LinkedIn confirmed Thursday it is launching BrandLink, its first program designed to share advertising revenue directly with individual content creators. The initiative, targeted to go live for creators on June 2, represents an expansion of the BrandLink name, which previously encompassed LinkedIn’s revenue-sharing arrangement with news publishers initiated in June 2024.
The Microsoft-owned site is starting the program with an initial cohort of 30 business-to-business focused personalities, aiming to cultivate the growing B2B creator scene on the platform, spurred by a notable increase in video engagement.
The professional network has recently made a marked shift towards video, reporting a 36% jump in video watching between October 30, 2024, and January 29, 2025, compared to the previous year. Furthermore, weekly video creation among participants in its publisher program saw a 67% year-over-year increase during that period.
This trend prompted LinkedIn to experiment with formats like a vertical, TikTok-style video feed and now to formalize monetization paths for individual video creators.
Expanding Publisher and Creator Monetization
This creator initiative builds upon LinkedIn’s existing BrandLink program for publishers. That original program (previously known as the Wire Program, announced around July 2024) allows publishers like Bloomberg, Reuters, and The Wall Street Journal to earn a share of ad revenue from videos placed alongside their content.
It reportedly yielded 130% higher video completion rates and 23% higher view rates for advertisers compared to standard LinkedIn video ads. LinkedIn mentioned payouts to publishers under that program have more than doubled since its inception, though Abhishek Shrivastava, VP of Product at LinkedIn, declined to specify the revenue split percentage for the new creator component.
In addition to receiving a share of revenue from ads placed near their videos, creators in the BrandLink program can also benefit from “Thought Leader Ads.”
This format allows marketers to sponsor specific posts from creators (with their permission obtained via Campaign Manager), boosting the content’s visibility for objectives like brand awareness or engagement. Early pilot data from 2023 suggested this ad type yielded 1.7 times higher click-through rates compared to other single-image campaigns, though LinkedIn acknowledged potential early adopter effects.
Fostering the B2B Creator Economy
LinkedIn executives frame this as a strategic move to support a distinct type of online personality. “The thing that is coming to LinkedIn is the rise of the B2B creator,” Matthew Derella, LinkedIn’s VP of Marketing Solutions, stated to Bloomberg.
“Chief marketing officers want to align with the next generation of voices that are talking about business.” Shrivastava added, “When we shared this plan with creators, there was a lot of excitement. We see more creators coming to the platform. This toolset didn’t exist in terms of monetization and now we’re addressing it.” The initial creator cohort includes established names like podcaster Guy Raz, “Diary of a CEO” host Steven Bartlett, and Shelley Zalis of The Female Quotient.
The initiative taps into a broader market trend. Agencies report escalating investment in B2B creator campaigns; Joel Lunenfeld of Publicis Media Exchange US noted a 250% increase in such spending at his agency, while Aneesh Lal of Wishly Group detailed managing 75 campaigns for 30 creators in May 2025, up significantly from the previous year.
Kaylen McNamara of VaynerX told Ad Age that “…around 80% of the energy [in B2B creator marketing] is on LinkedIn,” attributing it to the platform’s concentration of business professionals. Research cited by New Digital Age from Billion Dollar Boy further supports this, indicating 60% of creators planned to increase their LinkedIn activity, with many finding B2B content performs well and offers strong earnings potential, like Lindsey Gamble who reportedly earned five figures in 2024 from sponsored LinkedIn posts. LinkedIn itself was seen experimenting with shared analytics between creators and businesses back in June 2023.
Platform Dynamics and Considerations
While LinkedIn is investing heavily in video and creator tools, its platform dynamics differ from entertainment-focused networks. The company’s algorithm is explicitly stated as not being designed for virality, focusing instead on professional relevance.
Early creator experiments, like one conducted by user Terry Rice comparing a text post to a video post, showed video achieving massive reach but sometimes lower engagement rates. Advertisers, while interested, have also noted the lack of public video view counts, making ROI calculation less direct. Finding the right balance between its professional identity and the demands of engaging video content remains an ongoing process for the platform.
AI Integration and Data Context
This evolution towards richer media and creator features relies heavily on LinkedIn’s underlying technology investments, including AI, which has also brought data usage considerations to the forefront. Since March 2023, the platform has used OpenAI’s GPT-4 to help users generate profile sections and for crafting job descriptions. Other AI tools launched previously include AI-assisted InMail message drafting and an AI chatbot for job seekers.
However, the platform’s use of data for AI has drawn attention. A September 2024 privacy policy update permitting user data (outside the EEA and Switzerland) for training generative AI models sparked controversy, although LinkedIn stated personal information is masked or anonymized. Furthermore,
in January 2025, the company faced a lawsuit alleging it used private InMail messages for AI training without explicit consent. The company adjusted its EU advertising practices in June 2024, ceasing ad targeting based on Group memberships following regulatory inquiries. The timing of the BrandLink creator announcement also precedes LinkedIn’s inaugural NewFront presentation to advertisers, scheduled for May 5, 2025.
