LinkedIn Updates ‘Top Voice’ Badge Requirements

After scrapping its gold “Top Voice” badges that were linked to contributions to Collaborative Articles last September, LinkedIn’s now rolling out an update to its Top Voice blue badge program, to ensure that its allocated members remain active in the app.

Now, when a member is awarded the “Top Voice” badge in the app, they’ll only retain it for a six-month period, with LinkedIn to review the badge allocation regularly. Up till now, blue-badged Top Voices retained their badge indefinitely.

As explained by LinkedIn:

“Top Voices are assessed twice per year. Once a member is invited to the Top Voices program, they will remain a Top Voice for at least six months, and are eligible for badge renewal as long as they continue to meet the core program requirements.”

Those requirements are:

• Creating consistent content and regularly engaging with the community. 
• High-quality contributions, with originality and authenticity in voice and style.
• Insights shared on professional topics, which may include news, commentary and analysis relevant to a particular industry, company or local economy.
• Profiles, content and on-platform interactions abide by LinkedIn’s Professional Community Policies

So, how do you get a “Top Voice” badge?

Well, as noted, LinkedIn had tried to give users an alternative, automated way to gain recognition in the app, by adding gold “Top Voices” badges that were allocated based on how many Collaborative Articles to contributed to.

Collaborative Articles are AI-generated questions, which are then submitted to LinkedIn users for their input. The lure for contributing to such was these badges, which could help to make your profile stand out, however LinkedIn found that too many non-experts were cheating the system, and getting these badges without the requisite knowledge or experience.

So it got rid of them, but its blue “Top Voice” badges, allocated by LinkedIn’s in-house editors, remain:

In order to get these, you need to abide by the requirements noted above, and hope that LinkedIn’s editorial team notices you.

So it’s more like Twitter verification of the past, where actually getting it is more difficult, and requires human review, as opposed to automated process.

Which is a better means to ensure high-quality participants, but it also means that you’re probably not going to get one, unless you really concentrate on LinkedIn posting, and sharing your expertise in the app.

Overall, the changes to LinkedIn’s “Top Voices” allocations are a positive, which will ensure better representation of expertise and skills, though it may also annoy some people who are looking to gain recognition in the app.

You can’t buy your way to authority here, which means the only way up is by posting, and sharing your actual insights.