Here’s some advice: LinkedIn has a new monetization product built around consulting sessions

On October 15, LinkedIn unveiled a slew of updates for its 24-year-old platform. There’s a lot to unpack in the corresponding announcement post, but one new product caught our eye. It’s called Advice Sessions, and it will let professional influencers schedule and conduct paid consultations directly from the LinkedIn app.

Advice Sessions is currently available in the U.S. for subscribers to LinkedIn’s Business Premium tier, which unlocks a number of perks in exchange for a $59.99-per-month fee. As noted on a support page, the hosts of Advice Sessions can book time with clients within a 30-day window. They can also accept payments for their consulting via Stripe, which is integrated into LinkedIn profiles.

As LinkedIn has pushed into the creator economy, it has provided multiple solutions to the question of monetization. After all, a platform built around professional development should offer many ways to pay its creators — and LinkedIn has done exactly that. The BrandLink program has provided revenue-sharing opportunities by connecting brands to like-minded creators, and the platform’s Creator Marketplace fosters those relationships at scale.

As useful as those products are, they have a lot in common with the revenue streams creators can claim on other platforms. Advice Sessions, however, is a unique monetization option that takes advantage of LinkedIn’s distinct culture. Once upon a time, the professional hub was known for stale, uninspiring posts that often began with the phrase “I’m thrilled to announce…” The transition to more lively conversations was led by creators who dispensed professional advice through their profiles. LinkedIn leaned into that approach when it launched an original series that offers tips from business leaders.

In both those cases, LinkedIn content was already a form of consulting. Monetizing that advice promotes the more colorful side of LinkedIn while supporting the creators who are putting their personalities to work on the platform.

And for creators who aren’t interested in consulting, LinkedIn is continuing to roll out a diverse array of revenue streams. A new video ad format will bring In-Stream spots to clips produced and uploaded by LinkedIn creators.

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