LinkedIn Influencer TOP MINDS, BIG IDEAS
LinkedIn Influencer represents the world s foremost thinkers, leaders and innovators. JAMIE DIMON INDRA NOOYI JIM KIM CHRISTINE LAGARDE
What s in this guide YOUR TOOLS FOR SUCCESS 1. LinkedIn for Influencers 2. Influencer Guidelines 3. Influencer Resources 4. Building a Profile 5. How to Publish, Post, & Record 6. How to Succeed 7. Measuring Success 8. The Feed & Distribution 9. LinkedIn Editorial 10. FAQs & Contacts
LinkedIn for Influencers REACHING THE WORLD S PROFESSIONALS LinkedIn Influencer is an unparalleled way to share your insights and analysis of the most important news and industry trends with over 530 million professionals worldwide. This guide is designed to help you build your Influencer strategy. It s full of helpful insights, troubleshooting resources, and more so you can share the insights that drive today s global business conversations. BENEFITS OF BEING AN INFLUENCER: Branding: Distinctive Influencer badge on your profile and anywhere your name appears on LinkedIn. Visibility: Influencers are highlighted across the platform, including within the feed and through editorial curation. Access: Early access to new LinkedIn products. Resources: Editorial materials and webinars to help you succeed.
LinkedIn at a Glance Mission Members Reach Engagement It s simple: Connect the world s professionals to make them more productive & successful. We are the world s largest professional network with more than 500 million members. Our members cover 200 countries & territories worldwide and include 24 different languages. Millions of professionals create over 130,000 articles per week.
The Power of Engagement ESTABLISHING TRUST & EXPERTISE Being a social CEO has gone from reputational advantage to reputational must. Social media is a crucial tool for executives to engage with stakeholders in a world where nearly everyone is online. Andy Polansky CEO, Weber Shandwick 54% 3X Of U.S. respondents say senior leaders who are transparent on social media are most trustworthy. Highly-regarded CEOs are 3x more likely to be active on social media compared to CEOs with weak reputations. Source: Weber Shandwick, G&S Communications and Harris Poll
On LinkedIn you have the space to really debate important issues and a lot of interesting people who contribute to it. R I C H A R D B R A N S O N
Influencer Guidelines
Influencer Guidelines WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Influencer insights offer professionals unparalleled access to today s top leaders, while helping them feel more prepared to succeed in today s business world. To ensure that LinkedIn continues to deliver a high standard of content for professionals and that you continue to grow and engage your audience, we ask each of our Influencers to be active on a monthly basis. Examples of monthly activity include: 1 long-form article OR 1 video post OR 4 short-form posts or comments We recognize that you are busy and meeting these requirements might not be possible. If you re not able to participate for three months, we may remove you from the program. You will continue to retain your followers and content as well as the ability to publish and share. Being active on LinkedIn is the best way to be reconsidered for Influencer in the future.
Influencer Guidelines WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW PAID POSTS We don t allow paid posts from Influencers and follow the FTC s guidelines on what is considered an endorsement. You may be removed for engaging in paid posts. PLAGIARISM & COPYRIGHT We prohibit any plagiarism or copyright infringement. If an article, post, or video is found to be plagiarized and posted under your account, you will be removed from the program immediately. INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCERS If you were approached about being an Influencer in your local country, you ll need to publish in your country s primary language. You may also re-post in English, as well. Please reach out to your local editor if you have any questions about publishing in multiple languages. STATUS CHANGES We recognize that circumstances change, jobs change, retirement calls or it s simply time to take a break. We want to ensure we have the most relevant and up-to-date roster of Influencers. We may remove you from the program as situations change.
Influencer Resources
Influencer Resources Monthly Influencer Newsletter At the beginning of every month, Influencers and their teams have access to an email newsletter with insider insights, product launches and more. It is automatically sent to the email associated with each Influencer s account. If you want to ensure additional team members are included, please fill out this form. Monthly Webinar Have questions about how to succeed as an Influencer? Join our monthly webinar with Editor-in-Chief Dan Roth. He will review best practices, common concerns and answer questions. Email linkedineditorial@linkedin.com to get details on the next date and time.
Influencer Resources In-House Studio At LinkedIn s New York headquarters, we have a full-service video studio, and we encourage Influencers to stop by when they are in town. Our editorial team would love to discuss what you re working on, what s trending in your industry and more. Influencer Interview Series In this exclusive interview series, Editor-in-Chief Dan Roth sits down with select business and world leaders each year to discuss their industry, career paths and what s ahead. Influencer Interviews are a limited series. If you are interested in this opportunity, please reach out to the Influencer team.
Building a Profile HOW TO CREATE A POWERFUL PRESENCE
Your Profile GETTING STARTED Your profile is a key part of your experience on LinkedIn and how members get to know you better. Below are our top recommendations for Influencers. Read more about how to create a great profile here. Create a custom URL A custom URL sets your profile apart and can make it easier to find via search. Headline Your headline will automatically use your Current Position or you can customize it. This is important as it will show up under your byline on every article. Profile Picture Pick a picture that is aligned with your role as a leader yet approachable. This will show up on your articles and posts next to your name and headline. Summary The summary is where you can share more about the vision you have for your role and your company, as well as more about your expertise.
Control your account settings Managing your settings is all possible through the Settings & Privacy section in your Account tab, available in the top left corner of your desktop account. Below are our suggestions for all Influencers. Enable email address request So that only people you know personally can connect. Connect your Twitter account Add your Twitter account to your profile so you get notified on LinkedIn and Twitter when people talk about you. You can also set your LinkedIn updates to post on Twitter, as well.
How to Publish, Post & Record AND BEST-IN-CLASS EXAMPLES
Best practices for creating posts Short-form posts are an easy way to respond quickly to major events and to help curate the world for your followers. SHARE CONSISTENTLY. START A CONVERSATION. GET PERSONAL. The more you share, the more opportunities for your content to be discovered. Engage readers. The more interaction, the more a post gets shared and seen. Members want to hear your voice. Share content that interests you even if not directly related to your business. INCLUDE A PHOTO MIX IT UP. OR VIDEO. Posts that include rich media get more comments and more likes. Mix insights with business updates to provide value to followers. Click here for further details about how to share a post and troubleshooting.
Examples of top short-form posts Share what you re reading. Click on images to see the live version. Break news or debunk a rumor. Share a peek behind the curtain. Respond to news or industry events. Share company news or milestones.
Best practices for long-form articles Long-form articles help you analyze a newsy or trending topic in depth. BE AUTHENTIC. JOIN IN EXISTING TOPICS. HEADLINES MATTER. Professionals want to hear your voice, not a press release. Be sure your articles sound like they come from you. Pay attention to what s trending in the news and your industry. It s easier to gain traction on a topic that you know your followers want to hear about. Ask yourself: In the course of my busy day, would I click on that? Here s a good primer. IMAGES DO, TOO. GO LONG (BUT NOT TOO LONG). Articles with cover photos get more views and comments than those without. (See more on page 27.) The sweet spot for article length is about 600-1,000 words. Click here for further details about how to publish an article and troubleshooting.
Examples of great articles Ray Dalio on rising financial risk. Click on images to see the live version. Indra Nooyi s lessons from a decade as CEO. Jamie Dimon on the violence in Charlottesville. Sallie Krawcheck on Uber and sexism. Jean-Laurent Bonnafe announces BNP Paribas won t finance gas and oil.
Best practices for videos One of the easiest ways to capture attention is to pick up your phone and start filming. START WITH A BANG. SHOW IT. THE DETAILS. You want to hook viewers quickly either with a striking visual or good opening line. Your followers want to see what you re seeing. Show them! Be sure you re not backlit for a clearer picture. We also recommend filming horizontally. BE HEARD. THE RIGHT LENGTH. BE YOURSELF. If you re recording in a noisy place, consider using a headset or external microphone for clear sound. Your followers are busy, keeping videos between 30 seconds and 5 minutes is a good guide. Your followers will appreciate candid videos that are not overly produced or self-promotional. Click here for further details about how to create a video and troubleshooting.
Examples of stand-out video formats Share professional tips and tricks. Click on images to see the live version. Analyze news or industry events. Engage your followers. Show a demo, lecture, or conversation. Share a behind the scenes or insider view.
How to Succeed TIPS AND TRICKS FROM OUR EDITORS
How to succeed as an Influencer START A CONVERSATION The key to succeeding as an Influencer is focusing on timely topics and writing and sharing in a way that allows your strong voice to come through. Our top weekly conversations are almost always in response to events that professionals are talking about right now. If you want to build engagement, minimize your publishing of evergreen content and listicles; instead, focus on the unique insights you bring to conversations going on in the professional world. See pages 19, 21, and 23 for best-in-class examples from Influencers.
Your cheat sheet for success 1 Aim for a weekly cadence as a minimum goal to build your following. 5 Choose the right format. Short-form posts and videos are as engaging as articles. 2 Focus on timely and trending topics. Use hashtags for better searchability. 6 Use images and videos to increase engagement. (As well as strong, catchy headlines on articles.) 3 Write to start a conversation. Ask a question or engage your audience. 7 Share and engage. Send to colleagues, tag people or reply to thoughtful comments. 4 Be authentic. Readers want to hear your voice. 8 Use your analytics to see what s resonating.
Sourcing great photos TO ILLUSTRATE BUSINESS GROWTH Be sure you have the rights to use the chosen image. Here are recommended sites to find free and legal images with proper credit: The Stocks, Life of Pix, Public Domain Archive, Picjumbo. To properly credit an image, use this recommended format: Photographer Name / Source of Image. BAD GOOD TO ILLUSTRATE SECURITY OR UNLOCKING A PROBLEM There is a spot under the header image for the credit line. For in-article or post images, you can add credit at the bottom of your copy. Choose an image that not only relates to your story or post but is visually striking. See the example to the left. Full-bleed header images should be at least 1200px wide and any height. Sometimes full-bleed header images can crop strangely. If this happens, use the smaller header photo option with an image size of 750px by 400x. BAD GOOD
Headline writing tips Clear beats clever; use puns or jokes sparingly. Good: Passion, Fun, Priorities: How I Have Avoided Work-Life Balance Burnout Bad: 3 ways to master work-life balance Good: The Advice You Won t Get in This Year s Commencement Speeches Bad: Advice for recent grads Good: Before I Became a Stylist, I Sold Shoes at the Mall. Here's What I Learned. Bad: Lessons from my first job Avoid generic headlines. Readers are more likely to scroll past a seen it before or vague headline. When in doubt, be specific. A good rule of thumb for writing a catchy headline: What is the tweet-sized argument? Some drama is good. But don t trick your reader. Deliver on the headline. Try writing several headlines and get feedback from trusted colleagues. Ask, Which headline would you click on in the middle of a busy day? If a headline isn t working, test others to see what resonates with your audience.
Tips for building your audience Share often. Consistency matters when developing an audience. Use both short-form posts, videos and articles to be visible regularly in your followers feeds. Promote on other channels. Point people back to your article or post from other platforms to help build a wider audience. Tag key people. To get their input on a post, article or video or let them know when a topic is particularly relevant to them. Their engagement will help extend the reach of your content. Check your stats. To see who is reacting to your post and double down on reaching that audience. Content matters. At the end of the day, your followers want quality insights. Share openly and provide fresh perspective on topics that are important to them.
Measuring Success FINDING THE ANALYTICS YOU NEED
Tracking your progress ANALYTICS LinkedIn provides engagement stats for posts, articles and followers. Click through for details on how to find those analytics in your profile. Below are definitions for the different types of metrics you ll see. NOTE: Data is only available when logged-in as the member. VIEWS IN THE FEED Number of members who saw your post in their feeds. Available on posts only and is also referred to as impressions. CLICKS or VIEWS Commonly referred to as page views. For articles, it includes clicks from any source (on or off LinkedIn). For videos, it includes any view of 3 seconds or more. SHARES For posts, it s the number of times it was shared on LinkedIn. For articles, it s the number of times it has been shared on LinkedIn or another social platform.
The Feed & Distribution WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU PUBLISH
The Feed THE BASICS The LinkedIn Feed is the landing page for all members. It contains updates from your network, companies you follow, recommended content and sponsored content. Our algorithms customize the flow of these updates into each feed based on that particular member s preferences. Any post, article or video you create is shared directly into select members feeds with the help of editorial curation and the feed algorithm. (You can get into the weeds of how that works here.) What you need to know: Editors are always trying to get the best content to the right members at the right moment.
Distribution WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU PUBLISH After you publish, there are 6 primary channels in which your post, article or video gets distributed. Feed: Posts show up in the feed for many of your connections and followers. However, if they don t check their feed that day or if there s a high number of items coursing through their feed, they could miss yours. Notifications: Some of your connections may get a notification that you published, showing up as an alert on desktop and mobile app. Your Profile: Posts show up at the top of your profile in your recent activity, seen by anyone viewing your profile.
Distribution WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU PUBLISH Topics: A small percentage of content is boosted within channels focused on specific topics, like urban planning and entrepreneurship. Editors monitor all Influencer articles and help boost highquality content. The combination of editorial input and the algorithm prioritizes content for each member. LinkedIn Highlights Email: Your connections and followers who subscribe to the content emails may see your post in the selection of daily or weekly highlights. Editorial Outlets: Our editors are always looking for quality insights that relate to the news of the day. Your content is also considered for promotion via the trending stories module, the Daily Rundown and other editorial initiatives.
LinkedIn Editorial WHAT S HAPPENING ON LINKEDIN NOW
FROM OUR NEWSDESK Daily Rundown Everyday of the week, our editors are sharing the top news of the day and helping millions of members get up to speed on what s important now. Follow the LinkedIn Daily Rundown in your country to see what s trending today: Daily Rundown US Daily Rundown UK Daily Rundown India Nachrichtenüberblick (Germany)
FROM OUR NEWSDESK Trending Stories Our LinkedIn news team is curating the top news of the day around the clock and collecting member conversations around those topics. This all comes together in our new Trending Stories format. TOP TIP: Hashtags are a great way to add to a conversation using a short-form post or video as they change regularly based on what s trending in the news.
FAQs QUICK ANSWERS TO THE MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQs CAN I CROSS-POST FROM MY COMPANY PAGE? LinkedIn doesn t support company page publishing. Instead, we encourage you to write and share from your personal account directly, then you can re-share that article, post or video directly from your company page. CAN I CROSS-PUBLISH CONTENT FROM OTHER MEDIA SITES? Influencers may cross-publish their own articles, videos or posts on LinkedIn as long as the original outlet agrees to such cross-posting. It should always include a line at the bottom that says where it was originally posted. IS THERE A BENCHMARK FOR SUCCESS? HOW DO I KNOW IF MY ARTICLE IS DOING WELL? There s no single standard of success. We recommend trying different formats and topics to see what resonates with your audience. HOW DO MY STATS COMPARE WITH OTHER INFLUENCERS? We don t compare Influencers to each other as each will have a different benchmark for success depending on their subject matter, industry and followers. HOW CAN I MAKE SURE MY CONTENT WILL BE SEEN? Our editors are always aware of when Influencers publish and consider their content for further promotion. However, Influencers and their teams should help boost distribution by liking, sharing and commenting on the content as well as promoting on other social media outlets for further reach. WHY DO SOME ARTICLES GET HIGHER PAGE VIEWS THAN OTHERS? Finding the right audience is often tricky and some articles may not perform as well as others. We recommend judging success over time and not based on a single post, video or article. You may find that certain topics resonate more than others with your audience and choose to build on those areas.
FAQs IS THERE A LIST OF ALL LINKEDIN INFLUENCERS? We don t share a full list of Influencers. Influencers can be discovered organically in the feed and Follow ecosystem through their posts, articles and videos. WHO CAN I EMAIL WITH MORE QUESTIONS? You can email linkedineditorial@linkedin.com with any additional questions. CAN I WRITE SPONSORED POSTS? We don t allow any sponsored posts. LinkedIn members and Influencers must follow FTC guidelines for what s considered an endorsement. If in doubt, please reach out to our editorial team. DO YOU HAVE AN EDIT CALENDAR? We no longer have a general editorial calendar. We ve found that readers gravitate toward content tied to news and trends.
Influencer Contacts Questions? Concerns? Breaking news? Our editorial team is here to help. If you need immediate help with a publishing problem or platform bug, email newsdesk@linkedin.com. It is staffed 24-hours a day. If you have questions about the Influencer program or want to break news on LinkedIn, you can reach out to linkedineditorial@linkedin.com.