The business of connecting business-to-business marketers with the people who create content for them has long resembled a networking event where everyone forgot their name tags.
LinkedIn, the Microsoft-owned platform that has spent years cultivating a creator ecosystem of its own, is now attempting to bring some order to the proceedings. The company has introduced a creator marketplace — its first — that allows marketers to search for creators by topic, view their follower counts and engagement metrics, and contact them directly. The marketplace, currently in alpha testing, lives within LinkedIn's campaign manager and is available to select brands and creators in North America.
The mechanics are straightforward enough: marketer searches for creator, reviews a card showing recent work and audience demographics, clicks through to deeper insights if warranted, then reaches out via email or LinkedIn message. Creators must opt in to share their data. Monetization tools, including a dedicated tab on creator profiles, are promised for eligible participants, though no timeline was offered.
"I think it's really smart that they've put it in the campaign manager," said Brendan Gahan, co-founder and chief executive of Creator Authority, who has had early access to the product. Mr. Gahan noted the potential for integration with LinkedIn's Thought Leader Ads, which he described as "super effective."
The concept of a creator marketplace is hardly novel — TikTok introduced one in 2019, YouTube followed in 2020, and Meta rolled out its Instagram version globally last year. But LinkedIn is addressing a different problem. Unlike consumer-focused platforms, where creators are plentiful and generally eager, the B2B creator landscape has remained fragmented. LinkedIn never offered an API that connected to creator marketing software, leaving agencies to manage discovery through methods that might charitably be called artisanal.
Not everyone is convinced the marketplace solves the fundamental challenge. Jess Phillips, founder and chief executive of the Social Standard, observed that B2B creators tend to be "gainfully employed individuals" who do not spend their days refreshing their inboxes for partnership opportunities.
"There is no way these individuals will be on LinkedIn looking to make a quick buck," Ms. Phillips said. "This isn't TikTok."
(One suspects that is, in fact, LinkedIn's entire pitch.)
Whether the marketplace becomes essential infrastructure or merely a tidier Rolodex remains unclear. But then, someone had to bring name tags to the networking event.
Original story published in Digiday: "LinkedIn launches new B2B creator marketplace", by Krystal Scanlon