LinkedIn has launched several features to make the platform more engaging using pictures and videos. In a blog post, Keren Baruch, Product Lead for Creator Strategy at LinkedIn, noted that the platform has seen a 20% increase (year-over-year) in people adding visual content in their posts on LinkedIn.
“We want to make it even easier to create visual content that helps you stand out and inspire your professional community,” said Baruch.
The first among the three announcements is the ability to add a clickable link to your images or videos. The idea is for users to drive traffic to their websites or other resources, regardless of whether they’re on or off LinkedIn. The company notes that creators can use the new feature to link to their most recent newsletters or their personal websites.
You can add a clickable link by tapping the “Add a link” icon after creating a new post on mobile with an image or video. Next, you add your URL and custom link text, and post away. Still don’t get it, check out the Gif below for a step-by-step procedure to this.
The company is also providing a range of text formatting and background options for your LinkedIn updates. It’s just an easy way for your text posts to stand out in the Feed and grab your audience’s attention.
Head on over to the share box or tap “Post” on mobile, and then tap “Use a template” — from there, you can easily create visually engaging content for your audience. Choose from dozens of customizable backgrounds and fonts, add your own text, and hit “Share.” You can even add a clickable link onto templates to encourage your audience to take action. You’ll begin to see this feature roll out over the coming weeks.
The above image is a good example from LinkedIn’s Head of Community Management. Andrei Santalo used a template to gather input from his community on an upcoming discussion.
Finally, LinkedIn wants its platform to look like Instagram with the new content format that allows you to mix images and videos when presenting information to your followers in a swipeable format. That is, users will soon be able to share swipeable content with carousels.
Baruch says, “From step-by-step advice, to tips and tricks and industry trends, carousels can help you share content in a visually engaging, swipeable format.” Check the image below to see how carousels will look like “in your Feed” which some users claimed they have started to see.
These new features looks like capabilities for LinkedIn Stories which the company shut down in August last year because users never wanted it. This must be because the platform is tailored to busy professionals who do not have time for fun like TikTok which is now positioning as a gaming platform as part of its entertainment drive.