[Editor's Note: Because of the extra-busy news cycle this summer, PRNEWS thought it appropriate to explore alternative platforms to traditional pitching. Here, Executive Editor at LinkedIn News, Laura Lorenzetti Soper, shares how organizations and brands get coverage on the platform.]
In recent years, communications professionals have been leaning into the power of LinkedIn for corporate and CEO branding. In fact, a recent report found that 84% of PR professionals say they’ve integrated LinkedIn into their comms strategy, and 50% say it’s the most valuable social platform—even more so than X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and TikTok combined.
But there’s another major benefit that comms professionals are starting to catch onto, and that’s the power of having company news covered, shared and amplified by LinkedIn News, our editorial division that reaches 600 million-plus people in 134 countries and 14 languages every day. As Executive Editor at LinkedIn News, one of the questions I’m increasingly asked by comms teams is how to get their company's news covered by LinkedIn News, and I’m here to share some tips that can help teams do that.
Leadership-Forward Business News
As with any other newsroom, you can (and should!) pitch story ideas and tips to LinkedIn’s editors. While we’re always on the hunt for breaking business news, what we’re looking for is a little bit different from traditional outlets. We want to hear directly from your executives on the news, from their profiles. LinkedIn News puts leaders and experts front and center.
As a business news outlet and the largest professional community in the world, our editorial team is looking for news that’s going to appeal to a professional audience—our 1 billion members include consumers, employees, investors, industry leaders and more. What we’ve found is that some of the best-performing content is not just corporate news like earnings and mergers, but when leaders share their personal perspectives. This gives their audience a behind-the-scenes reaction to news stories and trends unfolding across the business world.
For example, some recent business news that garnered high levels of engagement—both on LinkedIn and in broader media coverage—include Ford CEO Jim Farley’s exclusive op-ed on why he’s pro EVs, Howard Schultz’s perspective on how Starbucks can right the ship after missing revenue goals, and EY’s new CEO Janet Truncale’s announcement of her new strategy for the Big Four firm. In the instance of Ford CEO Jim Farley’s op-ed, his team was strategic in letting us know in advance of plans to publish the article, giving our team three things that we’re always looking for: lead time, exclusivity and CEO perspective.
Direct News Delivery from Leadership
The benefits of having a news announcement come directly from your leader or spokesperson via their LinkedIn profile goes beyond LinkedIn News coverage, too. We’ve found that business news shared directly by CEOs garners 8x impressions and 4x the engagement of other posts. So, not only does your news get featured in our coverage—but it spreads even further across LinkedIn.
Another benefit—posts also have deep analytics, allowing you to see total viewership as well as details like job titles, industries and companies that see your content. It’s a really great benefit that helps many comms people optimize their strategies.
An Attention-Catching Post
When it comes to posts from CEOs and other leaders, we look for three things. First, authenticity—which we know resonates more profoundly. Second, behind-the-scenes glimpses that provide an insider’s view of the company’s operations, enhancing transparency and engagement. Finally, we look for clear, actionable insights that professionals can learn from and apply to their own businesses or careers.
Whether it’s via email or a LinkedIn InMail message, PR pros should always feel free to directly reach out to our editorial team to pitch story ideas or share upcoming news announcements in advance. We’re happy to connect on how to amplify your content or answer specific questions you might have. And if you’d like to learn even more tactical tips about what makes a great news announcement on LinkedIn, check out our detailed guide here.
Laura Lorenzetti Soper is Executive Editor at LinkedIn News.