How LinkedIn became a business newspaper

 

Do business people read the pink papers anymore? Maybe they do, but they certainly engage with LinkedIn and read everything they need to know about what's happening in their world there.  How did this change come about? In the early years of the new millennium, when LinkedIn was launched, it was an online platform to showcase your resume-something that allowed professionals to place their credentials in front of would-be recruiters. It also helped you network with your colleagues and other peers.

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Over the past two decades and more, LinkedIn has become much more than that. It is the definitive space for exchanging ideas, insights and more among business and thought leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals. This is where content becomes a medium to express, profess, educate, learn, enhance clout and grow brands. It is not surprising that it is so, given that LinkedIn has more than a billion users, making it the go-to social media platform for business professionals.

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LinkedIn is taking over from traditional business newspapers

LinkedIn content, being user-driven and backed by its huge professional network, is increasingly preferred over traditional business newspapers owing to its dynamic and participatory nature. It's more driven by genuine conversations and healthy interactions amongst professionals with recognizable faces,  than by storied prestige and authority accompanied by a rigid structure of news dissemination.

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What makes LinkedIn score emphatically over traditional business newspapers is its democratic nature that encourages an exchange of ideas instead of the latter’s rigid pontificating from the top format. An Op-Ed in a pink paper, no matter how enlightening, is a one-way street, while one on LinkedIn can start a healthy discussion among many people. What this ensures is that one obtains real value and depth from the platform-something that the business papers of old were somewhat constrained in providing.

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This is because LinkedIn possesses a unique ability to provide access to worldwide networks, via content algorithmically targeted at specific sets of people based on their credentials.  It can also help   obtain instant feedback through likes and shares, giving it a tremendous advantage over traditional business newspapers, which lack in both speed and dynamism.

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As a matter of fact, some of the most iconic media brands in the world thought it necessary to have a presence on LinkedIn. These include The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Forbes. Not surprising, given that its reach now straddles continents, with the United States accounting for 252 million members, EMEA (Europe, Middle East & East Africa) for 407 million members and  Asia Pacific (APAC)  for 385 million members. What’s more, as many as 69 million businesses are listed on LinkedIn,

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Preferring LinkedIn over business newspapers is a natural consequence of the digital age. One uses smartphones not just to make calls, but to text, shoot pictures and videos, make payments and entertain without giving it a second thought. Similarly, LinkedIn has increasingly become the go-to medium for everything to do with business, entrepreneurs, industries and professionals. It has, in effect, become the new business newspaper of our times.

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Why Every Professional Should Become a Creator

You are as good as your brand, or you could go a step further and say you are your brand. Even if you don’t like the idea, you cannot help but be a brand in today's day and age. This is especially true of professionals whose success depends upon how they are personally perceived.

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The emergence and spectacular rise of the creator economy has made a media professional out of almost anybody- students, teachers, cooks, coaches, wanna be actors and singers, budding musicians, freelancing journalists, intrepid travellers and consultants of all manner.

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They blog, create YouTube videos and podcasts, make Instagram and Facebook reels, come out with newsletters for their subscribers and create digital products for their target audience. The whole process is driven by their ability to create a brand persona that resonates with people.

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Why is a personal brand important?

Julius Caesar, the famed Roman general and conqueror, was assassinated by his rivals who did not want him to be emperor. However, his image and persona as a fearless warrior who brought glory to Rome ensured that a new line of Roman Emperors called Caesar ruled their vast global Empire for a millennium and a half. The German Kaisars and the Russian Czars are variations of the same name. That is the power of a brand for you.

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A creator makes and promotes his or her own brand

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People in the creativity business like artists, singers and actors are renowned for their skill and artistry, and this is reflected in their fame and the adulation they receive from fans. Their names become a representation of what they embody. Their brand value is such that they don't need to introduce themselves or announce their names.

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Everybody knows who Tom Cruise is, and Michael Jackson never went unrecognised. This kind of brand recognition can be and is often monetised by those that possess it with huge success. In today’s digital age, when everyone has the avenues available to express themselves creatively to large numbers of people, it makes eminent sense for professionals like architects, journalists, teachers, chefs, authors, marketing executives, realtors and a host of other professionals to build their brands by displaying their creative skills.

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There isn’t a better way than by showcasing your skills as a professional to a desired target audience for influencing and networking with them.  You get to distinguish yourself from the competition, earn their trust and imprint your brand image on them in an organic and subliminal way. Not only does this incentivise your target audience to buy your services or offerings, but you will also attract the best talent to work for you. Somebody like Sanjeev Kapoor, who is quite an influencer thanks to his TV show, books, website, YouTube channel and brand collaborations, will have customers flocking to his restaurant and no dearth of outstanding talent willing to work for him.

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We live in a chaotic digital universe, where everyone is expressing themselves online. No matter how reticent you are personally, you have got to be there online engaging with your prospects and clients through your creative expressions. The online space is not only a place where people pick up their social cues, but also a place where AI seizes you up, which makes it all the more important to wear your creator garb and engage in outreach.

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A professional who doubles up as a creator gets to build a community of people who have a stake in them. This can help them in myriad ways apart from selling their offerings. It can help them test and launch new projects as well as obtain investment. What’s more, they can save massive amounts of money they would otherwise have to spend on paid advertising campaigns.

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The creator economy is not to be scoffed at

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The creator economy is not something to be scoffed at. According to Forbes, it could reach a whopping $480 billion by 2027. That means that not only can professionals who are creators as well earn more by growing their core businesses, but they can also supplement their income by monetising platforms like YouTube, Blogger.com, Substack, and Medium. Besides, they can earn from newsletter subscriptions, speaking engagements, book royalties, and affiliate marketing. Everybody from a chartered accountant and a chef to a PR consultant and a realtor can augment their income massively by participating in the creator economy.

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The Rise of the One-Person Media Company

There has never been a more opportune time for one-person media companies than now. Look around you- the evidence is everywhere. Individual influencers across genres and in every part of the world who have built multi-million-dollar businesses abound, with brands falling over each other to sign deals with them. As a matter of fact, they have more than given a run for their money to storied and well-established media companies.

​The advent of the internet age and now the AI era has made high and mighty media gatekeepers with their cosy clubs of networks and privilege not just redundant, but has also seriously endangered the business models of the many media firms still steeped in the old way of doing things.

​The moats keeping so many enterprising solopreneurs lacking in capital and manpower from achieving success have long been bridged, with anybody with the right set of skills, talent and aptitude being able to make it big in the world of media.

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The age of paraphernalia is gone

​The new age media company no longer necessarily requires paraphernalia to succeed in a major way. A single individual is perfectly capable of running a thriving media company sans an office building and a team of specialists handling editing, copywriting, SEO, photography, advertising, PR, social media posting and, of course, marketing.

​Smartphones and apps can help create all manner of audio visual content and text, respectively, which can then be distributed across a plethora of inexpensive and easy-to-access and operate channels and platforms. These include websites, e-mail campaigns, blogs, RSS feeds, social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Threads, as well as other channels of distribution like Spotify, Medium, and Substack.

​No longer does one have to struggle to get one’s content distributed across hoity-toity conventional media outlets with high entry barriers- traditional newspapers, magazines, television networks, radio stations, book publishers, and even well-established digital news publishers.

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What makes a One-Person Media Company Tick

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A one-person media company has certain inherent advantages over a much larger traditional one. First the fixed cost is nearly negligible for a one-man setup when compared to a conventional media company. 

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Second, unlike old school media agencies, whose growth is shackled by budget constraints, a one person media company will grow in direct proportion to the time one invests in it. Third, profitability is achieved quite soon, in the case of a single person media company in comparison to a conventional media company with a fair amount of overheads.  

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Lastly, scaling up business requires increased hiring in the case of old school media companies. Single person media companies, on the other hand,  can have low-cost scaling up thanks to AI and automation

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One Person Media Company- Carve Your Own Destiny

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A person running a one person media company is free to carve their own destiny in that they don't have to get caught up in the 9 to 5 grind and all the complexities associated with it. There are none of the interpersonal, inter personnel and inter-departmental issues to wrangle with, allowing one to focus on one’s own objectives.

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One can make decisions faster, pivoting as often and as many times as is necessary without having to engage in lengthy consultations and negotiations. A one-person media company provides an escape to brilliant professionals straitjacketed by the constraints of hierarchy in a traditional organisation where so much time is wasted on posturing and one-upmanship.

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Besides, the profit margins are quite high and the risks relatively moderate for such organisations. Scaling up is that much easier, and that allows one to both grow one’s business and personal wealth at a rapid clip.

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For instance, leading the newsletter subscription business model are two creators on Substack- Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson with 2.9 million subscribers ($12 million plus yearly earnings) and Lenny’s Newsletter by Lenny Rachitsky with more than a million subscribers ($2 million plus yearly earnings).

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The highest earning You Tube channel owned by a single individual, by the name of Jimmy Donaldson, alias Mr. Beast boasts an annual earnings of $300 million. As a matter of fact, the top 50 creators in the world made as much as $1.02 billion between March 2025 and 2026.

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We may well be at the start of a golden age for one-person media companies. Are you ready to join the gold rush?

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Why the Creator Economy Is Bigger Than Hollywood

Hollywood has been the stuff that dreams have been made of for more than a century and a quarter now. It has given us epic movies, larger-than-life film stars and directors and elevated the age-old art of storytelling into a spectacular audiovisual extravaganza.

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From cowboy westerns and Biblical tales to war movies and from classics like Gone With The Wind to comic superheroes like Superman and Batman, Hollywood has been a part of everyone’s growing-up years, youth and old age- a constant reassuring companion that makes you look at everyday life with curiosity, awe and wonder. It made life worth living.

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Yet we have, in our collective wisdom, decided to turn our back on that wonderful edifice of entertainment, spectacle and knowledge and replace it with what- the creator economy?!

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What is the creator economy?

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The creator economy comprises everyday people using modern technological tools like smartphones, digital cameras, laptops, and digital software to create content (text and audiovisual) for other people, which they monetise through ads, product promotions, subscriptions and memberships, digital products, and myriad other channels.

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The content creation industry, aided by the technological revolution, has given Hollywood and other traditional media a run for their money in vying for audience attention. Rather than watch movies in cinema theatres, hundreds of millions of people prefer to consume audiovisual content available on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook across every genre under the sun on their smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

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Size of the global creator economy

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Not only do these platforms provide customised entertainment as well as information on the go, but they also provide a viable income stream to millions of content creators and influencers around the world. The global creator economy market size is expected to touch $310.4 billion this year and reach a whopping $1345.5 billion by 2033. As many as 200 million people worldwide consider themselves to be creators. According to Deloitte,50 million content creators create content for 5 billion social media users worldwide, making the creator economy a buzzing hub of activity.

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Size of Hollywood

At $50.9 billion, Hollywood has a modest turnover compared to the burgeoning creator economy. A mere 407000 people work across the motion pictures and sound recording industry in the USA, which includes those associated with Hollywood. So, Hollywood is really a pygmy compared to the creator economy, and the number of people who are gainfully employed in this industry is constantly dwindling.

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The creator economy is gargantuan compared to Hollywood

In sheer size and financial heft, Hollywood is no comparison to the creator economy. However, it is in the colossal loss of its social capital, or to use a more political term, soft power, that Hollywood has suffered its biggest fall from grace. It is not its Oscar-winning movies and caped crusader fantasy franchises that have an all-pervading influence on communities and societies around the world.

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On the contrary, it is social media influencers rising from amongst the ordinary people around the world who carry tremendous clout with peoples across nations. If young people come out on the streets in support of a movement anywhere, it is social media that influences them. Politicians these days worry much more about their online support base than the number of people who turn up for their public meetings and rallies.

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While Hollywood is largely about the entertainment industry, the creator economy drives business itself. Brands know that they will get more bang for the buck chasing influencers than they will possibly get by signing up waning Hollywood celebrities at exorbitant prices. Things were tough as it is for Hollywood for quite some time now, but the advent of cutting-edge technology, especially AI, has in all likelihood put the final nail in the coffin of that venerable industry.

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The Hollywood writers strike a few years back in protest against the use of AI in writing was an early sign of things to come. Today, AI has pervaded every aspect of filmmaking, ranging from pre-production and actual physical production to post-production.  As a matter of fact, social media is already full of short films or reels which have been created entirely from scratch, right from writing and scripting to filming and composing the music to filming with virtual actors using virtual voiceovers.

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The creator economy is not just much bigger than Hollywood; it is fast becoming a way of life for hundreds of millions.

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