New LinkedIn Features and Changes

As a veteran social network, LinkedIn has remained consistent in its focus on providing networking, marketing, employment, and growth tools for businesses and professionals. The company tends to be quieter about their updates, but they constantly roll out new features and changes regularly like most other social networks.

Here are a few more recently introduced features, as well as some changes to existing features, that could affect the way you use LinkedIn—and it is not surprising that a lot of them incorporate AI.

Algorithm Changes.

Every popular social network is constantly updating their algorithms that can affect everything from search functions to content visibility and content feeds to ad targeting. When the algorithm changes for search and post visibility, you may need to review and revise the content you’re creating for LinkedIn audiences. Some recent changes to the algorithm relate to relevance and engagement.

Relevant content feeds. In a constant effort to keep user interest, the LinkedIn algorithm is now more likely to show what is most relevant to your audience versus your most recent posts. Keep your audience in mind as you craft posts. Appeal to their interests to hopefully influence the algorithm.

Emphasis on real engagement. Engaging in genuine dialogue in the comment section of your posts is a best practice but now it is also an algorithm imperative. A simple like or emoji in a comment could reduce the chances of your post being shown to your audience. Posts with more conversations within the comments section could get shown to more users based on the algorithm detecting more “meaningful engagement.”

LinkedIn Verification Badges. Verified accounts on social networks are supposed to weed out fake accounts by showing that your identity has been verified by a third party. A checkmark can be purchased on some social networks such as X and Meta which could dilute the value of the verified badge.

However, LinkedIn has partnered with CLEAR, the tech company that offers a paid service that lets users skip TSA security lines at participating airports by using biometric verification. To register for verification, go to your LinkedIn profile, click Resources and then click About this profile section. You should see the option to Verify Now. Note that the verification process will involve scanning your government issued ID, such as a driver’s license, which is processed through CLEAR.

Adobe Express Video Ad Integration. If you pay for advertising on LinkedIn and use Adobe Express, you can now create video ads in Adobe Express and export it directly into LinkedIn Ads. LinkedIn, like other social networks, continues to emphasize videos on their network to keep users on their platform.

While LinkedIn lets you upload videos up to 15 minutes long, videos under two minutes may perform better since people using social networks tend to scroll quickly through the feed. When producing a video for LinkedIn, think mobile which means a vertical format. Get your point across early in your videos to keep viewers engaged or to at least communicate your key message before they scroll away.

Enhanced Search for Recruiters. LinkedIn has been integrating AI capabilities into different aspects of their job search and recruiting features. If you’re hiring and using LinkedIn’s recruitment tools, AI can help you find candidates with specific skills more easily.

According to LinkedIn, LinkedIn Recruiter (a paid service) uses AI-Assisted Search which is a Generative AI (GAI). That means that the system constantly improves to optimize your search queries. AI-Assisted Search uses advanced algorithms to match candidates for your open positions more effectively.

While there typically isn’t a lot of fanfare around LinkedIn updates, understand that what the company may be quietly changing behind the scenes can improve your experience using the platform, but can also present challenges as you adapt to those changes.