If you have an active content strategy for LinkedIn, drafts are your best friend. You want a place to save all your ideas for posts, edit them whenever you get a good idea, and keep them safe until you are ready to publish.
But LinkedIn can be kind of unneighborly when it comes to saving drafts. In short:
- You can save only one post as a draft natively
- You cannot save messages or inMails as drafts
- You can save multiple LinkedIn articles in draft mode (but they are tricky to locate on-platform)
So today, we will be looking at how to draft LinkedIn posts, make your drafts good, keep them safe, and why bother in the first place.
Also, we will tell you how you can save numerous post drafts on LinkedIn.
Let’s get started.
Can I save a draft on LinkedIn?
Yes. LinkedIn allows you to write a post and save it for later publishing, just like your email or any other online communication platform.
This is a relatively new feature and a great function for a few reasons, and we will touch on those a bit later on.
First, it was introduced to mobile phones and later added to the website. Note that these drafts do not synchronize. The draft you compose on the mobile app won't be shown on a website and vice versa.
You should know, however, that LinkedIn enables you to create only one draft. When you don't feel it is a good time to publish your post, you can save it for later.
Where to find saved articles on LinkedIn desktop
Linkedin makes finding your drafts a little difficult. It’s not exactly an intuitive setup. This is how to get to the articles you drafted and saved for later:
- Go to your main Profile page.
- Click on “Write an article.”
- Look in the upper left and find the “Publishing menu.” Click that.
- You will get a drop-down list. Your LinkedIn post drafts will be in there, under “My drafts.”
LinkedIn’s navigational logic can be a little convoluted in some cases. Hopefully, this four-step list will help you get around a little easier. If you feel like this:
Bookmark this direct link to article drafts: https://www.linkedin.com/post/new/drafts
And they will always be available.
How to write good LinkedIn post drafts
Writing good drafts is fairly similar to writing good final posts. Choose a topic you are knowledgeable about and present it in a clear, understandable, and easily readable way. Use everyday language and try to be to the point as much as you can without sounding callous. Give relatable examples from your own life or professional journey.
Even though it's only a draft, start making it emotional. Evoking emotions is one of the best ways to make your LinkedIn posts impactful, so start developing that early on in your process.
The one thing that sets draft writing apart from post writing is the level of flexibility. A post is done and polished, and ready to be shipped out to the broader audience. A draft still has room to grow and become a viral piece of content.
Here is the template for capturing ideas for LinkedIn posts and making drafts out of them:
Template 1: Capturing an Idea While Scrolling Through the Feed
🔖 Idea Trigger: [What post or content triggered this idea?]
💡 Quick Idea Summary: [Write a brief summary of your idea. Keep it short as this is something you're jotting down quickly.]
🎯 Possible Objectives: [What might be the goals of a post based on this idea? E.g., Share an insight, Start a discussion, Offer a tip]
🔍 Target Audience: [Who might be interested in this? E.g., Industry professionals, Customers, General public]
📝 Notes: [Any additional thoughts or things you don’t want to forget about this idea]
Template 2: Expanding a Comment into a LinkedIn Post
📅 Comment : [Enter Comment]
🔖 Original Post: [Copy and paste the original Post here or add a link]
💡 Core Message: [What is the main message or point from the comment that you want to expand upon?]
🪝 Expanded comment [Idea for the hook or ending, additional ideas and context that you want to cover in the post]
How to save drafts on LinkedIn
As we already mentioned, LinkedIn itself will not bother to save your drafts mid-writing. You are better off using a dedicated tool like AuthoredUp to keep your work safe while you are actually working. That said, once you are satisfied with what you’ve written, it will be time to transfer it to the platform.
Now, you can choose to publish your post immediately or save it for later. If you opt for the second option, you want your content to go to that elusive “My drafts” location that we mentioned at the beginning of this guide. This is how you do that:
- Go to your LinkedIn homepage.
- Click on “Start a post” to get the post creation pop-up window.
- In the “What do you want to talk about?” field, input your finished draft.
- Go to the upper-right and click the X button.
- You will get another pop-up window asking you, “Save this post as a draft?
- Click “Save as draft.” You should see a message that the “draft is successfully saved.” The next time you open you will see text, other content elements (e.g. if you added an image, poll, PDF), hashtags, and mentions.
When you get back to the Linkedin editor, it will be there.
This is my saved post:
If you change your mind for whatever reason, you can always delete the post instead of saving it. Just click “Discard”. Remember that the LinkedIn post drafts include text only. You can’t use the drafting function to edit videos or photos. If your post includes any visuals, you will have to delete them, make new versions in another program, and re-upload those edited visuals into your draft.
How to save multiple post drafts on LinkedIn
As we mentioned, LinkedIn natively allows you to save only one post-draft at a time. This limitation can be frustrating, especially if you have a stream of ideas that you want to jot down. So, how can you bypass this restriction and save multiple drafts?
AuthoredUp is the solution you need. It’s a browser extension that seamlessly integrates with LinkedIn and allows you to save, duplicate, and manage multiple drafts effortlessly.
Unlimited Drafts on LinkedIn: No longer are you restricted to a single draft. With AuthoredUp, you can save as many drafts as you like, ensuring that none of your brilliant ideas are lost.
Advanced Formatting: Make your posts stand out with rich formatting options. AuthoredUp allows you to use bold, italics, bullet points, and emojis, which are not available in LinkedIn's native editor.
Post Preview: Ever wondered how your post will look once published? AuthoredUp lets you preview your post, so you know exactly what it will look like in the feed.
Drafts Anywhere: AuthoredUp is not just a Chrome Extension. Access the AuthoredUp platform from any device, be it mobile or tablet, and write down ideas for LinkedIn posts on the go.
Easy Organization: Keep your drafts organized and easily accessible. AuthoredUp’s intuitive interface makes navigating through your drafts a breeze.
Why bother saving LinkedIn post drafts?
The short answer is that it makes your content strategy more effective. When you save your posts as drafts, you enable yourself to do two important things: look at your content with fresh eyes and maintain some freedom in your schedule.
Write a post, save it as a draft, and leave it for a day or two. When you come back to it, your mind will be rested, and you’ll have a clearer perspective. You can catch any errors that you might have missed while writing. While the post is still a draft, you can safely correct any mishaps and make any style changes you might want.
In addition, having a string of articles saved on your back roll gives you some breathing space between posting times. Once you are satisfied with a draft, simply schedule it to be published at a specific date and time.
You don’t have to be chained to your profile to make sure that your content is rolling out according to your publication calendar. You can go on about your business and maintain your presence on LinkedIn, as well as your reputation as a punctual, reliable content creator.
Save a draft post on Linkedin - best practices
You might think saving a draft on LinkedIn is a no-brainer, but there's more to it than meets the eye. Here’s a streamlined guide to make your drafting process efficient and effective:
Organize Your Ideas
Where do you jot down your bolts of inspiration? In your phone’s notes? On post-it papers around your office? In a pocket notepad? On the back of your hand? For a lot of people, ideas pop up when they feel like it, not when we want them. That tends to result in an overall mess.
Here is how to organize them:
- Capture Ideas Instantly: Inspiration can strike anytime. Jot down your ideas immediately in your LinkedIn drafts.
- Categorize Your Drafts: Group similar content together. Use a word, number, or symbol in draft titles to mark ideas that share a concept.
- Separate Tangents: If your mind wanders to a new idea while writing, create a separate draft. This keeps your content focused and allows you to explore new ideas later.
Safeguard Your Content
Once you have your outlines drafted and you start to flesh them out, it might be a good idea to track those changes somehow. Use whatever system or method best suits your style of working. The point is to gain insight into your personal content creator process.
- Track Changes: Keep an eye on how your draft evolves from an initial idea to a full-fledged post.
- Identify Strengths and Weaknesses: Understanding your content creation process helps in leveraging your strengths and addressing any bottlenecks.
Keep your content safe from loss
- Beware of Data Loss: LinkedIn doesn’t auto-save your LinkedIn posts. An unstable internet connection or a system crash can erase your hard work.
- Use AuthoredUp for Safety: AuthoredUp, a third-party tool, is an excellent choice for safeguarding your drafts. It offers rich text editing and formatting options and allows you to preview your content on different devices.
Let’s review
So, to sum up, it is entirely possible to write a good LinkedIn post draft and save it on-platform. The only catch is you can save only one post as a draft.
To most Linkedin users, that is definitely now enough.
To make your drafts the best that they can be, you want them to be flexible, streamlined, and include examples. Use a dedicated tool like AuthoredUp to give yourself maximum formatting freedom and save your drafts mid-writing.
Saving and managing multiple drafts on LinkedIn doesn’t have to be a hassle. With AuthoredUp, you have the power to save unlimited drafts, format your posts for maximum impact, and preview them before publishing. Take control of your LinkedIn content strategy by using AuthoredUp to manage your drafts efficiently.
Get AuthoredUp TODAY and save as many drafts as you want on LinkedIn!
Does LinkedIn save draft posts?
Yes, LinkedIn allows you to save a single post as a draft. However, if you want to save multiple drafts and have more flexibility, AuthoredUp is an excellent tool. It allows you to save as many drafts as you want and offers advanced features for content creation.
How do I publish a draft post on LinkedIn?
To publish a draft post on LinkedIn, go to your drafts, select the one you want to publish, finalize your content, and click “Post”. If you’re using AuthoredUp, you can publish your post in just two clicks and even preview it before publishing.