A LinkedIn published post that get’s featured on a LinkedIn Pulse channel can get 10’s of thousands of views if done correctly.

Through some pretty serious research, we’ve developed a strategy to stack the deck in your favor to get featured on Pulse.

Here’s how to get the most out of the content in this Action Plan:

1. Read the entire AP once – Read through this entire AP, watch any videos and download the resources. Don’t execute on the steps until you have finished reading the entire AP. This will help you understand the progression of the steps and put them into context.

2.Complete the steps – This Action Plan is a checklist. Each step builds upon the next. Complete each step in order. Please post all questions in the Linked University VIP Club.

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Please bring questions about this Action Plan to the monthly group coaching call. The call takes place at 10 am CST on the last Thursday of the month. To register, please click here.

You hear it from the voices yelling at you on marketing podcasts, videos and bolded on blogs:

CONTENT IS KING.

LinkedIn has made recent shifts toward promoting their publishing platform and LinkedIn Pulse. With these tools,you can place your name and ideas in front of the LinkedIn’s massive business-focused audience (see also: your prospects).If you haven’t made use of this feature yet, you’re making a huge mistake!​

In this Action Plan we will be sharing everything that we’ve learned to make sure your post gets more views, more​ followers, and more engagement. A big part of this is getting featured in LinkedIn’s Publishing Platform – Pulse.

The lessons we will share with you below come from our research into 1000s of successful (and unsuccessful) posts in LinkedIn, and the takeaways from the articles we have published on the platform. We gathered all the data we could scrounge up to teach you how to create posts that get VIEWED and SHARED on LinkedIn.​

Writer’s Block Sucks.

Not only because it’s frustrating, but also because the longer you take to write your blog, article, LinkedIn post, email copy, etc., the lower your ROI will be.​

Think about it. The more time spent writing a blog, the more it costs you to make. It could eventually get to a point where your ROI is nonexistent.​

This happened to me recently when I was coming up with a topic for a LinkedIn Published Post (you know, the big blog looking posts that make up LinkedIn Pulse). I realized that this is one part of the content writing process that could be improved on. I decided to write a post that could help others escape from the same content purgatory.​

Use LinkedIn Pulse Channels to Get Inspiration for Your LinkedIn Post

When I am in need of inspiration, my favorite place to look is on LinkedIn itself, at the posts that were already having success.​

LinkedIn categorizes their top content into different channels that house posts about certain topics.

This is where you want your LinkedIn posts to be. Just posting on LinkedIn won’t move the needle, but getting your post featured on one of these channels can move thousands of eyes to your content (and your profile).​

While there are some ways to structure and promote your post to stack the deck in your favor, you must start with good content.​

Before Starting Research for Your LinkedIn Post Topic…

Do not automatically think that everyone cares about your business or the niche industry you serve. Getting published on LinkedIn Pulse is not the same as running ads directly to your target audience.​

If you are a commercial construction contractor and you publish a post on new trends in retail roofing, don’t expect 20,000 views. It’s not going to happen.​

This is a branding play, your best bet is to write about more vague topics such as management, leadership, accountability, entrepreneurship, etc. from the perspective of someone in your industry.​

And of course you want to mention what you do, but you must write in a way that people who are not well versed in your industry will still be interested.​

New business does not always come directly from your target market, if you build up your LinkedIn following, position yourself as a thought leader, and paint your brand in an intelligent and thoughtful way, you’ll be amazed at how much easier selling is.​

I just wanted to bring that up so you don’t post something uber specific and get disappointed in the results. If you want to bring up a specific topic it must be housed in a post that is relatable by everyone.​

“I write AWESOME content,” said every content writer, ever.

But when it’s time to get down to business and write a blog post or LinkedIn article that will catch on and get shared, we all have to put our egos in check and take a step back to critically analyze our posts.

​Is this something I would spend the time reading or sharing?

​That is a question you should ask yourself at every stop of writing the article along the way. Ask it about your headline, intro, and overall article. Would I click on this headline? Would I continue reading this article, etc.?

​That’s great, but what does this question really mean?

A. Leave the promotions at the door.​

​Meaning that you can’t write your article as a brochure for all your services and why your solution is the right solution. Don’t just point people to sign up for something or explain why you are “Da Man” or “Da Woman.”

​Instead, share your opinions and analysis of the items that your target market is interested in. The goal with your LinkedIn article shouldn’t be to sell millions of dollars of your product or service.

​That’s your end goal, sure.

But the goals of the activity of publishing an article should be different. Common goals would include positioning yourself as a thought leader on the subject (with your unique P.O.V.), gaining followers, promoting your name and brand, and getting more profile views.​

Sure, your article can end with a bio that directs people to some sort of Lead Magnet or Opt-In offer, but save that for the end. Ensure first and foremost that the content is FIRST RATE!​

B. Is It Unique or Original?​

​The topic or subject matter doesn’t have to be completely original, because if a certain topic is important to your prospect, there will likely be many people producing content around it. The important thing is that you should always add your unique view and opinion on those topics. Make sure your insight differentiates you from all the “similar” articles out there on that subject.

​If your LinkedIn post stands out from the noise, you will be that much closer to getting more engagement and therefore, landing in a Pulse channel.

​C. Is It Entertaining and Well-Written?

​People will tell you all about how important images are. While photos are all well and good (and will certainly help get readers into your post), if the copy isn’t personally engaging, interesting, funny, and properly formatted/proofread, you can expect to lose readers (and it will have nothing to do with the images you chose).

​And if you happened to miss a grammatical or punctuation error, your readers will let you know. Loudly. Trust us, we know from experience.

​Avoid the embarrassment and proofread.

There is a reason why every magazine does ‘End of the Year’ summaries and why Buzzfeed is so popular. The formatting and familiarity we all have with lists make them easy to understand and therefore, engage with.

There is a built-in debate between reader and writer with any list. You can almost hear the comments coming in saying, “You included #5, but not this idea??? You’re crazy!” (Or perhaps with some more colorful language.)

That debate is more easily built in with list posts because those listed numbers are easily scan-able, find-able and reference-able for the audience.​​

Why do people read?

The main reason might be to learn or be entertained. But overall, people read articles as a way to connect and be inspired.

What this means for you, is that your article can’t be only facts and figures, if you are looking to engage with your audience. You should let them into your world and share stories and real life experiences.

If you can engage the audience with you, as a person, the likelihood that they will like, comment, or follow you will greatly increase. This in turn increases your chances of being picked up in a Pulse Channel.

NOTE: As great as views are, LinkedIn wants articles that inspire action, debate and social shares. This is how they judge quality.

People decide if they are going to read an article almost entirely because of the title of the article. Sure, certain influencers with massive followers can get their audience to read something based on their name alone.

But for most of us, the headline is the Alpha and the Omega,and everything else in between​.

You have to sell your unique story or insight with a quick, punchy headline. There are a million resources out there that you can use to help you create interesting headlines. ​

Here’s one tool from HubSpot that is worth checking out.

When Choosing a Headline, Keep in Mind:

1. 1. Start brainstorming and write out your 3-4 best options and take a quick poll of your co-workers, family or friends and determine which they are the likeliest to click on.
2. 2. Use strong language, language that the reader might already have an opinion or belief on (i.e. “12 Things All Marketing Managers Hate” or “Why Steve Jobs doesn’t care about customer service” ). The headline needs to tie into the content, but it does not have to tell the whole story. That’s what the post is for.
3. 3. Make the Value Clear and Concise. This is why you see a lot of How to …. Posts. Because people know they are going to learn exactly how to do what you are promising.
4. 4. Use specific numbers if you are writing a list post.
5. 5. . Use Strong Adjectives/Verbs.
6. 6. Ask questions. 
7. 7. Call out your target audience in the headline and the pain point they are running into.

As we’ve said, a BIG factor in getting featured on a LinkedIn Pulse channel is based on the amount of engagement and social shares your article gets.

Make sure to incorporate Calls to Action (CTA) to get your audience to share, tweet, like, and comment on it.

One awesome way to accomplish this as well as highlight major points from your article is using a “Click to Tweet” plugin or “Click to Share” hyperlink. These tools will allow you to include a link that automatically populates a tweet or status update about your article from the reader’s profile.

If you want to see it in action, CLICK HERE!​

Or check out this LinkedIn post by Josh Turner, where you can see how we used this in an actual post.

If you are SERIOUS about publishing articles on LinkedIn that will actually get VIEWED by your target audience, the previous tips should be just one part of your plan.

Have you ever written an article that hit all these marks, and still only got a couple views?

Us too….

We were averaging around 800 views per post, until we discovered a few key promotion tactics. Once we incorporated these into our promotion strategy, we began seeing tens of THOUSANDS of views, likes, comments, and shares, as well as getting FEATURED on LinkedIn Pulse.

Your content must be high QUALITY, but your promotion strategy is equally important.

Would you like an INSIDE LOOK at how we’ve structured a plan that has dramatically increased views and engagement on our LinkedIn posts?​

Before Publishing

After Publishing

This strategy is a numbers game. Remember:

1. 1. Move quickly.

1. 2. Move efficiently.

1. 3. Tweak your plan along the way. 

The goal of this strategy with regards to LinkedIn is to be able to reach thousands of views from your ideal prospects. 

Now’s the time to TAKE ACTION! 

Here’s what you wanna do: 

1. 1. Create your own original content on LinkedIn Pulse.

1. 2. Follow every step of the LinkedIn Pulse Promo Plan.

1. 3. Treat yourself to a nice green smoothie for a job well done. 

Find us in the Linked U VIP Club and start a new discussion thread to talk shop, get feedback on scripts, or help with any part of this strategy.