Social media has been an integral part of the digital landscape for two decades now, starting with the once high-flying MySpace, eventually being overrun by the 800 pound gorilla – Facebook. Zuck’s original dream of a social site that would “give people the power to share and make the world more “open and connected” has been modified a couple times over the years, but no one questions its dominance.
And to that point, Mark Zuckerberg’s rebranded parent company, Meta, holds the chips for much of the social ecosystem. In addition to Facebook, there’s Instagram and WhatsApp. Talk about timing, Facebook became available to the public (it was originally only for college students) in 2006. A year earlier, we launched our very first Techsurvey (known back then as Tech Poll), so we’ve been tracking Facebook as well as the many new entrants in the social space all this time.
When you have conversations with most social media mavens, you end up talking about “the usual suspects” – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, and the other places where citizens go to share photos, videos, memes, humor, and opinions. They’re all very different but essentially quite similar at the same time – with one notable exception:
Notably, the platform predates Facebook, launched in 2003 by Reid Hoffman and Eric Ly. LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft nine years ago in 2016, its current owner where it operates as a wholly owned subsidiary.
From the jump, LinkedIn was different, catering to the working world of professionals. The site’s general focus has always been about networking, career development, and job seeking/hiring.
While it has been through its share of changes over these past two decades and more, LinkedIn has been true to its original mission. You never see its executives testifying in front of Congress. Nor are they mentioned during most social media seminars. In the world of radio station social directors, LinkedIn may as well be invisible.
And yet, there are key aspects of this unique site that broadcasters might be better utilizing as the industry’s needs shift. And to make that case, I’ve leaned on three former Jacobs Media alums, Lori Lewis, Dave Beasing, and Ton Calderone both for inspiration and wisdom.
Lori has made her name for her social acumen. When I asked her about the viability of LinkedIn for radio, she reminded me that as is the case with any social platform, “The right content, plan, and execution could help reach a different audience.”
That’s a good start. Dave Beasing sent me news story about LinkedIn from Sherwood News blaring this headline:
“LinkedIn is a weird, workaholic wasteland – and a total gold mine for Microsoft”
The story, co-written by Claire Yubin Oh and David Crowther, makes the point that while LinkedIn is off the social media path, it is highly profitable and rich in resources smart operators – yes, even of radio companies – ought to be considering in their strategic mix.
LinkedIn is one of the most popular social sites we see each year in Techsurvey. While daily engagement (on the right in the chart below) is nothing to write home about, LinkedIn’s overall penetration – more than two-thirds of respondents in the social space have a profile – putting it ahead of highly-buzzed-about sites such as X and TikTok:
That’s impressive penetration for a site that’s more about jobs than pets, relationships, and families. And when you look at those employed full-time in Techsurvey 2024, nearly three-fourths (73%) have a profile on LinkedIn.
But the story is about LinkedIn’s increase in user engagement (up 37% YoY) with revenue of $16 billion last year, placing it ahead of Zoom, the New York Times, and Docusign – combined. The social brand has skyrocketed since 2017, posting its highest earnings ever.
LinkedIn has most definitely not rested on its laurels, actively integrating AI tools to its premium account to assist job seekers and employers. More than one billion LinkedIn users pay for premium status, an increase of 50% during the past two years.
So with all that going for it, Dave Beasing wonders why more radio companies aren’t engaging on LinkedIn on the local level. Thinking specifically in the sales cubicles, he asks, “Isn’t it time for sales departments to have a LinkedIn content (marketing) strategy?”
Good question, but while their parent companies are well-represented on Linkedin, it turns out many radio stations or local clusters don’t have an account. And among those that do, many are dormant or have just a handful of connections. There are exceptions of course, but most individual stations and local clusters have little to do with LinkedIn, despite the fact most of their clients and prospects are on the platform.
Sherwood sees it this way:
“After a number of conversations with small business owners over the last few months, the reality is that posting every single day on LinkedIn, even if it feels uncomfortable at times, is a bona fide way of bringing in leads.”
I’ve found that’s the case for me personally and for Jacobs Media and jacapps – the more we all post content on LinkedIn, the better our networking and outbound marketing seems to get. Here are two key areas where LinkedIn can be a difference-maker for local broadcasters:
1. Making meaningful connections with local advertisers – Hometown businesses will be the lifeblood of broadcast radio for the foreseeable future, so why not fire up content strategies
designed to engage with them?
Lori Lewis offers this tip: “Sharing case studies on how your brand solved local business issues, awards and accolades, the top-performing video from talent each week to showcase the station’s personalities, how the station is invested in local events, issues, and activities.” There’s a lot there to unpack, but these are all viable content starting points – including the event aspect, something clients and prospective customers often attend when there are interesting speakers (as well as free food and beverages).
Over the past two years, we watched Tom Calderone‘s cluster in Western New York – Buffalo Toronto Public Media – make this work by regularly staging “Upfronts” to showcase programming and marketing opportunities with his television, radio, and digital media brands and assets. Paul and I have spoken at a number of these. They are well-attended. (Yes, Tom is another former Jacobs Media consultant.)
2. Making local radio a great place to work – Talk to any local broadcaster and they’ll bemoan the fact young people don’t view radio as a viable career path. While there are a number of state broadcasters taking on this challenge, including the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, most local clusters don’t have a viable recruiting/education strategy in place.
LinkedIn reports good progress attracting Gen Zs to its platform. The Sherwood News story cites 14% growth last year. And while they may not love LinkedIn, they are pragmatic enough to engage with it in their quest to find employment or to better their job situations.
LinkedIn is making efforts to make their site stickier and user-friendly. 
Sherwood’s Oh and Cruthers note the social platform launched four games in 2024 called Queens, Tango, Pinpoint, and Crossclimb (pictured).
Why games on this social site? As Team LinkedIn explains “Every year, we study the world’s best workplaces. Turns out, one of the best ways to deepen and reignite relationships at work is simply by having fun together.” They recommend competing with “connections” on LinkedIn to “forge relationships.” Always a good idea.
And then there’s video, ubiquitous content on every other social site. Linkedin, however, has been slow to embrace short-form video – until now. Scrolling through the most recent batch (it’s like using TikTok) indicates users are still trying to find the messages that resonate.
Who will benefit most from LinkedIn videos – job seekers, employers, consultants, influencers? Watch this space.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
- Radio’s Missing Link(edIn)? - February 11, 2025
- Playing Radio’s “Big Game” - February 10, 2025
- The Quest(love) For Production Perfection - February 7, 2025
Leave a Reply