LinkedIn launches sponsored articles

LinkedIn has introduced sponsored articles, providing marketers with an additional tool that may contribute to enhancing brand awareness, increasing engagement, and driving lead generation.

Why we care. As LinkedIn users will not have the hassle or inconvenience of having to leave the platform to read the sponsored content, this could result in higher engagement.

How it works. When a company account publishes an article on LinkedIn, admins now have the option to promote it. This promotion allows the addition of a CTA button, like “Unlock Article,” encouraging users to sign up to access the complete content. While this feature resembles LinkedIn lead generation ads, its direct connection to in-app engagement is advantageous for LinkedIn and potentially beneficial for businesses

Accessibility. Currently, only articles authored by companies are eligible for sponsorship. However, the LinkedIn product team is actively working on developing numerous additional functionalities, which are expected to be rolled out shortly.

Roll out. Sponsored posts has been rolled out to the majority of business accounts already, however, some brands may not have access to this feature just yet.

What LinkedIn is saying. Baptiste Beauvisage, Lead Client Solutions Manager at LinkedIn, stressed the benefits of this new product to advertisers and brands in a statement:

• “You can use the content you already have on your Linkedin page.”
• “Sponsored posts are more viral than a blog article hosted externally.”
• “You can have all the comments from logged-in members on the article directly.”
• “There is a better UX.”
• “You can drive leads without sending users off Linkedin to consult your article.”

Deep dive. Read our article on surging LinkedIn ad prices for more information on why the platform has become so popular amongst advertisers.