LinkedIn Follow vs. Connect | How to Connect Someone

LinkedIn networking is essential for career growth, professional opportunities, and business development. You can network on LinkedIn by optimizing your profile, connecting with someone, following professionals, content engagement, etc. And, following and connecting are the basic but effective networking methods, especially when combining strategic connecting with active following. Here, we’d like to explain what LinkedIn Follow and Connect are, and how they work for your networking. You will get the information from LinkedIn Follow vs. Connect meaning, rights, advantages, policies, etc.

LinkedIn Follow vs. Connect Meaning

What is LinkedIn Follow and How Does it Work?

LinkedIn Follow is a one-way relationship that allows users to see public content without establishing a connection. It’s ideal for following thought leaders, companies, and industry trends. Users can follow unlimited profiles/entities, receiving updates in their feeds while maintaining professional distance.

What is LinkedIn Connect and How Does it Work?

Oppositely, LinkedIn Connect establishes a mutual professional relationship requiring acceptance from both parties. It enables direct messaging, full profile access, and network visibility with a 30,000-connection limit. This two-way relationship is fundamental for professional networking, career development, and business opportunities.

LinkedIn Follow vs. Connect Advantages

Both following and connecting are the networking capabilities provided by LinkedIn. Then, what are the advantages of those? Get the answer and you will know how to utilize them to build your relationships.

When following members, you will gain professional learning, industry insights, and content access without direct interaction. For example, you can comment on posts, share insights, join discussions, learn from experts, or show professional presence. It’s an excellent way to stay informed, learn from thought leaders, and build a foundation for future networking, all while maintaining professional distance and unlimited following capacity.

And, connecting with members creates powerful professional relationships with direct communication (e.g. real-time chat and file sharing), network access, and career opportunities. It enables business development, knowledge exchange, and social proof through endorsements and recommendations, leading to mutual support, tangible professional growth, industry networks, and business opportunities.

Column explanation：

• The larger area (lighter blue) shows the full access and benefits of being connected
• The smaller area (darker blue) shows the limited access when just following
• The difference between the areas represents the additional value of connecting

Key Differences in Advantages You Get:

Aspect	Following Results	Connecting Results
Learning	Passive learning	Interactive learning
Networking	One-way observation	Two-way engagement
Opportunities	Information access	Direct opportunities
Communication	Public engagement	Private communication
Relationship	Professional awareness	Professional partnership
Growth	Knowledge gathering	Active collaboration
Business Impact	Industry insights	Direct business value
Career Impact	Inspiration & trends	Tangible advancement

LinkedIn Follow vs. Connect Rights and Limitations

Next, we will show you a comprehensive comparison of rights and limitations for LinkedIn Follow vs Connect. For example, what you see when following people and when connected with someone:

Feature	Follow	Connect
Profile View	Limited *when public	Complete *Premium features still require a subscription
Direct Message	❌	✅
Content Access	Public Only	All Content
Network View	❌	✅
Number Limit	Unlimited following	Free: 100 requests/week Premium: up to 250 requests/week
Approval Needed	❌	✅
Contact Info	❌	✅
Post Engagement	Limited *like, comment, share, follow	Full *like, comment, share, tag, mention, react
File Sharing	❌	✅
Endorsements	❌	✅

The following provides access to public content, posts, and updates without numerical limits. It allows users to stay updated with public professional activities but restricts access to private content, direct messaging, and network insights.

Connection grants comprehensive access to profiles, direct messaging, etc., with a connection limit. It enables full professional networking capabilities including private content access, recommendations, endorsements, and direct communication privileges.

All the above rights and limits are based on the LinkedIn User Agreement and Professional Community Policies.

Is it Better to Have Connections or Followers on LinkedIn?

Most professionals start with building quality connections for direct networking and opportunities with LinkedIn Follow. As your career progresses, gradually develop border by LinkedIn Connect. This approach maximizes LinkedIn’s potential for both relationship-building and professional influence.

And, for different professionals, LinkedIn Follow and Connect may have different practices.

Followers Better For:

• Professional trainers
• Content creators
• Industry influencers
• Thought leaders
• Public speakers
• Company executives
• Industry experts

Connections Better For:

• Career changers
• Job seekers
• Sales professionals
• Business developers
• Recruiters
• Network marketers
• Small business owners

How to Get Followers or Connections to Network on LinkedIn

The following process can be easy by clicking the “Follow” button on a member’s profile. It is an instant activation, no reciprocation is needed. You can customize feed settings and notification options.

The connection Process is initiated by clicking More > Connect, to send a connection request with a personal note. Then wait for acceptance and network notification. After acceptance, mutual visibility is available.

FAQs on Follow and Connect Someone on LinkedIn

Why do some people say follow instead of connect on LinkedIn?

People say “follow” instead of “connect” when they want to maintain professional boundaries while still sharing content, or when they’ve reached LinkedIn’s connection limit for personal profiles.

Do people know if you follow them on LinkedIn?

Yes, people can see who follows them on LinkedIn. They receive a notification when someone new follows them and can view their follower list in their profile dashboard.

Can you message someone you follow on LinkedIn?

No, you cannot message someone you just follow on LinkedIn. Direct messaging is only available when you’re connected. Following only allows you to see their public posts and engage through comments.

Why can’t I connect with someone on LinkedIn?

The most common barriers are privacy settings, connection limits, or restricted access. Try following instead, or connect through mutual connections for better success.

Conclusion

Both LinkedIn Follow and Connect enable you to build active networking on LinkedIn. The value you get depends on your professional goals and how you plan to use LinkedIn for your career or business growth. Connection provides significantly more advantages across all categories compared to just following someone on LinkedIn. The following is suitable for content consumption and staying updated with thought leaders or influencers you don’t personally know.