The release of LinkedIn Live follows on from the successes on Facebook + Instagram’s live streaming services. Currently only available in the US as an invite-only beta, only certain people and companies will get the opportunity to try this fresh feature out.
LinkedIn is late to the video party, again. Native video for the platform was only launched in 2017, a year after both Instagram + Facebook launched their live streaming features. This could allow digital PR services a new world of opportunities. Live videos of campaign work could drive a whole new interest to your company’s brand, for example.
The social platform hopes that LinkedIn Live video will cover topics that are already popular on its newsfeeds, including:
The classic LinkedIn fare is the focus as they attempt to keep their audience of almost 600 million users engaged. The images below show how it will look – rather reminiscent of Facebook live with the floating emoji thumbs.
So, can you live stream on LinkedIn?
No, not yet. Only certain accounts can start their own LinkedIn Live stream (for now.) First, you must be in the US. Second, you must receive an invite from LinkedIn themselves. This means, that for the time being, not just anyone will be able to stream – no annoying videos of people walking down the street or “funny” office shenanigans.
“We’re currently piloting live video streaming with a few broadcasters, so the feature isn’t currently available to all members. After a trial period, we’ll open applications for members and Pages to become broadcasters on LinkedIn.” – LinkedIn
LinkedIn has teamed up with a number of third-party tools to make its streaming services as polished as possible, including Telestream Wirecast, Switcher Studio, Wowza, Socialive, and Brandlive. This will help to keep it feeling premium, a step away from the home-movie footage feel of Facebook Live.
So, for now, only a select few accounts will be able to use LinkedIn Live. Keep an eye out for this feature, as it will take off – much like normal video on LinkedIn.
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