With over 875 Million users in 200 countries, LinkedIn is full of opportunities but it can be hard to know how to stand out… Video can be a great way to do this. Video gets 5x more engagement on LinkedIn, so it’s no wonder why they keep investing in new video features.

Earlier this year they added a new feature, profile videos. This is a short video that you can upload where your profile picture is.

The video has to be a minimum of 3 seconds and no longer than 30 seconds. There is an auto-play function that lasts three seconds, this means when someone clicks on your profile, three seconds of the video will play without audio. They then have to click on your profile picture to view the whole video.

This feature could definitely open up new opportunities for you, however, there are some limitations and things to be aware of before you make one.

How to make one

So how do you make a profile video? You can’t make or upload a profile video on your desktop or laptop, you must be using the app on a mobile or tablet. This means that you can’t upload an existing video, you must record it on the LinkedIn app.

Once you’ve logged into LinkedIn, go to your profile, you should see a ‘+’ symbol on your profile photo. Click on it and tap ‘add profile video’, this should then allow you to start recording your video.

We’ve seen many social media videos recently where people have filmed themselves while walking down the street or while they are still in their pyjamas… Although this may be convenient, it’s worth spending the time to make your video more professional.

But before you start recording, there are some things to be mindful of;  after all, this could be the first thing someone sees when they visit your profile, and first impressions matter.

Write a script

You only have 30 seconds, this isn’t a lot of time, so you want to be clear and get to the point. We often find when people don’t write a script they start to babble or go on tangents, remember, this is just an introduction to entice people to find out more about you and your business.

For reference, the average person can say around 60-90 words in 30 seconds, depending on the pace and style of the content. The structure of your script should be… Your name & business name, a little about what you do, a CTA.

Once you’ve written your script, we would recommend reading it out loud and timing yourself. This will help you get into a rhythm and figure out if anything needs cutting or adjusting.

Your appearance

It’s important to remember that you are representing your brand and your services; you should dress in a way that is appropriate for your industry. For example, if you have a branded top with your logo on it or a uniform, wear this in your video.

Your Audio

Your audio is extremely important, if people can’t hear you clearly then they won’t understand your message. It’s important that you film inside in a quiet location, this way there won’t be any distracting background noises. We would recommend filming a test and listening to it back to see how it sounds. It’s amazing how off-putting noisy air con or coffee machines can be.

The Background

You need to be mindful of where you film… You should film against a plain background if possible. If this is not possible, film in a professional setting, avoid filming in your kitchen or living room etc.

Once you’ve found your location, make sure there’s no sensitive information or anything potentially inappropriate or distracting in the background.

Lighting

You want people to be able to see you clearly… Ideally, you want a window in front or next to you, this will light up the frame nicely. If you can’t do this or you find that the natural light in the room is not good, try closing the curtains and turning the lights on.

The key thing is trying to make sure that lighting is as even as possible, you don’t want to be super bright on one side and dark on the other.

As stated, video is an extremely powerful marketing tool, it allows your clients and customers to ‘meet’ you and your brand before they even contact you. If you have or want to make landscape videos and longer videos such as testimonials, product demos, case studies etc, you can put them in your posts and in your featured section.

We hope this guide has been useful to you, if you would like to discuss professional video, please feel free to contact us, we’d love to help.