A LinkedIn newsletter gives you a place to publish useful content and stay visible with people who are interested in your work. If you’re already writing articles, client alerts or an email newsletter, it can help that material reach additional readers. There’s also an opportunity to use your LinkedIn newsletter to grow your email list, provided you give people a clear reason to subscribe and make that next step easy.
A subscription to your LinkedIn newsletter and a subscription to your email newsletter are separate decisions. Someone may regularly read your articles on LinkedIn without ever visiting your website or signing up for your emails. Connecting those channels takes some planning, but it can help you build a more consistent relationship with clients, prospects and referral sources who want to hear from you.
Link to Give readers a specific reason to subscribe Give readers a specific reason to subscribe
A generic invitation to “subscribe to our newsletter” leaves readers to figure out why they would want another email in their inbox. A stronger approach explains what they’ll receive and connects it to the subject they’re already reading about. That could be a practical checklist, an industry briefing, a webinar recording or a series of updates on an issue relevant to their business.
For lawyers and law firms, the best starting point is often a question clients regularly ask. An employment lawyer writing about workplace policies could offer a policy review checklist. A corporate lawyer discussing acquisition preparation could share a guide to organizing information before a transaction. A firm publishing articles for a particular industry could invite readers to receive a focused email update covering developments in that industry.
In my own work, an article about planning LinkedIn content could lead to a worksheet that helps readers map out their next month of posts. The article would explain the approach and provide examples, while the worksheet would help someone apply it. That connection gives the reader a practical reason to sign up.
Link to Make the LinkedIn article useful on its own Make the LinkedIn article useful on its own
The article needs to deliver what its headline promises. Readers have given you their time, and they need enough substance to understand the issue or act on the advice. When the article is useful, an invitation to receive related material becomes a natural extension of the content.
Think about what would help the reader after they finish the article. If you’ve explained how to prepare for a business issue, a checklist could help them organize their next steps. If you’ve covered one part of a larger topic, an email series could address the other parts. If you’ve discussed a development that will continue to evolve, your ongoing updates could help them stay informed.
This also gives you a way to evaluate the resources you offer. Before adding a subscription invitation, ask whether the material addresses the same audience and follows logically from the article. A well-matched resource will be easier to explain and more useful to the people who request it.
Link to Use the content you already have Use the content you already have
You may already have much of the material you need in presentations, webinars, client alerts and previous articles. A webinar could provide the basis for a LinkedIn article and a follow-up resource. A presentation could become a checklist. A detailed client alert could be adapted into an explanation that helps a broader audience understand what the development means for them.
Review that material for accuracy, relevance and confidentiality before using it again. It may also need additional context. Someone who attended a webinar has heard the discussion around the slides, while a LinkedIn reader is encountering the topic independently. Adapting the content means making sure each version is complete and understandable for its intended audience.
If you already publish an email newsletter, you could share an adapted version on LinkedIn a week or two later. Email subscribers would receive the content first, and the LinkedIn edition would introduce it to more people. You could also include a worksheet or other additional resource in the email version, giving readers a clear benefit for subscribing directly.
Link to Make the sign-up process clear Make the sign-up process clear
The invitation and sign-up page need to explain what people will receive, how often they’ll receive it and whether requesting a resource also means subscribing to ongoing emails. Someone downloading a checklist needs to understand what communications will follow so they can make an informed choice.
For example, “Download our annual workplace policy review checklist and subscribe to our monthly employment law updates” explains both the immediate resource and the ongoing subscription. The form can reinforce that information and give readers a straightforward way to sign up.
Test the process on a phone, keep the form manageable and make sure the promised resource arrives promptly. Before launching it, work with the people responsible for your firm’s email and privacy practices to confirm that the language and process fit the firm’s requirements.
Link to Plan the emails that follow Plan the emails that follow
The experience continues after someone submits the form. Your first email can deliver the resource, introduce the newsletter and explain what the reader can expect next. It can also point them toward another relevant article, provided the message remains focused and easy to follow.
Subsequent emails need to reflect what you promised. A reader who signed up for industry updates will expect information about that industry. Someone who requested a practical guide may appreciate related examples, explanations or invitations to programs that address the same issue. Planning those communications before promoting the resource helps you create a consistent experience and understand the work involved in maintaining it.
You can keep this manageable by starting with one resource and a small number of related communications. As you learn what people read and respond to, you can develop additional material based on their interests.
Link to Look at what readers do over time Look at what readers do over time
Subscriber counts are useful, but they tell only part of the story. Track which LinkedIn articles and resources generate email sign-ups, then look at what those subscribers do next. Reading subsequent emails, registering for a program, replying with a question or staying subscribed can all provide information about whether the content is relevant to them.
For a lawyer or law firm, the makeup of the audience matters too. A modest number of engaged readers can be valuable when they include clients, prospective clients and referral sources. Reviewing both the activity and the audience will help you make better decisions about which subjects to cover and which resources to develop.
Start with an article you already plan to publish and one resource that helps its readers apply the information. Build the invitation and sign-up process around that connection, then review the response after publication. Over time, you’ll have a clearer understanding of what your readers need and a stronger connection between the content they discover on LinkedIn and the communications they choose to receive from you.
Link to Checklist for Using Your LinkedIn Newsletter to Grow Your Email List Checklist for Using Your LinkedIn Newsletter to Grow Your Email List
Use this checklist to connect a LinkedIn newsletter article with a relevant resource and an email subscription. Start with one article so you can test the process and see what readers respond to.
Link to Choose the article and resource Choose the article and resource
- Identify the audience: Be specific about who the article is for and what they need help understanding or doing.
- Review existing materials: Look through presentations, webinars and previous articles for content you can update and adapt.
- Check accuracy and relevance: Confirm that the resource is current, appropriate to share and useful to the intended audience.
Link to Prepare the LinkedIn newsletter Prepare the LinkedIn newsletter
- Make the article complete: Give readers useful information within the article, with the resource providing additional help.
- Write a specific invitation: Explain what readers can receive and how it relates to the article. For example: “Download the worksheet to plan your next month of LinkedIn content.”
- Explain the email subscription: Make it clear whether requesting the resource also includes ongoing emails and what those emails will cover.
- Add a trackable link: Use a link that lets you identify sign-ups coming from this article.
Link to Check the sign-up experience Check the sign-up experience
- Match the page to the invitation: Use the same resource name and description so readers know they’re in the right place.
- Keep the form manageable: Ask for the information you need and explain how it will be used.
- Test it on your phone: Complete the form, open the confirmation email and check that the resource is easy to access.
- Review the subscription language: Confirm the process with whoever manages your email platform and privacy requirements.
Link to Prepare the follow-up Prepare the follow-up
- Deliver the resource promptly: Include a clear download or access link in the first email.
- Set expectations: Tell subscribers what they’ll receive next and how often you plan to email them.
- Coordinate publication: If you’re adapting an email newsletter for LinkedIn, decide on the timing and any additional material email subscribers will receive.
Link to Review the results Review the results
- Record the sign-ups: Track how many people subscribed through the article and resource.
- Review ongoing engagement: Look at clicks, replies, event registrations and unsubscribes alongside the number of new subscribers.
- Assess audience relevance: Where the information is available, look at whether you’re reaching the clients, prospects and referral sources you intended.
- Choose the next improvement: Use the response to refine the topic, resource, invitation or follow-up before repeating the process.
For your next LinkedIn newsletter, think about what readers might want help with after they finish the article. A worksheet, guide or recording could give them a reason to sign up for your emails and keep learning from you. Follow that with useful content that reflects what they came for, and you give them a reason to keep opening your emails and remember you when they need your help.
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