<\/p>\n
\u201cLinkedInfluencer\u201d isn\u2019t an official term at LinkedIn HQ, but that could soon change.<\/p>\n
The Microsoft-owned networking platform created its first influencer program more than a decade ago, but, as video content has become more popular in recent years, its potential as a creator platform has only grown.<\/p>\n
In 2021, LinkedIn added a \u201ccreator mode\u201d for analytics and sharing, and in May, it expanded its in-stream video ad program to include the option to place ads against influencer content. At the same time, it launched original shows from known business figures like fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff and Sprinkles bakery founder Candace Nelson.<\/p>\n
Even before the expansion, video consumption on LinkedIn was growing. In its latest earnings report, Microsoft reported that time spent watching videos on LinkedIn increased 36%, and the platform\u2019s total revenue increased 7%.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are creating more content\u2026People are consuming more of it,\u201d Matt Derella, VP of LinkedIn marketing solutions, told us. \u201cFolks on our platform who have the most credibility around topics that really matter to people are leaning into it, and that\u2019s opening up the opportunity for us now to work with creators in a way that can help them not only drive reach, but build their business.\u201d<\/p>\n
As LinkedIn becomes more conducive to creators, it\u2019s opening up the door to new kinds of content and advertisers on the platform\u2014but creators and agency execs say there are still some growing pains when it comes to mastering the LinkedIn algorithm, data-sharing, and monetization options.<\/p>\n
Sara Uy, who goes by \u201cSellingSara\u201d online, started posting about her sales job on TikTok before expanding to LinkedIn in November 2023. Because she mainly posts casual content showing her cold-calling from home, she said she was initially worried about how it might be received on a platform like LinkedIn, which she viewed as more buttoned-up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was so hesitant because LinkedIn is not that type of platform,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The results of posting on the platform, though, surprised her. \u201cI found a community of people that were doing the exact same thing, day in and day out, and were really resonating with the challenges and the rejection that you face [in sales] every single day,\u201d she told us.<\/p>\n
Now Uy posts lifestyle and personal content alongside professional content, and she isn\u2019t the only one: whether the topic is a business trip, mental health, or the impact of layoffs, creators are sharing more on the platform, and brands are following. For Uy, it only took about seven months of posting as a creator on the platform before she inked her first brand deal.<\/p>\n
One of Uy\u2019s most successful branded posts to date based on impressions, she told us, is a recent vlog-style video created in partnership with the AI roleplaying tool Luster, in which she showcases a Chanel bag she says she purchased after using the platform to hone her cold-calling skills.<\/p>\n
Uy has worked with a wide range of brand partners ranging from Adobe to e.l.f. Cosmetics, and when it comes to finding the right fit, she told us she\u2019s seeking those receptive to \u201clifestyle crossover\u201d content given its success with her audience.<\/p>\n
Derella said lifestyle content can be particularly effective, even in a B2B environment. \u201cOne of the things that is clearly working is just humans talking like experts,\u201d he said. \u201cB2B often can be bland and boring\u2026and people want to buy from people they know and trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Derella, LinkedIn is seeing increasing interest from luxury brands, in addition to B2B brands. Aneesh Lal, founder of the LinkedIn creator agency The Wishly Group, said he\u2019s also seeing more interest from retail, travel, and hospitality brands as aspirational content becomes more prominent on the platform.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe amount of questions that we get about our creators on their routines, \u2018How often do they work out?\u2019 \u2018Do they journal?\u2019 \u2018What podcasts do they listen to?\u2019\u201d said Lal, whose agency represents Uy and 31 other LinkedInfluencers. \u201cThese questions have nothing to do with business. They have to do with the person behind the professional, because people are like, \u2018I want to get to that level.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
As marketers grapple with brand-safety concerns, LinkedIn could be viewed as having fewer bots and more professional, less polarizing conversations, Lal said. For creators, he said it can also offer a less cutthroat environment where they can break through without having millions of followers. But that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s the right place for all nonprofessional content, and certain creators may struggle to connect with the platform\u2019s audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has to have a creative corporate bridge to it,\u201d Lal said. \u201cThere must be a workplace element tied to it, otherwise folks on that platform will think someone\u2019s lost.\u2019<\/p>\n
Despite having nearly double the number of followers on TikTok, Uy said she considers herself to be a LinkedInfluencer first. For that reason, she continues to push brands to include the platform in all of her cross-platform partnership deals\u2014largely because of the quality of her audience there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I think of 90,000 people on LinkedIn, those are 90,000 legitimate people that have occupations,\u201d Uy said. \u201cWhen I consider 175,000 on TikTok, I don\u2019t know who that is. I don\u2019t even know if that is my target audience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, taking advantage of LinkedIn\u2019s audience can be challenging. Noah Eisemann, global managing director of social and influencer at VML, told us he envisions a \u201cmassive boom\u201d for LinkedIn\u2014 if only it would allow creators and advertisers to better utilize its network data to improve reach. (VML has a partnership with Microsoft, LinkedIn\u2019s parent company, and the agency has also supported some creative work for the company.)<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the hardest things about LinkedIn is the data you can capture and is and just how walled of a garden it is as a platform,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the biggest things holding back its widespread adoption, how they\u2019ve decided to gatekeep their data.\u201d<\/p>\n
As LinkedIn seeks to grow its influencer business and compete with other social platforms, it may have to address other potential hurdles, like content reach and measurement capabilities. Both Lal and Uy said that the platform\u2019s algorithm can be difficult to assess week over week, and which seems to prioritize different types of posts on a rotating basis.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think LinkedIn is at that phase where they\u2019ve transcended from being a job-hunting platform to a knowledge-economy platform,\u201d Lal said. \u201cThere is a completely different narrative there on what type of content shows up and how it shows up, so I still think they\u2019re learning that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Uy said she has also faced glitches when exporting impressions, and Lal said his agency relies on creators to share reporting numbers themselves due to limited visibility into metrics. Still, Lal said he\u2019s encouraged by recent updates, like this month\u2019s improvements to LinkedIn\u2019s creator API.<\/p>\n
Derella confirmed that LinkedIn is experimenting, and he said there\u2019s \u201cno set playbook\u201d on when or how to post because \u201cevery creator is different.\u201d LinkedIn is also working on ways to improve the experience for agencies working with creators on the platform, he told us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re definitely in the market, and we\u2019re listening,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As for creator compensation, will LinkedIn ever get the kind of built-in monetization options that platforms like YouTube or TikTok offer? Derella said he envisions a future where \u201cthere may be opportunities for [LinkedIn] to share in the economics\u201d of creator\/brand relationships and tie more content to advertising. For now, he said, the focus is on boosting the platform\u2019s video shows and expanding from there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re doing now is focusing on nailing it before we scale it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Despite the growing pains, Lal said he remains bullish on LinkedIn, comparing the current moment to the early days of creator\/brand partnerships on other platforms.<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine Instagram 15 years ago, and you got to be like, \u2018Who would I scoop up today?\u2019\u201d he said. \u201c[Brands] now have the chance to do that on LinkedIn.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n