Almost a decade ago Snapchat launched with the 24-hour social media model. In 2016 Instagram did something a little similar with Instagram Stories, which Facebook emulated shortly after. Now LinkedIn is looking to get on board with this not-so-new trend.
How LinkedIn stories works
LinkedIn stories works in exactly the same way as the Instagram version. It stays live for 24 hours, can utilise photos or video, it has stickers and can be shared on other accounts that you @.
Functionality is also basically identical. You can download your stories, delete your stories and see who has viewed them. Here’s a full list of the features:
LinkedIn does however try differentiate its stories from other social media platforms. It suggests keeping things professional at all times – no posting personal or private moments. And certainly post anything that could mess up your career prospects.
The company is also against Stories being used to spam products and services.
Instead, LinkedIn recommends posting about things that are relevant to you professional or educational context. It also suggests using the platform for conversation starters and “authentic representations of everyday moments.”
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Will this work?
While it’s great for platforms to try new things, LinkedIn is super late to the Stories party. It’s also a professional social media network. In its attempt to connect with people who love TikTok and Instagram it has really exuded some strong “I’m a cool mum” energy.
Perhaps this demographic focus shift is why it is just testing the waters first. Much like other social platforms, it’s not rolling out this new feature in every market. In fact, Australia is one of the first countries to get access to LinkedIn Stories. It also recently launched in Brazil, the Netherlands and the UAE. It will be available on the LinkedIn app in Australia from June 17.
We’re not sure how successful LinkedIn will be at jumping on the Stories bandwagon so late, but best of luck.