LinkedIn quietly rolled out a shift that matters for anyone who wants visibility, credibility, and conversations that turn into clients. It is called Top Trending Video, and it lives only in the mobile app inside the video-only feed.
Think of it as a moving sidewalk inside the airport. You still walk, you still steer, but the platform gives you momentum. With a few taps you join conversations LinkedIn is already elevating, and when you do that with intention you borrow distribution that would otherwise take weeks to earn.
This edition turns that simple feature into a system. You will learn how to decide which trends are worth your time, how to script short videos that hold attention without feeling rushed, how to create a respectful path from view to conversation, and how to measure what actually matters so you can improve with each post.
You will also get scripting prompts, example hooks, publishing guidance, and a month-long operating rhythm you can repeat. The goal is simple. Fewer random videos, more strategic visibility, and a clear path from attention to action.
Where the feature lives and why it matters
Captions are auto generatedPlay
Open the LinkedIn mobile app and move to the video-only feed. At the top left you will see a small waffle icon made up of four squares. Tap that icon and LinkedIn reveals a short list of categories it is currently spotlighting.
Pick the topic that intersects your expertise, hit the Add button, and record your take on the spot. The platform is doing the curation. You supply the POV, the clarity, and the next step.
This matters because friction kills momentum. People delay recording when they do not know what to talk about, and they hesitate to publish when they are unsure whether anyone cares. Top Trending Video reduces both problems.
It answers the question, what should I talk about today, and it pre-validates interest by highlighting categories with active attention. That built-in momentum is helpful, but it only pays off when you add something useful and point viewers somewhere valuable.
A strategy to ride the wave without losing your voice
Trend riding is not about chasing novelty. It is about finding the overlap between your audience’s present curiosity and your enduring point of view. Before you record, test the topic against three guardrails.
First, relevance. If a stranger from your ideal audience saw this video, could they immediately connect it to a problem you solve or an outcome you deliver.
Second, originality. Ask whether you can bring something beyond a recap. That something might be a quick process, a counterintuitive nuance, a realistic caveat, or a small example from your own practice.
Third, conversion path. Decide the single next step you want a qualified viewer to take. That next step might be to grab a one-page checklist in your Featured section.
Structure that earns attention without shouting
Short-form video rewards clarity, not theatrics. A simple structure keeps you focused and makes the viewer’s job easier. Open with a promise that names a concrete payoff. Move quickly into the value, and deliver one idea at a time. Close with a direct instruction that respects the viewer’s time and attention.
Here is how that looks in practice. You start with a hook that tells the viewer what they will walk away with, not how excited you are about the trend. For example, you might say, if you work with enterprise buyers, here is the only part of this update that will move revenue this month. That line earns ten more seconds because it is specific and useful.
In the body, get to the point. Explain what is happening in plain language, why a buyer should care, and how someone can act in a way that fits inside a real workday. Trim filler and avoid jargon. Speak to one person. Use short phrases that sound like you on the phone. If you need a rhythm to guide you, think in threes. Three sentences can carry the heart of your message: what is new, why it matters, and what to do.
Close with one next step. It might be a simple instruction to comment with a keyword so you can send a checklist. It might be a pointer to your Featured section where a deeper resource lives. It might be an invitation to message you the word audit for a brief review. One step always outperforms a buffet of options.
Five narrative formats that work with almost any trending topic
A strong format lets you create quickly without sounding repetitive. The first option is a point of view explainer. Lead with a protective statement that saves people from common mistakes, then share the principles you use when deciding whether to act on a trend, and finish by offering a short resource that helps them apply those principles.
A second option is the rapid how-to. Present a fast path that a busy professional can execute in one sitting. Describe the result they will get, describe the approach that avoids common traps, and close by pointing to a template or a simple checklist that makes execution even easier.
A third option is before versus after. Paint a picture of the old way that most people still follow, then show the change the trend enables. Highlight differences in time, cost, or quality. Make the result vivid so the viewer can feel the benefit of the new approach.
A fourth option is a mini case study. Share a true, recent example where you or a client applied the idea. Explain the baseline, the action you took, and the result that followed. Ground the story in specifics and keep it honest. Real numbers, realistic timelines, and modest claims breed trust.
A fifth option is a hot take with data. Offer a respectful contrarian view that helps people avoid wasted effort. Name who benefits from the trend and who does not, explain why that is true, and define a measurable signal that tells someone whether their experiment is working.
Rotate these formats over a month and you will sound fresh even as you keep returning to topics that sit close to your core offers.
Hooks that open doors
The first line buys the next ten seconds. The best hooks promise a relevant payoff, reduce risk, and signal authority without shouting about it. You can say, here is the only part of this trend that actually moves revenue, or, if your buyers are risk averse, this is how to test the update without burning a week.
You can invite a specific audience by saying, advisors who work with regulated industries should approach this differently, and then share the nuance. You can frame a mistake to avoid, such as, most people try this in the wrong order, here is the order that works. You can be service minded, for example, if you only have fifteen minutes this week, do this one thing first.
You can also tease a micro resource, as in, I brought the three-line script we use to turn views into respectful conversations.
When you write hooks, keep them grounded. Name a role, a context, and a result. Avoid vague excitement. Specificity is persuasive because it shows you have been here before.
Publishing that respects the algorithm and the audience
- Timing. Publish when your audience is likely to respond within the first hour. For most B2B audiences that is early weekday mornings in their time zone.
- Title and first line. Your first sentence is the headline. Make it outcome driven and clear.
- Hashtags. Use one to three relevant tags that a buyer would actually follow.
- Mentions. If you reference a creator or a company, tag them politely. Add value first.
- CTA placement. Put your call to action in the last sentence of your caption and say it on camera at the end.
- Link strategy. If the CTA requires a link, place it in your Featured section or as the first comment and point to it verbally.
- Comment path. Seed the first comment yourself with a summary or a question to spark replies.
- Follow-up. Reply to early comments quickly. Ask a clarifying question to extend the thread.
Small optimizations like these compound because the first hour of engagement often determines distribution.
Turning attention into conversations, respectfully
Great videos attract curiosity. Curiosity becomes conversation when you make it easy and low pressure to take a next step. Public replies are a good place to start. When someone adds a thoughtful comment, acknowledge the point, offer a quick suggestion tailored to their context. This creates a clear connection bridge.
When non-connections engage with your video, send a targeted connection request that thanks them for leaning in and you appreciate their support and hope to connect with them soon.
Keep it brief, remove pressure, and let them choose. These micro-bridges compound over time into a pipeline of qualified conversations.
What to measure and how to read the signals
Views are useful only when paired with quality signals. Completion rate tells you whether your hook, pacing, and structure hold attention. Comments from your target audience reveal whether your message resonated with people who matter to your business.
Profile views and follows within a day or two of posting indicate that your video sparked deeper curiosity. Saves are an under-appreciated signal that people plan to apply your advice later. Clicks to your Featured items tie content to conversion.
Use these signals to improve one thing at a time. If completion rate is low, tighten your hook and simplify your language. If comments are scarce, end with a more specific prompt or add a clarifying question in your first comment. If profile views are flat, revisit the alignment between topic and offer. If clicks are weak, refine the clarity of your call to action and the relevance of your Featured resource.
Benchmarks are useful but personal trends are better. Aim to increase your own completion rate, your own volume of meaningful comments, and your own rate of permission-based DMs month over month.
Common traps and simple escapes
The most common mistake is grabbing a topic that attracts attention but does not connect to your offers. This creates empty calories. Pass on trends you cannot tie to client outcomes. Another common trap is a lecture tone. Speak like you are answering a smart colleague who asked you a direct question in the hallway.
Complexity is another culprit. Keep your call to action singular. Point people to one step, not five. Posting and ghosting wastes the distribution boost you just earned. Plan for twenty minutes of follow-up in the first hour. Copycat scripting is tempting when you see a format performing. Borrow the structure, not the voice.
Tell your own stories and share your own data. Finally, never publish a trend video without a conversion path. If there is no checklist, audit, or lead magnet to catch the interest you generate, you are leaving opportunity on the table.
A one-week trend sprint that builds momentum
Think of the next seven days as a focused experiment. Start by exploring the Trending categories and shortlisting topics that intersect your audience’s current questions. Draft a few hooks and read them out loud until one feels strong and natural. Record two short videos back to back so you have a choice, then publish the best one early in the week.
Block a small window to manage comments and send a handful of permission-based DMs to people who engaged thoughtfully. Midweek, extract a quote or a mini checklist from your first video and place it in your Featured section.
Publish the second video toward the end of the week, again following up with thoughtful replies and helpful messages. Close the week by reviewing your numbers and noting what to change. Then publish a third video that uses the best performing hook style from your first two attempts.
End the sprint with a short text post or carousel that summarizes your practical takeaways and points back to the video and resource that helped the most people.
A month-long operating system you can repeat
Week 1: Foundations
- Define audience, offers, and the one transformation you promise.
- Write ten hooks aligned to that transformation.
- Build one lead magnet or checklist that your videos can point to.
Week 2: Production
- Set up your filming space and test your audio.
- Batch record four videos using different formats.
- Create captions and cover headlines.
Week 3: Publishing and Engagement
- Publish two videos early in the week, one later in the week.
- Implement the comment and DM scripts above.
- Track profile views, saves, and meaningful conversations.
Week 4: Optimization and Repurposing
- Identify your highest retention video. Rewrite the hook to make it even tighter.
- Turn the top video into a mini article or carousel.
- Record one follow-up video addressing the most common question you received.
- Update your Featured section with the best performing assets and the single call to action that fits your current goal.
By the end of 30 days you have a repeatable cadence, clear data on what works, and assets you can reuse in proposals, sales calls, and speaking.
Prompts that turn blinking cursors into useful scripts
When time is tight, prompts save the day. You can open with, clients keep asking about this update, here is the way we handle it so busy teams can see progress this week. You can defuse bad advice by saying, you will hear people recommend this shortcut, here is when it fails and what to do instead.
Use these prompts to outline your next video in under two minutes. Fill in the blanks.
- “Clients keep asking about [topic]. Here is the three step way we handle it so [audience] can [result].”
- “You will hear [common advice]. Here is when that fails and what to do instead.”
- “If you only have 15 minutes this week, do this with [trend] to move revenue.”
- “This will save you a week of rework on [topic]. You need to decide between [A] and [B]. Here is the rule of thumb.”
- “Here is the micro-script I use to turn views on [topic] into conversations.”
Squeezing more value from each video
- Text post. Transcribe the video and turn the three value bullets into a 150 to 200 word post with a clean headline.
- Carousel. Create five to seven slides: Hook, Rule 1, Rule 2, Rule 3, Checklist, CTA.
- Newsletter snippet. Drop the three bullets into a weekly round-up with a link to the video and the Featured checklist.
- Lead magnet. Expand the checklist into a one page PDF and point all videos to it for the month.
- Sales enablement. Add the clip to your proposals or send it in follow-up to prospects who asked about the trend.
The goal is leverage. One high-quality take can live in multiple formats without extra heavy lifting.
Questions people ask, answered plainly
Is this only for creators? No. Consultants, agencies, advisors, and executives can use it to answer buyer questions in a timely way and to show current expertise.
How often should I use it? Quality over quantity. One to three trend videos per month is enough if you also publish cornerstone content.
Should I chase every category? No. If it does not map to your offers or your audience, skip it.
What if I do not like being on camera? Use screen text for the hook while you speak, or narrate slides. Start with audio and simple visuals. Clarity beats theatrics.
What about length? Aim for 45 to 90 seconds. Start strong, deliver three bullets, state one CTA.
A quick case study that shows the path
A consultant in professional services saw a trending category related to client onboarding. She recorded a 62 second video titled:
“Three onboarding steps that cut churn in half.”
The hook promised a measurable result.
The value section gave three specific actions that take under an hour. The close pointed to a one page checklist in her Featured section.
Results in seven days:
- 4,800 views and a 32 percent completion rate
- 19 comments, 8 from her target buyer segment
- 11 permission-based DMs started
- 2 paid onboarding workshops booked from the DMs
What worked:
- The topic connected directly to her offer
- The checklist in Featured made the CTA simple
- Fast comment replies led to threads that kept distribution strong
The lesson is simple. Relevance and clarity outperform vague hot takes.
Quality control that prevents rework
Before you publish, pause for a short self-review. Read your opening line and ask if it names a useful payoff. Skim your captions and remove any jargon that could slow understanding. Watch the middle of the video and make sure you delivered a crisp answer to what, why, and how.
Listen to your close and check that the next step is unmistakable. Finally, ask whether the topic and the invitation point toward the services you want to sell this quarter. This small habit removes guesswork and protects your brand.
Your quick start today
- Open the LinkedIn app, go to the video feed, and tap the waffle icon.
- Choose one trending category that maps to your audience and offers.
- Use the 3×3 framework to script a 60 second take.
- Record, caption, and publish.
- Spend 20 minutes in the comments and DMs with the scripts above.
- Add the checklist or resource you promised to your Featured section.
- Log your numbers and schedule the next recording slot on your calendar.
Momentum beats perfection. Your first video is the hardest. Your third will feel natural.
Join The LinkedIn Leads for Life Facebook Group Here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/284573162152150. It is a community of support, tips, and more for generating leads using LinkedIn!
What was your biggest takeaway from this week’s newsletter edition?
Let me know in the comments below…
#linkedin #newfeature #linkedinvideo