LinkedIn Launches Video Cover Stories and Other New Features Legal Marketers Should Know About

LinkedIn has been helping professionals bring their story to life for years. The online professional network continues to evolve and they recently released several new features designed to maximize their on-platform presence. The biggest change is likely the video cover story option, which allows users to add an introductory video that people can view when they visit their LinkedIn listing. Here’s an overview of the video cover story as well as a couple other features that can help lawyers to promote their firms and services and even their expertise for job opportunities. 

Video Cover Story

The video cover story is a new tool that will be effective for legal marketers or job seekers. This is how LinkedIn describes the functionality: 

“Once you add your Cover Story, an orange ring will appear around your Profile photo, and a preview of your video will auto-play silently within your photo frame (we like to think of it as the “Harry Potter” effect). And, stay tuned for captioning capabilities coming soon. “

One big reason this change is noteworthy is that video has become more important on every social media channel over time. Video cover stories will put more emphasis on video content at the individual level. These videos allow users to add some personality to their profile and stand out from noise.

For job seekers, a cover story is a great way to introduce yourself and share your skills and goals. According to one survey, 76% of hiring managers stated that they would find it helpful to watch a pre-recorded video of candidates. For legal professionals who aren’t seeking new opportunities, cover stories are a great way to describe your services, specialties, and results in a brief and attention-getting way. Use them on your firm’s page to highlight your brand, what you stand for, and the personalities and culture of your staff before getting into the more detailed content. 

Creator Mode

As content becomes more important, LinkedIn wants to make it easier to create. This is what they have to say about this particular functionality: 

“At the heart of our ecosystem is our creator community. People love to see creators give their take on what’s happening in the news or share insights into a specific industry — whether that’s a post, a video, an article, or even a comment. If this is you, check out the new creator mode in your Profile dashboard.”

Users can turn on “Creator Mode” to add a selection of hashtags to indicate what topics they post about most on the platform, which will help LinkedIn showcase them to interested audiences. In this mode, “Featured” and “Activity” sections will be moved to the top of your profile. Additionally, the “Connect” button will change to “Follow” to help creators to build more of an audience within the platform. Creator Mode also puts a bigger focus on Live broadcasts to bring more of your content to the forefront. 

Pronoun Fields

LinkedIn has also added new, optional gender pronouns field at the top of user profiles. You’ve likely seen these filled in by some of your connections. This gives more flexibility to people in how they choose to express their identity. This is particularly important for facilitating communications between people, such as between a job seeker and hiring manager.

Takeaway

These are significant updates on the part of LinkedIn. If you haven’t been active on the platform lately, revisit it and try out the new features. They reflect a major update that can provide significant benefits in both your personal branding and thought leadership efforts. 

If you’re new to LinkedIn, check out our 3-month LinkedIn marketing plan for lawyers. We provide you with everything you need to know in order to get started spending intentional, impactful time on the platform.

If you need any help developing an effective LinkedIn strategy, contact us today.