It has been nearly precisely two years since I launched my weekly Superior Geekery electronic mail e-newsletter on Substack. Every week, I listing my newest ZDNET articles, showcase any new movies I put out, typically highlight tasks I am engaged on (and people of readers), and share just a few nice YouTube movies and articles value studying.
The e-newsletter is an effective way for individuals who like my work to maintain up with what I produce.
Lately, I’ve began getting requests for a e-newsletter on LinkedIn from members who’re far more LinkedIn-centric. Ever since Twitter took its wacky dive off the credibility cliff, LinkedIn has been choosing up the slack when it comes to skilled and work-related social networking.
Because it seems, beginning a LinkedIn e-newsletter is each straightforward and free. You do not want a LinkedIn Premium account. LinkedIn will notify your community if you publish the primary version of your e-newsletter, and it’ll additionally invite new followers to subscribe. Every subject you place out will likely be shared to your feed. Plus, anybody who indicators up as a subscriber will get an electronic mail notification of their inbox.
I went forward and arrange Superior Geekery on LinkedIn. The 2 editions (Substack and LinkedIn) are principally equivalent. I now write and edit every subject on Substack, then selectively copy and paste the content material over to a brand new LinkedIn e-newsletter article.
The e-newsletter on LinkedIn has rather less formatting management than the one on Substack, but it surely nonetheless appears fairly good. I can copy the textual content (with included hyperlinks) from the Substack editor, however I’ve so as to add any photos to the LinkedIn model manually. It appears so as to add about quarter-hour to my workflow, which is a small quantity of effort to succeed in a special viewers.
The right way to create a LinkedIn e-newsletter
On this article, I am going to take you thru the step-by-step course of I used to arrange my LinkedIn e-newsletter. If you wish to set one up for Substack, I documented that as effectively.
It goes with out saying (however look, right here I’m saying it) that you have to log in to your LinkedIn account earlier than doing anything. As soon as logged in, click on Write Article within the Begin a Publish space.
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It is bizarre that you need to click on Write Article to create a e-newsletter, however that is the way in which it really works.
When you’re within the article enhancing interface, go to the Handle dropdown (indicated at 1), after which click on Create Publication (indicated at 2).
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Right here, you may enter all the essential details about your e-newsletter. Enter the title of the e-newsletter, choose a frequency (I do mine weekly), after which enter an outline. You do not have a lot area for an outline, solely somewhat over 100 characters, so that you may need to put together that forward of time.
You additionally may need to put together a e-newsletter brand. I exploit my little 3D printer robotic head brand for all of the Superior Geekery tasks. Make the emblem 300×300 pixels and add it to the shape.
When you click on Finished, you formally have a LinkedIn e-newsletter. The remainder is about methods to put together and ship out a problem. Don’t be concerned. Nothing will publish or mail out till you inform LinkedIn to ship it out, so take your time getting ready.
Now that you have created a e-newsletter, you may put out your first subject. Guests to your profile web page will see a Publication button, which allows them to learn or subscribe to your e-newsletter.
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Notice the X over Create a Publish. If you wish to create a brand new e-newsletter version, that button is not what you need to click on. That is high quality for a daily publish, but it surely would not get you into the e-newsletter enhancing interface.
There is perhaps a greater manner, however I’ve discovered that the quickest option to get to the e-newsletter enhancing interface is to click on the LinkedIn brand on the high of the web page, then click on Newsletters within the facet menu.
This may take you to your Newsletters display, which reveals your newsletters, in addition to these you subscribe to.
Whereas we’re on this display, let me level out just a few key gadgets. Your e-newsletter will likely be on the high (proven at 1). Up to now, after two days, I’ve 91 subscribers. Clicking that can take you into one other display, the place you may start enhancing your first version.
There is a three-dot menu on the proper (proven at 3). Clicking it offers you a share choice, which is the place you get a hyperlink if you wish to share your e-newsletter. Here is the hyperlink to mine.
Different newsletters you subscribe to will likely be beneath that. Of explicit word is the e-newsletter (at 3) by Larry Dignan, who introduced me into ZDNET and was ZDNET’s editor in chief for a dozen years. Here is a hyperlink to his e-newsletter as effectively.
Lastly, word the X. Should you click on Create a Publication, you may create a brand new e-newsletter. Do not click on it.
OK, let’s transfer on. When you click on your e-newsletter’s identify, you may be taken to the display the place you may create a brand new version, which will likely be your e-newsletter’s precise mailing. As you may see, proper after I created the e-newsletter, I did not have any subscribers.
Now, lastly, you may be on the e-newsletter enhancing display. The picture that you just add will likely be proven in your feed. It ought to be 1920×1080 pixels.
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You should use a brand new picture for every subject, or a picture that serves because the nameplate in your e-newsletter.
My method is to chop and paste the textual content from my Substack version. It is a pretty easy course of, as a result of the wealthy textual content is preserved, together with the hyperlinks.
Photos do not minimize and paste from the Substack. Additionally, if you paste in a YouTube URL, it would not robotically develop to a pleasant thumbnail of the video, because it does in Substack.
Including YouTube movies into the LinkedIn e-newsletter is a bit clunky. LinkedIn does have an choice so as to add a picture or video, however you need to add the picture or the video for it to work. So what I did was add my YouTube thumbnail after which embrace a hyperlink to the YouTube video itself.
Simply maintain working your manner by the interface till your e-newsletter is finished. You need not ship it out immediately. I selected to attend till Monday morning. The way in which to keep away from rapid sending is to keep away from urgent the Subsequent button. As a substitute, from the Handle menu, select Drafts.
This may present you the obtainable drafts, which is able to most likely be the e-newsletter you simply created. Go forward and click on Shut, and your e-newsletter is all able to go, however not despatched.
If you wish to find your draft e-newsletter, click on the Write Article button on the high of your feed, then click on Handle, and choose Drafts. This is similar menu you used to create the e-newsletter itself, besides you are deciding on Drafts as an alternative of Create Publication.
At this level, you may see an inventory of your drafts. Probably, you may have only one — the e-newsletter you are about to publish. Click on the three-dot icon, watch out to keep away from the prominently positioned Delete choice, and select Edit.
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Here is what the highest of my first LinkedIn subject appeared like within the editor. I at all times use a title, after which a subhead, which is proven within the inexperienced field. You may have the chance to place a remark earlier than the e-newsletter nameplate, which is then adopted by the title. So, for me, I chosen the subhead (at 1) after which clicked Subsequent (at 2).
I pasted that subhead into the realm that LinkedIn prompts with “Inform your community what this version of your e-newsletter is about…”
Should you scroll down in that posting window interface, you may see the Schedule and Publish buttons.
I clicked the little clock icon, which introduced me to the schedule interface. Right here, I chosen Monday morning at 6 AM PT, 9 AM ET, and clicked Subsequent.
The posting interface modified to indicate the scheduled time of publication, in addition to a Schedule button as an alternative of a Publish button.
I pressed the Schedule button and was offered with the next display.
This confirmed the e-newsletter subject was able to go. Then I simply completed my evening, went to sleep, and somewhat after I obtained up on Monday morning, the e-newsletter was robotically posted. In future weeks, it would even be despatched to all who subscribe.
There you go. The method is a bit convoluted, however after one time by, it will likely be straightforward sufficient. Every week, I am going to publish my weekly replace to Substack subscribers and followers, and to LinkedIn subscribers and followers.
Good luck. Remark right here or on LinkedIn should you create a e-newsletter. I might like to know.
What about you? Have you ever thought-about beginning a e-newsletter on LinkedIn? Should you already publish one elsewhere, are you fascinated with repurposing it like I did? What options or limitations have you ever run into on LinkedIn versus different platforms like Substack? Do you see LinkedIn as a viable long-term area in your e-newsletter content material? Tell us within the feedback beneath.
You may comply with my day-to-day challenge updates on social media. You’ll want to subscribe to my weekly replace e-newsletter, and comply with me on Twitter/X at @DavidGewirtz, on Fb at Fb.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, on Bluesky at @DavidGewirtz.com, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.
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