LinkedIn Creator Mode & a New Audio Room Feature (think Clubhouse)

What you need to know about changes to LinkedIn:  what's new & what's coming.

Changes, changes, changes!

The world of social media is always changing, and LinkedIn is no different.

Don't worry! I've got you covered.

I make it my job to stay on top of what's new and what's coming.

And I've got two BIG things to share with you.

In this training we’re talking about NEW LinkedIn features.

One that has already rolled out and another that's coming:

LinkedIn Creator Mode & a New Audio Room Feature (think Clubhouse)

As always, I'll share the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Read on and watch the video here.

LinkedIn Creator Mode

According to LinkedIn…

“Creator mode is now available to 100% of LinkedIn members! Here's how creator mode helps creators grow and engage their audience:

Grows your following by updating your profile action from Connect to Follow and makes you eligible for search and discovery across LinkedIn.

Showcases your original posts & your Featured section front and center on your profile.

Establishes your voice by adding hashtags to your Profile intro so potential followers can easily see topics you post about most.

...and we're just getting started. Stay tuned for more features, improvements, and upgrades on creator mode soon.”

Who Is LinkedIn Creator Mode For?

LinkedIn Creator Mode is for members who regularly share content of value with their ideal prospects.  I’m not just talking about posts promoting your product, service or opportunity, but articles and videos that provide your target audience with real information that solves a problem or answers a question.  Content can also be in the form of thought provoking questions, surveys, polls and quizzes.

Turning on creator mode more prominently displays your content and encourages other LinkedIn members to follow you.

Why Did LinkedIn Launch Creator Mode?

LinkedIn says…

“At the heart of our ecosystem is our creator community. People love to see creators give their take on what’s happening in the news or share insights into a specific industry — whether that’s a post, a video, an article or even a comment.”

How Can LinkedIn Creator Mode Benefit You as a Network Marketer or Affiliate Marketer?

The past year has seen a dramatic shift in the number of people working virtually and spending much more time online.  Statistics show that this shift will continue even after the pandemic is over as more than half the world’s workforce is expected to continue working from home at least some of the time.

LinkedIn sees an opportunity to leveraged in the work-from-home space as this shift to online networking and virtual business-related events continues. 

In a recent article that appeared in The Wall Street Journal about the launch of LinkedIn creator mode said…

“The research firm eMarketer estimates that adult LinkedIn users in the U.S. who log onto the platform at least once a month will grow from 62.1 million last year to 64.7 million this year, jumping to 70.9 million in 2024,”

If you’re not producing content on a regular basis on LinkedIn you want to be.  In addition to posting daily on LinkedIn, writing articles and creating videos will help you build the know-like-trust factor, which in turn will help you create a “massive following of raving fans”. 

Those raving fans are the people who will buy from you and join your team.  LinkedIn creator mode will help you increase your audience, engagement and content visibility — all of which can help establish a stronger presence for you, which creates more raving fans.

What does creator mode do for LinkedIn creators?

Creator Mode will help you:

Grow your Following: 50% of member follows come from Profile views. With creator mode on, the blue button under your profile headline will change from ‘Connect’ to ‘Follow,’.  This will help grow your audience.  You can still invite people to connect with you and accept invitations to connect from others.  It’s just that the emphasis on your profile is different.

Establish your voice: Creator mode is all about helping users who create content prioritize showcasing their content over work experience, so with creator mode, your original posts will be highlighted front and center, helping you establish your voice with potential followers that visit your Profile. You can also add hashtags to your Profile intro so that potential followers can easily see which topics you post about the most.

Get discovered: In the near future creator mode will make members eligible for search and discovery results, helping creators get discovered and grow their audience faster.

Share your most important topics on your profile:  When Creator Mode is active you can have up to 5 hashtags prominently displayed on your profile just below your headline.  This lets your prospect know front and center what you’re all about and what’s in it for them.  AND it allows the LinkedIn algorithm to boost your content for those specific hashtags.

How do you turn on creator mode?

Creator mode is easily found in your Profile dashboard, and will be rolling out to all all members over the coming month. Follow these steps to turn it on.

While viewing your Profile, click Creator mode: Off under Your Dashboard.

After viewing a preview of the changes that will be made, click Next.

Add 1-5 topics (hashtags) which indicate the topics you post about the most. We encourage you to choose both broad and niche topics to best represent your content brand. You can choose whether to show these topics in your Profile Intro.

Click Save. Creator mode has been turned on! Follow the prompts for next steps or exit the flow.

You can always edit your topic settings or turn creator mode off by clicking Creator mode: On from Your Dashboard.

Once you turn on creator mode:

The Connect button on your profile will change to Follow.

We’ll display the number of followers you have in your profile intro.

You can choose to display the topics you post about in your profile intro.

We’ll reorder your profile to show your Featured and Activity sections first.

Your Activity section will be expanded to showcase more of your recent content and will no longer show your likes, comments, and other activity.

Similarities and Differences Between Following and Connecting

If you're connected to someone on LinkedIn, you will both be able to see each other's shares and updates on your LinkedIn homepages. You can also send direct messages to your connections.

Following someone on LinkedIn allows you to see the person's posts and articles on your homepage without being connected to them. However, the person you’re following won't see your posts. You can reach a larger audience by allowing others to follow your activity and read what you're sharing on LinkedIn.

View a List of Your Followers

Anyone can follow your public posts and articles. You'll receive a notification whenever someone follows you who isn’t a connection.

Important: This feature is currently not available on the LinkedIn mobile app.

To view a list of your followers:

Click the My Network icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.

Click People I Follow on the left.

Click the [number] Followers tab near the top of the screen to view your followers.

New Audio Room Feature (think Clubhouse)

LinkedIn is keeping up with the Joneses. 

Not only has LinkedIn just completed the rollout of creator mode to provide content creators with a new way to grow their followers and increase engagement with the 740 million users, but LinkedIn has a broader goal of of creating a complete audio-based social platform, competing with platforms like Clubhouse, which created buzz earlier in the year for the unique engagement opportunities it introduced.

According to LinkedIn…

“We’re doing some early tests to create a unique audio experience connected to your professional identity. And, we’re looking at how we can bring audio to other parts of LinkedIn, such as events and groups, to give our members even more ways to connect to their community.”

TechCrunch contributor Sarah Perez says “Unlike the Clubhouse rivals being built by Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn believes its audio networking feature will be differentiated because it will be connected with users’ professional identity, not just a social profile.”

Most of the platforms are launching audio rooms for voice-only conversations, however LinkedIn says it’s rolling out an audio platform to meet its users’ demands. 

LinkedIn says…

“We’re seeing nearly a 50% growth in conversations on LinkedIn reflected in stories, video shares, and posts on the platform.”

Last week I talked about how to use LinkedIn Cover Stories to boost your business.  This is just one way that LinkedIn is running early tests to create an audio experience that connects with members’ professional identity.

LinkedIn is planning some unique features for their audio rooms.  Stay tuned for more info.

If you’re not using LinkedIn now, you’ll want to be sure you get on board this powerful platform and stay abreast of all the new features and changes.