LinkedIn newsletters: What are they and why do I need one?

We know what you might think – another LinkedIn feature to add to my list?! Well, yes. But keep listening. LinkedIn saw 150 million newsletter subscriptions in Q1 of 2023. While not all of your competitors are likely to have a newsletter yet, there are compelling reasons to join the ones who have.

Social Media Manager, Charlotte Racher, shares everything you need to know about LinkedIn newsletters and how they can be integrated into your content strategy.

Before we dig into why you ought to add a LinkedIn newsletter to your social media strategy, let’s get started with the basics.

What is a LinkedIn Newsletter?

Put simply, it’s a set of regularly published articles.

Newsletters can be published from an individual’s profile (if they have creator tool access and meet the newsletter access criteria) or from a page. In fact, 98% of the top 500 LinkedIn newsletters belong to individuals as opposed to companies or organizations (2022).

Separate from the LinkedIn page or profile, each newsletter has its own dedicated page created. Here, users can access, interact with, and subscribe to your newsletter. You don’t have to log in to visit the page, but you must log in to subscribe or share the newsletter on LinkedIn.

Newsletters can be published daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly.

Interestingly, 55% of the top 100 LinkedIn newsletters follow a weekly publishing schedule, with some of the most prominent including Ask Richard by Richard Branson and In The Loop by LinkedIn (2022).

While you’re not obligated to write at a particular frequency, your choice will be made public. It’s important to choose a frequency that you can commit to, as this will help you maintain an engaged audience and build your authority.

We’d recommend taking a look at plenty of LinkedIn newsletter examples – like this one – before getting started with your own.

How does the LinkedIn newsletter subscription work?

Once the first article of your newsletter has been successfully published, your connections and followers will be invited by notification to subscribe by default.

When users start following another member or a page with a newsletter, they will also automatically receive a notification inviting them to subscribe. Once a user chooses to subscribe, they will then receive a notification and an email when you publish a new newsletter article, allowing you to build and maintain an engaged audience. Regardless of whether or not users choose to subscribe, anyone can read and share your LinkedIn newsletter.

And to reach new users, you know where we are for a promotional campaign…

I already have an email Newsletter, why would I bother with LinkedIn?

It’s a less passive experience. Users can like, share and interact directly with the author, your company page, and other users via the comments section.

They’re also not all that similar. The newsletter format is often article-based (some may argue that ‘newsletter’ is misleading, we may agree). This means the LinkedIn newsletter allows for longer-form content rather than being a constricted one-page email.

However, if you’re looking for a more traditional newsletter feel with bite-sized information, you can still achieve this by breaking up the article into headings.

And like all good marketers, why not try something new to engage with your audience?’

So then, what’s the difference between LinkedIn newsletters and a LinkedIn article?

It comes down to two elements: where they’re housed and accessed.

Articles can be found in the newsfeed once posted as well as via ‘posts > articles’ on a company page and ‘activity > articles’ on a personal page.

Unlike newsletters, articles don’t have a subscription option. Subscriptions help to increase the chances of people seeing and consuming your content.

However, users can choose to be notified when a company or an individual posts at any time.

Are there any limitations?

Of course! Whilst we’re a big fan of LinkedIn newsletters, there are a few things you should be aware of:

• One at a time: Pages and authors can only create and maintain one newsletter at a time, so it’s essential to choose a title that allows you to remain fluid with the articles.
• Think twice before you publish: Content can be edited but LinkedIn warns deleting your newsletter may limit your ability to create a new one.
• Checklist at the ready: Publishing newsletters isn’t currently available to every individual, you must meet the criteria.

Finally, what is there to gain from a LinkedIn newsletter?

It’s a great way to build a community, gain engagement, generate brand awareness – and make existing content go further!

If you’ve been on LinkedIn for a while, you’re likely to have a ready-made audience of loyal followers sitting there – so this is a great way to keep them entertained!

As such an interactive experience – thanks to likes, comments, and shares, LinkedIn newsletters are another great way to build a relationship with users.

Our own research indicates a major positive increase in engagement and readership when compared to email. Like all great marketers, testing should remain high on the agenda. Your newsletter may find the same results, so give it a try!

Now, you didn’t think we’d last an entire article without mentioning the all-illusive ‘algorithm’, did you?

While we won’t speculate, one thing is clear: LinkedIn is likely to favor content that keeps users on the platform. Promoting a LinkedIn newsletter on the platform, rather than website links to showcase content, is a welcome loophole.

You still have the option to hyperlink onto your website, so the user journey doesn’t have to end on LinkedIn. This creates a perfect recipe to balance LinkedIn content and web traffic goals for better reach.

And we all want to get ahead of our competitors, right?

There are more than 36,000 newsletters on LinkedIn (2023) – but when we consider how many users and pages there are on LinkedIn, this is a very small number. This is a great time to get ahead of the curve and capture your audience!

Do you want to learn more about LinkedIn newsletter best practices? Get in touch with our team today. And, if you need any more convincing, why not subscribe to our own LinkedIn newsletter – the ramarketing review! 

Sources: Tomislav Horvat and Hootsuite.