How to Write an Article on the LinkedIn Mobile App

You can publish full-length, professional articles directly from the LinkedIn mobile app, and it’s a much more powerful feature than you might think. With the phone that’s already in your pocket, you can capture ideas, draft content during your downtime, and share your expertise with your network in minutes. This guide will walk you through exactly how to write, format, and publish high-impact articles using only the LinkedIn app.

The Hidden Power of Writing LinkedIn Articles on Your Phone

Before getting into the how-to, it’s worth understanding why you should consider this. On the surface, writing a long-form article on a small screen might seem inefficient. But the workflow offers some unique advantages for busy professionals, marketers, and founders.

Capture Ideas In the Moment

The best content ideas don’t always arrive when you’re sitting at your desk. They often strike after a great client meeting, during a commute, or while listening to a podcast. When inspiration hits, you can immediately open the LinkedIn app and start drafting an article. This eliminates the friction of having to remember the idea, email it to yourself, and then find time to write it later. By capturing the idea at its freshest, your writing will have more energy and authenticity.

Maximize Your "In-Between" Time

We all have small pockets of time throughout the day that usually go to waste: waiting in line for coffee, sitting on a train (as a passenger, of course), or waiting for a meeting to start. These five- or ten-minute intervals are rarely enough to tackle a big project on a laptop. However, they are perfect for mobile-based tasks. You can use this time to outline an article, write a few paragraphs, or edit a draft. Over the course of a week, these small bursts of productivity add up, allowing you to create content consistently without needing to block off large chunks of time in your calendar.

A Simpler, More Focused Writing Experience

The desktop version of any platform is filled with notifications, tabs, and other potential distractions. The LinkedIn mobile app’s article editor, by contrast, is refreshingly minimal. It forces you to focus entirely on your words and ideas. For many writers, this lack of clutter can actually lead to a state of deeper focus and make it easier to get a first draft completed. You can worry about detailed formatting and final polishes later, the mobile app is your space for getting the core message down.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Publishing an Article on the LinkedIn App

Ready to give it a try? The process is surprisingly straightforward. Let’s walk through it one step at a time, from opening the editor to hitting publish.

Step 1: Finding "Write an article"

The option isn’t immediately obvious, but it’s easy to find once you know where to look. Here’s how you get there:

• Open the LinkedIn app on your phone.
• Look at the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen. Tap the central ‘+ Post’ button.
• This will open a new screen with several options at the bottom, such as "Add a photo" or "Celebrate an occasion." Look for the icon that looks like a document or newspaper page and says ‘Write an article.’
• Tap it, and you'll be taken directly into the mobile article editor.

Step 2: Understanding the Mobile Editor Interface

The mobile editor interface is clean and simple. Here are the main components you’ll be working with:

• Cover Image: At the very top, you’ll see a prompt to add a “Headline image.” This is your article’s main visual, and it’s critical for grabbing attention in the feed. Tapping this will allow you to choose an image directly from your phone’s photo library.
• Headline: Right below the cover image is a field labeled "Headline." This one's self-explanatory - it's where the title of your article goes.
• Article Body: The large blank space labeled "Write here. Tap on the T for style options." is where you'll compose your article.
• Formatting Toolbar: When you start typing in the body, a small toolbar appears at the bottom. This allows you to apply formatting like bold, italics, and underline. You can also create bulleted lists, numbered lists, and blockquotes for emphasis. The chain icon lets you add hyperlinks to your text.

Step 3: Crafting Your Content on the Go

Writing on a mobile device is a different experience than typing on a keyboard. Embrace it with these tips:

• Use Voice-to-Text: Don't underestimate your phone's dictation feature. It's an incredibly fast way to get your initial thoughts down. You can simply "talk out" your article and then go back to clean up the text and formatting. It’s often quicker than thumb-typing.
• Keep Paragraphs Short: On a small screen, large blocks of text are intimidating. Aim to keep your paragraphs very short - typically just two to three sentences. This creates more white space and makes your article much easier for mobile users to read.
• Outline with Mobile-Friendly Tools: Start by outlining your headings and key bullet points. This gives your article a solid structure and makes it easier to fill in the details section by section, even if you’re writing in short bursts.

Step 4: Adding Visuals From Your Phone

Visuals break up the text and make your article more engaging. After you’ve set your main cover image, you can also add images within the body of your text. Tap anywhere in the body, and you’ll see an image icon on the left of the screen. Tap it to add a photo or video from your phone’s camera roll. This is perfect for adding screenshots, charts, or photos that illustrate your points.

Step 5: Publishing Your Article

Once your masterpiece is complete, look for the ‘Next’ button at the top right of the screen. Tapping it won't publish the article immediately. Instead, it takes you to a final "preview" screen. Here, you get to write an introductory post that will appear in your network's feed along with a link to your full article.

This post is like the back-cover blurb of a book - it needs to convince people to click and read. Write a compelling hook, ask a provocative question, and include several relevant hashtags (e.g., #ContentMarketing, #Leadership, #DigitalStrategy) to increase your article's visibility. You can also tag people or companies by typing '@' followed by their name.

Once you’re happy with the introductory post, tap the ‘Post’ button in the top right, and your article will go live!

Best Practices for Writing LinkedIn Articles That Get Attention

Just publishing isn't enough. You want people to actually read and engage with your work. Here’s how to make your articles stand out, especially when writing from mobile.

Nail Your Headline and Cover Image

Your headline and cover image are the first (and sometimes only) things people see in their feed. They have to do the heavy lifting to earn the click. A good headline is usually specific, promises a clear benefit to the reader, and sparks curiosity. For example, instead of "My Thoughts on Marketing," try "5 Marketing Mistakes Most Startups Make in Their First Year." Use compelling, high-quality images that are relevant to your topic. Avoid generic stock photos if you can.

Draft on Mobile, Polish on Desktop (The Hybrid Approach)

Leverage the best of both worlds. Use your mobile app for what it's great at: capturing ideas, drafting outlines, and writing first drafts efficiently during your downtime. But for the final round of editing - checking for grammar, reformatting complex sections, and adding embedded media like YouTube videos - it can be easier to open your draft on a desktop computer. Your drafts sync automatically, so you can pick up exactly where you left off on either device.

Engage With Comments As They Happen

The most significant advantage of the mobile-first workflow is that your phone becomes your command center for engagement. Once your article is published, you’ll get notifications as people start to comment. You can reply instantly, fostering a real-time conversation around your content. This immediate engagement sends positive signals to the LinkedIn algorithm, which can help increase your article's reach. Don't post and ghost, stick around to interact.

Repurpose Your Article for Other Formats

Your article is a valuable piece of pillar content. Don't let it be a one-time event. You can easily dissect it into multiple other pieces of content. For example:

• Pull out a key quote and turn it into a text or image post.
• Summarize the three main arguments in a short carousel post.
• Take the core idea and film a short video about it.

Because you wrote the article, you have all the source material right on your profile, making it a wellspring for your content calendar for weeks to come.

Final Thoughts

Writing LinkedIn articles directly from your phone transforms what can feel like a chore into a seamless and spontaneous act of content creation. By leveraging the device you always have with you to capture ideas and utilize in-between moments, you can build your authority and engage your network more consistently than ever before.

Once your article is published on LinkedIn, getting it in front of audiences on other social platforms is the logical next step. We care a lot about making that process simple, which is why we built a tool centered on intuitive, modern content management. At Postbase, our visual calendar helps you see your entire content strategy at a glance, making it easy to schedule posts about your new article across every network without getting lost in spreadsheets or clunky workflows.