What are influencers on LinkedIn called?

LinkedIn influencers are industry experts and thought leaders who have large followings on the professional social media platform. They are known for sharing valuable insights, best practices, and thought leadership content to educate and inspire their audiences.

The Different Types of LinkedIn Influencers

There are a few main types of influencers found on LinkedIn:

• Thought Leaders – These are the big names in their respective industries who are recognized as go-to authorities on certain topics. They often have hundreds of thousands or millions of followers.
• Industry Experts – These influencers have deep knowledge and experience in their fields. They are viewed as trusted sources of information by their followers, though may not be as well known outside their niches.
• Company Figures – Founders, executives, and other employees of brands build influencer followings by sharing insights about their companies and industries.
• Professional Networkers – These are people who build large networks by actively engaging on LinkedIn. They become minor influencers by leveraging their networks to spread content.

How LinkedIn Influencers Build Their Followings

The most successful LinkedIn influencers have often spent years establishing their personal brands and cultivating engaged audiences. Some of the main strategies they use include:

• Consistently publishing high-quality, insightful content that targets their niche audiences.
• Engaging with their followers by responding to comments, questions, and messages.
• Participating actively in relevant LinkedIn groups and discussions.
• Promoting their content across other social media channels to expand their reach.
• Speaking at conferences, events, and webinars to showcase thought leadership.
• Networking strategically with those in their industries to build relationships.
• Partnering with brands by creating sponsored content, collaborations, and influencer programs.

The Benefits of Being a LinkedIn Influencer

Building an influencer presence on LinkedIn can provide many advantages, such as:

• Increased brand awareness and credibility as a thought leader.
• Opportunities to monetize through content sponsorships, affiliate revenue, etc.
• Expanded professional network and connections with key industry players.
• Greater reach for sharing ideas and insights.
• Invitations to speak at events, participate in panels, etc.
• Enhanced career opportunities and visibility within an industry.

Requirements for Becoming a LinkedIn Influencer

Obtaining LinkedIn Influencer status is very competitive. LinkedIn looks for members who meet the following criteria:

• Have a sufficiently large follower base (at least 10,000+ connections recommended).
• Are respected industry practitioners and established thought leaders.
• Produce regular high-quality content that resonates with their target audience.
• Engage well with their networks through likes, comments, and shares.
• Have an authoritative presence evidenced by things like speaking engagements and media mentions.

In most cases, those who become LinkedIn Influencers have put in considerable effort over time to build their brands and share their expertise through the platform.

The LinkedIn Influencer Program

LinkedIn officially launched its Influencer Program in 2014 as a way to leverage the thought leadership of prominent professionals on the platform. As part of the invitation-only program, LinkedIn Influencers are given access to content publishing and analytics tools to help them increase their reach and impact.

Some of the benefits of being selected for LinkedIn’s Influencer Program include:

• The “LinkedIn Influencer” label displayed under the person’s name to verify their status.
• Inclusion in the LinkedIn Influencer editorial package sent to new members.
• Promotional support from LinkedIn with things like newsletters and social media.
• Access to the LinkedIn Elevate publishing platform.
• Opportunities to publish long-form posts.
• Detailed analytics on content performance.

The program has facilitated high-profile influencer partnerships for LinkedIn, as well as given many experts a bigger platform to share their insights with the LinkedIn community.

Notable LinkedIn Influencers

Some of the most prominent thought leaders and influencers on LinkedIn include:

As you can see, many of the top influencers are founders, CEOs, and other leaders who have built well-known personal brands. However, there are also many subject matter experts and professionals who have amassed large, niche audiences they provide value to through consistent high-quality content.

Tips for Aspiring LinkedIn Influencers

For those aspiring to become LinkedIn influencers and thought leaders themselves, here are some top tips:

• Establish your unique positioning and voice within your industry.
• Consistently create and share content optimized for LinkedIn.
• Expand your professional network by connecting strategically.
• Proactively engage with your connections by liking, commenting, and sharing.
• Look for opportunities to publish long-form posts using LinkedIn’s blogging platform.
• Monitor your content analytics to see what resonates best with your audience.
• Participate actively in LinkedIn Groups related to your niche.
• Promote your LinkedIn content on other social channels when appropriate.
• Consider paid partnership opportunities to expand your reach and followers.
• Establish yourself as an expert offline through speaking, events, media, etc.

Keep in mind influencer status takes time to build. But by consistently nurturing your niche audience and delivering value, you can incrementally grow your impact on LinkedIn.

Conclusion

LinkedIn influencers have worked hard to establish themselves as trusted industry experts that their networks look to for insights and best practices. While becoming an official LinkedIn Influencer involves meeting the platform’s selective criteria, any professional can use these best practices to expand their thought leadership and credibility through valuable content creation and community engagement.