Why LinkedIn is Pivoting from 'Creators' After Going All In
Back in February 2021, LinkedIn announced the development of a Creator Management team to support and grow its community of creators. Shortly after, it introduced Creator Mode, a suite of tools and features designed to help creators build their following and engage with their community.
Since then, LinkedIn has made various efforts to cater to and engage creators, from the Creator Accelerator Program to dedicated marketing and editorial content to the launch of its inaugural Top Voices of the Creator Economy list. In short, LinkedIn has done everything with clear calls to 'creators.'
What Changed?
Now, LinkedIn is stepping back from 'creators.’ In the past few weeks, LinkedIn rebranded its LinkedIn for Creators account to LinkedIn Guide for Creating, and more recently, Daniel Roth, Editor-in-Chief, VP at LinkedIn, announced the discontinuance of his Creator Weekly newsletter to focus on The Insider. Add to that the recent removal of creator-friendly features like Clickable Links, and it’s easy to see that LinkedIn is in the midst of a pivot — from a narrow focus on creators to a much larger group of its members.
Fortunately, we don't have to speculate, as Roth confirmed this in response to a question (So the creator class cratered?) left on his post:
Not at all. But one of the big lessons for us the last few years was that the term “creator” wasn’t a fit for LinkedIn. Contributors saw themselves as “an accountant who posts” or a “consultant who shares news about logistics” or whatever. But not a “creator.” - Daniel Roth, Editor of Chief, VP at LinkedIn
There are CEOs, founders, consultants, advisors, small business owners, marketers, celebrities, athletes, new graduates, and everyone in between who churn out content on LinkedIn and engage in activities that we associate with creators. But, as Roth mentioned, many of these people don’t identify as such.
Opportunities for Everyone
So, while some may perceive LinkedIn's shift away from specifically focusing on the creator community as a negative move, it’s actually the right decision. This move benefits not only LinkedIn as a platform but also aligns with the broader trend in social media of platforms trying to appeal to users of all kinds after pushing heavily for creators.
For LinkedIn, this new shift will allow it to address a larger audience:
The executive who wants to share thought leadership to increase visibility for their company.
The human resource professional who wants to share their learnings and help job seekers secure the roles they want.
The college student who wants to showcase a project they're proud of to build their portfolio.
As someone who has spent a significant amount of time on LinkedIn, I embrace evolutions like this, especially when it may mean that LinkedIn will start to have more voices on the platform—people with knowledge and unique perspectives that may have been holding back previously.
