Can You Still Add a Video to Your LinkedIn Profile?

free video coaching resources Jul 08, 2021

Not as a profile video any more. LinkedIn removed profile videos, the short clip that played inside your profile photo, on 26 June 2023. You can still put an intro video on your profile: post it as a native video, then add that post to the Featured section so it sits near the top of your profile.

Key takeaways

LinkedIn's profile video, the clip that played inside your profile photo, was removed on 26 June 2023.
The closest thing today is a short video post pinned to the Featured section of your profile.
A video profile works best short: who you are, who you help and why you do it, in your own voice.
Record it once, properly, and use the same video on your About page and in your email signature.
Writing the script before you record, and reading it from a teleprompter, is what makes it sound natural instead of rehearsed.

What happened to LinkedIn profile videos?

In 2021 LinkedIn let you add a short intro video to your profile, called a Cover Story. Once it was added, an orange ring appeared around your profile photo and a preview of the video played silently inside the photo frame. The video above, recorded at the time, shows how it worked.

That feature has gone. Social Media Today reported in June 2023 that LinkedIn was removing profile videos from 26 June that year. So if you've been looking for the "Add cover story" option, it isn't there to find.

Where can you put an intro video on LinkedIn now?

In the Featured section of your profile. It sits near the top, under your About summary, and it's where people look when they want to know more about you. A video post pinned there works as your video profile.

Record your intro video and save it to your computer or phone.
Post it on LinkedIn as a native video, uploaded straight to LinkedIn rather than shared as a YouTube link, with a line or two of text saying what it is.
Add the post to Featured. From your profile, add the Featured section if you don't have one yet, and choose the video post to feature.
Check it from someone else's view. Open your profile in a private browser window, or ask a colleague, to see what a visitor sees.

LinkedIn changes its menus often, so the exact wording of the buttons may differ on your screen.

What is a video profile, and what should it say?

A video profile is a short video of you, speaking to camera, that introduces who you are and what you do. It's the video a stranger watches when they're deciding whether to trust you. Three things carry it:

Who you are and who you help. One line each, in plain language.
Why you do the work. The reason people remember after the video ends.
What to do next. Connect, message you, or visit your site.

Keep it short. The old LinkedIn feature capped it at 30 seconds, and that's still a good length to aim for when someone is scrolling. If you're stuck on the words, grab the free personal profile script prompt.

Should you record it on your phone?

You can, and plenty of people do. The catch is that this is the video people judge you on before they've met you, so it's worth recording where you're lit from the front, your sound is clear and your eyes are on the lens.

When LinkedIn made you upload from a phone, Chris still didn't record on it. He recorded in the studio, sent the file to his phone and uploaded it from there:

"So I've already gone and done that using the DIY desktop studio using a teleprompter and a pre-written script that I've already recorded." Chris Schwager

The script and the teleprompter are what make a short video sound like you on a good day. If reading a script tends to make you sound stiff, learn to speak on camera with confidence first.

Where else should your intro video go?

Once you've got one good intro video, use it everywhere people check you out:

Your website's About page. It's the page people go to when they're deciding whether you're real.
Your email signature. Find out if you need a video email signature.
The Featured section on LinkedIn, as above.

For why this matters to the business, not only to your profile, see why video matters for your business.

LinkedIn video profile: questions we get asked

Can you still add a cover story to your LinkedIn profile?

No. LinkedIn removed profile videos, including the cover story that played inside your profile photo, on 26 June 2023. Pin a video post to your Featured section instead.

What is a video profile?

A short video of you speaking to camera that introduces who you are, who you help and why you do the work. It's what a stranger watches when they're deciding whether to trust you.

How long should a LinkedIn intro video be?

Short. The old profile video feature allowed 30 seconds, and that's still a good target for an intro people will watch to the end.

Can I use the same intro video on my website?

Yes. Record it once, properly, and use it on LinkedIn, on your About page and in your email signature.

Want help making yours?

If you'd rather have a setup that makes this a one-switch job, and someone to help with what you say and how you come across, book a call with Ridge Films.

Video transcript

Transcript of the original 2021 video. The LinkedIn feature it shows has since been removed, and the personal profile video production it mentions is no longer a Ridge Films service.

Read the full transcript

Yes, LinkedIn has finally allowed you to put your video onto your own personal profile so people can actually watch your videos.

And in this video, I'm going to show you how to do it.

Now the first thing you got to understand is LinkedIn being LinkedIn has some limitations to this. You can't upload from your desktop. You have to upload from your smartphone. Now this is all good, because I'm going to show you how to do a workaround. Open up your LinkedIn, first click on your face, you'll have this area that says Add cover story, click on that.

You'll notice you'll get access straight to your iPhone's camera. Now, that's fine if you want to upload an iPhone version, but we want to do something a bit more special and record something from our DIY then transfer to the phone and upload it from there. So I've already gone and done that using the DIY desktop studio using a teleprompter and a pre-written script that I've already recorded.

So I'm going to go ahead and press on the photos area. Here is my video that I've already recorded. And I'm going to go ahead and upload that now. So just hit the little arrow button. And then it'll ask to have a looping video, effectively, that acts as a little bit of a dynamic thumbnail. So add that profile, and that'll do its thing and upload.

If you already have a personal profile video that's less than 30 seconds, you can pretty much do that yourself. The Ridge Films personal profile videos can be added and I'm going to show you anyone's been to the rich films video marketing workshop, we have noticed Pat who is a very dear friend of ours. And if we go to her profile, you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.

So let's quickly get a Pat Murphy. She's got this beautiful dynamic image in her profile. And if you click on it... She's added her video directly to her LinkedIn profile, which is fantastic. So if you already have your personal profile recorded, man, upload it. This is the time for people to get instant access to your video and make it super easy.

Now if you want more information on how to do this if you want access to the DIY unit, and do this type of quality video for you. Or you want to do a personal profile video and get access to professional script writers on-camera training directors, people that are going to help you with your makeup and your own screen presenc. Then you need to invest in a personal profile video and I'll put a link into the post so that you can access that easily. Otherwise have an amazing day.