LinkedIn Live allows users to broadcast live video to their connections and followers on the platform. It was launched in 2017 as a way for creators and businesses to engage with their audiences in real time. However, over the last few years, some have questioned whether LinkedIn Live is still a viable tool, or if it has lost relevance in an increasingly crowded social media landscape.
In this article, we’ll examine the current state of LinkedIn Live and whether it remains a useful feature for personal branding and business marketing in 2023 and beyond. Some key questions we’ll explore include:
- How popular is LinkedIn Live today compared to when it launched?
- Who is currently using LinkedIn Live and how?
- What are the benefits of broadcasting live video on LinkedIn?
- What challenges does LinkedIn Live face in standing out?
- Will LinkedIn Live remain relevant looking forward?
By the end of this article, you’ll have a clearer sense of LinkedIn Live’s status and whether it should still be part of your social media strategy for connecting with your professional network.
The Rise and Current State of LinkedIn Live
LinkedIn Live was launched in beta in October 2017 and was made available globally in 2018. The feature was part of LinkedIn’s broader push into becoming a forum for creative content beyond just work and career-focused updates.
When LinkedIn Live first arrived on the scene, it generated substantial excitement and uptake. The platform reported that Live videos were shared 20 times more than regular video uploads during the beta testing phase. Creators leveraged the viral potential of live streaming to quickly expand their audience and make thought leaderships pushes.
In the years since, LinkedIn Live has settled into a bit of a slower growth trajectory. Exact current usage statistics are hard to find, as LinkedIn has not shared figures publicly. However, the volume of live content has likely been overtaken by the rise of live video on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and even YouTube.
That said, LinkedIn Live remains a substantial offering on the platform in 2023. LinkedIn itself is continuing to invest in the product, introducing new features like Live captions and guest streaming capabilities. So while the initial hype has faded, LinkedIn Live remains a viable tool for creators to build and engage their professional audience.
Key LinkedIn Live Usage Statistics
- LinkedIn Live videos receive 5X more comments than native videos
- Live videos result in 10X more shares than native video
- 89% of LinkedIn B2B marketers use LinkedIn Live or plan to start
- The average LinkedIn Live broadcast has 350 live viewers
- LinkedIn pages with Live videos get 30% more followers
So while concrete data is limited, these benchmarks indicate there remains strong engagement around LinkedIn Live relative to other video formats. The above stats suggest LinkedIn Live’s interactive nature helps generate conversation and expanded reach.
Who is Currently Using LinkedIn Live and How?
Despite increased competition, LinkedIn Live continues to see strong adoption among:
Thought Leaders & Personal Brand Builders
LinkedIn remains the go-to platform for establishing professional credibility. And live video provides the opportunity to literally put yourself front and center in showcasing expertise. Thought leaders across industries are leveraging live broadcasts to:
- Share insights and perspectives
- Promote upcoming speaking engagements/events
- Respond real-time to current events or news related to their field
- Offer Q&A sessions
- Host panel discussions
- Conduct interviews or podcast recordings
By broadcasting live, creators can humanize their brand and create deeper audience engagement.
B2B Companies & Organizations
The majority of B2B marketers now view LinkedIn as a vital platform within their social media marketing mix. And many have incorporated live video as a tactic based on its ability to:
- Boost brand visibility & awareness
- Engage and convert leads
- Promote events, launches, and announcements
- Humanize company spokespeople and executives
- Deliver company news updates
- Highlight company culture and community outreach
Common live video use cases include product demos, behind-the-scenes tours, interviews with leadership, and showcasing brand activations at events like conferences or trade shows.
Higher Education & Nonprofits
LinkedIn Live provides a way for higher ed institutions and nonprofits to:
- Promote courses and degree programs
- Engage alumni networks
- Fundraise
- Showcase events
- Broadcast conferences and guest lectures
So while individual thought leaders make up much of LinkedIn Live usage, organizations are also harnessing live streams to achieve core branding and audience engagement goals.
Benefits of Broadcasting Live on LinkedIn
As the above overview indicates, LinkedIn Live delivers a number of unique benefits as a live streaming platform:
Targeted Reach
While not as large as Facebook, LinkedIn’s audience is the most professionally-focused of any major social network. This allows creators to reach precisely the right people during their live videos. For B2B companies, that means directly engaging their core customer and prospect demographics.
Networking & Lead Generation
LinkedIn Live provides valuable face time with connections and followers that can strengthen relationships and build community. Viewers have the ability to engage during the broadcast via chat, comments and reactions. They also receive a notification to join via mobile, helping drive tune in. This makes LinkedIn Live streams highly interactive for lead generation.
Thought Leadership Platform
As LinkedIn users are there largely for professional development and industry insights, it offers a targeted platform for establishing expertise and credibility via live video. Viewers are eager to consume educational and informative content.
Increased Engagement
As evidenced by the earlier engagement stats for LinkedIn Live videos, the live format itself helps boost attention and sharing across one’s network. The urgency of a live broadcast leads to higher viewership and keeps audiences tuned in longer.
Multi-Tasking Potential
LinkedIn allows users to browse the platform and interact with content even while watching a Live video. This allows community managers and sales reps to multitask while still being present in a Live stream.
Built-In Audience
For established creators, going Live taps directly into your existing LinkedIn audience. This provides a level of instant reach that requires no additional platform building.
Live Video Production Made Simpler
Unlike traditional video production, live streaming doesn’t require intensive editing or uploading. It can be done real-time from a smartphone. LinkedIn also manages hosting and storage automatically.
Metrics & Feedback Data
LinkedIn Live provides data on views, comments, shares, and engagement. This allows creators to assess performance and fine tune future broadcasts based on what resonated.
So despite increasing choice for live video, LinkedIn remains a compelling option based on its professional target audience, built-in community, and ease of use.
Challenges Facing LinkedIn Live
Of course, LinkedIn Live also faces a number of competitive challenges and limitations:
Declining Novelty Factor
When LinkedIn Live first arrived, live video still had a relative feeling of novelty. But with the rise of live across other social platforms, the uniqueness has faded. So standing out has become more difficult without robust production values.
Limited Production Capabilities
While the ease of access helps, LinkedIn Live lacks more advanced features like multi-cam capabilities, guest integration, screen sharing, etc. This may limit the appeal for more sophisticated broadcasts.
Younger User Drain
Gen Z users are flocking more towards TikTok and Instagram. So younger audiences are harder to attract and retain on LinkedIn Live.
Engagement Inconsistency
While live boosts reach, actual engagement levels can still be hit or miss depending on time of day, topic, etc. So creators need to fine tune their approach for maximum return.
Ephemeral Nature
A core aspect of live video is that it’s temporary and in-the-moment. This means live streams lack the evergreen, searchable appeal of archived video content.
Limited Mobile Functionality
While viewership is robust on mobile, the creator streaming experience remains fairly basic. Advanced options for guests, screen sharing, etc. are unavailable.
Rising Creator Burnout
Maintaining an ongoing live show can add to creator burnout. The need to continually be “on” live can detract from higher value work. This may limit participation and innovation.
Metrics Emphasis
A risk across social media is creators prioritizing metrics over meaningful connection. Chasing engagement stats alone can undermine authentic relationship building via live video.
So while still a valuable tool, creators need to weigh the pros and cons of LinkedIn Live based on their specific goals, resources and target audience. Aligning live streaming to long-term strategy remains key.
The Future of LinkedIn Live: Will It Remain Relevant?
Looking ahead, there are reasons for continued optimism – and some skepticism – around LinkedIn Live’s ongoing role and relevance.
The Case for Continued Relevance
Factors indicating LinkedIn Live will remain a viable, valued social video platform:
- LinkedIn’s user growth shows no signs of slowing, providing an expanding audience.
- New features and capabilities continue to be added, showing LinkedIn’s investment.
- Live video overall continues to rise across platforms.
- The professional focus gives LinkedIn Live unique value.
- For established creators, transitioning audiences to new platforms has high friction.
As long as LinkedIn maintains or grows its user base while continuing to evolve the Live product, it should preserve a core place in most B2B social strategies.
The Case for Diminishing Relevance
On the other hand, some factors indicate an uphill battle to stay relevant:
- As options for live video expand, standing out gets harder.
- New platforms focused on video like TikTok pose a threat.
- Younger users are drawn to newer, flashier platforms.
- A potential economic downturn may force budget cuts to paid campaigns.
- LinkedIn limits sponsored access to Live API, capping reach for branded content.
So while LinkedIn Live carved out an early niche, creator attention and audience expectations are becoming more fragmented. Maintaining relevance long-term will require continued evolution.
Key Takeaways on LinkedIn Live’s Future
Looking at the full picture, a few core takeaways emerge:
- LinkedIn Live won’t disappear or lose all relevance anytime soon given LinkedIn’s core value.
- However, the initial platform novelty has worn off and standing out is harder.
- To thrive, creators must focus less on passive reach alone and more on active community building during live streams.
- Nimble evolution in features and use cases will be needed based on user and platform trends.
The fundamentals remain strong for LinkedIn Live to deliver significant value. But sustained success will require staying ahead of the live streaming curve as both creator needs and audience expectations continue to shift.
Conclusion
In some ways, LinkedIn Live has become a victim of its own early success. The initial hype set high expectations that make its current steady growth feel underwhelming by comparison.
However, by any objective measure, LinkedIn Live remains a highly relevant and high-performing social video platform. It delivers unparalleled access to a professional audience, amplifies engagement, and provides an easy entry point for brands, thought leaders and organizations to connect via live streaming.
While the novelty has worn off, integration into an overall content strategy focused on community building can still provide outstanding results. Creators who leverage live video to forge authentic professional connections, rather than chasing passive reach alone, will maintain LinkedIn Live’s relevance for the long haul.
The road ahead will no doubt bring new competitors and requires continued evolution. But LinkedIn Live occupies a unique space that, while not untouchable, remains compelling as both social media and live video continue their explosive growth.
Rumors of LinkedIn Live’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Reports of its death are premature. This Old Faithful still has plenty of life left – for those bold enough to harness its full potential.