It may sound like Podcasts were a pre-2020 fad, but the truth could not be more different. Leaning into the rising popularity of podcasts, LinkedIn is launching its ‘LinkedIn Podcast Network’ where it’ll host a range of shows focused on key professional trends. The shows to be featured are created both by internal staff and external experts.

As LinkedIn explains:

“Starting today, we’re piloting an exciting new way for you to connect with leading professional voices with the launch of the LinkedIn Podcast Network. With this pilot, you’ll have access on LinkedIn to programming and conversations from industry-leading creators such as Morra Aarons-Mele, Jonathan Fields, Mita Mallick, and Dee C. Marshall, as well as shows created in-house by LinkedIn News.”

Link-Pods

For this purpose, LinkedIn tapped a wide range of established creators for the launch of the initiative, including veteran journalist Alex Kantrowitz and award-winning author Jonathan Fields.

All of LinkedIn’s podcasts will be available on the platform. By following each podcast host in the app and subscribing to their respective newsletters, users are granted easy access to the podcasts that feature them. Users also have the option to tune in via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other affiliated audio provider.

The driving premise behind LinkedIn’s push is to highlight that by connecting with these hosts on LinkedIn, users can extend conversations beyond mere listening, potentially allowing for a greater range of insight and improved context on whatever topics are being discussed.

“Hosts will continue to engage with listeners – existing ones and new ones drawn from LinkedIn’s global community of 810 million members – through posts, videos, Newsletters, LinkedIn Live events, and more. Just navigate to your favorite podcasters’ profile and click Follow; super fans can click the bell icon and always get updates.”

In contrast to the initial statement, podcast popularity is at an all-time high. Edison Research reports that last year, some 80 million Americans listened to podcasts weekly, while 116 million tune-in to podcasts each month. From an advertising perspective, podcast revenue is expected to hit over $2 billion by 2023.

The Wrap

On that note, we can see why LinkedIn chose to tap into this growing trend. Besides increased engagement, introducing podcasts also improve the monetization opportunities of LinkedIn creators, giving them more incentive to continue to create high-quality content. To add, LinkedIn is already an established network that’s mainly full of various professionals. With all the available talent, there’s bound to be quite a number of good podcasts to come about, helping to attract more listeners and improve the cross-promotion of its other programs. Overall, podcasts will only help bring in more awareness about LinkedIn and its offers.

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Sources 

https://bit.ly/3JQpzOj