How this Island Girl Became a LinkedIn Live Beta User

I was sitting in a Breakout Room at the Sheraton Hotel at the Digital Agency Expo in New York when the surprise from the table was palpable as I shared my Beta access to LinkedIn Live. At the time, I posted one video and was still learning how to navigate the third-party apps, needed to stream live content on LinkedIn. The questions ranged from “where did you apply?” to “why was your application approved?” It’s been nine months since receiving the approval email from LinkedIn, which included stipulations such as a minimum frequency and reference to content I should avoid. Since then, I have done over fifty live streams across the Caribbean and North America.

With the long-term effects of COVID-19, live content will become more prevalent in marketing efforts to help drive your message to the right audience. Social Media networks are adapting to this trend and releasing new features to monetize live events. There is no approval process for live content on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, but LinkedIn has taken a different approach and created gatekeepers to their audience. Here is a breakdown of my journey of approval for LinkedIn Live:

That time the CEO of LinkedIn engaged with my Video

One Sunday afternoon, while the pot of callaloo boiled in the kitchen, I decided to check my LinkedIn app and discovered I received the video feature. It was a joyous feeling to be the first in the Caribbean to receive Beta access. I wiped the sweat from my brow, turned on my camera phone and recorded my emotion on video. Within minutes of posting, I saw a high number of persons commenting on my accent and their personal stories on the Caribbean. It took a while for me to put the dots together, but eventually, I discovered the reason for over 60,000 impressions was attributed to Jeff Weiner liking my video. Kinda awesome!

Posting Content from My Bedroom

Growing up with five siblings meant never being alone. I believe this influenced my extrovert nature and has helped my entrepreneur pursuit. It’s a different kettle of fish when I’m expected to have the same energy staring into a lense. That’s why it was challenging to run my Bookmark Tuesday series. Without a budget for editing or fancy equipment, I recorded all the episodes in my bedroom and posted weekly on my LinkedIn profile. I obsessed over the feedback and responded to the comments.

Starting LinkedIn Local Caribbean

At the end of February, I co-hosted my first LinkedIn Local event at the Microsoft Office in Trinidad. With twenty engaged attendees sharing insight and giving feedback, I used the media to drive interest for future events across the Caribbean. I also used hashtags to expand the audience beyond my network.

LinkedIn Events Beta Access

I wrote about this in a blog, here is an excerpt:

I can’t remember where I saw the link for LinkedIn Events, but I applied, and on the 29th of April 2019, I became a Beta User. Since then I’ve posted four events with an average of 90 persons per event, across Trinidad and Barbados, confirming their attendance via a click. There are rumours that they will be releasing it soon to the general public, so here are some tips from what I’ve learnt. Read more…

LinkedIn Live Application and Approval

Applying for live video broadcasting requires LinkedIn users to head to this link, and after filling out the application, you will receive an automated acknowledgement. There is no set timeline to receive a response on approval. On the 12th of September, I received a welcome email from LinkedIn which included a list of ‘What you should stream’ and the suggestion to ‘Go Live at least every other week to maintain eligibility to be in the beta’.

I have attended countless LinkedIn webinars and their culture to protect their audience is aligned with their process. Their Group Product Marketing Manager, Ting Ba, also mentioned it on their LinkedIn Live event here. They want to see your history of engagement with your audience before adding another tool. It’s not perfect, but based on the history of other platforms, you can see why it’s necessary to limit access.

I hope this inspires you to start your journey of content creation and I look forward to seeing your live videos!

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