Can I record LinkedIn videos on my phone?

97%

of US adults under 50 have a smartphone, in Pew Research Center's 2025 survey

Is a phone really good enough?

Yes. Pew Research Center found in its 2025 survey that 97 percent of US adults under 50, and 90 percent of those aged 50 to 64, have a smartphone, so the camera you need is very likely already in your pocket. For a talking clip, its picture is plenty.

LinkedIn is built for it too. Its app lets you record with your phone's camera right where you write the post. What makes a phone video look professional is light, framing and sound, and none of those needs extra equipment.

How should you set the phone up?

Get the basics right before you press record, since a few small checks make more difference than any new kit.

• Wipe the lens, since a smudge softens every frame.
• Hold or prop the phone at eye level, about an arm's length away, so you look at the viewer rather than down at them.
• Record in portrait or square, which fills more of the screen for people watching on their phones.
• Face a window or a lamp, so the light falls on your face rather than behind you.
• Turn on do not disturb, so a notification doesn't cut into the take.

Close is better than far for sound. The phone's own microphone picks up your voice well when it is near you, so the phone as it is does the job.

Should you record in the LinkedIn app or the camera app?

Either works, depending on how much control you want. LinkedIn's app also lets you trim the clip and add auto captions before you post, which is enough for a simple clip. Recording in your camera app keeps every take on your phone, so you can pick the best one, edit it more fully and reuse the file elsewhere.

Keep each clip to one point, and open with that point rather than a greeting. If you stumble, pause and say the sentence again, then cut the stumble out afterwards. Nobody needs to see the first attempt.

What do you need to add before posting?

Subtitles. People who watch on their phones often have the sound off. In a 2024 eye-tracking study published in PLOS ONE, most of the viewers interviewed said they would watch videos muted on a phone or tablet but not on a larger screen, and with the sound off, viewers leaned more heavily on the subtitles. For a muted viewer, subtitles are the only way to follow you.

Then check the first second of the clip, since that is the frame people see as they scroll. Make sure you are already looking at the camera and about to speak, not reaching for the phone.