Following in Facebook, Instagram and Snapchats footsteps, LinkedIn is the latest platform to give Stories a try. Although it may seem an unusual social platform for this feature, many individuals and brands are already taking advantage of it.

LinkedIn Stories can only be created and viewed via the mobile app. Available to both members and companies, users are encouraged to share images and short videos of everyday moments, building meaningful relationships with their professional community.

They work very similarly to Stories on other platforms, so even in its infancy the new feature already feels familiar. Posts last for 24 hours and are customisable by mentioning accounts, sharing a question of the day, adding text overlays and a range of stickers.

Here lies a great opportunity to separate yourself from the competition, grabbing peoples’ attention without having to hard-sell. When you create a Story it appears at the top of the news feed and  sits separately to newsfeed content which is dictated by the algorithm. Before repurposing content from Instagram Stories, remember LinkedIn is a much more professional environment. Consider who your audience is and why you want to capture their attention.

With that acknowledged, here’s 5 ways you can use LinkedIn Stories to your advantage:

1. Share tips

Sharing tips is a great way to show off that you’re knowledgeable in your field while giving others insight. You may consider creating a Story teaching people ‘How to use LinkedIn Stories’ or ‘Top tips when WFH’ to educate and inspire your audience.

2. Company culture

Stories is a great format for showing off company culture, broadcasting what’s going on in the moment. People are always interested in what’s happening behind the scenes or what projects are currently being worked on. A customisation feature LinkedIn Stories offers is sharing a ‘question of the day’ – these are question prompts from LinkedIn that encourage the user to share their thoughts on a particular topic. Helping people to see you as more than a brand increases trust, which is key to building relationships.

3. Client testimonials

Glowing feedback staring at the top of your followers’ feeds can really increase brand sentiment in an authentic manner. Allowing others to gain insight into your client roster and who you’ve recently worked with.

4. Real-time events

Due to the short lifespan of LinkedIn Stories, the content doesn’t have to be too polished. Sharing company announcements, award ceremonies and clips of workshops can create a buzz around what’s happening internally as it offers a ‘sneak peek’ to the world. It’s a great way to ensure others see your achievements and what you offer as a company upfront, as soon as they open the app.

5. Host a Q&A

LinkedIn Stories are a great way to humanise your brand. By hosting a Q&A, you provide insight into the people behind the brand as well as an effective means of connecting with your current and prospective clients.

Tom Pepper, Head of Marketing Solutions UK, Ireland & Israel at LinkedIn, said: “We believe Stories can become an integral part of brands’ communication strategies. My advice to any brands looking to experiment with Stories is – just do it! The great thing about Stories is that they don’t have to be slick or overproduced – as long as they are authentic and match your brand and audience.”

Overall, Stories have become an integral feature of both Facebook and Instagram with an increasing amount of people preferring Stories over regular content. Now is a great opportunity to start creating content for LinkedIn Stories and test out this new feature.

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Have you tried LinkedIn Stories yet? Not sure where to start and need a little help to better navigate the platform? Get in touch with our award-winning social media experts at creative@social.co.uk.