LinkedIn has rebranded and expanded its Wire Program as BrandLink, positioning the initiative to capitalize on the platform’s rapidly growing video engagement metrics. The program now includes partnerships with prominent creator voices alongside established publishers, offering advertisers new opportunities to align with contextually relevant content.

BrandLink delivers video content that allows advertisers to align with editorial content from trusted publishers and top creator voices, including Steven Bartlett, Bernard Marr, Allie K. Miller, Rebecca Minkoff, Candace Nelson, Guy Raz, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Shelley Zalis. The expansion introduces “Shows by LinkedIn,” collections of exclusive video content produced by creators and publishers around core themes relevant to LinkedIn’s professional community.

“We are continuing to double down on our investment in video – one of the fastest growing formats on LinkedIn – to drive more value for our ads customers,” Lindsey Edwards, Vice President of Product Management at LinkedIn, wrote in a post.

Since BrandLink’s launch last June, performance data shows advertisers experiencing 130% higher video completion rates and 23% higher view rates than standard video ads. Members who view BrandLink ads are up to 18% more likely to become leads.

Creator Economy Gaining Traction on Professional Network

The expansion aligns with broader trends in LinkedIn’s creator economy. Research from Metricool’s recent study, analyzing over 577,000 posts from 47,000+ LinkedIn pages, shows video content increased 53% in the past year, with impressions up 73.39% and views rising by 52.17%. Time spent watching LinkedIn videos has increased by 159.61%, indicating deeper engagement.

These metrics have attracted management agencies like The Wishly Group, which represents 25 of LinkedIn’s top B2B creators and has generated over $2 million in creator deals within 12 months.

“If you’re not even thinking about influencer campaigns to shift people’s mindset and speed up your sales cycles, something is missing in your strategy,” Aneesh Lal, founder of The Wishly Group, told Net Influencer earlier this year.

Content Strategy Responds to Marketer Needs

LinkedIn’s emphasis on video content addresses specific marketer pain points, with 91% of B2B marketers globally believing video will help accelerate advertising ROI more than any other format, according to Edwards’ post. Additionally, 57% of B2B marketers believe video content is most effective in helping them localize content.

To participate in BrandLink, brands identify their preferred show and run in-stream video ads ahead of creator and publisher content. Each creator and publisher produces original content aligned to themes unique to LinkedIn’s professional community.

“Partnering with LinkedIn enables me to bring cutting-edge, actionable insights on AI and the future of work directly to the world’s top professionals—on the platform where those conversations truly matter,” Bernard Marr, bestselling author and futurist, said in a statement.

Platform Expands Publisher Network

LinkedIn is onboarding additional publishers, including ADWEEK, Condé Nast, Der Spiegel, Dynamo, Entrepreneur Media, Fast Company, Front Office Sports, Inc. Magazine, Morning Brew, Penske Media Corporation, The Washington Post, USA TODAY, and WaitWhat. The platform is also offering multilingual content to help brands target specific audiences globally.

BrandLink is available on mobile and desktop and supports a growing list of global publishers producing region-specific content. Global advertisers can target specific locations and preferred language settings on member profiles, aligned with LinkedIn’s current targeting capabilities.

The creator focus appears well-timed, with recent research from Billion Dollar Boy showing that 60% of creators plan to expand their LinkedIn presence, and 58% of LinkedIn users favor increased creator content from brands on the platform.