identify high-performing content and optimize future posts.
Earnings
If you are enrolled in the LinkedIn Partner Program, this section allows creators to:
- View earnings from content monetization
- Manage payment account information
- Access monthly statements
Only eligible creators with a large enough following can earn money from LinkedIn published posts.
Customizing the publishing menu
You can customize the publishing menu to highlight the options you use most frequently.
To edit the menu:
- Go to your profile page
- Hover over the publishing menu
- Click the pencil “Edit” icon
- Drag and drop menu options to rearrange
- Click “Save” when finished
This allows you to prioritize the publishing features that matter most to your workflow.
Troubleshooting issues
Here are some common issues when accessing the publishing menu:
Menu does not appear
- Verify publishing capabilities are enabled on your account
- LinkedIn may be gradually rolling out publishing to users, so functionality could still be disabled
- Clear cookies and cache in your browser, then re-login to LinkedIn
Error when posting article
- Double check spam filters or restricted word settings
- Try shortening the article or using simpler formatting
- Ensure you are not violating any terms of service with the content
Analytics data incomplete
- Allow up to 24 hours for data to fully populate after making a post
- Metrics only appear when content has engagement from others
- Refresh page to update with latest data
Summary
The LinkedIn publishing menu provides access to create, manage, and analyze long-form posts. But you must first enable publishing capabilities from profile settings. The menu lets you quickly write new articles, customize options, view analytics, and troubleshoot issues.
With these steps, you can fully utilize LinkedIn’s publishing platform to engage your professional network by sharing insights, expertise and thought leadership.