LinkedIn API integration
Socialift brings the LinkedIn API under the same interface as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Telegram: OAuth login, 60-day tokens, profile data and content publishing. For B2B teams it is a way to add one more channel without writing separate code.
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What can you do through the LinkedIn API?
The LinkedIn API lets an app sign a member in with OpenID Connect (name, photo, email) and publish posts as that member with w_member_social; posting as a company page works only for apps approved for the Community Management API. Messaging and lead-form sync are partner programmes LinkedIn approves separately, so Socialift does not offer them.
So the practical value sits on the identity and content side: signing users in with LinkedIn, saving their name, photo and email (the only profile fields OpenID Connect returns) to your CRM, and publishing posts as the member.
Messaging, connection requests and lead sync are closed or partner-only on LinkedIn. We do not promise them — Socialift supports what a self-serve LinkedIn app can do: sign-in and posting as the member.
What Socialift supports on LinkedIn vs Meta
| Capability | Instagram / Facebook | |
|---|---|---|
| OAuth and tokens | yes | yes |
| Basic profile (name, photo, email) | yes | yes |
| Publishing posts | yes | yes |
| Working with comments | no | yes |
| Private messages (Instagram Direct) | no | yes |
| Lead forms | no | yes |
| Webhook events | no | yes |
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Notes and limits
Blank cells are capabilities Socialift does not offer. LinkedIn does have comments (Community Management API), leads (Lead Sync API), messages (Messages API) and webhooks, but only for apps LinkedIn has separately approved, so Socialift does not support them.
When planning a LinkedIn integration
- Sign In with LinkedIn using OpenID Connect and Share on LinkedIn are self-serve; the Community Management API for company pages is vetted (Development, then Standard tier) — apply early.
- Permissions for publishing as a person and as a company page are separate.
- Access tokens last 60 days; 365-day refresh tokens are issued only to approved partners — plan a re-login prompt before day 60.
- Set your automation boundaries according to LinkedIn's user agreement.
Frequently asked questions
Can LinkedIn messages be read through the API?
Not with a normal app. LinkedIn's Messages API is restricted to approved partners and only allows messages the member explicitly initiates. Socialift does not offer LinkedIn messaging.
Can LinkedIn be connected to a CRM?
To a limited extent, yes. You can sign users in through OAuth, retrieve their name, photo and email, and tie posting as the member to your CRM. But the full conversation stream you get with Instagram Direct or Telegram does not exist on LinkedIn.
Is the LinkedIn API free?
Access is granted through LinkedIn's own programme and some capabilities require partner status. Socialift, as the integration layer, runs on the same licence key as the other platforms.
Can I publish LinkedIn stories through the API?
No, and it is not an API restriction: LinkedIn retired Stories entirely in 2021 — the feature was removed from the product, so there is no endpoint for it and no reason to expect one. Content on LinkedIn goes out as a feed post (/rest/posts); a short vertical video is published as an ordinary post too.
Which LinkedIn-Version header should I send?
Versioned endpoints such as /rest/posts require Linkedin-Version: YYYYMM. Each monthly version is supported for at least a year and a sunset version returns an error. The SDK's default LinkedIn-Version value is outdated, so pin a current version (for example 202609) explicitly: LinkedIn(api_version="202609").