How to Promote a LinkedIn Article

You've poured hours into writing a thoughtful, insightful LinkedIn article, hit the publish button, and waited for the views to roll in - only to be met with disappointing silence. The reality of LinkedIn is that great content isn't enough, you need a smart promotion strategy to cut through the noise. This guide provides a complete, step-by-step playbook for getting your articles seen, shared, and valued by the right audience.

Before You Hit Publish: Prepare Your Article for Promotion

Effective promotion starts before your article ever goes live. Treating the creation process as the first step in your promotion strategy gives your content a fighting chance from the very beginning. Here’s how to set yourself up for success.

Craft a Magnetic Headline and Cover Image

In a fast-scrolling feed, your headline and cover image are your entire sales pitch. They have a split second to convince someone to stop and click.

• Your Headline: It should be clear, compelling, and benefit-driven. Instead of a vague title like "Thoughts on Marketing," try something specific and intriguing like, "The 5 Unspoken Rules of B2B Marketing in 2024." Make a promise to the reader about what they'll gain from reading. Numbers, powerful adjectives, and questions often perform well.
• Your Cover Image: Avoid generic stock photos. A high-quality, custom-branded graphic, a professional headshot, or a relevant, high-resolution photo instantly makes your article look more professional. Tools like Canva make it easy to create a custom 744 x 400 pixel image with your article's title overlaid on it. This visual hook is critical for standing out.

Build in an SEO Foundation

LinkedIn isn't just a social network, it's also a search engine. Members actively search for articles, people, and companies on the platform. By optimizing your article, you can capture this traffic long after your initial promotion cools down.

• Identify Keywords: Think about what terms someone might search for to find your article. If your article is about managing remote teams, your keywords might be "remote team leadership," "virtual team challenges," or "managing distributed employees."
• Place Them Strategically: Make sure your primary keyword is in your headline and appears naturally within the first couple of paragraphs. Use secondary keywords in your H2 or H3 subheadings and throughout the body of the article. Don't stuff them in unnaturally, just write with these terms in mind.

End with a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

Don't leave your readers hanging at the end. An engaged reader is a signal to the LinkedIn algorithm that your content is valuable. Your CTA guides the conversation and keeps the momentum going.

• Ask an open-ended question: Encourage comments by asking for their experience or opinion. For example, "What's the biggest challenge you've faced with remote teams? Share your story in the comments below!"
• Drive a specific action: If relevant, you can direct them to follow you on LinkedIn, subscribe to your newsletter, or check out another resource. Keep it simple and focused on one action.

The First 48 Hours: Your Initial Promotion Checklist

The first day or two after publishing are the most important. Strong early engagement signals to the LinkedIn algorithm that your article is worth showing to a wider audience. Follow this checklist to maximize your initial impact.

Step 1: Write an Engaging Teaser Post to Announce It

The biggest mistake people make is simply sharing the link with a generic caption like, "Check out my new article." Your network has no reason to care. Instead, treat your announcement post as a piece of content in its own right.

A great teaser post does three things:

1. Hooks the reader: Start with a compelling question, a surprising statistic, a bold statement, or a personal story related to the article's topic.
2. Provides context and value: Share a key takeaway or an interesting snippet from the article. Give them a taste of what they'll learn, but leave them wanting more.
3. Includes a clear CTA: Explicitly tell them to click the link to read the full piece. Phrases like "Full article in the link" or "Click to read the rest" work well.

Example: Instead of "Just published on LinkedIn!", try: "After managing remote teams for 5 years, I realized the #1 thing that causes burnout isn't long hours or too many meetings. It's something much quieter - and easier to fix. I broke down what it is and how to prevent it in my latest article. Click the link to read more."

Step 2: Tag Relevant People and Companies

Tagging can significantly expand your reach, but it must be done thoughtfully. Only tag people or companies who are genuinely relevant to the article.

• Tag people you featured or quoted: If you mentioned an expert or used their quote, tag them! They're likely to appreciate the shout-out and may share it with their network.
• Tag your company: If the article is relevant to your work, tag your company page.
• Tag friendly collaborators: If you have colleagues or industry friends you know would be interested, a gentle tag can get their eyes on it. But don't tag a list of 20 random influencers - it's spammy and ineffective.

Step 3: Use Strategic Hashtags

Use a mix of 3-5 relevant hashtags to help LinkedIn categorize your content and show it to people interested in those topics. A good mix includes:

• Broad hashtags: One or two popular tags like #Marketing or #Leadership.
• Niche hashtags: Two or three specific tags like #ContentStrategy or #B2BMarketing.
• Branded hashtags: One tag unique to you or your company, like #YourBrandNameInsights.

Beyond the Feed: Expanding Your Article's Reach

Once your initial announcement is live, it’s time to amplify it. This phase is about moving beyond your own feed and getting the article in front of new, targeted audiences.

Personally Engage with Every Single Comment

When someone takes the time to comment, always respond. Not only is it good for community building, but every conversation under your post tells the algorithm that your content is generating discussion. A simple "Thanks!" is better than nothing, but a reply that asks a follow-up question or adds to the conversation can spark even more engagement.

Share in Relevant, High-Quality LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn Groups can be a goldmine for targeted promotion if approached correctly. The key is to add value, not just drop a link.

1. Find the right groups: Search for active groups in your industry or niche where your target audience hangs out. Look for ones with consistent discussion.
2. Don’t just link drop: Write a new, contextual post for the group. Explain why you think this specific article is valuable for them. You could pull a relevant quote or ask a question tied to the group's focus.
3. Follow the rules: Many groups have rules against self-promotion. Be respectful and contribute to other discussions before sharing your own content.

Send Personalized Direct Messages (DMs)

Identify a small "VIP" list of 5-10 connections in your network who you believe would genuinely find your article helpful. Send them a personal, one-on-one message. A brief message that explains why you thought of them specifically goes a long way.

Example DM: "Hey [Name], I remembered our conversation about [Topic] a few weeks ago, so I thought you might find this interesting. I just wrote an article that digs into [specific point]. No pressure to read, but figured it might be helpful for your upcoming project. Let me know what you think!"

Get Your Company and Colleagues on Board

Your internal network is your secret weapon. Ask your company's Communications or Marketing team if they can share the article from the official company page. A share to the company's followers can give your article a huge boost. You can also send a link to friendly colleagues via Slack or email and ask if they'd be willing to drop a comment or share it.

Long-Term Promotion: Keeping Your Article Alive

Your work isn't done after the first week. A truly great article can be a resource that drives traffic and builds your credibility for months or even years. Here’s how to give it a long and productive life.

Repurpose It into Other Content Formats

One article is a content goldmine. Don't let it be a one-time event. Break it down and turn it into multiple pieces of shorter content over the next few weeks or months. Here are a few ideas:

• Text Posts: Pull out 3-5 key quotes, statistics, or tips and share each one as a separate, short text post linking back to the original article.
• Carousel Post (PDF): Turn your main points into slides for a visually engaging carousel. Each slide can cover one tip or idea, with the last slide encouraging readers to check out the full article.
• Short Video: Record yourself talking through the article’s main takeaway in under two minutes. You can post this as a native LinkedIn video.
• Infographic: If your article is data-heavy, create a simple infographic summarizing the key findings.

Add It to Your Profile’s "Featured" Section

This is an easy win that most people miss. Your LinkedIn profile's Featured section is prime real estate. Add your best articles there so that anyone visiting your profile can easily find and read your top work.

Cross-Promote on Other Platforms and in Your Newsletter

Take your promotion beyond LinkedIn. Share your article with your audience on other platforms like X or Facebook, but tailor your message to fit the platform's style. More importantly, if you have an email newsletter, include a link to your article. Your email list is a highly engaged audience that chose to hear from you directly.

Reshare the Article on LinkedIn (With a New Angle)

After a few weeks or months have passed, it's perfectly acceptable to share your article again on your LinkedIn feed. Not everyone saw it the first time. The trick is to come at it with a new angle. Don't use the same teaser post. Instead, highlight a different key point, share an update on the topic, or connect it to a current event. This gives it a fresh life and captures a new wave of readers.

Final Thoughts

Promoting a LinkedIn article is a continuous process that blends smart pre-publication setup, a strong initial launch, and consistent, long-term amplification. By building on your foundation with engagement, targeted sharing, and clever repurposing, you transform a single article from a hopeful shout into the void into a valuable asset for building a powerful personal or professional brand.

Juggling all these promotional pieces - the initial posts, the repurposed content, and the rescheduled shares - can be overwhelming. At Postbase, we built our visual content calendar specifically to help you plan out this entire strategy. We knew how frustrating it was to map out a content plan and then struggle with a clunky scheduler, so we focused on creating a simple, modern tool to manage everything in one place, across all your platforms, so you can focus on building your brand without fighting your software.