Videos are the future of content marketing and a key element of social media posts. And LinkedIn is at the forefront of this trend not just because it's the greatest social network for professionals but because it boasts the perfect audience for your company videos. But how do you post a video on LinkedIn? More importantly, are there any size or length limits you should be aware of? Stay tuned as we explain everything you need to know about using videos on LinkedIn to market your business. From formatting to LinkedIn video specs, we'll cover it all! Take a look!
Types of LinkedIn Videos
Before we go into any details on how to post a video on LinkedIn or other related matters, let's first take a look at the different types of videos you can share on the platform. In essence, there are three types of LinkedIn videos:
- Embedded, which are videos that have initially been uploaded to another site like YouTube or Vimeo and then shared on LinkedIn by embedding them into a post. This is perhaps the most common type of video sharing across all social media, not just LinkedIn, simply because it's the easiest.
- Native which are videos that have been created on or have been directly uploaded on LinkedIn. The trick about these is that they're favored by LinkedIn's algorithm and similar to Facebook's native videos that get 478% more shares, these videos get higher reach and engagement. Plus, native videos on LinkedIn autoplay in-feed, meaning they are more likely to catch the attention of your connections than embedded ones.
- LinkedIn video ads are videos that companies create specifically to promote their products or services on the platform. These videos are usually part of larger video ad campaigns which generate an average revenue of $7.87 per internet user and are successful in boosting brand awareness. What’s more, LinkedIn is quite generous with this type of content and allows users to upload videos that are up to 30 minutes in length.
Now that we've looked at the three types of LinkedIn videos, let's move on and see how you can post a video on the platform.
How to Post a Video on LinkedIn
The procedure for posting videos on LinkedIn is pretty straightforward, regardless of which type you’d like to post. Below are the steps for each type.
To share a video on LinkedIn by embedding it, you need to:
- Log into your LinkedIn account and navigate to the home page.
- At the top of the screen, you should see a share box where it says "Start a post".
- Click on it and a pop-up will appear asking you "What do you want to talk about?".
- If the video is on YouTube or another site, select copy the URL and paste it in the pop-up window. Alternatively, you can share it directly from YouTube or the other site by selecting the Share button.
- Now all that's left to do is add a title and/or description for your video, possibly one or two LinkedIn hashtags, select who you want to share it with —Public, Connections, or Group member —and hit Post.
And that's it! Your embedded video will now appear on your LinkedIn profile. For native videos, the procedure is slightly different but just as simple. This is mainly because you will be uploading the content instead of sharing it from another site.
To upload a video on LinkedIn, you should:
- Go to the home page and select the share box where it says "Start a post".
- Tap the "Video" icon.
- A new pop-up will appear asking you to "Select video to share" and will automatically prompt you to choose a video from your device's library.
- Alternatively, you can record a new video on your mobile by selecting "Record a new video" and sharing it via the LinkedIn App.
- Once the LinkedIn video has been selected or recorded, all that's left is to add a title and/or description and select a thumbnail before sharing it with your connections.
And finally, the procedure for posting LinkedIn Video Ads is actually the most complex as it is sponsored content and requires you to use LinkedIn's Campaign Manager.
To add a video ad to your LinkedIn profile, you should:
- Go to your LinkedIn Campaign Manager.
- Create a new campaign by selecting "Sponsored content".
- From there, you should name your campaign and select your objectives from the available options: website visits, lead generation, or video views.
- Tap "Video" as your ad type format and then click "Next" to "Create new video".
- Fill out the blank fields, upload your video, and save it.
- Once your LinkedIn video ad has finished uploading, click the checkbox to select it.
- Pick your target audience and select "Next".
- You will be prompted to set up the bid, budget, and campaign duration.
- Complete the required steps and go to "Launch campaign" to add the video ad to your LinkedIn profile or company page.
LinkedIn Video Specs and Dimensions
The great thing about LinkedIn videos is that they have a very flexible range of specs and dimensions, which gives you a lot of creative freedom when it comes to creating your content. But how long can a video be on LinkedIn?
The LinkedIn video length can be anywhere from three seconds to 15 minutes when uploading from desktop (or 10 minutes when you upload it via the LinkedIn App). However, if you're planning on doing a LinkedIn Live Video, the maximum length is four hours. Here are some other LinkedIn video dimensions and specs you'd have to adhere to:
- The LinkedIn video size should be a minimum of 75KB and a maximum of 5GB.
- Orientation can be horizontal or vertical. Note, however, that LinkedIn crops vertical videos into a square in the feed.
- Aspect ratios are 9:16 (vertical), 1:1 (portrait), and 16:9 (landscape) with 16:9 being the best option for mobile.
- Resolutions can range from a minimum of 256 × 144 to a maximum of 4096 x 2304.
- Bit rates should be between 192kps and 30MBps.
- Frame rates should be 10-60 frames per second and finally,
- Video format for LinkedIn — ASF, AVI, FLV, MPEG-1, MPEG-4, MKV, QuickTime, WebM, H264/AVC, MP4, VP8, VP9, WMV2, and WMV3.
*Note that LinkedIn video specs suggest that ProRes, MPEG-2, Raw Video, VP6, and WMV1as files are not supported.
LinkedIn Video Ad Specs
Latest advertising statistics show that 85% of companies use innovative video formats as a marketing tool so if you're planning on launching a LinkedIn video ad campaign, it's important to know the right technical requirements, sizes, and dimensions. So, here is a list of the LinkedIn video ad specs:
- LinkedIn video length — from three seconds to 30 mins.
- LinkedIn video size — from 75KB to 200 MB.
- Orientation should be horizontal only as LinkedIn does not support vertical video ads.
- Aspect ratios, as suggested, can be: 4:5, 9:16 (vertical), 1:1 (portrait), and 16:9 (landscape) with a tolerance of 5%.
- Resolutions can range from a minimum of 360x640 to a maximum of 1920x1920.
- The approved video format for LinkedIn ads is MP4.
- The frame rate should be up to 30 frames per second.
- The sound format can be AAC or MPEG4 while the audio size should be less than 64KHz.
And for call-to-action buttons, LinkedIn ad specs allow the following:
- Apply
- Download
- View Quote
- Learn More
- Sign Up
- Subscribe
- Register
- Join
- Attend
- Request Demo
Now that you know all there is to know about posting videos on LinkedIn, as well as the different video specs, it's time to start creating some engaging content! And to give you even more value we've prepared a list of best practices so you can make the most out of your video campaign. This way you will not only choose the best video size for LinkedIn but you will also make sure your visuals are high quality and get the most views, engagement, and conversions.
LinkedIn Video Best Practices
When creating LinkedIn videos, there are a few things you should keep in mind if you want to make sure your content truly shines. Here are some useful tips:
- Make sure to optimize the thumbnail and headline of your LinkedIn video for better CTR.
- Keep your videos short, sweet, and to the point. This means showing everything your target audience needs to know within the first 10 seconds of the video.
- Try to capture your audience's attention by posting videos that are high quality and offer valuable, informative, and/or entertaining content.
- Pay attention to your video setup —the camera position and lighting, the body language of the people who are in it, background noise, etc.
- Use video analytics to track your video views and engagement rate so you can see what's working and what's not.
- Include captions or subtitles in your LinkedIn videos as many people watch online content without sound.
- Share your video on LinkedIn but also on other social media platforms. Alternatively, you can embed them on your website or blog for even more views.
- Always include a CTA in your LinkedIn videos to encourage viewers to take the next step, be it subscribing to your newsletter, visiting your website, or something else.
- Don't forget to respond to comments and questions left on your videos. This way you can build relationships with your target audience, answer their queries, and show that you care about what they have to say.
Conclusion
And there you have it —everything you need to know about posting videos on LinkedIn. We hope this guide was helpful and that you feel confident in regards to the LinkedIn video specs and dimensions you need to adhere to when sharing your visuals on the platform. Just remember to keep our tips in mind and you'll be sure to create content that's truly engaging, informative, and worth watching.
LinkedIn Videos FAQs
How long can LinkedIn videos be?
The maximum LinkedIn video length is 15 minutes if you're posting from a desktop computer. If you're posting from a mobile device, the maximum video length is 10 minutes.
Is there a limit to how many LinkedIn videos I can post?
You can post only one LinkedIn video per post. Other than that, there is no limit to how many videos you can post on your profile. However, we recommend posting no more than 1-2 per day so you don't overwhelm your followers.
What video format works best on LinkedIn?
Linkedin video specs recommend going with an MP4 file type that will be up to 200MB and around 1-2 minutes long for the best quality and optimal results. Also, you might try adding a custom thumbnail so it stands out more in the feed.
