LinkedIn is planning to introduce its very own version of Instant Articles

May 11, 2016

Following in the footsteps of Facebook, LinkedIn is now working on its own version of Instant Articles, a feature that makes it possible for publishers to host fast loading, immersive mobile content, accessible instantly within LinkedIn, rather than linking users back to their own site.

According to Buzz Feed News, a LinkedIn representative said: “Publishers remain a very important part of our content ecosystem and we are in regular conversations with them about new ways to work together”

“Our goal is to ensure we get the right content in front of the right member at the right time to deliver the best member experience possible.”

LinkedIn and its quest to become a B2B content marketing machine

In recent years, LinkedIn has worked to position itself into a source for business news, especially for professionals. In October 2012, the platform launched its publisher platform, a feature exclusively available for a few select members of the business elite, including the likes of Richard Branson and Barack Obama. In 2013, the platform acquired Pulse, replacing LinkedIn today, and taking the next step towards its goal to become a leading platform for business news. In 2015, LinkedIn’s publisher platform was opened up to all members, after being available on an invite-only basis the year before. LinkedIn really was running ‘full steam ahead’ in its efforts to become a B2B content marketing machine.

A battle to retain its B2B audience

LinkedIn’s proposed plan may come as a panic move as more and more marketers find success from Facebook, over LinkedIn, for their B2B campaigns. If LinkedIn were to partner with publishers to host Instant Article-like stories, it would boost its status as the ‘go-to’ platform for business insight and news – a move that could help to reclaim its share of the B2B pie.

When will LinkedIn’s “Instant Articles” be available? The answer to this is not yet clear. But we certainly will keep you posted on any new progressions!

Latest Posts

A B2B buying decision rarely happens with one person. It’s usually a buying group with different roles, risks, and opinions, and the deal moves when your champion can explain the choice internally. That’s why forwardability matters more than engagement.

Design and disability are so often discussed in terms of basic “accommodation” and “access,” yet my visit to the V&A’s Design and Disability exhibition completely shifted that perspective. Rather than framing disability as an issue to be fixed, the exhibition presents it as a culture, a rich set of identities, and a radical design force shaping practice from the 1940s right up to today.

Lurkers are your biggest audience and they’re deciding in silence. They watch in feeds, sanity-check you in comments, communities and reviews, then repeat whatever proof is easiest to quote internally. That’s why social feels harder, it’s no longer a click machine, it’s an answer surface. Ofcom shows AI summaries are now common in search results, and YouTube remains the UK’s biggest social utility by reach and time spent. If your story is inconsistent, your evidence is scattered, or your customer proof is buried, lurkers can’t do the job of trusting you for you.