LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 722 million members. As a professional networking site, LinkedIn allows you to connect with other professionals in your industry, search for jobs, follow companies, join groups, and more. One key feature of LinkedIn is the ability to build your professional network by connecting with other members. But typing in each contact manually can be time consuming. That’s where importing contacts comes in handy. Importing contacts into LinkedIn allows you to quickly grow your network by pulling in email contacts from your email account or exporting contacts from other apps.
What are the benefits of importing contacts into LinkedIn?
There are several benefits to importing your contacts into LinkedIn:
- Saves time – Manually adding each contact on LinkedIn can take hours or even days depending on how many connections you want to add. Importing contacts makes the process much faster.
- Reach your existing network – Chances are many of your existing contacts are already LinkedIn members but not yet connected to you. Importing contacts allows you to efficiently connect to people you already know.
- Grow your network faster – The bigger your LinkedIn network, the more opportunities you have for jobs, partnerships, business deals and more. Importing contacts gives your network an instant boost.
- Stay organized – Importing contacts keeps your connections organized and accessible in one place instead of spread across multiple platforms.
- Find new opportunities – Expanding your LinkedIn network gives you access to more people, companies, jobs, andgroups. You never know what opportunities your imported contacts may bring.
In summary, importing contacts into LinkedIn can save you time, help you connect with your existing network, rapidly expand your reach, keep you organized, and open new possibilities.
What sources can I import contacts from?
LinkedIn offers several options for importing your contacts:
You can import contacts directly from your email providers like Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc. Simply go to your LinkedIn account settings and choose “Add Connections via Email.” Follow the prompts to securely connect your email account to LinkedIn. You’ll then be able to import email contacts with just a couple clicks.
Files
LinkedIn also allows you to import contacts from files like CSVs or vCard files. To do this, export your contacts from another application like your phone’s contacts app, Google Contacts, etc. Then upload the exported file to LinkedIn to import those contacts.
Other Apps
In addition to email and files, you may be able to import contacts directly from other apps if LinkedIn has an integration with them. For example, you can import contacts from Google Calendar, Evernote, Outlook, and Apple Contacts among others. Just look for the option to import or sync contacts within the app’s LinkedIn integration.
Connections Export
If you have an existing LinkedIn account, you can also export a file of your connections and then import that file into a new LinkedIn account. This allows you to easily transfer connections between LinkedIn accounts.
Third-Party Tools
There are also third-party tools and apps (some free, some paid) that offer other ways to import contacts into LinkedIn. For example, tools like ContactOut, Connectifier, Socedo, and Signal can help import contacts from various sources or even search the web for contact info to import.
Step-by-Step Guide to Importing Contacts
Importing contacts into LinkedIn only takes a few minutes. Here is a step-by-step walkthrough:
- Access LinkedIn contact import options – On LinkedIn’s homepage, click on the “My Network” dropdown menu near the top. Choose “Contacts” then “Import Contacts.”
- Select contacts source – Pick where you want to import contacts from: email, Outlook, a file, Google contacts, etc. Follow any additional prompts to connect the external account.
- Pick contacts – Review the list of available contacts to import. Toggle the checkbox next to each contact you want to add to LinkedIn. You can toggle “Select All” to choose all contacts.
- Send invitations – Customize the invitation message (optional) then click “Add Connections”. LinkedIn will now send connection invites to all selected contacts.
- Check status – Return to the “My Network” page to see the status of sent invitations. You can resend invites, manage contacts, and withdraw invites from this page.
And you’re done! Importing contacts makes expanding your professional network on LinkedIn fast and easy. Continue adding new contacts on a regular basis to maximize your opportunities.
How to Export LinkedIn Contacts
In addition to importing contacts into LinkedIn, you may also want to export your LinkedIn connections. Exporting creates a file with your 1st-degree connections that can be saved as a backup or imported into another tool or account. Here’s how to export LinkedIn contacts:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile and click “See all” under the Connections section.
- On the Connections page, click the “Manage synced and imported contacts” link near the top right.
- On the next page scroll down to the “Export LinkedIn connections” section.
- Select an export format – options include Outlook CSV, Apple Address Book CSV, or VCF files.
- Click “Export.” Your browser will download a file containing your LinkedIn connections.
You now have a copy of your network to use as needed!
Tips for Importing Contacts
To get the most out of LinkedIn contact import, here are some handy tips:
- Customize your invitation – Make your invite more personal by customizing the message LinkedIn sends to your imported contacts.
- Use the LinkedIn mobile app – Imported contacts may connect with you faster if they can respond via LinkedIn’s mobile app.
- Follow up – If contacts don’t respond to your import invite right away, follow up by emailing them directly from LinkedIn.
- Stay organized – Use LinkedIn contact groups to categorize your imported contacts (ex: colleagues, classmates, etc).
- Import regularly – Don’t just import contacts once. Import new contacts from your address book every month to consistently grow your network.
- Monitor status – Periodically check the status page of sent invitations. Resend invites to those who haven’t responded.
Adding contacts strategically and maintaining your network over time will help you cultivate the deep LinkedIn network needed for career and business success.
FAQs About Importing LinkedIn Contacts
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about importing contacts on LinkedIn:
What contact information can I import?
When importing contacts, you will be able to pull in names, email addresses, locations, companies, and any other info stored in the source (email, file, etc). However, LinkedIn will only use the name and email when sending connection invitations.
What’s the limit on imported contacts?
LinkedIn allows you to import up to 10,000 contacts at a time and up to 35,000 contacts in a rolling 30 day period. If you hit that limit, you may need to wait until the next month to import additional contacts.
What file types can I import?
For files, LinkedIn supports CSV, VCF, and TXT file formats. Make sure your exported contacts file is saved as one of these types before uploading.
Can I re-import the same contacts?
Yes, LinkedIn will allow you to import the same list of contacts more than once. This can be helpful if you want to periodically resend connection invitations to those who have not yet responded.
What happens if I import contacts already on LinkedIn?
If the contacts you import are already LinkedIn members, it will share that on the status page. You can then choose to connect with those members or skip them since they are already in your network.
Will imported contacts definitely accept my invite?
There’s no guarantee imported contacts will accept your connection invitation. The acceptance rate can vary based on how well the contact knows you and how often they check LinkedIn. Don’t take it personally if some ignore the invite.
Can I undo or delete imported contacts?
Yes! If you accidentally imported someone or want to remove contacts before invites are sent, you can delete imported contacts from the status page before sending the invitations.
Conclusion
Importing contacts into LinkedIn is a simple way to supercharge your networking and expand your professional opportunities. By utilizing email contacts, files, and syncing with other apps, you can quickly grow your connections on LinkedIn without tedious manual entry. Follow tips like customizing your invite and monitoring status to get the most out of contact imports. With the ability to pull in thousands of contacts automatically, importing gives your LinkedIn network an invaluable boost.