LinkedIn wants to be the TikTok of business — will it work?

Late last year, LinkedIn changed its algorithm — signaling a clear pivot in its business strategy and a dramatic shift in direction. But why?

Is it because LinkedIn has realized that other social platforms are increasingly targeting the business market, especially small businesses? Or is it the advertising model they’re after?

The truth is, LinkedIn needs growth. Revenue has slowed to just 9% in both 2023 and 2024, driven primarily by premium subscriptions and talent solutions.

The next phase of growth? Advertising. The once-free networking platform is rapidly evolving into a full-fledged ad channel.

The algorithm change

Many users will tell you they saw a dramatic drop in engagement metrics at the end of last year. According to Richard van der Blom and Just Connecting’s Algorithm Insights Report 2025 (registration required), overall organic reach has declined by 50% — a shift aimed at connecting content with the right audience. The emphasis? Quality over quantity.

LinkedIn’s AI-driven ranking system now mirrors platforms like Instagram and TikTok. That means you’re more likely to see content from fewer creators — specifically, those you engage with or are connected to — rather than a broader feed based on professional relevance or interest, as in the past.

Like its social counterparts, LinkedIn is building content rabbit holes designed to keep users scrolling and engaged. Where the platform once favored organic content creators, it now leans heavily toward content consumers.

For businesses — unless they have a broad following — this means much of what they share from their corporate page won’t reach their audience organically. Organic visibility for corporate page content in the LinkedIn feed has dropped to just 2% in 2024.

Dig deeper: Marketing on LinkedIn: What you need to know

The big push for video 

What’s rising on LinkedIn is video — lots of it. Video usage on LinkedIn is up 69% in the past year, and according to COO Daniel Shapero, viewer time has risen 36% year over year, per the Algorithm Insights Report.

To accelerate this trend, LinkedIn has assembled a roster of 50+ B2B influencers to champion video on the platform. They’ve formed business partnerships with well-known creators like Steven Bartlett (The Diary of a CEO), Guy Raz (How I Built This), and Allie K. Miller (AI Business) to generate more video content. Anyone want to guess why?

If you guessed “to sell more advertising,” you’re right. Shapero also noted that ad revenue saw significant growth this past quarter — and that video is a powerful way to expand business reach.

What it means for business and paid social

Is LinkedIn a meaningful media channel for your business? If it is, then clarify your goal — is it awareness or demand generation?

You may find LinkedIn’s new direction frustrating if it’s the latter. The platform is now pushing video primarily for reach and impressions. As I mentioned in “Do LinkedIn videos work better than blogs? Here’s the data,” LinkedIn posts and promotions are notoriously difficult to tie to concrete business impact metrics. You might find better ROI by investing in LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator.

But if your goal is awareness, you’re in luck. Here’s how to align your strategy with LinkedIn’s new direction:

• Ramp up video: Identify thought leaders who are comfortable on camera. They should be subject matter experts, not salespeople.
• Keep it short: Videos should be vertical and under one minute long.
• Shift your budget: Move spend away from promoting posts on your corporate page and toward thought leadership ads featuring video.
• Prioritize personal posting: Videos should be posted by the person featured, then reshared by the company page — and ideally, by employees.
• Tell stories: Personal stories perform best. Keep the selling light.
• Track what matters: Link your metrics across the funnel — from impressions to form fills to site visits.

Will it work?

Based on engagement data, LinkedIn says these changes will deliver more content users want. But in doing so, it’s restricting the organic reach of content creators. And that reach mattered. According to LinkedIn’s data, 77% of B2B marketers said organic content and engagement produced the best results.

Now, those same creators are the ones asked to buy ads. The question is, can they adapt? Can they produce the quality and style of content that fits new formats like Thought Leadership ads?

Will LinkedIn influencers be effective? You may consider renting one if you don’t have in-house talent to build a following. However, a business audience is not the same as a consumer audience. Will LinkedIn influencers be credible enough to move that audience to take action?

All good questions — and ones we’ll have to watch unfold. In the short term, ad revenue will likely grow. But in the long term, could this hurt the user experience? One thing’s certain: You’ll see more sponsored content, especially from LinkedIn itself, in your feed.

I don’t fault LinkedIn for making the pivot. TikTok owns small business retail. Instagram is going after the corporate market. Business buyers are still consumers and conditioned to prefer video on social feeds.

Users of free platforms also understand there’s a trade-off. But will this shift cause people to spend less time on LinkedIn? Right now, only 23.6% of users check in daily — and they stay for just 1 minute and 17 seconds.

Let’s also remember that LinkedIn was built for recruiters and job seekers. Can it drive ad revenue growth while staying true to its original mission?

It’s a big bet, and only time will tell. TikTok goes the clock…

Dig deeper: How LinkedIn rewards tribal loyalty over truth