LinkedIn is a powerful platform for networking and sharing professional content. When you share an interesting post on LinkedIn, it’s easy for your connections to engage with that content by liking, commenting, and resharing your post. However, there may be times when you want to share a LinkedIn post externally with people who aren’t on the platform. In order to do this, you need to obtain the post’s unique URL. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to find and share a LinkedIn post URL.
Locate the Share Button
The first step is to navigate to the LinkedIn post you want to share and find the “Share” button. Here’s how:
- Go to the LinkedIn post you want to share. This can be found in your feed or by going to your own profile and News feed.
- Look underneath the post text and above the comments. You’ll see a row of icons, including the number of reactions, comments, and shares the post has received.
- On the right side of this row is the “Share” button, which looks like an arrow pointing upward emerging from a box.
Once you locate the “Share’ button, you’re ready to move on to the next step of actually sharing the post.
Click the Share Button
Now it’s time to click the “Share” button. When you do, a pop-up box will appear with various sharing options.
- Hover over the “Share” button and click on it.
- A window will pop up with the title “Share this post” at the top.
- Underneath the title, you’ll see icons and text representing places you can share the post – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn messaging, etc.
This sharing popup box allows you to share the post directly on another platform. But to obtain the post URL, you’ll want to click the “Copy link” option covered next.
Click Copy Link
To get the specific URL for that LinkedIn post, you want to click the “Copy link” option:
- Inside the “Share this post” popup box, click the “Copy link” icon at the very top.
- The icon looks like two chain links. Hovering over it usually shows the text “Copy link.”
- This copies the post’s unique URL address to your clipboard.
Once copied, you can paste this URL anywhere you want to share it externally.
Paste the URL Wherever You Want to Share
Now that the post URL has been copied, you can easily share it outside of LinkedIn by pasting it:
- After copying the post URL, close the sharing popup box by clicking the X in the top right corner.
- Open the platform or application where you want to share the post – this could be in an email, text, social media post, etc.
- Paste the URL into the appropriate location. For example, in the body of an email or social media update, or the address bar at the top of a browser tab.
- The URL will now allow you to share that specific post with anyone, even if they aren’t on LinkedIn.
The copied URL will link directly to that post so anyone can view it. Keep in mind if your LinkedIn posts have limited visibility, the URL may not work for those outside your connections.
Example LinkedIn Post URL
A LinkedIn post URL will typically look something like this:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6993816002084208640/
The URL contains the main LinkedIn domain (www.linkedin.com), as well as unique identifiers for the post and the original poster.
This allows LinkedIn to pull up the exact post even if it’s been reshared by others. So anyone you send the URL to will be taken right to that post you want to share.
Troubleshooting Issues
In some cases, you may run into issues when trying to share a LinkedIn post URL externally:
- URL doesn’t work: Double check that you copied the full URL correctly. If it was truncated or copied twice, it may not function properly.
- Post not found: Some posts are only visible to an author’s connections. The URL likely won’t work for those outside your network.
- Link redirects to LinkedIn homepage: The post may have been deleted or no longer exists. Try sharing a different post.
- Can’t access post: Your audience may need a LinkedIn account to view the content. Share an image or text excerpt instead.
As long as the post is visible and the URL is intact, sharing it externally should be seamless. But be sure to test the link before widely distributing.
Best Practices for Sharing
To ensure the LinkedIn post URL works as expected, keep these best practices in mind:
- Double check post visibility settings before sharing. Make sure the content is visible to “Public” if you want anyone to view it.
- Use link shortening tools like Bitly to create a condensed URL if needed.
- Paste the URL in your message first, then hyperlink text like “Check out this LinkedIn post.”
- Always test the URL to make sure it directs to the exact post content you want to share.
- Monitor comments and reactions to continue the conversation – even externally.
Following these tips will make sharing your LinkedIn posts outside the platform quick and effective.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions about sharing LinkedIn post URLs:
Can someone reshare my LinkedIn post if I send them the URL?
Yes, sharing the URL gives anyone the ability to then reshare your original post on their own profile or feed. The content will now appear as being shared by them.
Do I have to copy and paste the URL each time I want to share a post?
No, once you copy the URL it stays in your clipboard history. You can easily paste it repeatedly without having to re-copy it from LinkedIn each time.
What’s the benefit of sharing a LinkedIn post URL vs. a screenshot?
The URL shares the content directly from the source, ensuring highest quality. It also allows people to properly attribute the content to the original author and provides easy access for liking, commenting, and sharing.
Can I share the URL to a private LinkedIn group?
Yes, the URL will function for anyone who is a member of the private group. But those not part of the group will be unable to access the post.
Does the post need to be public to share the URL externally?
Post visibility can be limited to connections only and the URL will still work externally for anyone in your network. But the general best practice is to make posts fully public if you want the URL accessible to all.
Conclusion
Sharing LinkedIn posts outside the platform is easy once you copy the unique URL. This allows anyone to view the post, regardless of whether they have a LinkedIn account. To recap, simply find the share button, click copy link, and paste the URL wherever you want to share it. Keep best practices in mind and ensure proper visibility settings for seamless sharing. With the right unique URL, you can effortlessly distribute LinkedIn content beyond just your own connections.
