Yes, it is possible to both follow someone and connect with them on LinkedIn. LinkedIn offers two main ways to engage with other members – by connecting or by following. While there are some similarities between connecting and following, there are also some key differences that impact the experience.
What Does It Mean to Connect on LinkedIn?
Connecting with someone on LinkedIn is similar to becoming friends on other social networks. When you connect with someone:
- They are added to your connections list and you are added to theirs.
- You can view each other’s full profiles.
- You can message each other through LinkedIn.
- Your posts and activity may show up in each other’s feeds depending on your settings.
Connecting with someone establishes a two-way, mutually agreed upon link on LinkedIn. Both parties have to approve the connection request before being connected. Connecting helps build your professional network and gives you a direct contact with other LinkedIn members.
What Does It Mean to Follow Someone on LinkedIn?
Following someone on LinkedIn is more like subscribing to their posts and activity. When you follow someone:
- You can see their public posts and activity in your feed.
- They do not necessarily see your posts or activity.
- You don’t have access to their full profile.
- You can’t directly message them through LinkedIn.
Following someone establishes a one-way relationship where you can keep up with their content without them necessarily following you back or even being aware of your following. It does not give you direct access to the person but lets you stay updated on their public profile and posts.
Key Differences Between Connecting and Following
Here are some key differences between connecting and following on LinkedIn:
- Connections are two-way – Both people have to agree to connect. Following is one-way.
- Connecting shares full profiles – You can view someone’s full profile when connected. Followers can only see a limited profile.
- Communication methods differ – Connections can directly message each other. Followers have no direct way to contact.
- Content access differs – Connections may see some content that followers can’t access.
- Appears in different places – Your list of connections is separate from your followers.
In summary, connecting establishes a mutual, two-way relationship while following simply subscribes you to someone’s public content. Connecting gives you full profile access, direct messaging capabilities, and a wider range of content.
Is It Possible to Connect and Follow Someone?
Yes, you can both connect with someone and follow them on LinkedIn. There are no limitations on connecting with someone just because you also follow them. You can follow someone without being connected to keep up with their public posts. Then if you eventually connect with them later, you will stay connected and gain access to more of their profile and posts.
There are a few main reasons you may want to both follow someone and connect with them on LinkedIn:
- To first follow them and evaluate their content before connecting.
- To continue seeing their public posts even after connecting.
- If you want to connect but they have not yet accepted your request.
- To strengthen your professional relationship by connecting after already following them.
Having both a connection and a follower relationship can enrich your interactions and allow you to engage at different levels. As their follower, you can stay updated on their public profile. As a connection, you can interact more deeply through full profile access and direct communication.
Use Cases for Connecting and Following Someone
Here are some examples of when you may want to both follow and connect with the same person on LinkedIn:
- Following an industry leader or influencer to see their posts, then connecting once you meet them in person at a conference.
- Following a potential business partner or vendor to evaluate their content before connecting professionally.
- Connecting with a coworker or professional contact while also following them to ensure you see all of their public posts.
- Following a company page or public figure and connecting with them if they join LinkedIn as an individual user.
Having both connections and followers allows you to interact with the same person in different ways as appropriate for your relationship. You can follow them for their public presence then connect on a more personal professional level.
Pros and Cons of Connecting and Following
Here are some potential pros and cons of both connecting and following someone on LinkedIn:
Pros
- Get their public updates through your feed by following them.
- Engage more deeply and directly by connecting with them.
- Strengthen professional relationship by adding a connection.
- Evaluate their public content before connecting.
- Continue seeing public posts even after connecting.
Cons
- Can crowd your feed if you follow many connections.
- One-way following provides less value than a mutual connection.
- They may be unaware you are following them.
- Following does not give you full profile access.
In most cases, the pros seem to outweigh the cons. Having both connections and followers simply provides more options for how you engage with other professionals on LinkedIn.
How to Follow Someone You’re Connected With
If you are already connected with someone on LinkedIn but also want to follow them, it is easy to add them as a follower:
- Go to their profile page.
- Under their profile photo and name, click the “More” dropdown menu.
- Select “Follow” from the dropdown options.
- Confirm you want to follow them when prompted.
Once you follow them, you will see their public posts in your LinkedIn feed. You can unfollow them at any time the same way. Following someone does not affect your existing connection on LinkedIn.
How to Connect With Someone You’re Following
If you are already following someone but now want to connect with them on LinkedIn, you can send them a connection request:
- Go to their profile page.
- Click the blue “Connect” button near the top right.
- Customize the connection request message if desired.
- Click “Send” to send them the request.
If they accept your request, you will become connected on LinkedIn. You will still also continue following their profile so their public posts will still display in your feed.
Conclusion
In summary:
- It is possible to both follow someone and connect with them on LinkedIn.
- Following provides access to public posts while connecting enables two-way interactions.
- Connecting and following can enrich your relationship at different levels.
- You can easily switch between following and connecting with a few clicks on LinkedIn.
- In most cases, the benefits outweigh any potential drawbacks of connecting and following.
Having the option to both follow and connect gives you more flexibility in how you engage with your professional network on LinkedIn. Following someone first lets you evaluate their public presence before deciding to connect on a deeper level. Maintaining both a follower and connection relationship keeps their posts visible while also enabling direct interactions. Used together strategically, connecting and following can strengthen your relationships and reach on LinkedIn.