LinkedIn Pulse was a blogging platform that was introduced by LinkedIn in 2013. It allowed LinkedIn members to publish long-form content that would appear in the feeds of their connections. Pulse aimed to be a publishing platform for professionals to share insights, stories, and news related to their industry. It was seen as LinkedIn’s attempt to compete with platforms like Medium. However, in October 2022, LinkedIn announced that it would be sunsetting Pulse and removing it from the LinkedIn platform.
The history of LinkedIn Pulse
LinkedIn launched Pulse in 2013 after acquiring Pulse, an existing news reader app. The goal was to integrate long-form content into the LinkedIn ecosystem and leverage the built-in audience of LinkedIn members. At launch, Pulse allowed LinkedIn members to follow and subscribe to content from influencers and thought leaders. Over time, publishing capabilities were opened up to all members.
Pulse gained significant traction in its early days. Within a year of launch, LinkedIn reported that over 4 million people had published on the platform. Big names like Richard Branson and Bill Gates contributed content to Pulse. For context, LinkedIn had around 277 million registered members at the end of 2013.
The integration with LinkedIn’s feed gavePulse content unparalleled reach. Posts were visible not only to an author’s followers but also to their wider first-degree connections. This distribution advantage was a key driver of Pulse’s initial growth.
Over the years, LinkedIn added features to Pulse to make it more interactive and engaging. Writers received analytics on reads. Readers could react to posts and follow their favorite writers. Newsletters and managing editor roles were introduced to help create distinct brands on Pulse.
Why did LinkedIn decide to sunset Pulse?
In October 2022, LinkedIn announced that it would remove Pulse and retire it as a standalone product. Several factors contributed to this decision:
- Declining usage – LinkedIn reported seeing a significant decline in usage of Pulse over the past few years. As engagement with the product fell, it became harder to justify allocating resources to maintain and develop it.
- Shift in content strategy – LinkedIn began focusing more on short-form content and videos. The Microsoft acquisition in 2016 likely influenced this strategy shift. Pulse no longer fit into LinkedIn’s evolving content priorities.
- Increased competition – The rise of platforms like Medium, Facebook Groups, and Substack offered new avenues for publishing long-form content. Pulse’sinitial distribution advantage diminished over time.
- Opportunity cost – Maintaining Pulse had opportunity costs for LinkedIn. The resources could be better utilized to build out more strategic priorities and products.
The overall reduction in usage and engagement with the Pulse platform made the status quo unsustainable. While some publishers on Pulse were upset with the decision, it was likely in LinkedIn’s interest from a product strategy perspective.
What will happen to existing content on Pulse?
LinkedIn has stated that all Pulse content will remain on LinkedIn. However, posts will no longer appear prominently in the LinkedIn feed. Instead, Pulse articles will be accessible via the author’s LinkedIn profile under a new “Articles” tab.
Here is what will happen to different types of Pulse content:
- Member posts – These articles will be available under the author’s LinkedIn profile.
- Newsletters – Readers will continue receiving email editions as normal. But editors can no longer publish newsletter content to Pulse.
- Brand pages – These pages will be removed. Brands can no longer publish content under organization pages.
- Analytics – Readership analytics will no longer be available.
LinkedIn will provide publishers with the ability to export their posts before sunsetting Pulse. This will allow authors to migrate content off LinkedIn if desired.
Will any LinkedIn product replace Pulse?
LinkedIn has not announced plans for a new long-form content product to replace Pulse. The focus remains on short-form content.
LinkedIn’s product team commented:
“We’re going to continue enabling members to publish posts directly to their feeds. But they’ll appear more like articles and news posts you see across LinkedIn.”
Without Pulse, long-form articles in the LinkedIn feed will face much more competition for attention. Native video is becoming a bigger priority based on LinkedIn’s product roadmap.
It’s unlikely LinkedIn builds a new long-form content platform in the foreseeable future. Pulse failed to gain traction, despite years of investment. There are also better platforms purpose-built for long-form written content now.
What are the alternatives to Pulse for publishers?
Here are some of the top alternative platforms Pulse publishers can consider migrating to:
Medium
Medium is likely the closest direct replacement for Pulse in terms of functionality. It offers a clean blogging interface and built-in readership. Writers can build their follower base on Medium and leverage the ecosystem of publications and topics on the platform. Medium also provides analytics on post performance.
Newsletter platforms
- Substack
- Revue
- Buttondown
Publishing via email newsletters has exploded in popularity recently. Writers can build subscriber lists and send their content directly to their audience. Newsletters also provide data on opens, clicks, and more. LinkedIn’s Pulse newsletters can potentially be migrated to dedicated newsletter platforms.
Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups around specific topics or interests are vibrant communities for expert content. Writers can engage with these communities and publish content natively to Groups. The audiences are highly targeted and already primed for domain-specific content.
Personal websites
Writers who want full control over their content can consider building a personal website or blog. While the audience needs to be built from scratch, a website offers complete customization for branding and monetization. Website content is also fully portable. Popular website builders include WordPress, Ghost, and Squarespace.
The choice between these options depends on individual priorities. For quick transitions from Pulse, Medium or newsletters are likely suitable. Personal websites take more effort but provide longevity and control.
What does the sunsetting of Pulse mean for LinkedIn’s future direction?
Pulse’s closure provides some insight into how LinkedIn is evolving as a platform:
- Greater focus on short-form video – LinkedIn is prioritizing content formats like native video that perform well in the feed.
- Emphasis on professional conversations – Features like LinkedIn Polls indicate a shift towards user-generated conversations.
- More differentiation from Twitter and Facebook – Eliminating Pulse helps LinkedIn better differentiate from other social networks.
- Continued integration with Microsoft – The Microsoft acquisition appears to have nudged LinkedIn away from standalone products like Pulse.
The sunsetting of Pulse cements LinkedIn’s status as a platform optimized for professional networking and conversations. While Pulse offered useful blogging features, LinkedIn has clearly decided that long-form thought leadership content no longer aligns with its core value proposition to members.
Conclusion
LinkedIn Pulse is being retired and will no longer be available past March 2023. Existing Pulse content will remain accessible on LinkedIn profiles, but new posts can no longer be published. The decision comes as usage of Pulse declined over the years and LinkedIn’s content strategy shifted towards short-form video and professional conversations.
For business professionals and writers who used Pulse, several alternative platforms exist like Medium, Substack, Facebook Groups, and personal websites. But LinkedIn currently has no plans to launch a replacement product, instead focusing on content formats like video and polls.
Pulse’s closure marks a notable shift for LinkedIn away from standalone long-form content products. The platform is embracing a more integrated future with Microsoft while doubling down on its core identity as a professional networking site.
Platform | Pros | Cons |
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Medium |
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Substack / Revue |
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Facebook Groups |
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Personal website |
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In summary, while LinkedIn Pulse is going away, publishers have several alternative options based on their specific needs and priorities. Each platform provides different benefits and tradeoffs.