Newsletters are a proven way for news media companies to engage with audiences, and in most cases that means being able to meet users where they live: in their inbox.

The Australian Financial Review, a business-focused daily, merged the popularity of newsletters with its highly engaged LinkedIn following and found a formula for success.

With more than 741,000 LinkedIn followers, the Australian Financial Review enjoys the largest following of any Australian publisher on that platform. It is a position the company has built steadily over several years, using a strategy that leverages its most relevant content for the platform.

Articles such as career advice, CEO profiles, and business and finance news proved to be a natural fit for LinkedIn’s professional audience, and the company’s data showed that new readers who visited afr.com via LinkedIn converted at a higher rate than any other social platform.

A social newsletter

Recognising what a powerful meeting place LinkedIn provided to reach subscribers outside its owned platforms, AFR acknowledged its value — and chose to leverage it.

LinkedIn’s newsletters, which it began offering in 2021, provided the fit AFR was looking for. It launched its first newsletter, AFR Success, in April 2023. That newsletter was an abridged version of its Work & Careers newsletter, written by reporter Euan Black.

The goal was to let its large audience get a taste of the AFR newsletter whilst on the LinkedIn platform — and outside its paywall. Links to sign up for the full newsletter are included throughout the social media version.

The company had several goals in showcasing some of its high-value content on LinkedIn, which included:

• Maximising brand awareness on LinkedIn through increased reach and followers. 
• Reaching new, early career professionals who may not be familiar with AFR’s breadth of coverage.
• Increasing awareness of the company’s newsletter offerings.
• Positioning the AFR as a thought leader in the LinkedIn community.

How it went

Since its launch in April 2023, AFR Success has become Australia’s most-subscribed LinkedIn newsletter. As of January 2024, it had generated more than 193,000 sign-ups, and that number has continued to grow weekly.

The newsletter has paid the anticipated dividends in terms of engagement with new audiences — particularly younger audiences — and has extended AFR’s overall reach. 

Some of the impressive first-year results include:

• More than 193,000 LinkedIn users signed up to receive AFR Success each week; that number now exceeds more than 219,000.
• The newsletter received more than 2.4 million views on LinkedIn or via e-mail.
• Monthly impressions increased 82% by the end of the year. 
• In the three months following the launch, AFR gained more than 45,000 new followers — a 94% increase from its gains in the previous period.
• LinkedIn’s internal analytics show that one of the biggest cohorts of subscribers is junior professionals, helping the company achieve its goal of reaching younger audiences.
• Hundreds of readers have clicked through to sign up for the full newsletter at afr.com.

Its highly engaged LinkedIn audience and unique position on the platform provided the AFR with the perfect place to experiment and innovate. Since then, it has continued experimenting with polls and short videos and is considering expanding its LinkedIn newsletter offering to address more niche interest areas.

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