LinkedIn Stories: Here’s What You Need To Know
UPDATE: LinkedIn Stories has been discontinued as of January 2022. Check our LinkedIn Marketing Course for the latest updates and strategies on LinkedIn.
In this blog, we discuss how to best utilise LinkedIn Stories, what content you should consider, and how you can maximise your engagement.
LinkedIn Stories are designed to make it easier to connect with your community and share your professional moments. It adds a more personal and visual option to the content formats available for both individuals and organisations.
But first things first, how do LinkedIn Stories work?
LinkedIn Stories are similar to other social media network stories such as Facebook and Instagram, whereby they are displayed for only 24 hours. You can upload stills or video, and record natively from the app, with a maximum of 20 seconds. You can then add text overlays and stickers to make your stories stand out.
Only your connections and followers can see your stories and engage with them. Comments they make are not public, however they are shared with you through your LinkedIn messages (this feature is most similar to Instagram Story comments). As well as that, only first-degree connections can make comments.
LinkedIn Stories can spark conversations with your network, keeping them engaged and informed. They also have their own analytics, allowing you to track views.
So how exactly do you publish a LinkedIn story?
Step 1: Create your LinkedIn story
To create your LinkedIn story, open up LinkedIn on your smartphone and navigate to your Home screen. Click the + icon at the top left of your screen.
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From there, you can either make a live recording or upload media directly from your smartphone.
If you cannot see this new feature, don’t worry! You may need to install the LinkedIn App update on your smartphone. To do this, head to your App Store, search for the LinkedIn App, and click ‘Update’.
LinkedIn Stories has only been released in a few countries to date so if you can’t see the feature yet, you will be able to very soon.
Step 2. Add text overlays and stickers
Once you’ve created your story, click on the edit buttons on the top right hand side of the screen. You can mix it up with text, hashtags, stickers and more!
The best way to learn about these features is to jump in and give it a go yourself.
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Step 3. Post and engage!
Once you are happy with how your content looks, simply click ‘Share Story’. Your connections will then be able to engage with your content and send you LinkedIn messages in response. So make sure you are keeping a close eye on your messages coming in and respond quickly to maximise your engagement!
Step 4. View your analytics
The LinkedIn Story analytics tool will show you how many people viewed your story, how many messages you received as a direct result, and how viewed more of your content!
As LinkedIn Stories is a brand new feature to the network and has only been released in a few countries so far (including Australia) you will find that engagement rates will not be on the same level as your Instagram or Facebook stories. However, this will increase more and more as the feature is released in additional countries.
To maximise your engagement in the future conduct a quick analyse of your results and make a record of which content sparked the most engagement. That way in the future you can focus on the high engagement content to maximise your results.
The best content for LinkedIn Stories
So now we know how to post a LinkedIn Story, the next question is what type of content you should post. LinkedIn provide the following tips for what sort of content works best for Stories:
- Things you do at work
- Thinks relevant to your work
- Thinks you do around work
We will run through each of these content recommendations in more detail below.
Content suggestion 1: Things you do at work
Things you do at work may include:
- Important initiatives and projects you’re working on: As you navigate your key decisions day-to-day, share real-time reports and updates of what you’re working on.
- Home office: Show your current work setup and how you stay productive. Everyone is look for great tips these days and it will help your audience get to know you on a more personal level.
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- Learnings from colleagues, stakeholders or industry events: Capture interesting insights, what piqued your curiosity, or share your learnings from your workplace interactions.
- Behind the scenes: People always want to know what happens “behind the scenes” and see exclusive content that would not be shared in other formats. Stories allows you to show this firsthand which will humanise your brand.
Content suggestion 2: Things relevant to your work
This may include:
- Industry news: Information about your field or specific company and how it impacts or influences Australians.
- Tips and hacks: Share tips with your community on, for example, how to multitask with ease, how to be a decision maker in your workplace, or some top tips for your LinkedIn profile.
- What you’re currently reading, watching or listening to: Audiences always appreciate something enlightening to get them out of their routine. What podcasts are you into? What books have you found helpful recently? Share these resources that help you grow professionally.
Content suggestion 3. Things you do around work
This may include:
- Your interests: Show your connections any creative side projects or intriguing hobbies that you’re passionate about so they can get to know you.
- Virtual team bondings: Share insights about online meetings or even virtual chats with your teammates. Does your team catch up for regular virtual drinks? At Social Media College we certainly do! Share these events with your LinkedIn network.
- Team culture: Every team has their own traditions and cultural moments. Show your network how you like to socialise with your colleagues.
Most importantly, add value to your audience
Now, if you have read any of our previously blogs or watched any of our previous videos, you will know that the most important thing to remember when posting content to any of your social media channels is to ensure that every post either educates, entertains or inspires. This is vital for any social media marketing strategy.
The same goes for your LinkedIn Stories! Make sure you are either educating your audience, entertaining them, or inspiring them with every post you make to ensure your content is adding value.
Whilst doing so, remember LinkedIn is a professional network, so just like your professional LinkedIn photo, keep your content in the context of your professional self.
LinkedIn Stories is a brand new feature and those that jump on the bandwagon early will learn what type of content and time of day drives the most engagement with your audience, which will empower you to gain higher market share get ahead of the competition.
So what are you waiting for? Login to LinkedIn today and explore the new Stories feature!
