3 Steps on How to Grow on Linkedin in 2026 | Matt Derella

0:00You only have two more years to build a personal brand, all the content for them, and it's going to be so flooded you won't be able to stand out. I'm going to take the other side of that argument. I don't think so. This is Matt Derella, Senior Vice President of LinkedIn Ads and Microsoft Advertising. LinkedIn has 1.3 billion professionals, and Matt knows exactly who gets found and who disappears. We see that founders and leaders of organizations that post regularly on LinkedIn are 71 % more likely to actually drive business on the platform. There's nothing that currently is a substitute for really original insight, thought, and authenticity.

0:34That is what's going to be credible. What would you tell to these people? I think, in fact, the credibility of the source is going to be coming. Is there anything you're seeing from inside LinkedIn how these journeys are being transformed with content? The founder title is something that on the inside of LinkedIn, it's been really interesting to watch how that is becoming more common as, particularly in the Gen Z segment, people are adding founder to their profiles because they're maybe full-time founder or also sometimes they have a full-time job and they're starting their own thing more and more with the incredible tools that are available.

1:13We think that solopreneurship is going to be a really exciting category going forward. And like you said, LinkedIn is a great place for people to build out in the world and share what they're doing. We have a lot of focus on founders. We think founders have a distinct advantage as it relates to sort of building their business and their brand on LinkedIn. And I think that comes back to people on the platform really wanting authentic stories, like and really being inspired about, you know, the grind and like how people are figuring it out. We see that founders and leaders of organizations that post regularly on LinkedIn are 71 % more likely to actually drive business on the platform.

1:5371%. 71%. Yeah. So it's absolutely a great way to consistently get your voice out there, get known, get connections, and then actually drive those connections into real opportunity for their business. When it comes to getting leads, so you said when people are documenting their journey, what is the best creative? Because you run ads, right? Yes. So you know what creatives work best. So from my own perspective and experience as a creator, I do a lot of different formats. And then if something's performing organically, we put more dollars behind it. Are you seeing any tatters there that people can look on?

2:29You know, if I was a founder today, I think that I would absolutely recommend exactly what you're describing, which is I'm going to put content out there. Some of it will probably be more personal, like what my journey is. Some of it might be around something we're launching. You know, we recently announced like collab posts as an example, which is a really exciting way to sort of announce products. More on that in the days ahead. I would also add, maybe to be very specific, something like a thought leader ad. We see significant success for founders when they use thought leader ads to promote their offering.

3:06Can you elaborate on that? Yeah, it basically takes a post. It puts a, you know, the video post, for example, would sit at the top, and then underneath it would be some context around what's happening in the video. You can go ahead and promote that. And when you retarget after people have engaged with that, we're seeing incredible lead generation for them. So you almost think about the organic piece. You sort of find the signal. You can then promote that, whether it's through thought leader ads or just by boosting it. And then I think oftentimes using someone who's engaged with you as a sort of starting point for an ICP to go ahead and engage them deeper is a really winning formula to do it efficiently, especially when you're going from zero to one.

3:47And you've got to be really thoughtful about every dollar you invest. A question. If something's growing organically and I'm like, OK, this is where you want to put some dollars behind it. Because I know some platforms would not penalize you for that, but they would realize you have some cash, So they can stop organic and just focus on pay for you. No, I mean, we don't want to make the investment sort of get in the way of you providing just great content and knowledge into the ecosystem. In the end of the day, the service all stands on a trust relationship that we have with our members that we're going to deliver them the best content available for them based on where they are in their career.

4:22So the knowledge and the credibility of that knowledge, I think, is paramount to everything. And certainly, we have customers that are having a lot of success without having to put paid behind it. And we love that. We want to see whether you're a creator, whether you're a business, we want to see that people get success and create economic opportunity. Sometimes the way to do that at a more scale does involve actually boosting so you can reach more of the people that maybe aren't following you, right? And that is a decision hopefully we make easier by giving you a good measurement tool so you can actually see the return on the investment.

4:54Which you just said in yesterday, was that one of the announcements that there is extended analytics? That's what I thought. Yes, yes. We extended analytics for creators, so you have a better understanding exactly how you're getting paid, how you're performing, how you could potentially optimize what you're doing with LinkedIn. The creator marketplace in general, it's been amazing this week at Cannes for me, because I've been coming here for like 15 years. I mean, it's been amazing to watch the evolution. Creators weren't on the map 15 years ago. Not even 10 years ago. Maybe YouTube was just starting when I was actually there.

5:28And that was mostly about entertainment. And now to see creators being everywhere. And for the professional sort of B2B focused creator marketplace to be just flourishing in ways where every conversation I have with the CMO, they're asking about the creator marketplace or Brandlink and how we're creating this ecosystem where everyone can participate and win. It's very fulfilling. It's very exciting to be here with you and hear all the success. and both on the business side, but also how that's also translated into helping other people see the future that they could have. What was the pivotal year for creators?

5:59Was it last year or do you think it's this year? I think that last year was a year where LinkedIn put a stake in the ground and said, we are serious about this. I think that came to life with Brandlink as sort of a commercial model that allows creators to both get paid and also get reach, which I think is like super powerful. And that started as a proof point that allowed us to get the confidence, I think, to extend this out to a more scaled approach where now brands can use the creator marketplace, which we launched, to find out the people that are most credible in the creator ecosystem around the topics that matter most to them and their customers and have that direct connection and for us to just facilitate that.

6:36And that might lead to just great business partnerships for you. And it might even lead to some ad partnerships where we'll help participate and support the relationship. But hopefully what it does ultimately is create a sustainable ecosystem where everyone gets to benefit from the member on LinkedIn to the creator to the brand and to LinkedIn itself. We're really proud to see the success we have. I think we're just getting started. But it's very encouraging to see. I think last year there was this establishment of a B2B creator. I think you were the first person who called me a B2B creator on stage.

7:08I'm like, oh, actually, I actually like this title. And then this year, all the brands you're saying realize there's opportunity. And I think this year there are over 200 creators here at K-Lion. When was the first influx of creators? Did you see it three years ago or is it just? Yeah, I mean, on LinkedIn, I think we've always had that element. I mean, we think about creators in the broadest sense. Like, you know, if you're the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you are a creator. You're a leader. Like, you're a voice. So we've had the top voices program for some time, which I think signals sort of like how we look at creators a bit.

7:46And so that's been going on for since the beginning of the platform practically. But I think the thing that's most important in we because creators are now building businesses, you have created a new category. And with that comes the opportunity to create an ecosystem and some sustainable commercial models that allow everyone to benefit. And I think that's the point where, you know, certainly people get great value out of being able to provide content and connect with people. 18 ,000 connections on LinkedIn every single minute. It's sort of wild to think about. Yeah. And it's really important that you also have the option, you know, to partner and to go ahead and continue to build your business.

8:24I mentioned solopreneurs earlier. But the other, like, category that's massive is creators. You know, so many young people today, like, the number one job that they want is to become a creator. So, you know, if we want to create economic opportunity in the world, we have to create the environment and the conditions so that they can be successful. When you talk to these TMOs, do you have an estimate of like what percentage of their budget numbers to creators versus like zero? Yeah, yeah, exactly. I mean, I think it varies widely by customers. I think one of the most telling moments was when someone who oversees the CEO of an agency, a very large agency, shared with me that every client pitch now has a major creator component.

9:06It's mandatory, especially in B2B. And it's the fastest growing category within their agencies. So that tells me that clients are completely leaned in. All the data supports this as well. With, you know, three out of four CMOs feel like their media plan is incomplete if it doesn't have a creator in it. Like it's literally become the standard now as opposed to being like test budgets just a few years ago, which is wonderful to see. And I think it's important that the audience understands like it's not because they just like creators. It's because they're seeing real value. You know, the decision makers today, they're younger.

9:39They want to hear from credible voices. They're a little more skeptical of like your classic brand messages. They want to hear people who are credible on topic sharing it. And if you're involved with a brand, like that means something to that group of decision makers. And that's why brands are leaning in so heavily. This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks.

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10:21Matthew Derella:When you need to build up your team to handle the growing chaos at work? Use Indeed Sponsored Jobs. It gives your job post the boost it needs to be seen and helps reach people with the right skills, certifications, and more. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Listeners of this show will get a$75 sponsored job credit at Indeed.com slash podcast. That's Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need a hiring hero? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. What do you tell brands? Because I've been in these meetings so many times that are like, but how do we track performance?

10:56Because if you're a large brand, if you're like marketing B2B, you can't really sell, like go and buy my whatever CRM system, right? How, what's the most effective way to measure creative performance? Yeah. I mean, I think there's multiple ways to go about this. You have sort of the long-term, which is ultimately you want to see pipeline moving or created and ultimately close. But B2B sales cycles are 222 days on average. So, you know, that's not something you can measure day one. So what we encourage folks to do is, you know, getting back to that use case with the thought leader ads, like, you know, create some reach, you know, build your reputation with the creator, use that as a starting point, look at the engagement of it, you know, potentially find a sequencing where after someone's engaged, you connect with them with a message that allows them to go maybe a little bit deeper to your point, You don't want to do the hard sell on day one, but now they've expressed interest and sort of invited you in to have a different conversation that's maybe a layer deeper.

11:51And you move that down the funnel, and then maybe there's actually an opportunity to connect with that person after they've engaged again. And now they're having a conversation with one of your salespeople, potentially, or yourself as the founder of a small company. That sort of simple funnel would be how I might think about it. There's some very basic tools also in LinkedIn that allow marketers to understand how they're getting the return on investment. It can link directly to the CRM, and I could go on for days about all the things we can do. But ultimately, you want to see, when I invest a dollar, how many dollars in pipeline and converted pipeline do I actually generate?

12:25But the top metric is reach, right? For day one. For day one, that's a start. But I think as a creator, you should care about the customers, your partner's endgame. which is actually driving like lower funnel results. Like that's what's going to lead to really sustainable business for you. And we can do that. We have partners, we have amazing partners that use our company intelligence API, which basically allows a customer to see what companies are being engaged with and are actually buying the products that, you know, people have used to great success to actually really understand that that journey that I taught.

13:02Is video still the best asset? Video is one of the fastest growing. It's growing at over 20%. It's a massive part of our story. I think that getting back to the principle of people want to buy from people. And there's something really powerful about video and actually hearing someone express their passion, their credibility, their knowledge about something. So, yes, it's as table stakes. I wouldn't say it's the only thing. There's still a world where it might be better to use a newsletter, to go deep on a subject. And that has incredible value as well. But if I was talking to a brand who's really trying to be understood and leverage a creator, I would start with video.

13:39It's interesting how the algorithm still pushes carousels more. As a creator, I see that. You've read it as videos and marketers read it as video, but the algorithm likes the carousel. Always experiment. Yeah, you have to have all sorts of formats. But for anyone who's willing to start this year or just started, I had a little guest on my podcast who said, you only have two more years to build a personal brand? Because then AI becomes so powerful that anyone can just deploy an agent, it creates all the content for them, and it's going to be so flooded you won't be able to stand up. What would you tell to these people?

14:13Is it true or basically is the window closing? I'm going to take the other side of that argument. I don't think so. I think in fact the credibility of the source is going to become increasingly important in a world where there is so much AI slop moving around. What if it's no longer, that's what I'm thinking, like when I'm seeing the technology progress, what if it's no longer a slop? What if it's great? What if it just went ahead and learned and became the best writer? I guess we'll see. I would say that the models today lean very heavy on citations from people who are credible and really know their stuff.

14:49And people, I think, will become very attuned to the results they're getting because more and more we're trusting the discovery and the answer to come back to us and increasingly platforms and like the platforms you choose to invest your time in to build your brand and tell your story are gonna be really important LinkedIn's the number one cited platform based on profounds research as a nice of professional queries which is super important and like getting back to the creator story I think that we talked about ROI like that's sort of the classic way we measure it but today because this new technology is coming in you sort of have a double bottom line where you can deliver for a brand like real value like you invested a dollar and you earn back three and on the other side you also position yourself so that you'll be discovered by these LLMs because they're being cited because LinkedIn is a trusted source and you know Marina is a very trusted source on entrepreneurship you know based on what you share growing so fast this AEO optimization business I just went to a hotel that was recommended by perplexity.

15:51And in this hotel, I'm like realizing everyone is from the Bay Area. I'm like, is that like perplexity targeting people in the Bay Area for this hotel? And also on Instagram, also being viral for this particular group of people. Okay. I have one last question. Okay. For anyone who's seen this amazing stories of people making their living on LinkedIn, getting all their leads, how do they start? Top three steps in 2026. Yeah. In 2026, I think number one, let's be consistent. Let's get out there. How often? I'd say three to four times a week is our recommendation. Number two, keep it original. AI is amazing, but there's nothing that currently is a substitute for really original insight and thought and authenticity.

16:32That is what's going to be credible. That's what's going to get the right kind of engagement. And I would think, I just encourage folks not to think about quantity, but think about quality. It's not about chasing vanity metrics. It's about actually like connecting with the people that really matter to your business in a meaningful way and build that relationship. And then I'd get back to like where you see signal. Like think about whether it might be worthy of go ahead and boosting and finding more of that ICP, that sort of ideal customer profile so you could really scale what's already working.

17:03I think that's the tip that I'm going to try on my profile. I was just in a LinkedIn meeting a few weeks ago in San Francisco, and they told us, as a creator, if you see that one post is attracting more followers, and now you have extended analytics, because I used to see correlations between the posts. Yeah, now you can really see. Now I can really see, and then I'm going to put some dollars behind those posts, because I see they're bringing value to my profile. Thank you so much, Matt. That was really insightful, and thank you for doing all the great things at LinkedIn. I'm so, so happy for this platform, and I'm so grateful for everyone who's just building their lives there.

17:34Thanks for building a business with us and for inspiring so many thousands of people around the world on the entrepreneurship journey. Thank you so much. Thank you. Awesome.