On LinkedIn, you have the option of either putting up a post or putting up an article, but what is the difference? And when is one better over the other?

I've seen many people using both options slightly incorrectly. So this blog post is about clearing the air on what exactly a post is for and what an article is for to help elevate your brand on LinkedIn. 

What posts are best for on LinkedIn

Posts are really great to give quick commentary or a quick bit of information, whether that's through an image, a video, or even a link to a particular web page. A post is where you can do product offerings as well, such as alerting your network of a sales event at your business or showing a really great video of what's going on in the office or on-site, giving kudos to a particular team member for the quick thinking that they did or how much they've helped you out for the day, etc. 

Posts are essentially the spot for a quick story or commentary. It is about small bits of information. It's not about extensive bits of information. Posts are the spot where you tell your message or show a short story.

Just think quick, short and sweet.

What Articles are best for on LinkedIn

An article on the other hand is a place where you can express your opinion on a long-form of text. 

Think of an article as your avenue on LinkedIn to create a blog, for example. The standard practice with blogs (or as us marketers call, long-form content) is to have each article be a few hundred words, say a minimum of 700 for a decent long-form piece of content. Articles can include videos, and photos, and links to other pages, which they are almost a version of a blog that you can have on your LinkedIn profile.

If you have 100 words in a LinkedIn post, that's probably okay, but if you have 200 to 300 words, it's then time to maybe consider writing an article of what you're talking about. More to the point, LinkedIn has a character limit on their posts, one of the subtle ways to encourage people to write articles.

Unlike posts, articles are not for blatant product or service offerings. This is not the place to go “we have this new product on the market, it's on special for this much, please contact me”. That is not the purpose of an article. An article is for that long form of content and it is to share an opinion about something within your area of expertise. 

Articles are the perfect spot to show your expertise and your specialty in your business if you don't have a website, or if you find that a lot of your referrals are coming off of LinkedIn. If you do have a website.

What if I have a blog on my website that may resonate with my audience on LinkedIn?

If you have a blog on your website that you think will resonate with your LinkedIn audience, then you can put an excerpt as an article. Have at the bottom a link that goes to your blog page that people can click if they want to read more about the subject. Chances are, you may see your traffic increase from LinkedIn to your blog for that given LinkedIn article that you just posted. 

So, that's the difference between a post and an article on LinkedIn. Again, a post is short, sweet, and quick. It is where you can put a really quick opinion or a really quick expression of something on your LinkedIn feed. It is also where you can post stuff for product and service offerings. 

An article is long form content that shows your opinion. It is not a place for product or service offerings. It's to show your expertise on a particular subject, or why you believe in a particular opinion about your industry. 

If you have any questions, or need assistance in optimising your linkedin profile, don’t hesitate to give me a shout!