LinkedIn’s external event link allows users to promote events hosted outside of LinkedIn on their profile and in other areas of the platform. This link enables members to provide details about an event and drive registration from their LinkedIn network. The external event link is beneficial for event organizers looking to maximize exposure and tap into LinkedIn’s community of professionals.
What is the purpose of the external event link?
The primary purpose of LinkedIn’s external event link is to enable users to share non-LinkedIn events with their professional network. Rather than having to create formal LinkedIn events, members can simply include a link to any third-party event. This allows them to leverage their LinkedIn connections to promote and build awareness for events they are affiliated with but that are not officially on LinkedIn.
Some key benefits of the external event link include:
- Promoting external events to a relevant, professional audience
- Driving registrations and attendance
- Increasing visibility and exposure for events
- Tapping into LinkedIn’s large membership base
- Providing members a simple way to share external events
In summary, the external event link enables members to easily harness the power of their LinkedIn network for any events, even if hosted off the LinkedIn platform.
Where can the external event link be added on LinkedIn?
There are a few key places where LinkedIn members can include an external event link:
- Public profile: The external event link can be added to the Experience section of a member’s public profile, underneath their job history. This allows the event to be prominently displayed on their profile.
- Share button: When making a new post, members can include the external event link via the share button dropdown menu.
- LinkedIn events page: Members can publish the external event link on LinkedIn’s events page, although these appear separately from official LinkedIn events.
Adding the link on a public profile or when sharing new posts are the most effective ways to promote the event to connections. However, the events page also enables discovery from the broader LinkedIn community.
How to add an external event link on LinkedIn
Adding an external event link is a simple process:
- Navigate to the experience section of your LinkedIn profile.
- Click “Add profile section” and select “Accomplishments”.
- Fill in details including:
- Title
- Event name
- Location
- Date
- In the description field, paste in the URL for the external event page or ticketing page.
- Click save.
The event will now be visible in the Accomplishments section with the link clickable for your connections.
When sharing a new post, use the share button dropdown menu and select “external website”. Paste in the event URL and event details, then share as you normally would.
Best practices for external event links
To maximize exposure and interest for external events, keep these best practices in mind:
- Share early and often: Don’t wait until right before your event. Share the link weeks or months in advance to give connections time to plan.
- Personalize posts: When sharing the link via posts, customize the text rather than only including the link. Make it personal and compelling.
- Engage connections: Follow up with key contacts directly to invite them after sharing the link. The personal touch helps drive registrations.
- Monitor analytics: Use tracking URLs or UTM codes to monitor traffic from LinkedIn to your event pages. This can demonstrate ROI.
- Retarget attendees: Remarket to event visitors by creating custom LinkedIn ads targeting the event website traffic.
Challenges or limitations
While the external event link is useful, there are some limitations to be aware of:
- Links are not clickable on mobile LinkedIn, requiring users to copy/paste.
- Events don’t appear in LinkedIn’s main events section, only under a separate tab.
- There is no central hub to manage the event on LinkedIn or message attendees.
- Events can get lost in busy LinkedIn feeds.
Due to these limitations, marketers should not rely solely on LinkedIn to drive awareness and registrations. A multi-channel promotion strategy is still important. However, the external event link remains a valuable tool to tap into the professional networking power of LinkedIn.
Conclusion
The LinkedIn external event link provides a simple but effective way to share and promote non-LinkedIn events to a relevant professional audience. By posting the link on member profiles and sharing it in posts, organizers can expand their reach and increase signups. While some limitations exist, it’s an easy addition that can supplement any external event marketing campaign. With the right strategy, the external event link can connect you with qualified event leads from within the LinkedIn community.
