LinkedIn woos publishers, testing a “News Banner” on its mobile app feed and a video ad program that sources say will earn Bloomberg and WSJ $2M+ each in 2024
“In the next few days it will start testing … See also Mediagazer
Context & Ripple Effects
LinkedIn’s publisher outreach extends a long-running effort: it previously explored an Instant Articles-style publisher product and later tested arrangements in which publishers could sell ads around their own video and page content for a revenue share.
The new mobile News Banner and publisher video-ad tests turn that outreach into more visible feed inventory and a defined commercial proposition for major news brands. The reported payouts give publishers a concrete reason to prioritize LinkedIn-native video.
First-order effects
- Bloomberg and WSJ gain a prospective new video-ad revenue stream, while LinkedIn gains premium news video and publisher relationships to test in its feed.
- A News Banner would give selected publisher content more prominent mobile distribution, changing how users encounter news inside LinkedIn.
Second-order effects
- Other publishers may press LinkedIn for comparable monetization and distribution terms, increasing the platform’s need to define eligibility, revenue sharing, and brand-safety rules.
- The move builds on LinkedIn’s publisher-sold advertising tests, making native video production and sales integration more important for publishers seeking platform revenue.
Third-order effects
- If these tests scale, professional social feeds could become a more durable distribution and monetization channel for business-news publishers rather than merely a referral source.
- The model points toward platforms competing for publisher inventory through revenue-sharing programs; its durability will depend on whether ad returns justify publishers’ added production and platform dependence.
The trend: Professional networks are moving from passive news distribution toward packaged publisher partnerships that combine feed prominence with native-video ad monetization.