Why You Can't Afford to Ignore LinkedIn's New Short-Form Videos

Here's Everything You Need To Know!

Do you believe history repeats itself? It certainly does when it comes to recession, inflation, and the stock market. The same pattern seems to hold true for social media trends. We've seen the explosive growth of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

What Is LinkedIn's Short-Form Content?

LinkedIn started beta testing its short-form video feed on March 28, 2024. This allows users to create and share quick, engaging videos, similar to TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Currently in beta, this feature is inspired by these popular platforms, offering vertical, bite-sized video content.

Although LinkedIn is a professional platform, you likely won’t see TikTok dances. Instead, expect a focus on expert videos and professional insights. However, the historical success of short-form video content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts suggests that LinkedIn's new feature could follow a similar trajectory.

Why You Can't Afford to Ignore LinkedIn's New Short-Form Videos

Today, platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels have over 190 billion daily views. Their growth has been incredible:

• TikTok's Rapid Growth: From March to April 2020, TikTok was downloaded 2 million times in one week in the US, with a 48.3% increase in unique visitors from January to March 2020.
• Instagram Reels' Popularity: Launched to compete with TikTok, Instagram Reels gained 220 million users in just three months.
• YouTube Shorts' Success: By 2020, YouTube Shorts generated over 6.5 billion daily views globally.
• LinkedIn's Reach: As of 2023, LinkedIn had around 1 billion users with about 1.9 billion monthly visits. Users spend about 7.5 minutes per visit and send over 100 million messages daily. This strong presence makes LinkedIn's short-form videos promising.

Are You Prepared? Here’s How to Leverage It (Key Changes)

• Shift from Text to Video: LinkedIn may focus more on video content, reducing the reach of text-heavy posts. Start creating more video content and repurpose it into articles and text posts.
• Create Educational Content: LinkedIn users are mainly professionals. Use short videos to share professional development tips, industry insights, and company culture.
• Focus on Quality First: When TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts first launched, the emphasis was on creating high-quality, well-edited videos, even if the quantity was low. LinkedIn's new feature will likely follow the same pattern. Initially, focus on producing top-notch videos. Once the platform becomes saturated with content, you can then shift to creating a higher volume of more authentic, less polished videos.
• Use Captions: Many people watch videos with the sound off. Use clear, grammatically correct captions to boost engagement.
• Provide Value, Not Sales Pitches: Avoid sales-heavy messages. Pushing for sales and having tons of sales-y CTAs (calls to action) is not going to help you make more sales or establish your brand, but authentic value does. Think about why you would follow a page or subscribe to a podcast—it's usually because they offer something valuable.
• Don't Hold Back Information: Sharing valuable information is crucial. In today's world, with AI and information readily available, holding back can make you fall behind. Helping your audience understand and nurture them will establish you as an expert.

Consider Launching a Podcast

Yes, as the founder of Venture Podcasting, I'd definitely suggest that, but put the judgment and bias aside; here is why:

Podcasts are great for informative and educational content. They save time and money. A well-produced podcast can create engaging content, which can be turned into articles, text posts, and more. This way, you spend minimal time for maximum output. You can hire a team or agencies to help you with this.

If you don't want to do podcasts,

Set aside specific times each week for video creation. Batch recording, where you plan and record multiple videos in one session, can save time and ensure you always have content ready.

Conclusion

LinkedIn's new short-form video feature has the potential to be the next big trend. Drawing from the success of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn's videos could provide brands and professionals with new ways to engage, educate, and grow their reach. Embracing this trend can help LinkedIn users stay ahead and leverage short-form video content effectively.