LinkedIn is the biggest and most popular social platform for professional networking. As a result, familiarizing yourself with LinkedIn rules will help you grow your network, develop your personal brand, attract recruiters, and gain access to lucrative job opportunities.
In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about LinkedIn etiquette, including the dos and don’ts of connecting, messaging, posting, and engaging with others. We’ll give you the necessary strategies, tips, and tricks that will help you dominate LinkedIn and accelerate your career.
Key Takeaways
When sending connection requests, it’s proper etiquette to personalize them, follow up when someone accepts, and don’t overuse the feature.
When messaging others, make sure to provide value, be clear and concise, and reply promptly before asking for something in return.
Ignoring LinkedIn rules and spamming others, posting irrelevant content, and not optimizing your profile will lower your algorithm score, reduce your account visibility, and even get you restricted.
LinkedIn Connection Etiquette: Dos and Don’ts
As per the results of some studies, networking has a rather positive impact on many career aspects, such as career satisfaction, perception of marketability, affective commitment, and similar. So, let’s start with some LinkedIn connection tips that will help you grow your network quickly and professionally:
Do: Personalize Your Requests
Whenever you send a connection request, you should write a personalized message relevant to that specific person. A generic request is a wasted networking opportunity. Instead of creating meaningful contact, you will often get no response since you’ll show a lack of dedication, care, or respect for the other person’s time.
Instead, you want to use the space you have for a message to briefly explain why you want to connect. For instance, you may have mutual connections with the other professional, or you could’ve read a post or an article they’ve written, which resonated with you.
Do: Follow Up When Someone Accepts
It’s professional networking etiquette to follow up on your connection requests once they yield results. A short and simple thank-you message can leave a lasting positive effect on the other party and strengthen the bond right from the get-go.
Make sure that your message is concise, cordial, and free of any additional requests and sales pitches. Your initial goal is to build rapport and establish a long-term relationship that can result in positive outcomes for both you and the other person.
Do: Use the “Follow” Feature First
If you intend to engage with a leader in your field who has amassed a significant number of connections, don’t just send a connection request outright. If they don’t know who you are, and if you’re a new member on LinkedIn, with a modest number of connections, your request may end up rejected.
Instead, follow the person first and engage with the content they post for a while. This will allow them to get to know you first. That way, you’ll transform a cold connection request into a warm one that’s much more likely to yield positive results.
Do: Follow the Weekly Limit
LinkedIn imposes a weekly limit on how many connection requests you can send. This is done to prevent abuse and keep the focus on the quality and professionalism. A general weekly limit is around 100 requests per week, with older accounts having up to 250.
To maximize your efficiency and prevent triggering a temporary block, you should spread out your requests evenly throughout the week, aiming for 15–20 requests per day. Make sure to stop with requests if you get a pop-up informing you that you’re approaching your weekly limit. Otherwise, you might get banned.
Don’t: Let Pending Requests Pile Up
If your connection requests haven’t been accepted after a couple of weeks, you should withdraw them. Regularly check your tab with sent invitations to clean it up and keep your profile organized. A large backlog of unaccepted requests can also lower your score with LinkedIn’s algorithm.
On the other hand, you should also accept the requests sent to you as soon as possible to demonstrate interest and responsiveness.
Don’t: Connect With Anyone
Networking on LinkedIn isn’t just a numbers game. Just like you should tailor your LinkedIn approach according to your industry, you need to choose who you’re connecting with and go for quality over quantity.
For example, you’ll see direct results of your connections in your feed, which will be adjusted and curated based on your network and interactions. If you connect with people who are irrelevant to your profession and career goals, you’ll be shown to individuals who aren’t involved in your career and likely won’t contribute to your efforts.
This can lower your engagement metrics and reduce your profile’s visibility, no matter how good it is. Plus, your feed will show content that you likely won’t find interesting or informative.
LinkedIn Messaging Rules
Now, let’s check out some of the best LinkedIn messaging tips and networking strategies that will help you secure interviews, close deals, and maintain the relationships made through connections.
Do: Provide Value First
You should never ask for something before providing value yourself. This is especially important when you’re contacting another person for the first time, whether for a job opportunity or a sales call.
The other person is much more likely to respond if you give them a reason to by building rapport properly. This can be as simple as commenting on something about their recent post and initiating a discussion that could turn into a constructive debate. You’ll see much better results than starting a conversation with a plain “Can we hop on a 10-minute call?”
Do: Be Clear and Concise
Your messages need to be short and informative to maximize the chances of getting a response. Most people are on LinkedIn to engage in professional networking, often in between meetings and tasks at their jobs.
A concise message shows appreciation for the other person’s time and conveys your ideas in an easy-to-digest manner. That way, you won’t overwhelm the reader, decreasing the chance they will reply to your message or read it in the first place.
Make sure to use short and simple sentences and to state your intentions early in the message.
Do: Reply Promptly
When someone responds to your message (or initiates a conversation with you), you should reply as soon as you can. Being responsive improves trust with the other party, making it more likely for a conversation to turn into a greater opportunity.
In general, you should at least reply within 24 hours, even if it is just to acknowledge the message that doesn’t necessarily warrant a response. Not responding to an inquiry, whether it’s a connection request, a job, or a business opportunity, looks bad not just on you but on your current employer, as well.
Don’t: Ask for a Job Directly
Even if you contact a recruiter with the goal of applying for a job at their company, your first message shouldn’t be a direct job request. Instead, you can initiate a conversation by asking insightful questions or seeking guidance on what your next steps may be. This can improve the flow of the interaction, turning it into a valuable opportunity.
Direct job requests can feel abrupt to the recipient and signal a sense of entitlement. It’s always better to build a relationship first and give your elevator pitch once the timing is right.
Don’t: Use Informal Writing
While there are no strict LinkedIn communication rules against informal writing, you should keep most of the interaction on the platform cordial but professional. While the platform became much more conversational in recent years, it is still not as informal as other social media websites.
In general, you should avoid slang and abbreviations like “u” or “ur,” and you shouldn’t use too many emojis. The tone you use should be the same as if you were at a company’s meeting or in a boardroom.
Don’t: Send Copy-Paste Messages
Mass sending copy-paste messages to save time is more likely to damage your reputation than make you more efficient or even make you come off as a fake profile. People will recognize template messages that aren’t genuine and personalized but written to be sent to as many people as possible. More than that, the algorithm may flag you for sending too many templated messages.
LinkedIn Posting and Engaging Rules
Here are some of the best LinkedIn practices and networking activities when it comes to posting content and engaging with others.
Do: Post Valuable Content
LinkedIn posting etiquette revolves around creating thoughtful and engaging content. Your goal should be to share your findings, provide unique insight, and teach others. You can talk about your experiences and the lessons you learned in your career or provide practical tips. Posts that feature strong storytelling elements often do well with other users.
Do: Engage with Comments on Your Posts
The benefit of engaging with comments on your posts is two-fold.
First, it helps your posts do better by improving their algorithm score. This makes the posts likely to show up to an even greater group of users, broadening your profile’s visibility.
Second, it strengthens your connection with commenters and makes them more likely to keep commenting on your future posts.
Do: Post at Optimal Times
Posting at optimal times can improve the performance of your content. It’s recommended to post between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM, as well as 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM, during a work week. People are usually on LinkedIn during these hours, which gives your posts the highest chances of performing well.
However, optimal times for posting vary between individuals, so you should follow the performance metrics to find out when to post.
Don’t: Post Highly Personal Content
While LinkedIn shares some similarities with popular social media platforms, like Facebook or X, it’s not meant for sensitive topics and content unrelated to career or personal development. This includes anything from engaging in political debates to sharing deeply personal stories and confessions that may harm your professional image.
Don’t: Spam or Over-Engage
Posting too frequently or leaving too many comments can raise red flags with the algorithm, overwhelm your network, and, ultimately, reduce engagement. It’s often better to be consistent but moderate when creating posts and commenting on what others have uploaded.
Don’t: Use Clickbait
Clickbait content that’s low quality and designed around sensationalism may yield short-term results, but it will age poorly. The community will start ignoring your posts, and your visibility will drop. It’s always better to create helpful and authentic content instead.
5 Most Common LinkedIn Mistakes
Now that we’ve seen some of the most important LinkedIn dos and don’ts, let’s go through the most common mistakes you can make on this platform:
Having a “ghost” profile. You should take the time to add a photo and banner, complete the “About” section, add your skills, and enhance your profile overall. Otherwise, people might think that you’re a bot account and won’t engage with you.
Posting irrelevant content. Creating posts without regard for providing value will result in other LinkedIn users ignoring your content. This can reduce your score and lower your visibility in the long run. You should also avoid informal content typically posted on other social media.
Engaging in an unprofessional manner. LinkedIn is not like other social media platforms, where people frequently engage in argumentative and unprofessional threads. Your comments and messages should always be cordial and constructive.
Not responding to opportunities. Failing to respond to opportunities, recruiters, or messages and comments that others send you is one of the biggest LinkedIn mistakes you need to avoid. It defeats the purpose of being on a networking platform in the first place and results in a loss of valuable connections and relationships.
Being self-centered. You should avoid posting content that solely focuses on your skills and qualifications. Instead, reframe your efforts to demonstrate the results that you achieved and the value that you can bring.
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Create my resumeClosing Thoughts
LinkedIn rules are what made this website the biggest online networking platform in the world. Those who know the importance of networking and follow proper etiquette will see long-term benefits and significant improvements to their careers. This includes knowing when and how to connect and interact with others, as well as to provide value and not be self-centered.
If you’re consistent in applying the rules outlined in this article, you’ll see your network grow and grant you access to many valuable opportunities. Start today by fixing your profile, sending a couple of personalized connections, and providing value with a post. It won’t be long before the algorithm starts rewarding you.
LinkedIn Rules FAQ
#1. How do I send a professional LinkedIn connection request?
To send a professional LinkedIn connection request, you should include a personalized note. You should mention something specific, such as how you found that person or how you enjoyed one of the posts that they created. Avoid immediately making any specific requests.
#2. How often should I post or engage on LinkedIn?
You should aim to post on LinkedIn a few times per week or once a day. The more you post, the more likely you are to boost your visibility. You should engage even more frequently, spending at least 10–15 minutes per day commenting on other posts or interacting with people.
#3. Should I accept connection requests from people I don’t know?
Whether you should accept connection requests from people you don’t know depends on your goals and the connections. It often pays off to have a large network, but these should be people who are in your region or industry, and who made an effort to leave a personalized note.
#4. How do I ask for recommendations politely on LinkedIn?
It’s best to politely ask for recommendations on LinkedIn in relation to a specific project or accomplishment. Make sure that you send a personalized request and suggest the type of recommendation that you want (e.g., for them to commend your work on the project).
