Following and connecting are two ways to build your professional network on LinkedIn. Following lets you learn from someone's content, while connecting builds a two-way relationship.
Use the guidelines below when sending connection invitations:
-
Only send invitations to people you know and trust, in line with LinkedIn’s User Agreement and Professional Community Policies.
-
You can start by connecting with people you already know—such as colleagues, classmates, mentors, or volunteers.
Connect
Connections are members you know and trust. When you connect with someone, you both become first‑degree connections. This allows you to message each other directly and see each other’s posts and updates in your feeds.
Following
Following someone lets you see their public posts and articles in your feed without sending a connection invitation. When you follow someone, their content appears in your feed, but you don’t become part of their network and they won’t automatically see your posts. You can unfollow them at any time.
When to Connect vs Follow
| If you | Best action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Know the person from work, school, or your community | Connect | You already have a relationship and may want to message each other. |
| Don’t know the person but enjoy their posts or insights | Follow | You can stay informed without sending a connection invitation. |
| Recently met someone at an event and want to stay in touch | Connect with a note | A personalized note reminds them how you met and establishes context. |
| Are exploring a new field and want to learn from others first | Follow | Helps you identify thought leaders before reaching out. |
If you see Follow instead of Connect on a profile
Some members have Follow set as their main profile action. If you choose to connect instead using the overflow menu, you’ll automatically follow them while your invitation is pending. If they decline your invitation, you’ll continue following them unless you manually unfollow.
Related tasks: