LinkedIn's Big Move into Video: Why I’m Paying Attention

Web3, AI and the creator economy in under 3 minutes per week!

Author

Shira Lazar
March 31, 2024

Hello everyone, Happy Sunday! 

I just got back from a busy week in Vegas at the Adobe Summit, where I learned how Adobe is continuing to integrate AI into marketing and workplace tools via their new GenStudio and Firefly tools.

Protecting creators and using licensed and royalty-free content in AI generation was a hot topic, and Adobe seems to be focused on letting brands know that they are safeguarded. Here’s a great article on Adobe’s big AI push by Jon Swartz from Marketwatch.

What You Need to Know: 

LinkedIn for creators has been quietly growing, but it’s for a different kind of creator than we see on other social platforms.

I started noticing this trend over a year ago when I saw a friend join a Creator Cohort the platform had introduced. Also, some other industry connections were posting daily and gaining thousands of followers. I was curious. I then got connected to one of their creator partner managers, Cayman Rojas, who made it all make sense to me.

He gave me some tips I still utilize to this day:

  • Don't use LinkedIn for promotion only.

  • Share valuable insights, opinions, or lived experiences in each post.

  • If you post an article, you should include enough information and your take so people can get a sense of the story whether they click through or not.

  • Use the trending tab to inspire your posts and increase their discoverability by LinkedIn editors.

Fast forward a year later, and while most people are distracted by changes on X or TikTok being shut down, LinkedIn continues to grow in the background.

A longtime friend in the creator economy, Brendan Gahan, just launched Creator Authority this year, a LinkedIn influencer marketing agency. He says, “there has been a 24% year-over-year increase in the amount of public content shared on LinkedIn.”

Now, LinkedIn is testing a feed for vertical video. As a "top voice on LinkedIn," I’ve been encouraged to start posting videos there now, too.

We are now moving towards the trend of the B2B influencer! If you are a thought leader in an industry, this could be your time to shine.

🔥My Hot Take: I’ve enjoyed creating on LinkedIn and the deeper conversations I can have there with new connections, peers, and mentors. It’s also been nice to have a place to experiment with writing vs. always creating a video.

I hope this shift to video doesn’t make this just another video platform; we have too many others, and it definitely leads to burnout. I also hope this doesn’t just become a new algorithm we need to game every day. With that said, I’m excited about the platform's potential for more monetization and growth opportunities in the future! I’m definitely bullish on LinkedIn.

On My Radar

Hume.AI is an AI tool that understands emotions through voice tone, making conversations with machines more natural and empathetic by responding to how you feel.

Thanks to my friend and fellow creator, Taryn Southern, for turning me on this tool.

Other headlines to check out:

In The News

Significant advancements in AI and Web3 include Base's development in blockchain, the impact of meme coins in crypto, Bitcoin halving's economic effects, YouTube's content warnings, and AI's transformative role in healthcare, signaling a future where technology reshapes everyday life and industries, necessitating ongoing adaptation and learning.

Unstoppable domain’s Sandy Carter recapped the trends of the month in Forbes, including more about YouTube’s AI content labels, and featured my thoughts in the article.

“One thing that content creators still have going for them is the inherent ‘humanness’ that original content still holds, as compared to most generated content. AI images and media are impressive, but there’s an immediacy and truth to human content that simply hasn’t been replicated yet. That being said, it can be hard for the average user to separate different kinds of content in real-time every single day. Because of this, having content identifiers on major distribution platforms could be essential to making sure consumers know what it is they’re observing,” notes Shira Lazar, the founder and CEO of What’s Trending.

I’m Bullish On…

Don Allen Stevenson III is a futurist who has worked with Dreamworks, Lil Nas X, Cardi B, and Bruno Mars. He was recently chosen as a beta tester for OpenAI’s Sora. His innovative approach to visual storytelling has made him a sought-after talent in the industry, where he continues to inspire and shape visual trends.

Gentle reminder:

“Life is projects. It’s not a job.” - Love this insight from Seth Godin on Tim Ferriss’ podcast.

We're looking for brands to share with The Alpha. If you’ve got a product or service you think we’d love, let us know!👇

Remember, I'm Bullish on you!

With gratitude,