What is LinkedIn Pulse?

linkedin-pulse

LinkedIn has always been a great place to connect with colleagues and build your professional brand. Up until recently, however, there wasn’t much to recommend it as a publishing platform. Before 2015, most publishing functions were limited to a select group of “influencers.” All that has changed with the advent of LinkedIn Pulse. Pulse provides you with full-featured publishing with access to LinkedIn’s fast-growing base of around 400 million users. It’s a powerful tool for executives in crowded industries where thought leadership matters.

LinkedIn Pulse Lets You Go Beyond Your Network

linkedin-pulseThe enticing thing about LinkedIn Pulse is that the content you publish is available to members outside of your network. This expands your reach exponentially, potentially saving a lot of the time that goes into LinkedIn “outreach.”

If you’re excited to publish on LinkedIn Pulse, you’ll find it’s easy to get started.

Pulse is Accessible to Anyone Right on the Home Screen

The button that activates the Pulse editor has been subtly added to your LinkedIn home screen, right beside “Share an Update” and “Upload a Photo.” It’s also in the Interests menu and can be accessed via the LinkedIn Pulse app for iOS and Android.

Pulse Has a Familiar Format

If you’re used to any form of digital publishing or content management system, you’ll be off to a running start with Pulse. It provides all the fundamental features familiar to bloggers: Rich text formatting, featured images, and tags to help others find your posts.

Pulse Provides Subject Selection & Sharing

One of Pulse’s most interesting features is its selection of timely topics pulled from recent network posts and news headlines. This can help you select a trending topic that will help you get greater exposure and connect with those who need your insight.

Establishing Your Expertise on LinkedIn Pulse

It should come as no surprise that on LinkedIn – a network made up largely of executives and motivated professionals – innovative and informative posts are valued highly. In a research survey of over 3,000 successful LinkedIn posts, “How-to” posts averaged over 22,000 views.

Some other key highlights from the same research:

  • Posts whose headline posed a question were less likely to win user engagement.
  • Longer posts – between 1,900 and 2,000 words total – were the most successful.
  • Posts with five or nine headings were dramatically more successful than others.

In the online world where shorter content is often seen as better, LinkedIn Pulse stands out as something very different. Business leaders willing to invest the effort to craft compelling, longer content may find an unusually receptive and potentially very lucrative audience to connect with.