On October 15, 2026, LinkedIn announced a test of In-Stream Ads, which run pre-roll video ads before eligible creators' videos and pay those creators when ads run. It's limited to select U.S. creators and advertisers for now, with no published pricing, revenue share or eligibility rules. For brands it means video ads that sit inside professional content rather than between posts, so the first seconds and the fit with the surrounding video matter more than ever.
What LinkedIn announced
LinkedIn is testing pre-roll video ads that run before creators' videos, and it's paying those creators a share. The program is called In-Stream Ads. LinkedIn announced it on October 15 as part of a bundle of creator updates, saying eligible creators can earn when pre-roll video ads run alongside their videos. For now it's a test with select U.S. creators and advertisers, with wider access planned later.
The same announcement brought a new creator dashboard (rolling out worldwide over the coming weeks), paid one-on-one Advice Sessions for U.S. Business Premium subscribers, and, per Social Media Today, new filters that let brands search for creators by audience, expertise and content format.
What LinkedIn hasn't said yet matters too: no pricing, no revenue share, no eligibility rules and no details on brand-safety controls for the new ads. Treat this as a direction, not a product you can plan a budget around.
How it differs from what was there
LinkedIn already had a pre-roll product. BrandLink, launched in 2025, runs 3 to 30 second video ads before a curated group of creator and publisher videos. The difference with In-Stream Ads is reach and access. According to Social Media Today, advertisers won't need an existing partnership with a creator, and creators can opt in to make their videos eligible instead of being hand-picked.
That's a familiar pattern. YouTube built its business on exactly this trade: creators make the content, ads run in front of it, and everyone shares the money. LinkedIn is borrowing the model for a professional audience.
Why this matters for brand video
From a creative direction point of view, three things change.
Your ad lives inside someone else's content. A pre-roll ad isn't a post in the feed. It plays before a video the viewer chose to watch, from a person they chose to follow. That's a different mood. The viewer wants the video they clicked, not you. The work has to earn a few seconds of patience, look like it belongs next to professional content and get to the point fast.
The first five seconds carry the whole spot. If In-Stream Ads works like most pre-roll, people will be ready to skip or scroll. Your brand, your point and a reason to keep watching all need to land early. I'd design every LinkedIn video ad as a complete 5–6 second idea first, then extend it, not the other way round.
Your own videos now compete with paid ones. If creators are paid to post video, more people will post more video. Expect the bar for organic LinkedIn video to go up. Phone footage is still fine; vague, slow or generic isn't.
What I'd do now
You don't need to do anything about In-Stream Ads this week. You can't buy it unless you're in the test. But the direction is clear, and a few things are worth starting:
- Cut short versions of the video you already have. A 6-second and a 15-second cut of your best brand or product video will be useful on LinkedIn whatever format wins.
- Design for sound off and sound on. Captions and a clear visual idea in the first frame, plus audio that adds something when people do listen.
- Put your people on camera. LinkedIn is betting on creators, and for most B2B companies the best creators are already on staff: founders, engineers, account leads who explain things well.
- Write down your brand-safety lines now. When these ads open up, you'll want a short list of topics and creators you don't want to appear next to. It's easier to decide that before there's a buy on the table.
- Watch for the details. Pricing, ad lengths and suitability controls will decide whether this is worth testing. Wait for LinkedIn's own documentation before planning budget.
My take
This is LinkedIn admitting what has been obvious for a while: video is where attention is moving on the platform, and creators need a reason to keep making it. For brands, the opportunity isn't the ad slot itself. It's that professional video is getting more valuable, more competitive and more like the rest of the internet.
The companies that do well here won't be the ones with the biggest media budget. They'll be the ones with a clear message and enough good short video to say it ten different ways.
Questions we hear a lot
What are LinkedIn In-Stream Ads?
They're pre-roll video ads that play before eligible videos from LinkedIn creators. Creators who opt in earn money when ads run with their content. LinkedIn announced the test on October 15, 2026, for select U.S. creators and advertisers, with broader access planned over time.
Can any business buy LinkedIn In-Stream Ads now?
Not yet. It's a limited test, and LinkedIn hasn't published pricing, ad lengths, targeting or brand-safety controls for it. Its older pre-roll product, BrandLink, places 3 to 30 second ads before curated creator and publisher videos.
Should a small B2B company start making LinkedIn video because of this?
Not because of the ads program alone. The more useful signal is that LinkedIn is investing heavily in video and in tools for creators, so short, real videos from your own people are likely to keep getting attention there.
Sources
- LinkedIn Pressroom: New ways to build meaningful connections, grow your side hustle, and earn on LinkedIn (Oct 15, 2026)
- Social Media Today: LinkedIn adds new creator monetization options (Oct 15, 2026)
- PPC Land: LinkedIn tests paying US creators for pre-roll ads on their videos
- LinkedIn Marketing Solutions: BrandLink
Filed under Photo & Video
Evan Walker
Founder & Creative Director at Satellite Black, with experience across a broad range of industries working as a Creative Director, Developer, and strategist.
