How to Make a Video for LinkedIn that (Really) Stands Out

LinkedIn isn’t just for jobseekers anymore. It’s the most important professional social network for anyone looking to keep their finger on the pulse of their industry, make new connections, and look for exciting new career opportunities.

To take advantage of  LinkedIn’s popularity, companies need to stay active by sharing great content that helps them build brand awareness, engage with their followers, and promote themselves as industry leaders.

Video content has become more and more popular across all social media platforms, and LinkedIn is no exception. Video performs very well here — 80% of marketers using video on LinkedIn said it had been an effective strategy, and in one recent survey, 80% of respondents preferred live video to a blog post.

What’s more, LinkedIn’s algorithm prioritizes video, showing it more often in users’ feeds. That means that making video part of your LinkedIn strategy will get you greater engagement and broader reach. You can also repurpose your LinkedIn videos into other content, such as republishing them on Facebook or transforming them into downloadable eBooks!

Video on LinkedIn has massive potential — but with more and more companies jumping onboard, there’s plenty of competition, too. Wondering how to make a video for LinkedIn? Here’s your guide to creating truly great LinkedIn videos that get you likes and shares while staying true to your brand, voice, and mission.

What makes a successful LinkedIn video?

Creating a successful LinkedIn video is all about having a clear idea of your desired outcome, and how you’ll get your message across to your audience.

Here are seven quick tips to help you plan a successful video:

Think about where your video sits in your marketing funnel

Top-of-funnel content will talk about topics your customers are interested in or offer solutions to their pain points. Bottom-of-funnel content will talk about your product more explicitly and encourage sales.

Include a solid CTA and a concise message

Before you even start making your video, you should think about what message you want to drive home to your audience. This should inform the entire process of making your video, from scripting to editing. Also, be sure to end with a clear and easy-to-follow CTA. Your CTA doesn’t necessarily need to ask people to purchase your product. For example, a top-of-funnel CTA could invite viewers to follow you on Twitter, share your video, or check out your other content.

Create a clear storyline for your video

Even if your video’s main goal is to educate or inform, it should have a clear storyline running through it. Creating a narrative arc helps viewers easily follow along and grasp what you’re trying to say.

Choose topics that spark discussion

When people feel compelled to comment on your video, this can boost engagement and help your post achieve a greater reach. Showing that you’re not afraid to share your opinions also helps you to connect with your audience on a human level. However, be wary of posting controversial content just to start an argument!

Post videos natively on LinkedIn for best results

Be sure to post videos on LinkedIn directly instead of linking to third-party services like YouTube or Vimeo. LinkedIn’s algorithm prefers native content, as it keeps users inside their platform. Native videos also start playing in users’ feeds automatically, making it easier to pique their interest right away.

Craft a headline and description that grabs your audience’s attention

Both your description and headline should accurately reflect what your video is about. This helps you attract viewers who are interested in your content. You can also play with introducing intrigue into your titles, by giving away just enough information so that viewers will want to know more.

Always include closed captions to increase accessibility (and views)

Closed captions allow those who have hearing difficulties access your videos. They’re also helpful in getting more viewers generally, since many people watch videos on mobile devices with the sound off. By including them, you can make sure people can enjoy your content with or without sound.

The 6 best types of LinkedIn video to create

Whatever your goals are, there’s a type of online video that will help you reach them. Discover the power of PlayPlay's Linkedin video maker and unlock your ability to effortlessly create professional videos that captivate your audience.

Here are some of the most popular marketing videos for companies to publish on LinkedIn.

How-to, tutorial, and explainer videos

Need to educate your viewers on how to use your product, or just explain an industry trend or insight? How-to and explainer videos are a great way to engage your audience on LinkedIn.

Unlike on YouTube, where viewers seek out longer-form tutorials, it’s best to keep your LinkedIn explainer video short and sweet. With some snappy scripting and a clear idea, you’d be surprised how much information you can fit into less than 5 minutes.

The below example from Zapier is part of a series of videos in which the company answers common questions about how to get the most out of their product. This is a great example of a company creating useful, educational content that answers its viewers’ questions.

Behind-the-scenes and culture videos

LinkedIn was initially created as a place for people to develop their professional networks and look for career opportunities, and is still used for this purpose by many. This means that at least some of the people who follow your company page are probably interested in working at your company. So why not show them what it’s like?

Behind-the-scenes videos are a great way to showcase your brand’s human side — and introduce the people who work for you. You can use video featuring your employees, managers, and workplace to give your followers an inside look at your company culture.

Good behind-the-scenes videos should be informal and genuine — and there’s even room for a bit of humor, as seen in this example from Bumble.

Employer branding and thought leadership videos

Data-heavy, scientific or otherwise niche content won’t necessarily do well in places like Facebook or Instagram, where audiences are broader. However, your brand’s LinkedIn followers are a ready-made audience of other professionals in your industry.

So, why not leverage this opportunity and establish your company as an industry expert through video content?

Try using animated videos, fun stock footage, and beautiful text to make your video as engaging as it is informative — like in the example below.

This video from McKinsey might not have performed as well on another platform, as the topic is very specific and won’t interest everyone. By sharing niche videos on LinkedIn instead, companies can get their content in front of audiences that it will resonate with.

Recruitment and job offer videos

When most people think of LinkedIn these days, they think of searching and applying for jobs. As a company, you can make use of video to make your job postings more engaging.

You can even use video to drive more applications: companies that complement their job posts with a recruitment video reportedly get 3x more applications than those that don’t. Including video in your recruitment efforts can help you to stand out among the thousands of other companies sharing jobs on LinkedIn.

Of course, you want your recruitment video to be as appealing as possible. To do this, make sure your focus is on what makes it great to work at your company, instead of what you’d like to see from a candidate.

In this video from Bumble, the company’s HR advisor answers questions that might be top of mind for people thinking about applying for a role. This is a great way to drive engagement for your content, since people are much more likely to watch a video if they can tell it will help them.

Teaser video for products or events

Got a new product, upcoming virtual event or another exciting initiative you need to promote? Think about using a teaser video to build interest and get your viewers excited. The trick here is to make sure your video is intriguing enough to interest your audience without giving away too much. You want to hint at what’s to come while leaving the viewer wanting more.
Check out this teaser from media company Create & Cultivate, announcing an annual event. In the video, the presenters hint at useful insights that will be delivered, leaving the viewer curious to learn more.

Video interviews to present your brand

Video interviews are a versatile and popular video format. You can use them to showcase your company culture, discuss industry news, or even let your happy clients speak for you with testimonial videos.

Who you choose to interview for your video depends on what you want to achieve. For example:

• An interview with your CEO is a great way to present a new product launch or update.
• Interviewing employees at your company can help you to show your viewers what it’s like to work there.
• Interviews with industry experts on hot topics in your industry are a great way to position your brand as a thought leader.

In this video by Harvard University, a student is interviewed about her experience growing up with cystic fibrosis, and becoming a student at Harvard. The combination of compelling storytelling and interesting B-roll footage makes it an engaging and shareable piece of content.

LinkedIn Live

LinkedIn Live takes all the engagement power of video, and adds a sense of participation, immediacy, and exclusivity. Be sure to invest plenty of time into promoting the live event before you go live on LinkedIn to garner interest, and build in ways for viewers to participate, such as asking the speakers questions on voting on poll topics.

How to make an engaging LinkedIn video in 6 steps

If you’re going to invest time and energy into creating a LinkedIn video, you’re going to want it to be the best it can possibly be. Luckily, it’s not complicated or expensive to create high-quality videos that represent your brand well. Here are some simple steps to set yourself up for success.

1. Optimize your set-up for a professional video

To shoot a good video, you need the right gear — but don’t worry! A professional film crew or studio is definitely not required. Make sure you have a good camera (a newer-generation smartphone is perfectly fine), and buy an affordable external microphone so that your audio is crisp and clear.

You’ll also need to think about lighting. Natural light is a classic for a reason — it’s beautiful, flattering, and free! However, if you can’t swing filming in natural light, setting up a few of your own lighting points can help a lot.

Before filming, run some tests to try out your setting, camera, and microphone all together. That way, you can make any little adjustments and get everything looking great before you shoot.

2. Create a script that tells your audience a story

No matter how well-spoken you are, your video will sound better if you work from a script. To perform well on Linkedin, you need to keep things concise! Rambling and awkward pauses can cost you views, comments, and likes.

Your video script doesn’t need to be set in stone — it’s okay to ad-lib a little bit as you get into the flow of filming. But in general, plan to go into your shooting session with a crystal-clear idea of what you’re going to say.

3. Use storyboarding to plan how your video will look

Think of storyboarding like scripting, but for the visuals of your video rather than what’s being said. Storyboarding might be less important if you’re just filming one person speaking, but if your video will have any action, scene changes, or you’ll be demonstrating something onscreen, it’s best to have an idea how each segment of your video will look.

4. Prepare your video subjects so they’re comfortable, prepared, and professional

It’s important to make sure whoever you’re filming feels calm, prepared, and is comfortable going on camera. However, it’s especially important if you’ll be streaming something live or relatively unscripted, like a livestream or LinkedIn story.

While you don’t want to give your subject a word-for-word script, ensure that you have a general idea of what they’re going to say, and share with them your goals and desired outcomes for the video.

5. Know your tech specs so your videos look just right

You could have the most interesting content in the world, but if it’s not optimized for how LinkedIn displays video, users will find it annoying, confusing and even uncomfortable to watch! We will share with you the different LinkedIn video specs:

LinkedIn Video Stories Specs

• Resolution: 1080 (w) x 1920 (h) px
• Frame: 30 FPS, square pixels
• Supported file types: H264, MP4
• Aspect Ratio: 9:16

LinkedIn Native Video Specs

• Video length: 3 seconds–10 minutes
• File size: 75 KB–5 GB
• Orientation: Horizontal or vertical; note that vertical videos are cropped into a square in the feed
• Aspect ratio: 1:2.4 or 2.4:1
• Resolution range: 256 × 144 to 4096 × 2304
• File formats: ASF, AVI, FLV, MPEG-1, MPEG-4, MKV, QuickTime, WebM, H264/AVC, MP4, VP8, VP9, WMV2, and WMV3

LinkedIn Video Ad Specs

• Video length: 3 seconds–30 minutes
• File size: 75KB–200MB
• Orientation: Horizontal only; vertical videos aren’t supported by LinkedIn video ads
• Pixel and aspect ratio: 360p (480 x 360; wide 640 x 360); 480p (640 x 480); 720p (960 x 720; wide 1280 x 720); 1080p (1440 x 1080; wide 1920 x 1080)
• File format: MP4

6. Use a professional editing software to tie everything together

Editing is what turns raw footage into an entertaining, informative video. Here are a few ways to video editing techniques to make your video that’s attention-getting, engaging, and fun to watch!

• Add stock images or footage to illustrate what’s being said
• Use motion graphics, animation and transitions to give the video a fun, dynamic feel
• Choose the right background music for your video’s desired atmosphere.
• Add captions to every single video you publish to LinkedIn. Captions will:
  1) Make your content more accessible for viewers with hearing problems,
  2) Reach the widest audience possible — 80% of users will watch without sound!
  3) Help with your video’s SEO ranking.

Choosing the right LinkedIn video maker

Your in-house marketing team probably doesn’t have the budget or inclination to bring in a professional film crew. That’s where premium video production tools come in. They’re designed for the needs of marketers who know what a great video looks like, but aren’t experts at technical videography themselves.

Premium, enterprise-level video editing tools come with more features, such as pre-made templates, libraries of royalty-free stock images, video, and audio, and automatic caption generators.

Video production can be intimidating, especially if your marketing team hasn’t experimented with it before. But the good news is that it doesn’t need to be — and with the right video editing software, in-house marketers can create professional-quality videos their company will be proud to share.

PlayPlay is a premium video editing tool that was designed specifically for the needs of in-house marketing teams. Video is no longer optional for great corporate marketing — but thankfully, it no longer needs to be time-consuming or expensive to create professional, branded videos that help your company reach its goals.

If your teams want to make fun LinkedIn videos quickly and easily, give PlayPlay a try. Sign up for your free, 7-day trial, and see how PlayPlay can simplify your video marketing life!