LinkedIn is a popular social media platform used primarily for professional networking and sharing business-related content. One of the key features of LinkedIn is the ability to post multimedia content like videos to engage your connections and grow your audience. A common question that arises is whether LinkedIn autoplays or repeats videos in the feed. The short answer is no, LinkedIn videos do not automatically replay or loop on a user’s feed. However, there are some nuances to understand about how videos are displayed on LinkedIn.
How LinkedIn Displays Videos
When you share a video on LinkedIn either natively or by linking to a video from another site like YouTube or Vimeo, it will play only once as followers scroll through their feed. LinkedIn does not have any settings to allow videos to replay or loop continuously as users scroll. This is an intentional design choice by LinkedIn to optimize the browsing experience and avoid some of the potential annoyances of autoplaying or repeating video.
There are a couple of other factors that impact the video experience on LinkedIn:
- LinkedIn videos only play if a user actively clicks on them. Videos do not autoplay automatically in the LinkedIn feed. This avoids disrupting users with unwanted sound.
- LinkedIn videos play directly in the feed inline. Users do not have to click through to another page to view them.
- Videos stop playing when a user scrolls past them in their feed. The audio will pause until scrolled back into view.
So in summary, while LinkedIn videos do not replay continuously, they are designed for easy viewing within a scrollable feed. Users control the playback experience.
Purpose Behind One-Time Video Playback
LinkedIn’s design decision to have videos play only once rather than repeating continuously serves some useful purposes:
- Avoids repetitive and disruptive autoplaying videos in the feed
- Optimizes limited mobile data bandwidth usage
- Encourages intentional engagement with videos
- Keeps the feed experience focused on new content
- Reduces noise and confusion that could deter users
The one-time video playback aligns with LinkedIn’s overall mission to provide a professional platform optimized for sharing useful business insights, not simply maximizing video views. The intent is to make it easy to view videos, but not overwhelm the feed.
Maximizing Video Impact Without Autoplay
While autoplaying or repeating videos may result in higher view counts, the one-time playback approach has some advantages for driving meaningful engagement:
- Encourages quality over quantity for videos. The focus is on compelling content that motivates a click, not looped playback.
- Allows relevant videos to be discovered organically by interested viewers.
- Gives viewers more control over which videos they invest time watching.
- Avoids oversaturation that could decrease user attention on videos.
Here are some tips for maximizing views and impact for LinkedIn videos within the one-time playback limitation:
- Craft attention-grabbing preview images and captions to motivate clicks.
- Share videos frequently but avoid excessive repetition to stay top of mind.
- Focus on videos 3 minutes or less to increase full views.
- Promote your best videos proactively beyond the LinkedIn feed.
- Analyze engagement metrics beyond just view counts for impact.
Alternative Options for Repeated Playback
While LinkedIn does not natively support autoplaying or looping videos in the platform feed, there are a couple of alternative options brands and creators can use to showcase video content:
- LinkedIn Company Pages: Videos tab allows uploading videos that replay when clicked. Can showcase videos here and drive viewers to tab.
- LinkedIn Showcase Pages: Provides templates optimized for video such as auto-playing Hero Banner.
- Advertising: Video ads can autoplay and loop to maximize visibility before clicks.
These features allow for some repeated video playback experiences beyond the main LinkedIn feed behavior. But in general, LinkedIn is designed for one-time video views to optimize the platform experience.
The Future of Video on LinkedIn
Video consumption continues to rise across social media platforms like LinkedIn. How LinkedIn adapts its video user experience going forward remains to be seen. On one hand, autoplay and repeating videos may increase expectation of engagement. But on the other hand, maintaining control and optimizing professional experience sets LinkedIn apart from other platforms competing largely on viral videos.
My prediction is that LinkedIn will likely stick to its one-time video playback approach for the core feed experience. But we may see more creative use of videos in formats like Stories or advertisements. The company seems committed to keeping a user-first perspective and adapting thoughtfully based on data and feedback.
For now, the lack of autoplaying videos creates a unique environment on LinkedIn. Brands and creators have the opportunity to break through the noise with thoughtful video strategies tuned for quality over sensationalism. There is still much untapped potential for compelling videos that engage professionals and move business goals forward.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn does not allow videos to replay or loop continuously as users scroll through their feed. Videos play only once when clicked and pause when scrolled past. This intentional design decision stems from LinkedIn’s focus on optimizing the user experience and promoting meaningful engagement. While autoplay may drive higher view counts, one-time playback encourages more intentional sharing and viewing of quality videos. Brands can still thrive on LinkedIn by focusing on compelling video content optimized for the feed. As a professional platform, LinkedIn is likely to maintain control for users rather than enable continuous videos in the main feed. But alternative options like Showcase Pages and ads can support video looping where it aligns with the company’s strategic principles.