In this article I provide key information to help you decide if LinkedIn Creator Mode is right for you. I explain what it is, how to activate it from your LinkedIn profile and explore the creator tools.

What is Creator Mode on LinkedIn?

Creator mode is a free feature which can be activated via your LinkedIn profile. It is for LinkedIn members who regularly share updates or commentate on topics in a specific area of expertise or industry focus. Activating Creator gives you access to additional tools and features that help you create content and grow your audience base on LinkedIn.

When you turn Creator Mode on via your LinkedIn profile’s resources section (private to you) you’re given the option to choose the topics you will commentate on and engage with. In the example of my profile, you can see the topics I’ve selected as hashtags below my headline. To activate Creator mode, go to your profile’s Analytics, which can be viewed from your own LinkedIn profile.

Choose up to 5 topics (hashtags) and these will be displayed on your profile to show potential followers what you post about most. It’s also where you can check which Creator tools you currently have access to. Here’s what my LinkedIn profile’s Creator Tools currently look like.

Advantages of Activating LinkedIn Profile Creator Mode

If you’ve activated Creator mode via your LinkedIn profile, LinkedIn highlights your original content on your profile, with your featured and activity sections appearing first. From May 2022 it also now allows you to add an external link at the bottom of your intro card.

Activating Creator mode makes you eligible to be featured as a suggested creator – expanding your reach – and gives you access to Creator tools, such as a LinkedIn Newsletter and Follower resources.

Creator Mode Link in Profile Intro Card

With Creator Mode activated on your LinkedIn profile you can add an external website link to your LinkedIn profile. This appears just below the intro card of your profile and takes visitors to your website, podcast or email sign-up – you decide.

Publish a LinkedIn Newsletter via your LinkedIn Profile

For small business owners who offer professional services and already have subscribers reading your email newsletters, the LinkedIn Newsletter feature is worth a look. You can view your LinkedIn newsletter subscribers and, if they are not already 1st degree connections, invite them to connect. In this way, the LinkedIn newsletter feature helps you expand your reach on LinkedIn. The caveat is, you need a LinkedIn Profile strategy, and your LinkedIn newsletter needs to be published consistently (e.g. once a month) and provide genuine value to your readers.

Here’s what to consider before activating the newsletter feature:

• How does it help me achieve my goals for LinkedIn?
• Is it relevant for me?
• Do I have capacity to create a regular newsletter?
• What will I write about?
• What will I call it?
• How often will I write it?

LinkedIn Live | Video & Audio Events on LinkedIn

LinkedIn Live Video and Audio events allow approved members and Pages to broadcast live video or audio content to a LinkedIn profile, LinkedIn Page, or Event. Broadcast access is not automatically issued to Creators. To get broadcast access you must meet a set of criteria. All criteria must be met for an access request to be approved.

The criteria to create and host LinkedIn Lives are:

• Audience base: Members and Pages with more than 150 followers and/or connections are eligible to be evaluated for LinkedIn Live access.
• A history of abiding by LinkedIn’s Professional Community Policies
  Geography: LinkedIn Live is not available at this time for members and Pages based in mainland China.

I’ve run a number of LinkedIn Lives and it was not until the third time that I felt 100% comfortable with how to leverage this feature for my goals.

Disadvantages of LinkedIn Profile Creator Mode

When you turn Creator Mode on via your LinkedIn profile, the connect button on your profile will change to Follow, which means you will get less invitations to connect. There is a work around for this, which is to check who’s followed you each month, and invite the relevant LinkedIn members to connect, but this is labor intensive.

If you are currently trying to expand your 1st degree network and would prefer to get into more conversations with potential clients and referrers, the ‘Follow’ feature is not as suitable as the ‘Connect’ feature.

If you’ve chosen to display the topics you post about in your profile introduction as hashtags, making it easier for other LinkedIn members to discover your content and follow you, then your need to consistently post and commentate in these areas. Think carefully about whether you have the capacity and discipline to consistently show up on LinkedIn each week to truly get value from this thought leadership feature.

Need help with LinkedIn?

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