LinkedIn has recently released a new feature that is going to change the way we post images and posts on news feeds moving forward.
LinkedIn’s new feature will allow users to add external links to posts and photos shared on your feed. It will enable you to drive traffic to an external link from your business’s page or your personal profile.
You can add a link to an important URL that you would like others to see. Think of articles, downloads, presentations, podcast episodes, blog posts, webinar invitations, organizations you and your firm support, or anything else you think might provide value to your connections, followers, and others who might find your clickable post.
What a game changer and a handy tool to have at your fingertips!
The rollout of this feature will allow LinkedIn users to add these photos and videos, along with the clickable link, via mobile. It will be added to the desktop app later this year. You can click on the link via mobile and desktop. This new feature will be rolled out in phases which means some people will have access to it before others so keep an eye out for when it’s available for you. When you’re eligible to use it, you’ll see a chainlink icon button when creating a post in the LinkedIn mobile app.
At this stage, the design templates for the link stickers are pretty generic so there isn’t much choice when it comes to mixing it up but the linked text is customisable. A great way to mix things up would be to add emojis to ensure some variety in the look of each link.
Here is a screenshot example of how you could set up a post with a clickable link
Those of you who use other social platforms like Facebook or Instagram would recognise the similarities in the look of the clickable post links and the story modes on other platforms and you would be right in saying they look similar. The main difference though between the two is significant as the clickable link will appear on your LinkedIn news feed and not in a story section like on other platforms. This generally will lead to higher exposure as your post link will be featured on your newsfeed and there for all of your connections to see. This is something my team and I will be monitoring over the coming months as the algorithm for LinkedIn starts to pick up for this new feature.
Here is how to create a clickable link to a LinkedIn Photo post:
Add A Photo: On your home page, click on Add a photo
Tap On The Link Icon: Upload your photo from your phone and tap on the link icon at the bottom of the page
Add Your URL & Custom Link Text: Fill in the URL and the link text (description) to help viewers understand what you are inviting them to click on.
Preview Your Link & Click Done: You will want to take a moment to preview the link so that you can see the URL you have posted is actually opening when clicked on. After you do that, click Done.
Add A Comment Explaining What You Are Posting. Don’t forget your hashtags (3 is usually the right amount)
Here is a finished example:
Some users won’t be fans of the large text link on-screen, but the new feature will help drive awareness and certaintly will help drive more clicks, while also sparking new creative approaches to your LinkedIn content.
It’s something you could experiment with and as the platforms engagement continues to grow over time, it could end up being a great option for driving traffic to your feed and your profiles.
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