Facebook has Marketplace, Twitter offers a broad reach, and YouTube is the best place for video content and the best content for marketing. With all that said, social media has established itself as a unique tool for business people and their brands.
And when talking about businesses, LinkedIn – the Microsoft-owned professional platform – comes to mind.
LinkedIn is a social media platform with 810 million members in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. It is dedicated to creating economic opportunities for every member of the global workforce.
LinkedIn helps the world’s professionals become more productive and successful. It accomplishes that by providing a platform where they can connect.
LinkedIn has existed for about 20 years already. And it had always adhered to the more staid, information-driven feed governed by a careful code of professional conduct.
But as the adage goes, “The only constant thing in life is change.” LinkedIn is not an exception. Over the past few months, the platform has become more and more of a community-driven multimedia content portal.
Last October, the Microsoft-owned platform announced a $25 million investment in creators and its first Creator Accelerator Program (CAP). Then last March, the platform began rolling out creator tools to more users. That is why your LinkedIn feed may look different nowadays. It is now filled with valuable tools and stuff.
Some creators may get paid if they are part of the LinkedIn Learning community.
But what really is there in Linkedin’s Creator Accelerator Program? Who can use it, and who will benefit from it? Will it actually improve LinkedIn?
Find the answers to these questions below.
LinkedIn’s $25 Million Investment in Creators
Andrei Santalo is the Global Head of Community & Creators at LinkedIn. He says that their team has communicated with hundreds of creators from around the world. They discussed how their team could help creators become more successful on LinkedIn.
Santalo says the creators told them that LinkedIn should enable them to build an audience and create communities. Moreover, the platform should launch a monetization program, and it has to do it right.
That insight collection has led to the Creator Accelerator Program (CAP). LinkedIn launched a $25 million fund to help creators “build their audience and amplify their voice.”
CAP is a 10-week-long incubator-style course designed to help up to 100 creators on LinkedIn. They will receive coaching, a built-in creator network, and opportunities to be featured on LinkedIn channels. Furthermore, LinkedIn awarded them a $15,000 grant each. They should spend it to share meaningful content, spark conversations, and build communities.
Santalo wrote on the announcement that content creation on LinkedIn is about creating opportunities. You and others should both benefit from it.
The question you should ask is simple. How can your content make the 800+ million users on LinkedIn better at what they are doing? Or how can it help them see the world in new ways?
LinkedIn invited content creators based in the United States to apply for CAP. As long as the user has a story to tell and is “driving professional conversations about the world of work,” they can qualify.
Events for Creators
As previously stated, LinkedIn wanted creators to have access to the tools and resources to be successful. And so, the platform did a series of events to help aspiring and emerging creators.
Through these events, creators should be able to get an inside look at the best tools and tips for using LinkedIn. Moreover, they should be able to connect with other like-minded creators. Lastly, they should learn how to build their careers and connect to opportunities.
One of the said events happened at the inaugural INFused event. LinkedIn brought together Black creators on the platform to empower them. The platform gave them tools to connect, inspire, and engage their audiences.
The next event was a LinkedIn Live show hosted by the Community Management team. It was titled “Top 5 Things Creators Need to Know.” The Live show was about how creators can amplify their voice and grow their communities on LinkedIn.
And at the end of that month, LinkedIn launched Creator Learning Week. That week is filled with daily live learning sessions about creating on LinkedIn.
Rolling Out Creator Tools at Large
Last March, LinkedIn began rolling out creator tools to more creators. Users who will activate Creator Mode will gain access to upload videos, podcasts, documents, and articles, on top of short-form posts. Furthermore, they will be able to deploy newsletters and schedule events. Additionally, they can host and participate in video and audio live streams.
Santalo says that “the synergy between LinkedIn users and content creation felt natural.” He adds that the accelerator program has received thousands of applications.
Content creation on LinkedIn is about creating opportunities for all its users. And considering the types of audiences on LinkedIn, the project is bound to succeed.
LinkedIn provided the creators with a suite of content creation tools – hardware and software. Also, they attended programmatic sessions delving into topics like video tips and tricks and content creation planning.
Aside from those, they also participated in roundtables with LinkedIn executives and product teams. That is to hone the brand’s creator offering before its release to the general public this year.
Entrepreneur and CAP participant Melani Carter, the founder of Made for the W, says it was a blast. She says that she loved their sessions with the project managers. The content creators in the same niche get together and discuss what works and does not. Also, they talked about what they needed help with.
Melani adds that connecting with other people like that was a great way to introduce their work to new audiences.
CAP Was A Massive Success
LinkedIn launched CAP at the perfect time. Because of the pandemic, people have started questioning the meaning and value of conventional employment. CAP provides them with a new iteration of networking and professional community-building.
Santalo says opportunity does not arise only while getting or applying for a job. They are creating content and starting conversations open doors too. And with CAP and the creator tools, users can now do that on LinkedIn.
Participants like Tiffany Yu – the founder of Diversability – found skills training and support they couldn’t get anywhere else. That’s a testament to how successful the project is.