The social media phenomenon “Story” has reached a new platform: The popular function has recently also been available on LinkedIn. Stories are already being used in a rather inflationary manner on Instagram or Facebook and are often used for less relevant or more private things. This begs the question to what extent this concept fits into a career network like LinkedIn. Could LinkedIn Stories end up hurting the quality of the channel?
LinkedIn stories – where does the story hype come from?
A story is basically a posting: the user participates in the life of the uploader through photos or short video clips that can be spiced up with text, filters and stickers. In contrast to “normal” post, a story automatically disappears after 24 hours. The feature has its origin on the Snapchat platform, where it appeared for the first time in 2013. There the story quickly gained great popularity and was adapted by other social media channels.
LinkedIn Stories – Being there is everything
In contrast to Instagram, where stories can also be created on the PC, LinkedIn stories are tied to the mobile app. The trend towards snapshots is once again evident: Although stories could also provide an overview of what has happened at the end of an event or project, the desire to share small anecdotes, events or details directly with one’s contacts predominates here. Let’s take the beginning of a workshop as an example: Everything is ready, the speakers are ready to go and are just waiting for individual participants, people joke, private conversations are held, the microphones are adjusted again, water glasses are filled … This tense moment is in in most cases not worth a whole post – but definitely a story.
From LinkedIn stories and postcards
For the relationship between story and post, the comparison between letter and postcard can also be used: The latter is used for a short greeting that usually does not require an answer, while the letter conveys extensive content and serves a comprehensive conversation. Postings and stories are just as suitable for different things. Due to their short life, LinkedIn stories allow a spontaneous insight into everyday working life – they are, so to speak, the postcard of the social media age. A story can be created quickly and viewed just as quickly. You don’t necessarily need a lot of text to look good, as the photo or the maximum 20-second video speak for themselves. A post, on the other hand, is often more structured and intended to convey more information, but it also requires more work – both from the author and from the reader. The choice between story and posting is also a question of relevance: Should the content disappear after a day or should it persist beyond that?
This is what distinguishes LinkedIn Stories
- Admins can post stories via the company profile
- Sharing is only possible with first-degree contacts
- Followers can in turn share a story with contacts
- Followers can view stories anonymously
With LinkedIn Stories, companies can stimulate the exchange with their followers and show themselves from an everyday, spontaneous side. It is already possible to place advertising in the form of stories on other platforms. This option is unlikely to be long in coming with the LinkedIn career network.
Stories – the right thing for the B2B network?
It is not yet clear how the new feature will be accepted by the LinkedIn community. The available stickers and filters are reminiscent of other social media channels. However, these do not fall into the business platform category. It remains to be seen whether the less professional framework of the story will let the business direction of LinkedIn take a back seat. In any case, it is possible: Stories make less work and still cause a lot of interaction on other platforms. It can also happen on LinkedIn that more incidental and short-lived content is posted. On the other hand, maybe stories are exactly what LinkedIn has been missing so far – a level that connects personal and professional life.
No matter what the future brings
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