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LinkedIn Launches Podcast Network

The business-focused social media site is gearing its shows toward a professional audience.

LinkedIn is making a push into podcasts. The social media site for the suit-and-tie set has launched the LinkedIn Podcast Network, featuring in-house shows from its own news team as well as programs from various personalities in the business world.

Podcast

The shows are geared toward business professionals, focusing on areas like career development, big tech, managing mental health and leadership strategies. Reid Hoffman, co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn, will cohost “The Start-Up of You,” a podcast set to premiere in the spring that will explore personal entrepreneurship.

The podcast network is a pilot program that builds on the success of “Hello Monday,” a LinkedIn News podcast about the evolving nature of work, according to LinkedIn. The shows will be ad-supported, with the initial sponsor being Verizon, Engadget reports.

LinkedIn hopes its podcast network will draw listeners back to the social network, allowing hosts and listeners to engage with each other. “By connecting with these hosts on LinkedIn, you’ll be able to extend the conversation beyond the passive listening experience,” according to Social Media Today.

Podcasts have been growing in popularity over the last few years, thanks to a variety of factors that include the growth of smart speakers and people’s insatiable appetite for new content during the pandemic. About 80 million Americans (28%) are weekly podcast listeners, and 116 million Americans (41%) say they’ve listened to at least one podcast in the last month, according to Edison Research.

Though the LinkedIn Podcast Network already features a range of podcasts, the social network has an open application for other podcasters to join its network. LinkedIn’s podcasts will be available on LinkedIn by following a podcast host in the app and subscribing to their newsletter. People will also be able to listen to the shows via Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other providers.