With LinkedIn Live, you can actually livestream both live and pre-recorded videos. This provides more flexibility in creating engaging video content to share with your LinkedIn network.
What is LinkedIn Live?
LinkedIn Live is LinkedIn’s built-in live streaming platform. It allows you to broadcast real-time videos or pre-recorded videos to your LinkedIn connections. Live videos on LinkedIn appear in the LinkedIn feeds of your connections, allowing you to get your message and brand in front of a highly targeted audience.
LinkedIn Live launched in 2019 as a way for creators to engage with their professional community in a more personal and impactful way through video. Since launching, it has become an important tool for creators, thought leaders, businesses, and organizations to connect with their networks.
Benefits of using LinkedIn Live
There are several benefits to using LinkedIn Live for pre-recorded videos:
- Increase reach and visibility – Live videos have much higher organic reach on LinkedIn. You can get your content seen by a wider segment of your network.
- Build authority and thought leadership – By sharing live video regularly you can build your brand and establish expertise.
- Engage your audience – The live video format allows viewers to engage through comments and reactions.
- Convenience – You can broadcast pre-recorded videos when going fully live doesn’t fit your schedule.
- Repurpose content – You can re-purpose a high-quality prerecorded video and essentially “premiere” it through LinkedIn Live.
Requirements for Livestreaming Pre-Recorded Videos on LinkedIn
If you want to livestream a pre-recorded video on LinkedIn, there are a few requirements to keep in mind:
- You must have a LinkedIn Creator, Business, or Showcase Page – LinkedIn Live is only available to users who have one of these types of pages. You can’t livestream from a personal profile.
- Video length – Pre-recorded videos can be up to 4 hours long when streamed on LinkedIn Live.
- File format – MP4 or MOV file formats are recommended.
- Minimum resolution – 720p HD is the minimum resolution for prerecorded videos.
As long as your pre-recorded video meets these requirements, you can essentially premiere it as a livestream on LinkedIn.
Step-by-Step Guide to Livestreaming a Pre-Recorded Video on LinkedIn
Here is a simple step-by-step guide to livestreaming a prerecorded video on LinkedIn:
- Upload your pre-recorded video file to a video hosting platform like YouTube or Vimeo and set the video to private.
- Go to the LinkedIn Live tab in your Creator, Showcase or Business Page.
- Click “Schedule Live Video.”
- Select the date and time you want your pre-recorded video to premiere.
- Enable the “I will stream from an external encoder” option.
- Enter the private YouTube or Vimeo link to your pre-recorded video file.
- Customize the title, description, cover image, and tags for your video.
- Click “Schedule” to set your pre-recorded video to premiere on LinkedIn Live.
- At the scheduled time, your video will automatically begin live streaming on LinkedIn for all your followers to view live!
Best Practices for Livestreaming Pre-Recorded Videos on LinkedIn
To maximize the impact of livestreaming pre-recorded content on LinkedIn, here are some best practices:
- Optimize video for a standing screen – Most people watch videos on mobile, so vertical video works best.
- Hook viewers in the first 10 seconds – Open with a strong hook to grab people’s attention right away.
- Avoid long intros – Get right into your most valuable information within the first 30 seconds.
- Use on-screen text and graphics – Text overlays and on-screen graphics help keep viewers engaged.
- Interact with commenters during the premiere – Responding to commenters in real-time makes it feel more “live.”
- Promote the premiere time/date – Promote across your other social channels so people tune into the premiere.
- Re-share the video after – Repurpose the recorded live video by sharing across LinkedIn and other channels.
LinkedIn Live allows you to engage your professional network in a whole new way — through live video. But live video isn’t always possible with busy schedules. The good news is that with LinkedIn Live you can essentially “premiere” pre-recorded videos with all the buzz and engagement of live content.
If you want to reap the benefits of live video but can’t always go fully live, streaming pre-recorded videos is a flexible option worth exploring. Follow the best practices outlined above, and you can start premiering high-quality prerecorded content that delivers results for your brand and business.
Can you upload pre recorded videos on LinkedIn?
Yes, LinkedIn allows users to live stream pre-recorded videos through LinkedIn Live. As long as the video meets LinkedIn’s requirements around length, format, and resolution, you can use LinkedIn Live to premiere and broadcast prerecorded videos to your followers.
What are the LinkedIn live video requirements?
To livestream on LinkedIn, you need a Creator, Showcase or Business Page. Pre-recorded videos must be formatted as MP4 or MOV, have a minimum 720p resolution, and be up to 4 hours long. Videos over 10 minutes need to include a table of contents.
How do I set up a live video on LinkedIn?
To set up a live video on LinkedIn that broadcasts a pre-recorded video:
1. Upload video to YouTube/Vimeo as an unlisted or private video.
2. In LinkedIn go to your Page and click “Go Live.”
3. Schedule the date/time.
4. Enable “Stream from external encoder.”
5. Enter the video URL and fill out titles, descriptions, etc.
6. Click “Schedule” and your video will go live at the scheduled time.
What is the best format for LinkedIn videos?
The best video format for LinkedIn is MP4 or MOV files, with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a minimum resolution of 720p. For mobile optimization, vertical videos work best. Avoid large file sizes over 2GB. The optimal video length is less than 10 minutes.
What is the maximum length of a LinkedIn video?
When live streaming a pre-recorded video on LinkedIn, the maximum video length is 4 hours. However, for ideal viewer engagement, it’s best to keep prerecorded videos under 10 minutes. Over 10 minutes, you need to add in a table of contents.
Conclusion
In summary, yes you can livestream pre-recorded videos on LinkedIn through the LinkedIn Live platform. This provides an excellent opportunity to repurpose high-quality video content and maximize your reach and engagement on LinkedIn. Follow the requirements around format, length, and resolution, and implement best practices around optimizing and promoting your videos to take advantage of LinkedIn Live’s capabilities for both live and on-demand video.