How to Boost Your LinkedIn Profile with a Cover Story Video

75% of 1,009 hiring managers and 2,101 job seekers in the US doubt that a standard resume is sufficient in evaluating soft skills and 76% of hiring managers note the importance of being able to watch a pre-recorded video of the candidate during the hiring process.

Sounds like the key to stand out from the crowd and increase your chances of getting your dream job! The only thing you have to do is add a video to your CV… How do I do that? Is this really helpful?

LinkedIn answers your questions and gives us the opportunity to boost our profile with a new cool feature named Cover Story Video. My name is Kobozeva Tamara, I am a BEsmart product manager. In this article I gather all the information you need to know about Cover Story Video!

What is the Feature About?

A cover story is a 30-second vertical video recorded on your phone that every user can add to their profile page.

It works the same way as disappearing stories on Instagram or Facebook, except the cover story doesn't disappear from your account until you decide to delete it yourself.

What Does it Look Like on Your Profile?

A yellow highlight appears around your photo, signaling that you have a cover video. When someone opens your profile, instead of your profile picture they see a small fragment of your cover video which is played automatically and without sound. After those few seconds, the visitor sees your photo in a yellow circle again. In order to see the whole video, page visitors have to click on your profile picture, then it will open for viewing.

The automatic video playback can be removed if you want. In this case, visitors can view the video only by first clicking on your photo.

The cover story video can be downloaded only in mobile app, while viewing is available from the web-version of LinkedIn as well. Also, you can't record or save several videos in your account at once – there can only be one cover story. Moreover, the cover story video has no effect on the search.

How Do I Use this?

In short, it helps to

Make your profile more alive, increase loyalty
Demonstrate your public speaking and video making skills
Introduce yourself as an expert, highlight the important

Who it's good for: everyone. Marketers, business coaches, designers, content makers, and so on. To:

Promote personal brand
Navigate LinkedIn page
Highlight expertise in front of your workforce
Reach customers

The video demonstrates your serious and creative approach to LinkedIn design and gets your guests interested in your page, making them study it longer and more closely. This increases the likelihood of catching the attention of those you're looking for and reaching your goal! Whether it's a business proposal or a partnership.

How to Download One?

1) It is quite intuitive. If you open your profile in the app, there will be a little plus button in the corner of your profile photo. Click on it and the LinkedIn profile menu will appear on the screen.

2) Click on the ‘Add cover story’ button. You can record a video in the app or upload it from your device. Of course, attempts are unlimited.

3) The video-editor interface is simple and familiar to many of us. After uploading a video you can add any text or stickers you want. In the end of the editing you’ll see your video in a circle with a grid in order to adjust it.

What Should I Say in the Video?

To begin with, you need to once again formulate for yourself the goal that you seek to achieve with your account. Find a job, find customers, build a personal brand. Or it could be something more local, like demonstrating your multitasking or public speaking skills. Here you're analyzing what you already have in your profile, what it lacks or what you'd like to emphasize.

The next step is to think about the audience you want to keep on your profile. Who are they, what are the characteristics of these people, what do they like, what are their needs? This also can help you choose the form and direction for your video.

Read: 5 questions about your audience

Answering these questions for yourself will give you some important information, at the intersection of which you can formulate the basic principles for your video.

If you want to get a video and do not know where to start from – book our Linkedin Cover Video consultation.

Let us give you a great introduction!

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