How to Become a LinkedIn Creator

The LinkedIn team, referred to as “unlikely champions of creativity” by the Creative Review, have turned their focus to creators in recent years. Features like Creator Mode and LinkedIn Top Voices have made the platform a destination for many looking to grow their personal and business brands.

Creators like Justin Welsh have seen massive success by focusing on LinkedIn, gaining audiences in the hundreds of thousands. If you’re looking for a more approachable example, look no further. I’ve gained over 10,000 followers on LinkedIn by sharing content about my work life and career advice.

So yes, LinkedIn is lucrative for creators, especially those who have diverse expertise to share. – and not just professionals. In this article, we’ll explore the world of LinkedIn creators, including who they are, why you should care, and how to become one.

What’s a LinkedIn creator?

A LinkedIn creator is a thought leader within a particular industry who shares organic content with a specific professional audience. Most successful LinkedIn creators fall into one of two categories:

Established professionals with a massive digital footprint and the support of a team to create content (like Arianna Huffington or Simon Sinek)
Individuals who dedicate time to personal branding and content strategy to grow an engaged audience within a niche (like Jon-Stephen Stansel and Mandy Fransz)

Both categories are valid and necessary on the platform – the expertise of established professionals is vital, no matter how they choose to share it. However, you likely fall into the latter category, and growing from scratch is harder. To grow as an individual using LinkedIn for your personal brand, you’ll need to:

Share expert knowledge on LinkedIn to help others achieve similar results
Support other creators by engaging with their content
Participate in the community by attending and hosting events

It’s a significant but worthwhile investment. LinkedIn has a massive (and specific) audience of over 900 million members – this, along with its revamped algorithm, makes it a golden opportunity for anyone looking to build an audience.

Why become a LinkedIn creator?

With its large user base, LinkedIn is a no-brainer for anyone who wants to grow an audience for their career or business. Beyond that, however, LinkedIn offers specific elements that make creating on the platform more than worthwhile:

An algorithm that offers a clear path to growth
A specific audience – as one of the only social networks with a clear target audience of Professionals. These professionals may range in experience, expertise, and industry, but they all promote their work life in one way or another.
A suite of tools designed for creators like Newsletters, Audio Events, and Livestreams.

Since the algorithm cares more about getting your content in front of the right people, you can be assured that you’ll grow as long as you optimize your posts and keep up your engagement through comments and replies.