Are You Reaching as Many People as You Can When Posting or Sharing Content?

Do you know just how many people your posts and updates are reaching? LinkedIn has updated sharing Public posts to extend the reach of your shared content – if your settings are set correctly.

Up until July 2017, if you shared a Post to Public it was only visible to anyone signed into their LinkedIn account. Now your posts shared to Public will also be visible to anyone who isn’t signed into LinkedIn. Public posts can also be shared on other sites as well. Do note that this is only available for posts created on the desktop site of LinkedIn.

If you are creating and posting original content, I highly recommend changing your settings to Public. You spent time and energy creating quality content, why not share that with as many people as possible?

I can’t see a reason to not update my settings so let’s update them! Before you do, make sure you are on the desktop site. These settings cannot be changed on the mobile app. To update your settings, hover over your picture in the top right corner and click on Settings & Privacy. Click on Privacy.

You’ll need to make two updates. Let’s start with the Privacy setting. Hover over your picture in the top right corner and click on Settings & Privacy. Click on the Privacy tab.

Scroll down to Blocking and Hiding. Click on Followers to expand. Select Everyone on LinkedIn. All LinkedIn members, inside and outside of your network, can now follow your updates. This option also allows your posts to be shared off on LinkedIn. That was easy!

Now that you’ve updated that setting, let’s update your Public Profile Visibility setting.

Go to your full profile and click on Edit your public profile in the top right corner (below your picture).

Scroll just a bit to Customize Your Public Profile. Under Make my public profile visible to everyone, select the last option, Public. Also, select Posts (it may say Posts & Activities). You’re all set!

Now that you’ve updated your settings, take a look at how many you can potentially reach. According to LinkedIn, your posts and/or updates are visible to the following, if your visibility is set to public:

• Homepages of your 1st level connections
• Homepages of your 2nd or 3rd level connections, if re-shared, commented on, or liked by your first level connections.
• Content search results for topics you’ve posted
• Search results for hashtags you’ve used in posts
• Your Recent Activity page
• Your Public Profile (if you have that selected) which is visible to people who are not signed into LinkedIn
• Other sites off LinkedIn
• Your followers’ feeds, who may not be connected to you

That is a lot of people your posts and updates can reach! Glad you updated those settings, eh?

Now obviously if you only share a post or update once a week, bi-weekly, or monthly you won’t reach as many people. However, with a strategy in place, you can increase your and your company’s reach significantly.

Create a strategy that you can execute consistently. Consistency is key. A part of your strategy might include (or work up to) posting or sharing an update at least three times a week and engaging with shared content on your homepage. Are your employees sharing content you post or the company is posting to the LinkedIn company page? That is a quick and easy way to extend the reach of your content even further.

Be sure to update your settings and happy posting!!