• by Colin Kirkland , October 15, 2024

As LinkedIn continues to grow, it is becoming more popular among C-suite executives, who, according to a new report by The Financial Times, have been flocking to the business-focused social media app in recent years and finding more engagement with users outside of other discussion-based platforms like X.

In the U.S., there has been a 35% increase in C-suite professionals on LinkedIn over the past five years, and a 30% increase in the U.K. -- with a steady rise in the popularity of LinkedIn among business leaders, who are also posting more regularly.

Year-over-year, there has been a 23% rise in posts from CEOs across the globe, and user engagement around their content is four times higher than engagement with content from other LinkedIn members.

On average, LinkedIn says, “CEOs can expect a 39% surge in followers after posting.”

According to LinkedIn COO Dan Shapero, C-suite professionals have found it helpful to act as extensions of their corporate brand in order to “build connection and trust with the audiences” they want to engage.

The platform's algorithm has also begun prioritizing posts that share knowledge and advice -- especially from experts, according to Jason Ball, founder of B2B marketing agency Considered Content -- which may have helped CEOs like Spotify's Daniel Ek see a gain of over 130,000 followers in the last month.

LinkedIn is also focused on transforming its app into a more influencer-friendly space, with its new TikTokified video feed, as well as its continued rollout of AI-powered content features that make it easier for experts like C-suite professionals to amass devoted followings without having to put as much as effort into content creation.

In line with other leading social-media apps, LinkedIn says its video format is the fastest-growing format on the platform, with uploads up 34% year-over-year.

Shapero says that videos from executives make up “some of the most engaged content on the platform.”

Video uploads, in particular, helped boost LinkedIn's active user sessions by 13% last quarter.

Another reason that executives are flocking to LinkedIn may be in response to Elon Musk’s takeover of the former Twitter -- now called X -- which has seen a significant drop in professional discussion, especially among public relations professionals. A recent Muck Rack survey shows 61% of PR professionals planning to increase their LinkedIn use over the next year, while 27% plan on using X less often.

Regardless of whether this trend is evident across industries, brands trying to target industry leaders will find more of them sharing content on LinkedIn.