By Shauna Staveley, Sr. Manager B2B Social Media
It’s no secret that LinkedIn is known as the professional’s social media platform, but it has evolved well beyond being a platform strictly for networking and job searching. Many B2B companies now have a significant LinkedIn presence, influential creators have built substantial followings, and journalists frequent this platform to understand trends and observe what points of view are out there, then find sources for related stories they are working on. LinkedIn prioritizes knowledge sharing in ways other social media platforms do not, making it a powerful platform for any company wanting to increase visibility and authority. For any company aiming to amplify its presence, LinkedIn offers unique advantages. A journalist may reach out to a source they want to interview for their planned media coverage, while target audiences are more likely to engage with content produced by the brand or an executive thought leader.
This is why public relations goals and a B2B company’s social media efforts should not be treated as separate. Instead, they should be complementary, as the discoverability of public relations messaging and content by the media, customers, or even investors, is significantly better than, say, Meta or X. Those places are often so polluted with noise that it’s hard for any B2B company to communicate their message effectively.
It’s important to approach public relations on LinkedIn the right way. This means fewer traditional press releases posted as old-fashioned link previews and leading with more social-first communication. Below are some tactical examples.
What you publish:
Avoid posting something as basic as short, teaser-style copy with a thumbnail driving to your press release. LinkedIn’s algorithm is not a fan of organic posts providing minimal value on the post itself, forcing a user off its platform for the full value of the content. Spending of advertising dollars is required for that kind of content objective. Furthermore, LinkedIn has changed the design of link previews so they’re visually unappealing and especially hard to read on mobile devices.
Instead, find ways to communicate your messaging that encourage LinkedIn users to engage on the platform itself. Here are a few examples:
- Create and post a video of an executive, or designated subject matter expert from the company, speaking to a trending news topic, (a version of newsjacking).
- Find a LinkedIn Live from a popular LinkedIn creator in your industry for a member of your executive leadership team to be featured on, discussing the company or a hot topic.
- Publish a “press release reimagined,” by creating a post specifically for social that speaks to a component of the press release in a way that will not require a click to glean value. For example, a LinkedIn article of someone within the company speaking about what the news means for the company. Another idea is a carousel-style document share (PDF) post format, where the creative gives a few key takeaways from a press release and highlights the latest media hits for the company.
- If you’re a publicly traded company, you can communicate quarterly earnings reports, sustainability reports, and annual meetings in socially-friendly ways. Your investors, and the media, might find that information useful. Just be careful not to go beyond any legal boundaries of trying to influence stock investment decisions.
How you publish:
You also do not need public relations content published strictly by your company on its company page to support your goals. People trust people more than they trust brands. The same messaging being published by a company leader will have far more impact than if your LinkedIn company page published it. You can also publish thought leadership articles on an employee’s personal profile and run thought leadership ads on LinkedIn – something not possible on other platforms. This allows you better reach, engagement, and more precise targeting for who that message reaches. LinkedIn has superior B2B targeting criteria such as industries, job titles, seniority, function, company size, and more, enabling you to get your thought leaders more confidently in front of your ideal customer profile (ICP), and other key audiences.
When you publish:
Be mindful of the timing of your organic social media posts if your target audience is the media. Consider news cycles and when that information would be most useful.
During the week is better than a weekend if the content is focused on public relations. LinkedIn isn’t likely to be a platform professionals spend much time on during their few days off every week. Users often check their posts during the week, while at work or on breaks.
Finally, it’s a great platform to connect with journalists in your relevant industry. On X, attempts to communicate with them might be seen as forcing the issue. On LinkedIn, it’s not unheard of to network with any professional, including members of the media. There is also the opportunity to follow instead of adding them as a connection, which enables the ability to follow their content and engage or comment.
Stay Ready to Engage
Active participation on LinkedIn requires a plan for managing comments and inquiries. Journalists, investors, and other stakeholders may monitor your interactions, so prepare a response matrix to address frequently asked questions and potential issues that may arise. How you respond to comments matters, as journalists, investors, and others will see it, possibly screen shot it, or even share it publicly if it’s good, or bad, enough. Work with your legal, marketing, sales, and customer experience teams to plan how you should respond in advance, and how you should escalate anything that may need to be reported or followed-up with offline. Speed to response or action on social media is of the essence, and LinkedIn is no exception. Remember: On LinkedIn, treat your posts like all of your audiences are watching. Instead of treating that like a challenge, turn it into an opportunity.
Embrace LinkedIn’s Potential for PR
When used strategically, LinkedIn can connect your brand’s PR efforts with a professional audience primed for thought leadership and industry insights. By focusing on valuable, platform-native content and genuine engagement, you can leverage LinkedIn to strengthen your brand’s authority and visibility.
Hopefully this content inspires you to better connect your LinkedIn efforts with your public relations work. If you need any help with this, consider reaching out to Actual Agency! We’re a team of experts in B2B social media and public relations. We can help guide you every step of the way.
As an agency that focuses on B2B Technology, the team at Actual Agency is ready to help you deliver media coverage, thought leadership and market-leading commentary about the impact of technology on business transformation. If you are looking for a B2B Tech PR agency that delivers results, contact the Actual Agency team today!
