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On July 20, 2022, LinkedIn opened applications for its second U.S. Creator Accelerator Program. The six-week program designed to support and nurture content creators will focus on technology and innovation, the #1 industry for creators on LinkedIn. Program participants will receive a financial grant up to $12,000, a dedicated Creator Manager, and access to tools and products that will enable them to start conversations, build engaged communities, and connect to meaningful opportunities. Applications will be open from July 20-Aug 10 per their recent announcement.
LinkedIn has announced some exciting changes for this second program. “We’re also bringing on Colin Rosenblum, Samir Chaudry and Sherrell Dorsey as program mentors to help connect the participants to opportunity throughout the program,” their announcement explains. “Colin & Samir, hosts of the LinkedIn Podcast Network’s ‘The Colin and Samir Show,’ have an incredible reputation for helping creators make their best work, build successful businesses, and navigate the creative challenges that come with making content for a living. Sherrell is the Founder and CEO of The Plug—a tech newsletter and media site reporting across Black tech trends, stories, and breaking news. She’s also the author of “Upper Hand: The Future of Work for the Rest of Us” and was featured in LinkedIn’s Top Voices: Technology in 2020.”
LinkedIn’s Workforce Data report finds that the creator economy is booming as the number of job postings for creators on LinkedIn nearly tripled compared to last year, and the Creator Accelerator program is one way that LinkedIn is supporting this clear trend. Last year, LinkedIn announced a $25 million investment into creators on the platform, which included the launch of its first-ever U.S. Creator Accelerator Program which has since expanded to India, Brazil and the U.K.
Top 10 industries with creator job openings
This new Creator Accelerator Program focuses on Technology and Information, the fastest growing sector for creator jobs on LinkedIn—up 3.5X from last year. Other top industries for creator jobs include Advertising Services, Staffing and Recruiting, E-Learning Providers, IT Services and IT Consulting, Musicians, Media and Telecommunications, Retail Apparel and Fashion, Computers and Electronics Manufacturing, Food and Beverage Services. Indeed, while the “creator” job function may have been previously associated with more inherently creative industries, the creator role/skill has become increasingly ubiquitous. “Earlier waves of creators (and their more strident cousins, known as ‘influencers’) tended to concentrate in flashy industries such as fashion, pop music or luxury travel. But… U.S. economic sectors across the board are eager to put creators to work,” LinkedIn’s recent Workforce Report explains. “With social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook leading the way, job opportunities in the creator economy are most abundant in the technology and information sectors, LinkedIn data shows. And that reflects a hiring wave that extends well beyond the on-camera stars that brighten our news feeds.” LinkedIn’s reporting cites significant demand for administrative and support roles such as creator managers, creator educators, creator partnerships and more.
Other tech giants like Meta who last year announced a plan to invest over $1B by the end of 2022 in “programs that give creators new ways to earn money for the content they create on Facebook and Instagram.” Their announcement continues, “This investment will include new bonus programs that pay eligible creators for hitting certain milestones when they use our creative and monetization tools. We’ll also provide seed funding for creators to produce their content. Our goal is to help as many creators as possible find sustainable, long-term success on our apps.”
Indeed, creators and creator skills seem to be in high demand with no anticipated slow down on the horizon so if you’re a professional itching to hone your creator skills, you may want to consider LinkedIn’s new creator accelerator program. Eligibility is quite broad. “Anyone who is driving professional conversations about the world of work can be a creator on LinkedIn,” LinkedIn’s announcement asserts. “If you’re a LinkedIn member based in the U.S., 18 years of age or older and passionate about building a meaningful community around the future of technology & innovation, we want you to apply. The deadline is August 10th @11:59 PM ET.”
