LinkedIn Pivots From 'Creators'

TODAY’S EDITION

• Why LinkedIn is pivoting from ‘creators’ and what it means

• Instagram provides insight into the impact of Collab Posts on follower growth

• VSCO becomes the latest platform to connect brands and creators

DEEP DIVE

Why LinkedIn is Pivoting from 'Creators' After Going All In

Back in February 2021, LinkedIn announced the development of a Creator Management team to support and grow its community of creators. Shortly after, it introduced Creator Mode, a suite of tools and features designed to help creators build their following and engage with their community.

Since then, LinkedIn has made various efforts to cater to and engage creators, from the Creator Accelerator Program to dedicated marketing and editorial content to the launch of its inaugural Top Voices of the Creator Economy list. In short, LinkedIn has done everything with clear calls to 'creators.'

What Changed?

Now, LinkedIn is stepping back from 'creators.’ In the past few weeks, LinkedIn rebranded its LinkedIn for Creators account to LinkedIn Guide for Creating, and more recently, Daniel Roth, Editor-in-Chief, VP at LinkedIn, announced the discontinuance of his Creator Weekly newsletter to focus on The Insider. Add to that the recent removal of creator-friendly features like Clickable Links, and it’s easy to see that LinkedIn is in the midst of a pivot — from a narrow focus on creators to a much larger group of its members.

Fortunately, we don't have to speculate, as Roth confirmed this in response to a question (So the creator class cratered?) left on his post:

There are CEOs, founders, consultants, advisors, small business owners, marketers, celebrities, athletes, new graduates, and everyone in between who churn out content on LinkedIn and engage in activities that we associate with creators. But, as Roth mentioned, many of these people don’t identify as such.

Opportunities for Everyone

So, while some may perceive LinkedIn's shift away from specifically focusing on the creator community as a negative move, it’s actually the right decision. This move benefits not only LinkedIn as a platform but also aligns with the broader trend in social media of platforms trying to appeal to users of all kinds after pushing heavily for creators.

For LinkedIn, this new shift will allow it to address a larger audience:

• The executive who wants to share thought leadership to increase visibility for their company.

• The human resource professional who wants to share their learnings and help job seekers secure the roles they want.

• The college student who wants to showcase a project they're proud of to build their portfolio.

As someone who has spent a significant amount of time on LinkedIn, I embrace evolutions like this, especially when it may mean that LinkedIn will start to have more voices on the platform—people with knowledge and unique perspectives that may have been holding back previously.

NEWS, TRENDS, AND INSIGHTS

Instagram Notifies Users of New Followers Stemming from Collaborative Posts

Instagram now notifies accounts when they gain followers from Collaborative Posts—posts using the Collabs feature. When an account acquires a new follower through these posts, their notifications will state, 'XYZ started following you from your collaborative post.'

Why It Matters: Collaborative posts are one of the most effective methods for optimizing sponsored content performance, enabling creators and brands to tap into each other’s audiences. Beyond expanding the reach of content and providing brands with a means to repurpose creator content in real-time, brands also leverage Collabs to grow their Instagram accounts.

With this update, creators and brands can easily track how Collabs contribute to their follower growth. For brands, a simple way to identify when followers come from these posts helps in choosing when and what creators to use the feature with for their influencer marketing campaigns.

Peloton and TikTok Partner for Co-Branded Content Hub

Peloton and TikTok have launched a new, first-of-its-kind partnership in a co-branded content hub called #TikTokFitness Powered by Peloton. The hub features select live Peloton classes, original Instructor series, ongoing creator partnerships, class clips, and celebrity collaborations.

Why It Matters: Peloton has been in full rebranding mode to become a more inclusive brand. This partnership with TikTok will help achieve that goal by tapping into TikTok’s diverse audience, which also are interested in the brand (there are already 1 billion views on videos tagged with #peloton).

TikTok also benefits by expanding its list of partnerships, offering users more content from the brands they love, including live videos. Additionally, TikTok may experience an increase in engagement, as Peloton instructors are likely to direct their fans to their TikTok accounts.

Considering Peloton's recent addition of YouTube TV to Peloton Entertainment, could the TikTok app be next? I think so; it would help with its larger screen ambitions.

VSCO Announces Platform to Connect Brands With Creators

VSCO has announced VSCO For Work, a new platform connecting brands and businesses with photographers and creators for creative work. It is currently running a pilot program with select customers.

Why It Matters: VSCO has hinted at supporting creator-brand collaborations since the beginning of 2023, rolling out features like allowing creators to indicate their type of photography and availability for work, aiding in this effort.

VSCO for Work helps fill the previously existing gap in playing a direct role in creator monetization — something that has become important for platforms to appeal to their users. Brands, particularly small businesses, will be able to use the platform to engage VSCO native creators for on-site photoshoots and product imagery, along with the potential licensing of their pre-existing photos.

LinkedIn Makes Timestamps on Posts Less Visible

LinkedIn relocated the timestamp on posts. Previously, how long ago a post was made was displayed under a user’s name. Now, it appears at the bottom of the post, along with engagement metrics.

Why It Matters: User interface (UI) changes like this are fairly common for social media platforms. Yet, this may be an indicator of LinkedIn’s priorities when it comes to content. By making the timestamp on posts less visible, it suggests that LinkedIn is focused on surfacing more evergreen content to users, aligning with previous changes to LinkedIn’s algorithm.

For those trying to maximize their visibility, experimenting with more evergreen content may be the way to go. In the case of sharing time-sensitive content such as breaking news, one strategy could be to avoid using language related to specific times (e.g., today) or updating those posts after a while so that they are more evergreen in nature.

YouTube Adds New Layout Options for Its Edit Into Short Tool

YouTube updated its Edit Into Short tool, which allows creators to easily transform their long-form videos into Shorts. Creators gain access to new layouts, including Single or Square, and various Split Screen options.

Why It Matters: This update streamlines the workflow for creators looking to repurpose their existing standard YouTube videos into Shorts content.

While AI tools like Opus Clip have been popular for repurposing long-form videos into bite-sized content, social media platforms are now providing similiar native tools. Notably, TikTok's sister app CapCut recently launched 'Long Video to Shorts,' a tool that seems to have been inspired by Opus Clip.

WHAT I’M READING

The Creator Economy Opportunity: Where Authenticity Meets Impact (IAB & TalkShoppe)

The Interactive Advertising Bureau and TalkShoppe collaborated on a report that finds 44% of advertisers plan to increase their investment in creators in 2024.

2024 State of Email Newsletters (Beehiiv)

Beehiiv dives into the latest trends and insights around email newsletters — from benchmarks for open rates to how writers are monetizing.

SAG-AFTRA and Replica Studios Introduce Groundbreaking AI Voice Agreement at CES (SAG-AFTRA)

SAG-AFTRA announced a deal with Replica Studios, an AI voice company, allowing its members to license digital replicas of their voices for video games and other related projects.

THANK YOU

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