Talking LinkedIn News’ powerful distribution model with Executive Editor Laura Lorenzetti
Breaking through on LinkedIn, from social media to editorial.
Amanda Coffee is CEO of Coffee Communications and ex-Under Armour, PayPal and eBay.
Laura Lorenzetti, executive editor at LinkedIn News, sits at the intersection of editorial storytelling and platform strategy. A former journalist at CNN, CNBC and TheStreet, she now helps shape how LinkedIn’s billion users engage with professional news and conversation.
LinkedIn News is LinkedIn’s in-house editorial team, made up of experienced journalists who create and curate the platform’s news content.
In this wide-ranging Q&A, Lorenzetti shares how communicators can break through on LinkedIn — whether you’re an executive, a comms lead or building a brand. Her advice? Be real. Be consistent. And stop treating posts like press releases.
Her key takeaways in our Q&A include: why video content is surging on LinkedIn, how the platform is increasingly being leveraged by big brands to break news (the Tinder CEO used LinkedIn, not a press release, to announce a leadership change), the rise in executive versus brand pages for engagement, the power of LinkedIn comments and how Lorenzetti leverages AI in her day to day life.
With a billion users, LinkedIn has a massive reach. What advice do you have for comms pros trying to maximize their reach on LinkedIn – both for executives and brands?
My advice to comms pros looking to maximize their reach on LinkedIn is to be authentic, be consistent and see every post as the start of a conversation. LinkedIn is about building relationships at its core, so the more genuine and interactive the approach, the stronger the impact.
For executives, sharing insights in their voice, keeping up a steady flow of posts, and actively engaging with their audience can help build credibility and trust. It’s not just about broadcasting ideas, it’s about sparking conversations. The most effective posts go beyond the headline, offering industry expertise, behind-the-scenes insights or a compelling “why it matters.” Adding videos, images or carousels makes content more engaging and helps messages stand out in a busy feed.
For brands, storytelling is everything. People connect with human moments, a peek behind the scenes or a customer success story. Posts should bring a fresh angle, unique insight, or timely hook. Starting a conversation is as important for a brand as an executive: think of how you foster the community conversation over broadcasting to an audience.
Everyone is familiar with LinkedIn, but can you provide an overview of what LinkedIn News entails. What are your goals for the year ahead?
LinkedIn News is our in-house editorial team focused on creating and curating the conversations that matter most to professionals. Our content reaches hundreds of millions of people globally, focused on the news and knowledge that helps people navigate the rapidly changing world of work.
Looking ahead, we’re placing bigger bets on video. It’s clear that video is becoming the way people prefer to consume content – and one of the coolest trends we’ve seen lately is leaders coming to LinkedIn to break news and share insights on video directly.
For example, take McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski, who has been crushing it on video lately, across company updates like earnings, leadership insights or (my favorite) his global taste tests. He’s a great example of an authentic leader leveraging video to connect with stakeholders, from his employees, industry peers or customers.
What’s unique about breaking news on LinkedIn versus different platforms?
We’re seeing a clear shift: more companies are choosing to share news directly on LinkedIn instead of relying on press releases or a company newsroom. It’s a move toward more authentic, human communication, and it’s getting noticed.
What makes LinkedIn unique is the ability to not only reach a large, global audience, but the right one. From employees and investors to customers and peers, the platform offers a professional environment where your message lands in front of the people who matter most. This includes journalists and media outlets, all regularly referencing and citing LinkedIn. For example, when Nasdaq announced it was moving to 24-hour trading, President Tal Cohen made that announcement directly and exclusively on LinkedIn. Not only did it reach a massive audience on LinkedIn, it was covered by nearly 60 media outlets citing his LinkedIn commentary – Bloomberg, Fast Company, Reuters, etc.
We’ve also built tools to help maximize that visibility. We recently started testing a “News Banner” at the top of the LinkedIn feed, highlighting new and developing stories that are shaping the professional world, maintained by our award-winning editorial team. When members click into the banner, they’ll see relevant articles and posts from LinkedIn members, including top publishers and journalists.
What news story that you broke created the most conversation on LinkedIn?
We’re increasingly seeing leaders and companies breaking news on LinkedIn. Duolingo recently officially announced their pledge to become an AI-first company, sharing an all hands email from their CEO. This was picked up by dozens of outlets like Business Insider, The New York Ledger, Tech Times, The Verge and more. Even distinguished journalists like NYT’s Benjamin Mullin are sharing scoops on LinkedIn.
What’s a day in a life like for you? How do you use AI in your day to day life?
No two days are the same! Part of my days are connecting with the team of amazing journalists to plan upcoming coverage and special projects, things like our Top Companies lists. Another portion is spent working closely with product peers and engineers to build news experiences within LinkedIn, making it easier for members to find the news and knowledge they care about everyday.
AI is core to my personal productivity: I use it to help summarize a lot of incoming information from tools like Slack or Outlook, helping me synthesize what I need to know faster. I’ve also pivoted a lot of my traditional search patterns to AI tools like Copilot, using it heavily for research and background information. In smaller ways, I also try to stretch myself – dabbling in vibe coding or figuring out how to automate presentation development. I’ve also been getting even more ideas from LinkedIn Learning instructor Morten Rand-Hendriksen’s 30-day AI learning challenge. My biggest advice for anyone is to set aside some time each week to play with new AI tools: there’s a learning curve, but that initial investment pays off in major time savings once you’ve got the hang of it.
For those who are less active on LinkedIn and intimated to share content, what’s your advice to become more active?
Share what you know or are passionate about! Lean into your expertise and share the “how” or “why” behind your work. If posting right off the bat seems too intimidating – you can also engage in other ways. Try spending some time in the comments section of posts from other industry leaders or people in your network. You might be surprised by the conversations that spark.
Patrice Louvet, CEO of Ralph Lauren, is a great example. He regularly shares business updates like earnings that are accompanied by simple and thoughtful videos as a way to further engage with his team and followers. One recent post drew a wave of engagement from former employees and others across the industry, which shows how leveraging video and other content mediums can turn a company update into something people genuinely want to talk about.
How can comms pros land their CEO on a big LinkedIn News series or newsletter such as This is Working?
While we’re always on the hunt for breaking business news, what we’re looking for is a little bit different from traditional outlets. We want to hear directly from executives with added perspective, context or behind-the-scenes insight. If you have a big announcement, post it and make sure there’s something unique or exclusive to the LinkedIn content – ideally posted on LinkedIn before or in the first minutes following the official release of the news.
Like any traditional newsroom, comms pros can and should pitch our teams to be included in our newsletters and podcast. Before pitching our team, think about the beats and types of guests featured and truly find a unique angle. For example:
- The Path Ryan Roslansky sits down with leaders who have navigated career pivots
- This is Working features CEOs who focus on career advice and how to succeed
- Hello Monday is about the changing world of work
- Get Hired spotlights talent professionals and career experts who provide guidance to job seekers
- Everyday Better focuses on personal development
- Catalyst features personal stories of resilience and overcoming setbacks
On the newsletter front, Tech Stack explores AI and technology, The Finance Files delves into fintech and the economy, Human Capital focuses on finance leadership, Path to Recovery addresses healthcare, and Work Shift provides labor market insights, all featuring voices relevant to their respective industries.
I’ve seen more and more video on LinkedIn. How are you promoting video and what kind of video content performs best?
Video has become a powerful tool for storytelling on LinkedIn, and we’re encouraging leaders and members to use it as a way to connect with their networks more authentically and relatably. We’re seeing more leaders leveraging video to enhance their employer brand, communicate with employees, and engage with broader audiences.
When it comes to what performs best, authenticity is key. Polished, corporate-style videos have a time and place, but some of the most engaging content is casual, off-the-cuff and conversational. Videos that feel personal and unscripted resonate with viewers because they create a sense of connection. Thoughtful perspectives shared in a leader’s voice drive more engagement and meaningful interactions than orchestrated ones. To stand out, think beyond talking direct-to-camera: What is a visually engaging way to bring people into the story? And, as with any post, think about a call-to-action that will start a conversation with your audience.
What CEO and brand is doing it right on LinkedIn?
There are so many leaders and brands crushing LinkedIn right now. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is a great example, he started using LinkedIn in 2023 to share exclusive company updates and personal insights, giving his audience direct access to his thinking. Blackstone COO Jon Gray has quickly built a following by sharing smart takes on the economy and investment trends on video. Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser regularly shares thoughtful perspectives on finance and leadership, and GM CEO Mary Barra takes her audience inside the future of automotive innovation.
This was a great read. I’ve been posting daily on Linkedin since January 2020 and the platform has quite literally changed my life. First in 2021 when a CMO recruited me for a role in brand marketing despite my being a career BizOps person who didn’t even have the words “brand” or “marketing” on my resume. When I asked him why he was interested in hiring me for that role. He said, “I’ve been following you for six months on LinkedIn, and I’ve seen all I need to see. If you can do for us there what you do for yourself, you’ll be great.”
Then again in 2023 when I was let go from that company after a $1.2B acquisition and used the runway I got from the exit to start my own consultancy. I made 70% of my prior salary in my first year from inbound leads sourced directly via Linkedin.
Everyone looks at Linkedin as a resume storage utility, but it’s so much more than that. What we’re witnessing on this platform is the humanization of business. The shift from formal, buttoned-up corporate speak to professionals sharing not only important news, but also the journey to get there – ups, downs, all of it.
Worth noting that the term “conversation” shows up 10 times in this short article. Starting to make sense why Linkedin is showing us impressions on comments now…
I always tell people:
Your resume shows what you did, when you did it, and where.
Your Linkedin profile enables you to add context to that by sharing WHO you are, WHY you do what you do, and HOW.
The combination of those things makes for a complete personal brand.
I believe that Linkedin is becoming a personal branding platform as well as a business news outlet and the fact that those two things can co-exist in one place is pretty awesome.
It really is the world’s largest networking event, only without any geographic limitations or official start & end time.
If that doesn’t fire you up about the opportunities there, you’re not paying close enough attention…
Off to post this on Linkedin now!