An Introduction to
LinkedIn Pulse

What is LinkedIn Pulse?
 Pulse is a blogging platform open to all
LinkedIn members
 It’s also a news feed that users can tailor
specifically to their own interests
– Users can select certain subcategories
(“Channels”) of news to follow – i.e., “open
source software”
– Users can also follow specific Pulse bloggers
(“Influencers”), similar to how they would
follow a Twitter or Facebook user

What is LinkedIn Pulse?
 The stories are mainly focused on job
advice, but also run the gamut across all
types of business news, information about
different industries, etc.
 Anyone with a membership can post
 It’s another great venue for our clients to
present themselves as thought leaders

According to LinkedIn…
“We believe we can help all professionals make smarter
and more informed business decisions leveraging all of
the great business knowledge flowing through LinkedIn in
the form of news, Influencer posts, industry updates,
discussions, comments, and more.
Pulse helps foster informed discussions that spark the
decisions shaping the world around us through news and
information.”

“Influencers” vs. “Top Influencers”
 Anyone who writes a post on LinkedIn is
considered an Influencer – but only the most
widely-read are considered “Top
Influencers”

What’s a Top Influencer?
 Being a Top Influencer means your blog has
generated the most engagement (views,
likes, comments) with other LinkedIn
members
 Ranking is refreshed every three hours and
starts anew every Sunday at midnight

Becoming a Top Influencer
 Find a relevant & stimulating topic that will
appeal to those in your industry
 If appropriate, use a current affair to peg
your discussion
 Link to other LinkedIn posts
 Don’t post beyond Friday afternoon; Monday
mornings are best
 Seek out others’ posts and comment on
them
http://60secondmarketer.com/blog/2012/09/16/linkedin-top-influencer-tips/

The Secrets Behind Featured
Posts
A guy named Gericke Potgeiter
analyzed more than 500 top
rated posts to try and determine
how LinkedIn chooses which
posts to get featured on the main
page and specific Channel
pages.
Here’s what he found.

Use Keywords
 Like Google, LinkedIn uses an algorithm to
identify keywords and tags to determine
whether or not posts are suitable for specific
Channels
 Use keywords in headlines and throughout
content, similar to SEO
 Always tag stories with keywords

Encourage Audience Engagement
 The more audience engagement – views,
likes, shares, comments – a post receives,
the more likely it is to be featured
 Make the post provocative; solicit
commentary
 Drive as much traffic as possible to the post
using other social media outlets (Twitter,
Facebook, etc.)
– Convergence between editorial content and
social media efforts

Things to Be Careful of
 Photos are OK, but adding too much
multimedia content seems to hurt rankings
 Negative and/or overly emotional headlines
can also hurt (i.e., “Why I HATE Cold Calls”)
 Stay away from using numbers in headlines
(i.e., “Top 5 Economic Predictions for 2016”)

Pulse FAQs
 What does it cost?
– Nothing. Anyone with a LinkedIn account can create
a Pulse blog for free.
 How are Pulse blogs different from corporate blogs?
– They give the individual a chance to give more of a
personal perspective. Pulse blogs should not be the
same content repurposed from a corporate blog;
they should be unique and in the person’s own
“voice.”

Pulse FAQs
 How can it help our clients?
– Many ways:
 Improve thought leadership positions
 Help them share their ideas directly with their
LinkedIn Connections
 Spark conversation
 Bolster their social media presence
 Raise visibility for their companies

Pulse FAQs
 Who sees the posts, and where do they see them?
– Posts get shared with the individual’s followers, but
they may also be viewable to anyone who
subscribes to a particular type of news feed
(example: “open source software”). People do not
need to be Followers to see the posts.
– This can help pick up more Followers and
Connections
– Most popular posts also appear on
https://www.linkedin.com/Pulse/ and on Channel
pages

Pulse FAQs
 How many views does the average post get?
– The average influencer post drives more than 31,000
views and receives more than 250 likes and 80
comments. (2014 numbers, may have gone up
since)
 Does LinkedIn promote posts?
– In a way, yes. There’s a “Top Posts” section that
features some of the hottest recent posts (most
readership and discussion).
– Section appears on users’ LinkedIn homepages.
– Kind of like being featured as a “Top App” in app
stores.
– True promotion (i.e., social media) is up to the
author (or us)

Creating a Pulse Blog
 Really not much different than creating a
traditional blog or article
 Start with a recommended topic(s)
 Definitely need a sourcing session, since
Pulse blogs – even more than “normal”
blogs – need to be even more personal
 Good to have a suggested schedule of blog
topics, as more frequent posters will
probably be more likely to pick up followers

Pricing Pulse
 A Pulse blog in itself would likely be priced
similar to a regular blog post
– $1K, which includes:
– 1 sourcing call and/or research
– Up to 3 drafts, including final
 Could also package this offering in
conjunction with a social media program
– Could be considered a separate cost or
wrapped into a monthly retainer

Is Pulse Right for My Client?
 Is your client a LinkedIn user?
 Do they have a unique (and personal!)
perspective to share?
 Do they want to increase awareness about
themselves and their company?
 Do they want to go directly to potential
customers/partners ?

An Introduction to
LinkedIn Pulse