LinkedIn

LinkedIn is fully supported in Outstand through the Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) model. This allows you to use your own LinkedIn OAuth application credentials to manage your company's LinkedIn presence through Outstand's unified social media API.

Note: You can skip the approval process by using our Managed Keys service. Contact our support team to learn more at contact@outstand.so. Turnaround time is typically 1 business day.

Quick Information

Our application works with the following OAuth scopes:

r_basicprofile - Basic profile access
r_member_postAnalytics - Read post analytics
w_member_social - Manage and post on behalf of your organization
r_member_profileAnalytics - Read profile analytics
w_member_social_feed - Manage and post on behalf of your organization
r_1st_connections_size - Read first connections size
rw_organization_admin - Manage and post on behalf of your organization
w_organization_social - Manage and post on behalf of your organization
r_organization_social - Read organization social

No matter if you use our Managed Keys service or not, these are the scopes that are required for the integration to work.

Outstand OAuth Callback URL

When configuring your LinkedIn app, you must add the following OAuth redirect URL:

https://www.outstand.so/app/api/socials/linkedin/callback

This is where LinkedIn will redirect users after they authorize your app.

White-labeling authentication flow

For full white-labeling integration, you need to follow the following flow:

Call the /v1/social-networks/:network/auth-url endpoint to get the authentication URL. You MUST provide a redirect_uri in the request body.
The redirect URI must lead to a LinkedIn-specific callback URL in your application. We will redirect to it with a session query parameter.
Your callback URL must call the /v1/social-accounts/pending/:sessionToken endpoint (docs link) to get the pending connection details.
The response will contain a list of available pages/accounts that can be connected.
You can then redirect the user to a selection page where they can select the pages/accounts they want to connect.
Once the user has selected the pages/accounts, you can call the /v1/social-accounts/pending/:sessionToken/finalize endpoint (docs link) to finalize the connection.
The response will contain the connected accounts.
You can then use the connected accounts to post on behalf of the user.

The full flow is illustrated in the following diagram:

Feel free to get in touch with our support team if you have any questions or need assistance with the integration.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

A LinkedIn account with admin access to a Company Page (for posting on behalf of the company)
Access to LinkedIn's developer portal at developer.linkedin.com
Understanding of OAuth 2.0 flows

Note: You'll need a LinkedIn account associated with a verified Company Page if you want to post on behalf of the company. Personal profiles have limited posting capabilities.

Step 1: Create a LinkedIn Developer Account

If you don't already have one:

Go to developer.linkedin.com
Click Sign in (or Sign up if you don't have an account)
Sign in with your LinkedIn credentials
Accept the Developer Agreement

Step 2: Create a New App

Navigate to developer.linkedin.com/apps
Click Create app in the top right corner
Fill in the required information:
- Company: Select your company from the dropdown
- App name: Your application name (e.g., "My Social Media Manager")
- LinkedIn Page: Select your Company Page (if you have one)
- Privacy Policy URL: Link to your privacy policy (required)
- App logo: Upload a 100x100px logo (optional)
Accept the LinkedIn API Terms of Use
Click Create app

Step 3: Configure Authentication Settings

After creating your app, navigate to the Auth tab
Review the default scopes and ensure you have:
- r_basicprofile - Basic profile access
- r_member_postAnalytics - Read post analytics
- w_member_social - Manage and post on behalf of your organization
- r_member_profileAnalytics - Read profile analytics
- w_member_social_feed - Manage and post on behalf of your organization
- r_1st_connections_size - Read first connections size
- rw_organization_admin - Manage and post on behalf of your organization
- w_organization_social - Manage and post on behalf of your organization
- r_organization_social - Read organization social

Step 4: Add Products to Your App

The Community API product is required for posting capabilities.

As of January 2026, the Community API product is required for posting capabilities and can be the only API product enabled in your app.

Step 5: Configure OAuth Redirect URLs

Still in the Auth tab, scroll down to Redirect URLs
Click Add redirect URL
Add your OAuth callback URLs:
- For production: https://www.outstand.so/app/api/socials/linkedin/callback
Click Update to save your changes

Note: LinkedIn requires that your redirect URL starts with https:// in production. Localhost is allowed for development purposes.

Step 6: Add Credentials to Outstand

Once you have your Client ID and Client Secret, you can add them to Outstand:

Method 1: Using the Dashboard

Log in to Outstand Dashboard
Navigate to Settings → Social Networks
Select LinkedIn from the dropdown
Enter your Client ID in the "Client ID / API Key" field
Enter your Client Secret in the "Client Secret / API Secret" field
Click Add Social Network

Method 2: Using the API

curl -X POST https://api.outstand.so/v1/social-networks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "network": "linkedin",
    "client_key": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
    "client_secret": "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE"
  }'

Troubleshooting

"Invalid client credentials"

Verify you copied the Client ID and Client Secret correctly
Ensure there are no extra spaces or formatting issues
Check that your LinkedIn app is in "Live" status (not Draft)

"Redirect URI mismatch"

Verify the exact redirect URI in your LinkedIn app matches the Outstand callback URL
LinkedIn is strict about exact matching (including trailing slashes)
Check both the Auth tab in your LinkedIn app and the callback configuration

"App not approved for Marketing Developer Platform"

This product requires approval from LinkedIn
You'll need to submit a use case description explaining your social media management application
Expect to record a screencast showing your app's functionality
Approval typically takes 7-12 business days

"Insufficient permissions to post"

Ensure you have admin or content creator role on the Company Page
Verify that rw_organization_admin scope is approved and active
Check that Marketing Developer Platform product has been added and approved

"Personal profiles cannot be used for posting"

Only Company Pages can be used for LinkedIn posting in Outstand
Ensure you're connecting a LinkedIn Page, not a personal profile
You can create a Company Page from your LinkedIn account

Next Steps

Once your LinkedIn credentials are configured and accounts connected, you can:

Create LinkedIn posts using the Posts API
Upload images for your posts via the Media API
Schedule LinkedIn content for optimal engagement
Monitor your LinkedIn analytics through the post tracking features

LinkedIn

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