The Role of LinkedIn Articles and Newsletters in B2B Marketing

In addition to traditional blog posts on your website, LinkedIn Articles and Newsletters are essential tools for B2B businesses looking to enhance their content marketing efforts. Linkedin has this powerful feature that many B2B business owners are not even aware of! Let's talk about Articles vs Newsletters.

LinkedIn Articles

LinkedIn Articles are long-form content pieces published directly on the LinkedIn platform. This is basically a blog article. They allow you to share in-depth insights, industry knowledge, and thought leadership with your professional network. Writing LinkedIn Articles can help you establish your expertise, reach a broader audience, and drive traffic to your website. According to LinkedIn, posts with long-form content get the most shares, amplifying your reach and visibility within your industry.

LinkedIn Newsletters

LinkedIn Newsletters are a newer feature that allows you to create a subscription-based series of articles. Again, this is basically a blog article. Many confuse it with an email newsletter that has multiple subjects. It's not that!  Subscribers receive notifications when new articles are published, ensuring your content reaches a dedicated audience. This can help build a loyal readership and keep your audience engaged over time. LinkedIn Newsletters are particularly effective for nurturing relationships and providing ongoing value to your professional network. I say this is similar to having their email addresses and it showing up in their email inbox.

Differences Between LinkedIn Articles and Newsletters

The first main distinction is the criteria for publishing articles versus newsletter editions. You can publish articles from either your profile or company page. You can publish from both no matter how many profile connections or page followers you have. Newsletters require you to have a minimum of 150 profile connections or 150 page followers.

1. Audience Engagement

• Articles: Typically, LinkedIn Articles are one-off pieces that can attract a wide audience through shares and LinkedIn's algorithm. They are great for reaching a broad audience and driving immediate engagement.
• Newsletters: Newsletters foster ongoing engagement by building a subscriber base. They are ideal for creating a regular touchpoint with your audience, ensuring your content is consistently delivered to those who have expressed interest.

2. Content Strategy

• Articles: These are perfect for sharing in-depth insights, industry trends, and thought leadership on a more sporadic basis. They allow for flexibility in topics and timing.
• Newsletters: Newsletters require a more consistent content strategy, with regular publication schedules and thematic consistency. They are great for delivering a series of related content, updates, and insights.

3. Reach and Visibility

• Articles: Can reach a large audience quickly through shares and LinkedIn’s feed algorithm. They are excellent for gaining immediate traction and visibility.
• Newsletters: Provide a more targeted reach, as they go directly to subscribers who have opted in to receive your content. This can result in higher engagement rates from a more interested audience.

4. Analytics and Insights

• Articles: LinkedIn provides basic analytics for Articles, such as views, likes, and shares, which can help you gauge the immediate impact of your content.
• Newsletters: Offer more detailed insights into subscriber growth, open rates, and engagement metrics, allowing for a deeper understanding of your audience’s behavior over time.

How often should you publish an article/newsletter?

You can publish as often as you want! I always say "The More You Are Out There, The More You Are Out There! " How often do you want your subscribers to get your content in their notifications box with a newsletter edition? Send as often as you can. Create a blog content calendar and plan ahead! 

What if I don't have over 150 Connections or Followers?

If you have over 150 of either Connections or Followers, always publish as a Newsletter edition. If you are not yet up to 150, publish content as an Article. Once you are over 150, you could take the Articles and republish as a Newsletter.

Should I publish articles/newsletters under both my Profile and Company Page?

Yes! Whichever you publish, you can do so under both. I do! I typically will schedule them from my profile first since I have more Connections. I will schedule my company page Newsletters a few days later. There is typically some cross over of Connections/Followers. This way, the Newsletter will show up in their notifications box a few times!

If you want to learn more LinkedIn strategy, watch my LinkedIn Marketing Essentials Webinar