LinkedIn Shifts Podcast Playbook, Puts Video Front and Center.

LinkedIn is making some changes to its podcast business, refocusing its efforts to producing more video and opening up the social network to a wider number of creators. The company, which first launched the LinkedIn Podcast Network three years ago, also sees the move as a way to help brands reach their target audiences with the help of top creators and publishers.

“We’re still investing in podcasting, however we’re shifting our focus to support a larger number of podcasters,” LinkedIn spokesperson Katherine O’Hara explains. “Instead of helping a small selection of podcasters monetize their audio content, we are working with a greater number of podcasters to help them monetize their shortform video content.”

The changes have led some shows to leave the LinkedIn environment. YAP Media announced Monday that it has picked up two of the more popular series, Negotiate Anything —which says it has had more than 15 million downloads — and The Anxious Achiever for ad sales duties.

The Microsoft-owned career-focused social network LinkedIn first expanded into podcasts with a lineup of shows that were designed to help users navigate their job hunts and workplace issues. That led to the debut of the LinkedIn Podcast Network, which featured a mix of shows created in-house as well as outside producers. “We have heard from members how much they count on podcasts and their favorite podcast hosts to deliver insights that help them stay ahead,” the company said when it debuted three years ago.

Two years ago, LinkedIn then created the LinkedIn Podcast Academy to act as a content incubator and connect emerging business podcasts with exclusive programming, coaching, tools and LinkedIn co-branding to help shows expand their reach. It also formed an alliance with iHeartMedia to leverage iHeart’s infrastructure and distribution capabilities and collaborate on new shows for the LinkedIn Podcast Network. That relationship has now ended.

“We continue to support podcasters as they share their content on LinkedIn to spark conversations and share insights,” O’Hara says.” We are exploring new revenue models to support a larger number of podcasters and creators, with a focus on short form video content.”

The move is part of an effort announced in May when the company launched its new BrandLink program. It is designed to deliver more relevant video content to members while also allowing advertisers to align with editorial content from trusted publishers and creators. Among those that it initially working with are podcast veterans such as How I Built This host Guy Raz, Diary of a CEO host Steven Bartlett, The GaryVee Audio Experience host Gary Vaynerchuk, Future of Business & Technology Podcast host Bernard Marr, and Emphatically You host Candance Nelson, among others.

“We are entering one of the most interesting evolutions of influencer marketing — the extreme rise of the B2B influencer,” Vaynerchuk says. “The organic social dialogue on LinkedIn has been nothing short of revolutionary. With the rise of video on LinkedIn, I’m excited to be included in BrandLink.”

With BrandLink, a marketer can choose from a collection of shows by LinkedIn that include exclusive content from creators and publishers. Each creator and publisher will produce original content, aligned to a theme that is unique to LinkedIn’s professional community, giving brands an exclusive, authentic and engaging way to target the audience they want to reach with their campaign. And with each show, a brand will have the opportunity to run their video ads against multiple creators and publishers’ content.

Lindsey Edwards, VP of Product Management at LinkedIn, says that since launching BrandLink in June 2024, advertisers are seeing, on-average, a 130% higher video completion rate and 23% higher view rate when compared to standard video ads. They also find that members who view their BrandLink ads are up to 18% more likely to become a lead according to the platform’s internal data.

“Context matters, especially in advertising. When you deliver ads against contextually relevant content, you become memorable,” Edwards says in a blog post. “That’s why we’re continuing to double down on our investment in video — one of the fastest-growing formats on LinkedIn — to drive more value for our ads customers.” She also notes 62% of B2B marketers said in a LinkedIn commissioned YouGov survey that they believe video is most effective in reaching and influencing members of the buyer group, they’re able to increase brand recall. And 91% believe that video will help them accelerate advertising ROI more than any other format.

BrandLink is available on mobile and desktop and supports a growing list of global publishers who produce region-specific content. With a community of more than one billion members, advertisers can target a location such as the U.S., as well as the preferred language setting on member profiles. To participate, a brand will work with LinkedIn to identify their preferred show and run in-stream video ads ahead of the creator and publisher content.

“I am beyond excited to be part of this program on LinkedIn,” says Raz. “I am so passionate about promoting entrepreneurship and innovation and LinkedIn's community is such a perfect fit for everything I do and stand for.”