Pay attention to your LinkedIn feed for a moment.
Something's changed about how people are showing up on your feed.
You're seeing more and more professionals crushing it on LinkedIn lately.
You see their content everywhere.
They’re gaining loyal followers.
They’re building engaged communities.
And their personal brands are thriving in ways you never thought possible.
Ever wondered what’s their secret?
Answer: they’re using LinkedIn Creator Mode.
For the uninitiated, LinkedIn creator mode isn’t just a random feature. It’s a powerful toolkit that can transform how you show up on the platform and boost your profile visibility as well as engagement.
But before you rush to turn it on, it’s crucial to understand how to leverage it effectively.
Because let’s be honest — turning on LinkedIn creator mode will mean nothing if you don’t know how to use it strategically to achieve your goals.
In this post, you’ll learn what LinkedIn creator mode is, how to turn it on, and most importantly, how to leverage it to grow your personal brand.
What is LinkedIn Creator Mode?
In simple terms, LinkedIn Creator Mode is a profile setting that transforms your regular LinkedIn profile into a content creator hub.
If you're looking to build your personal brand, share your expertise, or grow your followers on LinkedIn, this feature is designed specifically for you.
When you activate Creator Mode, you'll notice several significant changes to your profile that help you showcase your content and engage with your audience more effectively.
Unlike a standard LinkedIn profile, which primarily highlights your professional experience, Creator Mode emphasizes your original content and thought leadership. Your posts, articles, and newsletters will be highlighted at the top to make it easier for others to discover and follow your work.
This feature is particularly valuable if you regularly post content, want to build a dedicated following or aim to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
Features of LinkedIn Creator Mode
LinkedIn Creator Mode is a specialized profile setting that enhances your ability to create, share, and engage with content on the platform.
When you switch on Creator Mode, your profile undergoes several important transformations designed to highlight your content and help you build a stronger following.
Follow Button
The Follow button is one of the most powerful changes you'll notice when activating Creator Mode.
Instead of the traditional "Connect" button, visitors to your profile will first see a "Follow" button. This might seem like a small change, but it makes a big difference in how people can interact with your content. When someone follows you, they'll see your posts in their feed without needing to be connected.
This is particularly useful because there's no limit to how many followers you can have, unlike the 30,000 connection limit on regular profiles. You'll still have the option to connect with people, but the follow button makes it easier for professionals interested in your content to stay updated with your posts.
Featured Section
The Featured section becomes much more prominent when you activate Creator Mode because it starts appearing near the top of your profile where it's impossible to miss.
In this section, you can pin your best LinkedIn posts, share compelling articles you've written, add important external links, or display media like presentations and videos.
Furthermore, you can regularly update this section to highlight your latest work or keep your most impactful content front and center.
The featured section is particularly useful for showcasing different aspects of your expertise or highlighting specific projects or achievements you want visitors to see first.
Content Topics
With Creator Mode, you get to select up to five topics that represent your content focus areas.
These aren't just tags - they're crucial signals to LinkedIn's algorithm about your expertise. You might choose topics like "Digital Marketing," "Leadership," "Innovation," or any other areas where you create content.
These topics will then appear on your profile and help LinkedIn show your content to people interested in these subjects. You can change these topics anytime as your content focus evolves.
The key is choosing topics that accurately reflect what you write about and what your audience is interested in learning from you.
LinkedIn Live & Newsletters
Turning on LinkedIn Creator Mode will activate two powerful content creation features:
LinkedIn Live
Newsletters
LinkedIn Live lets you broadcast video content in real time to your audience. You can use it for various purposes - host Q&A sessions where you answer audience questions, conduct live interviews with industry experts, share quick tips and insights, or even host virtual events.
The Newsletter feature is equally powerful but in a different way. It allows you to create and publish regular newsletters to which your followers can subscribe.
When you publish a newsletter, LinkedIn sends notifications to your subscribers, ensuring they never miss your content. You can use newsletters to share in-depth insights, industry analysis, or regular updates about your field of expertise. The best part is that LinkedIn handles all the distribution - you just focus on creating valuable content.
Your newsletters can include text, images, and links, giving you plenty of flexibility to create engaging content that resonates with your audience.
How to Turn On LinkedIn Creator Mode
Activating LinkedIn Creator Mode is a straightforward process that takes just a few minutes. Let's walk through each step to ensure you can enable this feature correctly on your profile.
Step 1 — Go to Your LinkedIn Profile
Getting to your LinkedIn profile is the first step in activating Creator Mode.
There are several easy ways to access your profile. The simplest method is to click on your profile picture in the top navigation bar of LinkedIn. You'll find this in the upper-right corner of your screen, next to the "Me" dropdown menu.
If you're using the LinkedIn mobile app, you can tap your profile picture in the top-left corner of the screen.
Once you click on your profile picture, a dropdown menu will appear. Look for and click on "View Profile" — this will take you directly to your profile page.
Another quick way to access your profile is to click on your name or profile picture anywhere it appears in your LinkedIn feed.
Step 2 — Find the ‘Resources’ Section
Once you're on your profile page, scroll down until you see the 'Resources' section. You'll typically find this below your profile introduction and above your activity section.
On the desktop, the Resources section appears as a dedicated block on your profile.
If you're using the LinkedIn mobile app, you might need to tap "Show more" to expand your profile details and reveal the Resources section.
The Resources section is a hub for various LinkedIn features and tools. You'll see several options here, including "Creator Mode," "My Network," "Salary Insights," and possibly other features depending on your account type.
This section is designed to help you access and manage different aspects of your LinkedIn presence.
Step 3 — Locate ‘Creator Mode’ Button
Within the Resources section, look for the "Creator Mode" option. It's usually displayed with a simple on/off toggle switch next to it.
You'll see the words "Creator Mode" followed by "Off" if you haven't activated it yet.
Sometimes, LinkedIn might display a small preview of what Creator Mode offers right next to the toggle switch. This could include text like "Get discovered, showcase content, and access tools" or similar promotional text explaining the benefits of Creator Mode.
When you find the Creator Mode toggle, you'll notice it's currently in the "Off" position. Don't switch it on just yet - there are a couple more steps to ensure you set everything up correctly.
The next step will involve choosing your content topics, which is crucial for maximizing the benefits of Creator Mode.
Step 4 — Select Your Topics
Once you've located the Creator Mode button, clicking it will prompt you to select your content topics.
This is a crucial step that helps LinkedIn understand your expertise and show your content to the right audience. You can choose up to five topics that best represent the content you plan to create and share.
LinkedIn provides a wide range of topics to choose from, organized in different categories. These might include broad areas like "Technology," "Marketing," or "Leadership," as well as more specific topics like "Social Media Marketing," "Artificial Intelligence," or "Career Development."
At this stage, you should take your time with this selection — these topics will appear on your profile and influence who sees your content.
Step 5 — Activate Creator Mode
Finally, it’s time to actually activate your LinkedIn Creator Mode.
After selecting your topics, you'll see the final activation screen. This screen typically shows a summary of the changes that will happen to your profile when you activate Creator Mode.
After activation, go back to your LinkedIn profile and make sure everything looks the way you want it to. More importantly, you should check that your selected topics are displayed correctly and that your profile layout has been updated to the Creator Mode format.
Remember, activating Creator Mode is just the beginning. To make the most of these features, you should start creating and sharing content regularly, engaging with your audience, and building your presence on LinkedIn.
Benefits of LinkedIn Creator Mode
LinkedIn Creator Mode offers several powerful advantages that can significantly enhance your professional presence on the platform.
Let's explore each benefit in detail.
1 — Increased Visibility and Reach
When you activate Creator Mode, you'll notice a substantial boost in your content's visibility across LinkedIn.
This increased exposure happens through several different mechanisms that work together to amplify your presence on the platform.
The platform recognizes you as a content creator rather than just a regular user, which means your posts have a better chance of appearing in your followers' feeds. You'll notice that your posts might start reaching beyond just your immediate network, extending to second and third-degree connections who are interested in your topics.
The Follow button plays a crucial role in expanding your reach. Unlike the traditional connection limit of 30,000, there's no cap on how many followers you can have. This means you can build a much larger audience without worrying about hitting any upper limits.
When someone follows you, they'll see your content in their feed even if they're not directly connected to you.
The Featured section's prominent placement on your profile also increases your visibility. When someone visits your profile, they immediately see your best content, increasing the likelihood that they'll engage with it and follow you for more. This is particularly valuable when people discover your profile through search results or recommendations.
Remember, this increased visibility isn't just about reaching more people - it's about reaching the right people.
Creator Mode helps you connect with professionals who are genuinely interested in your content topics. This targeted visibility can be especially valuable if you're looking to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
