LinkedIn Video Posts – Getting Started

This article has also been recorded as a podcast;

Linkedinformed on Google podcasts / LinkedInformed on Apple podcasts

Native LinkedIn video posts have been around for some time but I still find it a challenge to get my clients to post them. With that in mind, I have decided to create a step-by-step guide for starting out with LinkedIn video.

This won’t be suitable for everyone but if you already posting video content and getting great results, you might want to send a link to this article to anyone you know who needs some help with it.

Interesting Stuff I Saw This Week

Following on from a piece I covered recently about Dan Roth recruiting a Head of Community for content creators, Socialmediatoday.com have published their interpretation of this announcement by jumping to a conclusion that this will open the way for popular content creators being able to monetize their content. You can read their article here.

I think they might be adding 2+2 and getting about 10 here but if they are correct, this is not good! I can’t say I’m looking forward to see posts about the latest cryptocurrency opportunity or videos including annoying ad breaks!

LinkedIn Suspends New Sign-ups In China To Review ‘Compliance With Local Laws’.

I’m not sure what to make of this, is this related to the Microsoft hack that was allegedly from China? LinkedIn are clearly being very careful what they say here!

Something is happening with notifications. Unfortunately they appear as unreliable as ever but they do seem to be experimenting with the page design which is currently flipping between the old style and a full page width. As you can see, LinkedIn are clearly prioritising the most important things to change rather than updating and improving the things that we (the users who apparently come first) find frustrating!

The new ‘full page width’ notifications

Some Shield users have experienced problems with LinkedIn this week.

It would appear that some recent changes made by LinkedIn are flagging some suspicious activity to the trust and safety team and this may have impacted a few Shield users although the numbers suggest Shield users are not targeted as such.

Here’s what Andreas from Shield had to say about it;

“We haven’t been able to identify a pattern across our user base as there’s only small amount of Shield users who have received this out of a user base of thousands. If you’re a Shield user and experience this, we kindly ask you to get in touch directly so that we can troubleshoot further and avoid any future warnings/suspensions on that account”

Here is Shields official statement on the matter

The problem here is one of resources at LinkedIn. In my opinion that is so often the root cause of so many of LinkedIns issues!

They have always been understaffed – whether out of choice or difficulties in finding talent but it’s us who suffer the consequences. If they had the right number of people, they would be able to assess the safety of individual 3rd party products more accurately…lack of resources means that good guys like Shield could get caught in the same net as the cowboy automation providers.

Shields CEO Andreas recently came on the show and if you listen to those two episodes, you will know what I mean, I also think this page from their website tells you all you need to know about what they stand for

Getting Started with LinkedIn Video

Video content doesn’t attract the most views (although they are measured differently so you can’t compare) or the most engagement but it is probably the best form of post to develop a closer relationship with your followers. I really think your personal brand comes alive when you post videos of you talking to camera.

Here is my step by step guide to getting started with LinkedIn video posts

Step One – Equipment

All the products recommended below are ones I have personally used and the links are not affiliate ones

There are only three critical elements required – Camera – Sound – Lighting.

You don’t need a fancy camera or video these days, just use the webcam on your computer or your smartphone. Most webcams do a decent enough job provided you have adequate lighting but if you feel you need to buy a better webcam, there are plenty of good options out there.

My recommended webcam – Logitech C920e / C920 HD Webcam

Sound quality is important but if you are in a suitable room, your phone or computer will do a good enough job. The best environment for sound is a small room with a low ceiling and plenty of soft furnishings. If you want to record outdoors then it may be wise to invest in a lavalier microphone for your phone.

Recommended USB microphone – Blue Microphones Snowball iCE USB Mic

Recommended smartphone microphone (especially for outdoor use) – Rode Smartlav+

The best lighting you can easily achieve is to record outdoors but that might require a compromise on sound quality. For indoor videos it’s important to set up correctly for the best light.

If you are in a room with a window, make sure the window is directly behind the camera and not behind you. In some circumstances you may need extra light such as a decent ring light (be careful when wearing glasses though as the reflection of the light will look odd).

When recording on a smartphone, it’s also a good idea to use some sort of tripod or phone stand. Handheld video will shake and that can be a distraction.

Recommended ring light and phone stand – Tencro 6″ Ring Light Webcam Stand

Note: I have since upgraded my mics and webcam from the above recommendations but these products served me well for years. Drop me a note if you want to know what I now use.

Step Two – Preparation

Here is your ticklist prior to recording;

• What is your message? Make sure you have clearly thought through what the main point of your video is.
• Get your room set up correctly for lighting and make sure there is no background noise.
• Run a 30-second test – simply record and watch back to check the sound, lighting, background and general quality of the recording.
• Write down your opening line – make sure it has an impact. Never introduce yourself as this appears too formal.
• Follow the above with a brief list of bullet points you want to cover. Try to use personal stories and anecdotes as much as possible.
• Try to memorize the above points but if necessary, write them on a piece of card and place this next to the camera/phone/webcam lens.
• Practice without recording at least twice. Time it and reduce the content if necessary to keep it below 3 minutes.
• Finally, just before recording get your mind into gear with this simple exercise; Close your eyes and picture a scene where you are sat in a cozy, very familiar place with your best friend. Breath deeply a few times and let any tension go. When you open your eyes, keep this scene in mind and record it as if you were talking to your friend.

Step Three – Recording

Start with your opening impact statement and then proceed through what you wish to say. Keep the pace reasonable, not too slow or fast – just a normal conversational pace.

Keep your tone, light and friendly. Avoid anything formal such as introducing yourself.

Feel free to ad-lib – never stick to or read a script. Don’t worry if you stumble a bit on a word, carry on recording. Most stumbles appear quite natural and enhance the recording.

Try to keep your content authentic. Recount personal experiences to re-enforce your points and avoid being ‘preachy’. it’s always more convincing the hear someone say

“I thought X was a good idea but when I tried it I found Y so my lesson was Z”

Rather than

“Don’t do X because Y is going to happen, you need to understand Z”

Try to end with a conclusion/statement and/or a question.

So it seems to me that Z is the thing we need to think about. What do you think?/ Can you relate to that? / What has been your experience?

Please add your comments below, I’d love to see what your response it.

Step Four – Editing

Now that you have your video recorded, you need to make it ready for LinkedIn. Remember that the vast majority of users will not have sound enabled on their desktop or mobile device so it’s very important to add captions or text boxes to your video. It’s also a good idea to post your video in square format (this takes up more space than landscape on Linkedin and portrait format looks terrible on desktop). I would also advise including a headline on top of your video to grab attention in the feed.

There are various websites that enable you to prepare your video for LinkedIn. I have previously mentioned Zubtitle & Subly before but these days I am using Veed which I have been very impressed with.

It allows me to add captions that need very little correcting plus I can add background colours, a progress bar, and a headline. It’s all very customizable. I recently made this video post with Veed

Full disclosure: I was given a 6-month premium account from Veed for mentioning them in a previous article but the above link is not an affiliate one so I do not receive any commission from them.

If you are recording your video on your smartphone you can automatically add captions as you record with an app.

This is often the quickest and cheapest way to add captions.

If you are an iPhone user I would recommend using either Clips or Clipomatic which both do a fantastic job of captions and in Clips case, a lot more.

If you are an Android user, the best solution I’m aware of is Autocap. I have an iPhone so I’ve never used it but I’m told it does a good job. If you can recommend another Android app, please let me know.

Remember when using your smartphone, make sure you adjust the app to record in square format.

Another option to consider is Brivvio which John Espirian has been using for his video posts such as this one;

Step Five – Posting

Now you are ready to post. As with all LinkedIn content, make sure you post it in the morning (time zone of your main audience) and ideally not a day when they are less likely to be online – this various and you will only know by trial and error. For me Fridays and Saturdays are the worst days.

Simply click the video button in the posting box and select the file from the location that you downloaded it to after editing.

You will now see an option to add captions (ignore that because you already have captions burnt into your video) and to add a thumbnail. This also shouldn’t be necessary if you have added a headline but you can easily create one on a site such as Canva.

The next stage allows you to add some text as you would any other type of post and this is worth doing – simply write an overview of the points you are making in the video. Some people prefer to read than watch a video so make it accessible to them.

Tag or @mention a few people who you think will find your video interesting, add a few hashtags (not especially important but why not?) and you are done!

So there you go – it’s as easy as that!

Really the main barrier with video is having the courage to give it a go. Be brave and give it a try, it’s by far the best way to get closer to your audience.

Post of the Week

We had some really strong nominations this week but none that got near the engagement of this post from Cheri Garcia. c300k reactions and c17,000 comments are mindblowing!

There really isn’t much to say about this post. The LinkedIn community have shown time and time again that they love nothing more than a positive story of triumph and such inspirational messages are more popular than ever during these testing times.

That’s all for this week, as always I hugely appreciate your support. Please let me know if there are any LinkedIn subjects that you would find especially interesting.

LinkedInformed is also a weekly podcast. You can listen to this episode if you prefer and subscribe for free so that all future episodes download automatically to your podcast app of choice

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