How To Upload Native Videos to LinkedIn

How to upload video to LinkedIn

“Uploading natively” describes the process of uploading content directly to a website, rather than linking content from another website. On LinkedIn, you can use either method, but uploading natively has distinct advantages. 

Put simply, sharing linked content sends traffic and engagement away from LinkedIn to their competitors.

To keep the viewers on their platform, LinkedIn provides tools to increase engagement and circulation of content that is uploaded natively, in addition to boosting natively uploaded content within their feeds and playing videos automatically.

Take advantage of LinkedIn’s built-in tools to create high-performing posts with natively uploaded content. The best performing posts utilize every available tool in a way that engages with your existing network and expands that network simultaneously.

Requirements and Restrictions

These technical specifications define the boundaries of your natively uploaded videos. Videos must be no less than 3 seconds and no more than 10 minutes, in addition to being no less than 75KB and no more than 5GB. Experienced videographers will be familiar with these constraints, and will take them into account when creating your promotional videos.

(Why isn’t the length of the video enough to determine the file size? The KB per second varies depending on the resolution and dimensions of your video.)

There is no need to upload the longest possible video. As Viveka Von Rosen writes for Social Media Examiner, “People have short attention spans, so it’s a good idea to keep your videos shorter than 3 minutes.”

For more detailed specifications, check LinkedIn’s technical FAQ.

Contextualize Your Video for New and Familiar Audiences

You can write up to 700 words to accompany your video, and that is more than enough to help your audience understand it’s context.

In one or two paragraphs, give viewers descriptions of your video and your business. Be sure to introduce yourself thoroughly so people who are unfamiliar with your business can understand the video. To describe the video, sum up the content in a sentence or two, and then add some background information that connects the video to your business.

Invite Viewers to Continue the Conversation

You should always include an explicit and inviting offer to follow up with your audience about any questions they may have about your business or the video itself.  Simply adding “To learn more, contact us here” along with ample avenues for contacting your business is a good start.

Adding prompts that can be answered in the comments is a great way to build engagement. For example, if you are promoting a spring sales event you can ask your audience, “What is your favorite part of spring? Answer in the comments below!”

Choose Your Audience

LinkedIn will automatically set your posts to “public”, visible to everyone including visitors outside of your LinkedIn network. You have the ability to change that if you wish, before or after posting.

Another option is the “Public and Twitter” setting, which can push content to a connected Twitter account when you post. Additionally, “Connections Only” will limit the visibility of your post to those connected to your LinkedIn network.

Note that choosing “Connections Only” will make it impossible for people outside your current audience to find your content, so avoid that setting for your marketing posts.

Always Allow Comments

Comments often include questions about your business or the content shared. By answering them you provide clarity to potential clients and supporters, gain trust, and boost the visibility of your posts. 

Captions or Subtitles

Using subtitles and captions allow your video to be understood without sound. This is helpful for audiences who are hearing impaired or otherwise unable to access sound at the moment.

LinkedIn doesn’t have automatic subtitles yet, but you can add subtitles to your video by uploading a separate SRT file along with the video.

I recommend Rev if you are interested in adding subtitles to your video. Contact me to learn more about video marketing on LinkedIn. I’m always happy to answer your questions or speak more about how to maximize video marketing for your business.

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