LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 850 million members. As a platform built to help professionals connect, share insights, and build their brands, LinkedIn offers users a variety of options for posting content. One of those options is sharing YouTube videos. But is posting YouTube videos to LinkedIn an effective strategy? Or could it potentially backfire? Let’s take a closer look.
The Pros of Posting YouTube Videos on LinkedIn
Posting YouTube videos on LinkedIn has a number of potential benefits:
Increased Engagement
Video is known to boost engagement across social media platforms. In fact, video generates over 3X more inbound links and 2X more shares than text and images combined. So posting YouTube videos to your LinkedIn profile or company page could help increase engagement from your connections.
Enhanced Thought Leadership
Sharing videos enables you to showcase your thought leadership and expertise in a more dynamic, visual format. Whether it’s a how-to tutorial, expert interview, or conference presentation, video gives followers a better sense of who you are and what you know.
Expanded Reach
YouTube has over 2 billion monthly active users, giving you access to a huge audience beyond just your LinkedIn connections. Incorporating YouTube expands your potential reach and enables your videos to be discovered via YouTube’s search and suggested videos.
Improved SEO
Videos boost your ability to rank for industry keywords on both YouTube and LinkedIn. The content from your videos can help inform search engines about your niche, credentials, and unique value proposition.
Behind-the-Scenes Access
Video gives you a chance to showcase company culture, workplace environment, events, and employee talent. Giving insiders a peek behind the curtain can enhance your employer brand and appeal to potential recruits.
Multimedia Storytelling
Combining images, audio, motion graphics, and more, video is the ultimate storytelling medium. You can use YouTube videos on LinkedIn to tell compelling brand stories and connect with audiences on a more emotional level.
Potential Drawbacks of Posting YouTube Videos on LinkedIn
While the benefits are substantial, there are a few potential drawbacks to keep in mind as well:
Information Overload
With so much content already flooding the LinkedIn feeds of your connections, some users may find video overwhelming or unnecessary. You don’t want your videos contributing to information overload.
Appearing Too Self-Promotional
If all you do is post your own YouTube videos, some followers may see this as self-serving. It’s important to balance self-created videos with other informative content.
Low Views on YouTube
If your YouTube subscribers are low, posting videos with few views can undermine credibility versus boosting it. Focus on driving engaged subscribers and high viewership before heavily promoting videos.
Lack of Context in Feeds
The LinkedIn feed shows just a thumbnail preview of videos. Without context, connections may misunderstand the actual content or value of your videos.
Technical Issues
Between playback errors, poor audio, pixelated video, and other glitches, technical problems can ruin the user experience. Invest time into creating high-quality videos.
Appearing Out of Touch
Video production takes time. So if you aren’t posting new content frequently, previously recorded videos may seem outdated. Stay on top of trends and consistently add fresh videos.
Best Practices for Posting YouTube Videos on LinkedIn
To maximize the benefits and minimize potential downsides, here are some top tips to follow:
Keep Videos Short
Shorter videos tend to get more full watch time versus longer videos people click away from. Try to keep most videos under 5 minutes, with 2 minutes or less performing even better.
Prioritize Quality Over Quantity
One high-quality, valuable video is more impactful than frequently posting mediocre content. Invest time into useful videos that enrich the viewer experience.
Focus on Your Niche
Tailor video topics specifically to your ideal target audience. Videos with niche appeal tend to resonate more than generic, loosely related content.
Promote Selectively
Don’t auto-post every new YouTube video to LinkedIn. Only share videos likely to interest your professional audience and support your brand image.
Include Links in Posts
When sharing YouTube videos on LinkedIn, include a brief descriptive post with context and links to resources mentioned in the video description.
Make Thumbnails Stand Out
Catchy custom thumbnails will grab more attention in crowded LinkedIn feeds. YouTube lets you easily create and customize thumbnails.
Interact with Your Videos
Don’t just set and forget posted videos. Respond to any comments on the videos to further engage your audience.
Analyze Performance
Study key metrics like views, completion rates, and engagement to see which videos resonate most with your audience. Refine your strategy based on insights.
Repurpose Top Content
If a video really takes off, look for opportunities to reuse that content in future videos, blog posts, graphics, and other formats.
Optimize Video SEO
Enhance discoverability by including optimized titles, descriptions, tags, and closed captions to align videos with relevant searcher intent.
Rules and Guidelines for Posting YouTube Videos on LinkedIn
While LinkedIn and YouTube both allow video posts, it’s important to align with each platform’s rules and community guidelines. Here are a few key policies to keep in mind:
Follow LinkedIn’s Rules
LinkedIn prohibits nudity/sexual content, hate speech, violence, harassment, and other objectionable material outlined in their User Agreement. Respect these guidelines.
Comply with YouTube’s Policies
YouTube retains the right to remove videos violating their Community Guidelines like spam, scams, graphic content, and copyright infringement.
Obtain Permission to Post
If your video features people, locations, or content you didn’t create, ensure you have documented permission and/or releases to legally post the content.
Attribute Content Properly
Always give proper credit by mentioning sources for any third-party content used in your videos like statistics, quotes, images, or music.
Respect Copyright Guidelines
Don’t use copyrighted material like songs, footage, or trademarks without licenses. YouTube’s algorithm can detect unauthorized usage.
Keep it Professional
LinkedIn prioritizes professionalism. Keep the tone, language, and topics workplace-appropriate. No profanity, controversial opinions, or objectionable content.
Monitor Comments Moderately
To discourage spam and self-promotion, occasionally review and filter YouTube video comments. Delete anything that seems irrelevant or inappropriate.
Correct Mistakes Appropriately
If a posted video contains a substantive error or offensive content, promptly remove the post and upload a corrected version (if applicable).
Types of YouTube Videos Worth Posting to LinkedIn
Not all YouTube videos make sense to share on LinkedIn. Focus on posting content aligned with your brand that professionals in your industry would find valuable. Here are some examples:
Expert Interviews & Panels
Feature discussions with thought leaders, executives, and practitioners sharing industry insights, career advice, and best practices.
Conference & Event Recordings
Capture keynote speeches, seminars, and panel discussions at business conferences, trade shows, and corporate events.
Listicles & How To’s
Share the latest data and handy tips through list videos highlighting key takeaways on relevant topics.
Case Studies & Customer Wins
Showcase customer success stories and case studies explaining how you solved real-world problems for clients.
Product Demos & Virtual Tours
Use video to demonstrate your product offerings, applications, services, and workspace environment.
Research Findings & Data
Present important statistics, survey results, forecasts, and other noteworthy research via dynamic videos.
Video Press Releases
Record company news announcements and PR messages directly from executives or spokespeople on camera.
Video Testimonials & Reviews
Collecting video customer recommendations, endorsements, reviews, and success stories builds credibility.
Optimizing YouTube Videos for LinkedIn
To maximize the impact of your YouTube videos on LinkedIn, here are some optimization tips:
Write Compelling Titles
Your title is the first thing people will see. Use keywords but craft titles focused on providing value and solving problems.
Hook Viewers in First 10 Seconds
Grab attention immediately by previewing exciting content, asking a provocative question, sharing eye-catching visuals, or telling a story.
Include LinkedIn Handles
Mention your LinkedIn profile URL or company page in the first 5 seconds to signal relevancy and facilitate links.
Display Company Logos
Prominently displaying your logo makes videos feel more official and strengthens brand associations.
Leverage Cards & Annotations
YouTube cards and end screen annotations allow you to link to related videos, playlists, or external websites.
Close with Clear Call-to-Action
End each video with a specific recommendation or next step you want viewers to take after watching.
Transcribe & Caption Videos
Closed captioning enables sound-off viewing and makes videos more accessible while aiding SEO.
Curate Playlists
Organize top videos into playlists around key themes, products, and use cases to extend watch time.
Measuring YouTube Video Performance on LinkedIn
To refine your video strategy, it’s critical to monitor key performance indicators. Here are important LinkedIn and YouTube metrics to track:
LinkedIn Metrics
– Post engagement rate (likes, comments, shares)
– Follower growth from videos
– Click-through rate from video posts
– Conversion rate from video content
YouTube Metrics
– Number of views
– Average percentage viewed
– Audience retention rate
– Traffic sources
– Subscriber growth
– Sharing and embeds
– Comments and sentiment
Other Important Metrics
– Website referral traffic from videos
– Leads generated from video content
– Brand lift and awareness from videos
– Video SEO rankings
Regularly analyzing these metrics enables you to identify your best-performing videos to replicate and refine areas needing improvement.
Should You Post All YouTube Videos to LinkedIn?
While sharing YouTube videos on LinkedIn can be powerful, you shouldn’t auto-post all of your new YouTube content. Instead, be selective. Before posting a video ask yourself:
– Is this video directly relevant and valuable to my professional network?
– Does the topic align with my brand and areas of expertise I want to showcase?
– Is the video produced in a style appropriate for a business audience?
– Does it follow both YouTube’s and LinkedIn’s rules and policies?
– Is the video optimized for visibility on both platforms?
– Would this video clutter up the feeds of my connections?
If you can confidently answer “yes” to all or most of these questions, then it makes sense to share the video on LinkedIn. But if there’s any doubt about relevance or quality, it may be best to only promote the content on YouTube.
Conclusion
Posting YouTube videos on LinkedIn can be a win-win if done strategically. Video is an engaging format that enables you to raise brand awareness, demonstrate thought leadership, drive more traffic, and improve discoverability. But indiscriminately sharing mediocre or irrelevant YouTube content could work against you. Be selective in what you post by sticking to high-quality videos finely tuned to inform and inspire your professional audience. If you provide value and alignment with your brand, incorporating YouTube videos into your LinkedIn presence can take your impact to the next level.