As we near 2025, LinkedIn has given us an impressive line-up of new features and updates over the past year, and if you’re serious about making the most of your presence, now’s the time to get stuck in. With more ways than ever to connect, engage, and grow your influence, here’s your essential guide to LinkedIn’s biggest updates from 2024 and how to make the most of them.
Whether you’re focused on lead generation, employer branding or networking, here’s everything you need to know.
LinkedIn’s new sponsored post option allows you to promote company page articles directly. You can now add call-to-action (CTA) buttons (like “Unlock Article”) to encourage readers to sign up or download content. This provides an ideal opportunity to reshare high-performing content and turn it into lead magnets.
Pro Tip: Use this feature to capture leads without re-creating content from scratch. Revisit your top-performing blog posts, and experiment with headlines or CTAs that encourage readers to download resources or sign up for newsletters.
LinkedIn launched a suite of job search tools, including category fillers, job preference highlights, and an AI-driven application assistant. It’s a big plus for recruiters, as it allows job seekers to get more specific about their preferences, leading to higher-quality applicants for posted roles.
Pro Tip: Use these tools by making job descriptions as detailed as possible to attract candidates who are a genuine fit. Highlight company perks or cultural elements to help candidates self-select before they apply.
If you’re in sales or marketing, LinkedIn’s B2B Sales Playbook is an absolute must for insights into the habits of top sellers. For example, did you know that 75% of top performers are primarily using AI to save time? How about the fact that 46% of deep sellers have relationships with 7 or more decision-makers in an account? This resource can be instrumental in building a strong LinkedIn presence for prospecting.
Companies can now sponsor content from external thought leaders, not just internal employees. This update is huge for brands wanting to align with trusted voices in their industry and reach a wider audience.
Pro Tip: Identify industry leaders your audience respects and explore partnerships to promote thought-leadership content on LinkedIn. Look for individuals with engaged followings and established credibility in your niche.
LinkedIn started testing a premium subscription for company pages, featuring AI tools to help grow followers and create content. While in beta, this update hints at the platform’s focus on providing businesses with advanced tools for audience growth.
Marketers can now set dynamic UTMs that update automatically, making it easier to track campaigns without the manual setup. This feature will be helpful for tracking how different LinkedIn posts perform and understanding what actually drives engagement. Read more about it here.
LinkedIn reported an 11% boost in session growth, showing that engagement on the platform is still climbing. With this increase, now is a prime time to test new content types to see what sticks. Check out some of our social media services to see if we can give you a hand with mastering LinkedIn and its many features.
Posts with external links now display a smaller preview image (much to our annoyance) in feeds to encourage native posting to the platform. Sponsored posts (fancy that…), however, retain the full-width image preview, subtly nudging users toward paid promotion for better visibility.
LinkedIn expanded sponsorship options to include newsletters, allowing companies to boost newsletter reach and engagement. With the newsletter feature’s growing popularity, it’s a powerful way to target specific audiences and build a subscriber base. Also, feel free to check out the latest edition of our company newsletter, Freshly Squeezed, here and of course, subscribe if you want to stay in the loop with all things Marmalade.
Pro Tip: Use your newsletter to deliver value consistently, like industry insights or practical tips. Sponsored newsletters will help you reach new subscribers who are likely to stay engaged if they find your content valuable from the get-go.
To make posts more interactive, LinkedIn introduced in-feed carousels. With a side-scrolling display of video clips, carousels provide a visual storytelling format that stands out in the feed. Oh, and it looks like LinkedIn is set to have a huge focus on video, with the potential for a dedicated video tab at some stage, so get stuck into video content now before the competition beats you to it!
Pro Tip: Use carousels to break down complex information into digestible slides or showcase success stories. Make it easy for viewers to swipe through and learn something valuable by the end.
LinkedIn experimented with moving all navigation to the top of the app. If it sticks, this chance could make browsing LinkedIn a bit more intuitive.
Pro Tip: Keep an eye on LinkedIn’s UX changes to ensure your content displays optimally. Regular updates mean users might navigate differently, so adapting your strategy to new layouts or interactions could make a big difference.
LinkedIn’s 2024 updates provide plenty of new ways to connect, engage and convert. As competition heats up, brands that embrace these features will be best positioned to stand out in 2025. Use LinkedIn’s constantly evolving toolkit to reach your audience in creative, authentic and impactful ways - and watch your LinkedIn strategy pay off in the new year.
It’s never been a better time to refine your approach and make LinkedIn work harder for you. Get in touch with Marmalade if you need LinkedIn help today.