LinkedIn is a platform most photographers are familiar with, but are you familiar with LinkedIn newsletters? It’s a fairly recent feature that offers an abundance of opportunities, yet many photographers are overlooking its potential.
In this post, I’m going to talk you through why you should consider adding LinkedIn newsletters to your marketing kit bag, what to say and how to go about getting it set up.
One question I know photographers often wonder is, “How can I consistently engage my audience without appearing pushy?” Well, here’s your answer.
LinkedIn newsletters allow you to dive deep into the stories behind your photography brand. They aren’t just another sales pitch – they’re an intimate conversation with your followers.
Because they’ve signed up to receive your LinkedIn newsletters, it’s different from a post on LinkedIn. They’ve “opted-in” to receive it from you and are happy for you to keep appearing in their email inbox. They want to get to know more about you on a deeper level.
So remember as you read on, it’s not just about selling your services; it’s about offering value and building relationships.
Why LinkedIn Newsletters?
You might be tempted to think, “I already have so many things to do to market my business; why add another?” Besides, it might sound really complicated. Well, I’m going to guide you through it today.
LinkedIn newsletters let you:
🟢 Share the captivating stories that breathe life into your brand.
🟢 Showcase what you bring to the table, without being overly salesy.
🟢 Update your followers on industry trends, ensuring they see you as a thought leader.
🟢 Direct traffic to your website, but in a way that provides value to your readers.
You get visibility and reactions straight away, and you know the newsletter has been delivered to your readers.
Starting a newsletter on LinkedIn means you’ll engage your audience from the minute you publish. LinkedIn makes it easy to invite all your connections or followers to subscribe when you create a newsletter – no need to create lead magnets, and landing pages or use any of those other techniques that you need to use to create your own email list.
After publishing each newsletter article, push, in-app, and email notifications are sent to all your subscribers to help drive views. You get real-time feedback and comments from your readers, and you can understand how your content is doing with analytics.
- All LinkedIn members can discover, read, and share LinkedIn newsletters.
- Any LinkedIn member can subscribe to a LinkedIn newsletter.
- The profiles of your subscribers will show their visitors that they’ve subscribed to your newsletter.
Still not convinced? Remember this: With LinkedIn newsletters, you’re not just reaching your existing followers. Anyone can subscribe, expanding your audience and potential clientele.
Are we saying LinkedIn Newsletters instead of your own business newsletter?
Well, I’m not saying this is instead of, but as well as your own newsletter. But don’t panic, you don’t need to have an extra writing job, you can simply summarise or rehash what you’ve sent or are planning to send in your own newsletter.
It’s going to be to a slightly different audience, and you can’t guarantee that the same people on your email list are the ones subscribing to your LinkedIn newsletter.
You’ll also get different visibility and different engagement on your LinkedIn newsletters from what you get on your own email newsletter. People tend to comment more freely on LinkedIn. But you are building a really close relationship with people on your own newsletter list, so don’t be tempted to neglect them!
LinkedIn newsletters are about increasing your reach, visibility and deepening relationships with people who prefer to receive content from you this way, so give them the option!
What it does mean is you get “double bubble” on one piece of content. Instead of having to create something for just one channel, you can use the same (or just slightly re-jigged) content on two.
How to set up your LinkedIn Newsletter
I’m pretty new to sending LinkedIn newsletters myself, I only started earlier this year, but I already see a lot of engagement in my newsletter and people clicking through.
After only a few months, I already had 590 subscribers to my LinkedIn newsletters. That’s 590 people that I know I am directly reaching every time I publish my newsletter. It gets more people on my company page (which I hadn’t had before).
Setting it up is not as hard as you might think. You have the option to send it either from your personal page (with Creator mode on) or from your company page.
The basic criteria is that your page or profile has to have more than 150 followers and/or connections. If you have that, you may already have been given access to send LinkedIn newsletters.
To have qualified, LinkedIn needs to see that you frequently share original content from your page or profile (of any type – posts with text, images or videos, publishing articles etc).
Personally, I send mine from my company page, The Photographers’ Mentor – Photography Marketing & Mentoring.
When you have qualified and you are ready to start, you will see the option for “Newsletters” in the left-hand panel of the admin view of your company page. I suggest that you give your Newsletter a name and a purpose. I called mine “Growing Your Photography Brand”.
If you would rather send from your personal page and you have Creator Mode on, LinkedIn will tell you whether you have met their criteria to start sending newsletters from your own profile. If you’re not sure what Creator Mode is or how to switch it on, read my blog post here.
Go into the Creator Panel, and if you qualify, you’ll have a green tick against “Newsletters” in your Creator Tools section.
Next, go to Featured and press the button to write a new Featured Item. The option to write a newsletter will be there. Again, give it a name and give it a purpose and start writing.
Once you start, you will be given the option to invite people to subscribe to your newsletter, and every time you gain a new follower or connection, they will be invited as well.
What to say in your LinkedIn newsletter and what to include?
🟢 Tell some behind-the-scenes stories – people love BTS, especially from photographers, they want a glimpse of what’s going on behind the camera (where the magic happens).
🟢 Showcase your products and services – by talking about recent shoots, or services you’ve been working on, you’re indirectly planting the seed about working with you.
🟢 Keep people up to date with events – what have you been doing, and what do you have planned?
🟢 Industry news – let people know if you see something that might be of interest to them, help them realise you understand their industry.
🟢 Send people to your website or sales pages – this is a great way to talk about what’s new on your website and send people straight over to start looking at everything you have to offer.
Remember to include images throughout your LinkedIn newsletter and create a banner with the headline. You can even include videos in your newsletter. Video content is always well received, so if you have an existing video or you can create one and load it up to Vimeo or YouTube, you can embed it into your LinkedIn newsletter.
Don’t forget to add alt tags to your images so that people who don’t “download images” in their email can still see what it’s all about.
TOP TIP: Use hashtags and @ people or businesses that you refer to as this helps your newsletter get more reach – the people you tag are also quite likely to share it on their own feeds.
Striking the Right Balance
I’ve always advocated for authenticity and value in content. So, while it’s tempting to use this platform to push sales, don’t. People know when they’re being sold to, and this is not the place to do it.
Instead, offer them a refreshing mix of insights, stories, and, yes, you can do a bit of soft promotion. Send them to your website, hint at something you have coming soon (maybe you’re doing a pop-up shoot or you’re launching a seasonal offer soon).
As for frequency? Too often, and you risk overwhelming your followers. Too seldom, and you fade into the background. I’d recommend a fortnightly approach – it’s the sweet spot between being present and not overbearing.
You do need to keep it regular though. I had a brief gap with mine when I was made President of the BIPP and found myself with a lot more on my plate for a month or two than I was used to. The next time I sent a newsletter, it wasn’t nearly as well viewed. So as with all things, consistency is key.
In Conclusion
LinkedIn newsletters are a great chance to remind your followers why they chose you, to begin with, and to attract new ones.
If you’re not using this tool, you’re missing out. Set up your LinkedIn newsletter today. It might just be the fresh perspective your photography business needs.
And if you’re wondering about how to align these strategies with your brand’s goals, feel free to get in touch. Let’s make your brand not just visible, but unforgettable.
The Photographer’s Missing “Link”edIn.
If you’re just getting started on LinkedIn, or need some extra support, why not grab a copy of my book, The Photographer’s Missing ‘Link”edIn? I cover everything you need to know to build a fully optimised LinkedIn profile and start attracting more of your ideal clients, without spending a penny on advertising.
The book will allow you to learn all there is to know about the platform. You’ll find out how to build a fully optimised LinkedIn profile that appeals to your clients, create highly engaging LinkedIn Company Pages that stand out from your competitors.
Once you’ve put into action my LinkedIn success steps, you’ll be posting the right type of content correctly, ensuring more connections to your profile, maximum engagement on your posts, and more enquiries hitting your inbox.
You’ll learn everything you need to know about the platform, right from the very basics through to LinkedIn Live, Hashtags, LinkedIn Polls, Video, Company Pages and much more.
- Fully optimise your LinkedIn profile.
- Create your own LinkedIn hashtag for greater reach.
- Understand what hashtags to use and when.
- Find out what to post and how to post it.
- Switch on LinkedIn Creator Mode and grow your following.
- Use your Featured Section to attract more leads.
- Understand the different types of content and what works best.
To grab your copy, either click below, or head over to Amazon and search “The Photographers Missing Link-edIn”.
"If you would like a FREE social media and marketing review of your business, click to book a call, and we can chat.
I'll give you some great tips and advice and answer any questions you may have about my six-step photo shoot program.
I'm not going to hard-sell my program itself; if you feel it's time to take your business to the next level, please think about it and get back to me after we talk.
I have a great relationship with all my clients, and I'm honest with you. You can't build relationships on hard selling; that's what gives marketing mentors a bad name, and that's not me."
Thank you, and I hope to speak to you soon, Jeff