LinkedIn Loves Video and You Should Too

I’ve developed my video skills since starting my semi-weekly LinkedIn Live show, PR Patter, more than two years ago. The live feature on the world’s largest networking platform provides me with an engaging way to promote my thought leadership and build my personal brand. PR Patter is a series of conversations with amazing people from across my public relations and marketing network who share thought provoking stories and valuable insights. I have found leveraging this video feature - for myself and my C-suite clients - to be a powerful way to connect with target audiences. Now, LinkedIn is currently testing a new video feature: a dedicated video feed. It includes in-feed carousels of short form video clips similar to those seen on Tik Tok.? Why are they introducing this feature? Because while LinkedIn users increasingly get tips and information from other experts who record on video, they can be hard to discover due to the volume available on the platform.?

The Power of Short Form Content

Short-form video is actually the fastest-growing type of content on LinkedIn, according to parent company Microsoft’s Q4 (July) 2024 earnings report, with video uploads up 34% year-on-year. For a lot of creators who’ve been active on Instagram and Tik Tok, the LinkedIn video feed offers the opportunity to tap into a whole new audience. Many see LinkedIn as a more thoughtful platform that leads viewers to post a higher number of in-depth comments, leading to deeper engagement and an uptick in followers.?

How to Be Included in the Carousels

To get included in the new video swipeable feature, you’ll need to regularly post original video content on your feed on topics relevant to your audience’s interests. In-feed carousels include side by side video clips that LinkedIn cherry picks according to your content preferences. What you see when you click through onto that swipe-able experience is a combination of videos from your network and other videos on the platform. A statement on the new feature from LinkedIn says that, “Videos are rapidly becoming one of our members’ favorite formats to learn from other professionals and experts, so we are testing new ways to help members more easily discover timely relevant videos to watch on Linkedin.”?

It seems that the new feature will get users to create video versions of their posts in order to drive an uptick in engagement. That said, not all business-related posts will translate well to the video format. Will business leaders have enough bandwidth to create video clips en masse? Not all leaders are effective communicators on camera and may be challenged by creating video in a more casual manner, without a lot of editing.?

The fact is that video can drive more audience engagement and keep viewers’ attention for longer periods of time, providing greater opportunity for impact and connection. The new feature will also open up new advertising formats.

Although my LinkedIn Live videos won’t get pulled into the short-form video swipeable experience, I still intend to experiment with and create more short-form videos to promote my personal brand and expertise.?