The LinkedIn lead generation landscape is always changing.
In our 4+ years in the industry, we've seen account restrictions, automation tools blocked, group messaging on, off, and back on again, and it really has been a roller coaster.
But LinkedIn's latest connection request limit is absolutely devastating to many professionals.
Connection request limits
Prior to 2021, connection request limits were approximately 100 per day.
That means you can send around 700-800 connection requests a week to generate leads or build relationships.
In 2021 they have now limited this very rudely100 per week.
That's a huge decrease in volume. I hate to say it, but generating LinkedIn leads through outbound connection requests is something of a numbers game, and when you're this constrained, it can really affect your revenue results.
Fortunately, we have a few ways to help you get around those limits and get great results with LinkedIn.
It will take some creative effort on your part, but the effort will be well rewarded, I promise.
Bypass the new LinkedIn connection request limit
Here are some ways to get around these new limits while improving your LinkedIn results.
SPAM doesn't work and won't work after 2020, so if that was your strategy it might be difficult, but again, it's worth it.
1. Scrape Emails From Leads
While you can only send 100 connection requests a week on the LinkedIn platform, you can send many more IF you know the email address.
There are a few ways to extract emails from leads - my favorite is to useProspecting Toolkit. It costs $99 for unlimited scraping, which is extremely affordable compared to other tools on the market.
Once you've done that, you can go toLinkedIn Personal Contacts Importerto upload your CSV file and find matching LinkedIn profiles.
This will help you send more connection requests without being affected by the new limits.
2. Be more selective when prospecting
This is a longer term solution.
The fact is, LinkedIn sees the revenue potential of outbound prospecting with the platform and wants users to pay.
There will be more and more limits to bring users to solutions like paid InMails and advertising.
This is a natural evolution and we should all be aware that the days of bombarding 1000 connection requests with generic messages are over (and it wasn't that great to begin with!).
The answer is:
- more customization
- more selective prospecting
- More attention to quality than quantity
- More relationship building
The first thing to do is make absolutely sure that yourLinkedIn profile is optimized! If not, you're leaving tons of money on the table as potential customers quickly visit and leave (and don't respond).
The next thing to do is to focus only on prospecting for valuable connections that seem like a good fit.sales navigatorIt's known for bringing in some bad leads even with strict filters, so go through these lists, go through each lead, and save them to a list before uploading them to your automation tool or sending any connection requests.
3. Use multiple LinkedIn accounts
This can be a bit tedious and involves more work, but it's another way to get around LinkedIn's new connection request limit.
There are a few ways to do this.
First, if you have actual employees who wouldn't mind using their LinkedIn profile to help with lead generation efforts, go ahead and use them!
You can connect them to an automation tool likeLinkedRichWhat are theycloud basedso you only log in once and never worry about getting locked out.
If you don't have real employees with profiles you can use, you may need to put on a bit of a gray hat with this method.
Creating fake LinkedIn accounts will get you banned immediately, trust me.
But you canbuy old LinkedIn accounts, optimize profiles to look like employees of your company and use them to prospect on your behalf.
It's not a perfect strategy, but it will allow you to send a higher volume of connection requests and make your business appear larger than it really is in some cases.
I still recommend focusing on personalization and quality over quantity, as SPAM will always be SPAM. Use this method wisely and don't damage your company's reputation by being a spammer.
4. Segment open profiles
If you have Sales Navigator (which you should if you're serious about it), you'll receive a certain number of InMails per month.
However, if you only target other people using Sales Navigator who have their profile set to "open", you can send virtually unlimited InMails.
This can be a very effective tactic if you're targeting high-level executives, sales reps, marketers, or other types of professionals who use LinkedIn a lot.
InMail messages have a very high response rate when successful, and with open profile settings, you can send a high volume with very few restrictions.
It's important to note that LinkedIn measures the response rate you receive, and the higher the response rate, the more free InMails you can send. On the other hand, it is beneficial to personalize, be specific with your target/potential client and make your messages interesting to your ideal client.
5. Bonus: Use a VSL in your messages
This is not directly related to bypassing LinkedIn's connection request limit, but it is a strategy that can boost your results very quickly.
VSL stands for Video Sales Letter. It is a form of lead magnet that guides your prospect through a presentation that shows:
- The problem you solve (must be their common problem)
- How do you solve this problem step by step
- The type of investment of time to solve this problem can take
- An option to work with you to save time and work with an expert
The best thing about a VSL is that it acts as a buffer between an interested prospect and a long sales call.
Wouldn't it be great if every sales call you took was with a qualified, interested prospect who already knew what you were offering and was ready to take the next steps?
That is exactly what a VSL does for your business.
This is what you need to build a VSL sales funnel:
- A simple Google Slides or Powerpoint presentation with words on the screen explaining the process
- A place to host the video (Vimeo, YouTube, or Wistia are good options)
- A home page with the video embedded and a button below to schedule a call
- A calendar booking link (High levelosilentIt works well)
- A pre-call follow-up sequence to build more trust
I recommend checkingHigh level, is a CRM + Funnel Builder + Calendar Scheduling System + Marketing Automation System all in one. You can use it to build and host that entire sales funnel.
The good thing is that you don't have to be in the video if you don't want to.
It just needs to look like this:
A blank white screen with text, your voice narrating the process, and a call to action to schedule a call for next steps or more information.
Pro tip: Attach a form to the calendar scheduling widget to ask pre-qualifying questions while they book the call.
If you're more technical, you can even use Google Tag Manager to track how much of the video they've viewed and trigger events and all kinds of fun stuff to better engage your ideal customers.
How does this work with LinkedIn (you may be wondering)?
Send your prospects a message and offer a free video (call it a Masterclass, Webinar, or Free Course) that can help them solve their business problems.
If they click the link and like the video, they'll schedule a call with you and turn it into a lead.
That's a lot better than "introducing" your services in a message, right?
6. Bonus #2: Focus on SEO
Everyone says "make amazing content and share it".
I'll make you a better one because this advice is hard to follow.
You talk to your customers/clients right? Do they always ask questions about your products/services?
OK, let's say you don't have many clients. Do you answer calls from potential customers to present your services/products? Do they always ask you questions?
write them downand answer questions from your customers or prospects in the form of written and video content and share.
This is so underrated because in the world of SEO, great content is even more powerful than keyword research and "made for Google" content.
Going viral is NOT the goal. The goal is to consistently attract your perfect and ideal customers through your content, which means consistently answering questions and showing how to solve problems.
Also, SEO is not limited to Google Search.
YouTubeit is the second largest search engine on the internet and video is a great way to communicate with your potential customers. Also, sites with video tend to rank better, so you increase your results exponentially by doing both.
It is possible to outsource this, but cheap writers don't come cheap. You need to make specialized content and spend some time on it to make it work effectively.
Pro tip: use something likeconversion.aito speed up the writing process.
Now, take those valuable blog posts and publish them on LinkedIn. Format especially valuable/longer ones as LinkedIn articles. You can also add it to the Featured section on your profile.
Post a preview of the article as a post, then link to it in the first comment to increase engagement.
If you stick with this strategy, you'll get a stream of inbound leads from LinkedIn for free.
Conclusion
As mentioned, LinkedIn will continue to push the boundaries and make it difficult for organic outbound prospecting to be effective.
But if you take a creative approach, you can not only beat LinkedIn's connection request threshold, but also exponentially improve your lead generation results by focusing on scalable strategies that make your company stand out as an expert.
I hope this was helpful – get out there and grow your business with LinkedIn!
FAQs
How do I bypass the LinkedIn connection request limit? ›
- Send connection request through email.
- Connect with Open Profiles.
- Connect with group members and event attendees.
These connection requests don't count toward your limits, so, in theory, there is a way to use the Import via email to bypass LinkedIn restrictions. You could upload a CSV file with your leads' email addresses to your email and then use the import via email feature to invite them to connect on LinkedIn.
How many connection requests can I send on LinkedIn without premium? ›You can send around 100 connections requests per week. That means an average of 20 invitations per business day. This limit is not strict.
What is the weekly limit of LinkedIn connections 2022? ›LinkedIn has once again experimented with its connection request limits by restricting the maximum number of invites that a user can send out per week. Currently, you can only send 100 invites weekly, or about 20 to 25 daily–and this is regardless of your subscription to Sales Navigator.
Is there a way to accept all LinkedIn requests? ›Once you click on “See your other invitations,” you'll be taken to your inbox of received invitations, where you can repeat the cycle detailed in method #1 above of: selecting the invitations you would like to accept, clicking accept, then scrolling down to the bottom of the page of all of the people you just connected ...
Can I get unlimited connection requests on LinkedIn? ›Note: To ensure an optimal site experience, the network size limit for LinkedIn members is a maximum of 30,000 1st-degree connections.
How do people get over 500 connections on LinkedIn? ›- Always Send Personal Invitations.
- Use the Member Directories of Professional Associations.
- Follow Up on Networking Contacts.
- Invite Clients and Past Clients.
- Invite Past Co-Workers and Classmates.
You won't see the Connect button on a member's profile if: You haven't confirmed your primary email, the email bounced, or new email needs confirmation. You're already connected to that member.
Why does LinkedIn have invitation limit? ›We have invitation limits in place to protect our overall member experience and to ensure that our members only receive relevant requests. Your LinkedIn account may be temporarily restricted from sending invitations if you've reached the invitation limit.
Why does LinkedIn have a connection limit? ›This limit was set to keep LinkedIn working smoothly for all our members. Exceedingly large networks impact site reliability and member experience. While you aren't at the limit yet, this might be a good time to review your current list of connections and remove those that may no longer have value.
What happens when you get 1,000 connections on LinkedIn? ›
When you hit the magical number of 1,000, you will likely see an increase in connection requests as well. This is where it can get ugly at times. If you accept all these requests, you will start to get messages asking you to buy stuff.
How many LinkedIn connections can you send per day 2022? ›How Many LinkedIn Connections Can I Send Per day? To put it simply, for most people, the LinkedIn connection limit is between 80-100 requests per week. And in that same vein, you're allowed around 250 LinkedIn actions per day. This includes messages but also connection requests and most other actions.
Why does LinkedIn have a weekly connection limit? ›After recent changes, LinkedIn weekly invitation limit has been reduced from 100 Invites per day to 100 Invites per week. LinkedIn set this weekly invite limit to discourage spamming & boost more effective connections.
How many people have over 500 connections on LinkedIn? ›54% of people on LinkedIn have less than 500 connections 27% have between 500–999 12% have between 1,000–1,999 3% have between 2,000–2,999. Meaning if you knock out 400 new connections per month you'll be within the top 3 percent in a little over 7 months.
Why is no one accepting my LinkedIn request? ›Incomplete LinkedIn Profile
One reason why invitations get ignored or declined is that of an incomplete profile. Make sure if you have a full size, professional profile photo. Your work history should have useful details. You could also ask colleagues to leave recommendations and endorsements on your profile.
They may have set up their LinkedIn as an afterthought and haven't gotten to filling it out yet and being active. Or they may be simply busy with other projects, especially if they're a senior professional.
How many invites is the limit in LinkedIn? ›Organizers, Page admins, and attendees can send up to 1000 invitations per week. If you organize multiple events, this limit applies across events and does not increase. Each page admin can send up to 1000 invitations per week.
How do I get more than 100 connections on LinkedIn? ›- Spend at least 15-30 minutes every day to network on the platform.
- Join and be active in LinkedIn groups.
- Send a personalized “connect” request/message.
- SEO optimize your profile by including keywords on your summary, headline and skills.
There is something called Golden Hour in all Social media platforms. Linkedin has it too. Golden Hour is approximately an hour or so after the time you post in Linkedin. During this time, depending on how many views, likes, comments, shares and reach, Linkedin basically understands how your post will work.
Should I like my own LinkedIn posts? ›Liking your own posts helps because people are more likely to interact with content if others have interacted first. Put another way, if the dance floor is empty, it takes guts to be the first person to hop up and start busting a move. But if others are there already, it's much easier to join the party.
What happens when you cross 5000 connections on LinkedIn? ›
Not just company pages and persons with 5,000+ followers or connections have access to LinkedIn Stories. When you have 5,000+ followers, however, you may use the swipe up feature to add web links to LinkedIn Stories, which will direct your visitors to more content.
How to get 10K connections on LinkedIn? ›- Optimize your profile. ...
- Connect with people you know. ...
- Write LinkedIn articles to establish your expertise. ...
- Share photos on LinkedIn. ...
- Create a publish videos on LinkedIn. ...
- Livestream on LinkedIn. ...
- Use hashtags in every post. ...
- Tag connections and companies in your post.
If a LinkedIn profile achieves 500 or more connections, it will rank higher in search results. This works like keyword optimization for LinkedIn's search engine. 30,000 is the maximum number of connections LinkedIn allows you to have. Once you hit this magic number, you can only continue to grow through your followers.
How do I Connect to LinkedIn without knowing someone? ›If you wonder how to connect with someone on LinkedIn without going through their profile, you can do so using a couple of ways. The first one is to do the “LinkedIn prospecting” of your own and add a connection from the Search Results Page. Simply click the Connect button right to their profile information.
Why is LinkedIn blocking my account? ›The name used in the account profile is in violation of our User Agreement. We've detected inappropriate or illegal activity on the account. A history of repetitive abusive behavior on the account. We've detected that the account may have been compromised.
Why can't I Connect with 3rd on LinkedIn? ›LinkedIn has removed the “Connect” button from 3rd degree connections on the “Who's viewed you profile page” section and hidden it from members profile pages too. At first glance it may look like you can only connect to 2nd connections now and that you need to use InMail to connect to any 3rd connections.
How long does LinkedIn invitation limit last? ›Invitations sent to existing LinkedIn members and people who aren't LinkedIn members expire after six months. This allows LinkedIn to occasionally remove old invitations from the database for email addresses that don't appear to be active.
How long does LinkedIn restriction last? ›Depending on the type of violation, access to your account may be restricted either temporarily or indefinitely. If you believe your account was restricted in error, please login and follow the onscreen steps to verify your identity.
How to get more connections on LinkedIn? ›- #1: Complete Your Profile. ...
- #2: Optimize Your Profile. ...
- #3: Get Endorsements. ...
- #4: Gather Connections from People You Know. ...
- #5: Connect with Strangers in Your Field. ...
- #6: Join LinkedIn Groups. ...
- #7: Regularly Write Content. ...
- #1: Don't Send Generic Messages.
Only 1% of respondents identified themselves as Super Connectors with more than 10,000 connections, while 10% of LinkedIn users said they have more than 3,000 connections.
What happens when you get 30000 connections on LinkedIn? ›
If you have reached 30,000 connections, Follow will become the default option on your profile. You will not be able to accept or send new connection invitations unless you remove connections to keep network size under the limit.
How many connections do you need on LinkedIn to be an influencer? ›How many followers do you need to become an influencer? It's not so much about the number of followers you have as it is about the quality and engagement of your followers. That said, to be able to reach a large number of professionals on LinkedIn, you'll need at least 1,000 followers.
How many connection requests can I send on LinkedIn per week 2023? ›How many connection requests can you send on LinkedIn per day? You can send a maximum of 100 connection requests per week on LinkedIn. If you're not using LinkedIn Sales Navigator, it's best to stay under 80 connection requests per week.
Is 3000 LinkedIn followers good? ›So only 4% or one LinkedIn user in 25 has more than 3,000 connections and can call themselves super connectors here. Most folks have less than 500 connections which make perfect sense.
How many connection requests can I send on LinkedIn in a week? ›Connection Request Limits
Meaning you could send around 700-800 connection requests per week to generate leads or build relationships.
We have invitation limits in place to protect our overall member experience and to ensure that our members only receive relevant requests. Your LinkedIn account may be temporarily restricted from sending invitations if you've reached the invitation limit.
Is there a limit to how many connections you can have on LinkedIn? ›LinkedIn members can have up to 30,000 1st-degree connections. To ensure an optimal experience on LinkedIn, we recommend: Connect with people you know personally and trust professionally.
Does LinkedIn limit connections per day? ›How Many LinkedIn Connections Can I Send Per day? To put it simply, for most people, the LinkedIn connection limit is between 80-100 requests per week. And in that same vein, you're allowed around 250 LinkedIn actions per day. This includes messages but also connection requests and most other actions.
How do I stop being restricted on LinkedIn? ›How do I Unrestrict my LinkedIn account? If your LinkedIn gets restricted, you can submit an appeal to LinkedIn support by following the on-screen message you will see when you try to log in on the site. Alternatively, you can get help from the FAQs and links in LinkedIn Help or message them through Contact Us page.
How do people have 500 connections on LinkedIn? ›- Always Send Personal Invitations.
- Use the Member Directories of Professional Associations.
- Follow Up on Networking Contacts.
- Invite Clients and Past Clients.
- Invite Past Co-Workers and Classmates.
Why does everyone have 500 connections on LinkedIn? ›
To do this, you really need at least 500 LinkedIn connections. Why 500? This is the number where you hit a critical mass of connections (people you've met in your life) and get access to all of their connections. It's the point at which your LinkedIn really pays dividends.