LinkedIn is a popular professional networking platform used by millions of people around the world. One of the key features of LinkedIn is the ability to connect with other professionals in your industry or location. When making new connections on LinkedIn, it’s common to receive messages from those connections. However, some of these messages may seem automated or templated. So does LinkedIn send out automated messages? Let’s take a closer look.
What are automated LinkedIn messages?
Automated LinkedIn messages refer to pre-written, generic messages that are automatically sent by the platform without personal customization. They often contain boilerplate language such as “I’d like to add you to my professional network” or “Let’s connect!”. The goal of these auto-messages is usually to grow one’s network and make new connections quickly and easily.
Here are some common examples of automated LinkedIn messages you may receive:
- Hi [name], I saw your profile and would love to connect!
- I noticed we have similar backgrounds in [industry]. Let’s connect on LinkedIn!
- I’m looking to expand my professional network. I’d love to connect with you!
- I saw that we’re both members of [group]. We should connect!
These types of messages are impersonal and seem to be copied and pasted in bulk. They do not reference your specific profile, experience, or shared connections. The sender clearly did not take the time to personalize their request to connect with you in a meaningful way.
Does LinkedIn itself send automated messages?
No, LinkedIn itself does not send automated connection requests or generic messages to users on behalf of the platform. All messages received on LinkedIn come directly from other user accounts.
However, there are some scenarios where you may receive an automated message that gives the appearance of coming from LinkedIn:
- Third-party bots/tools: Some third-party companies have developed bots or tools that integrate with LinkedIn to automate sending connection requests and messages. These messages may seem like they are from LinkedIn, but they are sent by external services.
- Member-generated content: Individual LinkedIn members can set up automated sequences or templates to efficiently connect with people. So the messages come directly from user accounts even if they have an automated quality.
- Fake profiles: Scammers sometimes create fake LinkedIn profiles that send automated content in hopes of gaining access to your network and information.
The key point is that LinkedIn themselves do not generate or facilitate the sending of these types of automated messages on their platform. It comes from third-party services or individual users looking to grow their networks in an automated fashion.
Why do people automate their LinkedIn outreach?
There are a few motivations that lead some LinkedIn users to rely on automated tools and messages to connect with people:
- Saves time: Personalized messaging takes significantly more effort than automated messages. Tools that automate the process allow users to reach out to many more people.
- Grows network faster: Automated tools can rapidly send hundreds of connection requests per day, allowing users to quickly amass a large number of connections.
- Reaches targeted audiences: Automated messaging allows users to easily filter and message their target audiences, such as a specific company, job title or geographic location.
- Follows up at scale: Following up with connections takes time. Automated sequences allow users to efficiently follow up with everyone in their network.
For these reasons, some professionals prefer to rely on automation instead of personalizing all their LinkedIn outreach. However, this can annoy recipients and damage their brand if not used thoughtfully.
LinkedIn’s policies on automated messaging
LinkedIn officially discourages the use of automated messaging from third-party tools on their platform. Their User Agreement states:
Don’t use automated programs, bots, spiders, crawlers, or scrapers to access or collect data or other content from LinkedIn.
Violating this policy could potentially get a user banned from LinkedIn. Additionally, they offer the following best practices regarding automated messaging:
- Personalize every message – no bulk templates.
- Only send a follow up message if you received a response.
- Spread out your messages over days/weeks instead of blasting bulk messages.
- Honor recipient’s preferences and opt outs.
Following these guidelines creates a better experience even if you do use automation tools. However, sticking to fully manual, personalized outreach is always preferable when connecting with people on LinkedIn.
How to tell if a LinkedIn message is automated
Since LinkedIn does not directly send automated messages, how can you discern if a message you received is autogenerated? Here are some red flags to look for:
- Generic, boilerplate language and copy-pasted templates.
- No personalization or specifics related to your profile/experience.
- Requests to connect from someone you have no clear connection to.
- Mass connection requests/messages from same account.
- Messages from accounts with little/no profile information.
- Messages from recently created accounts.
- Overly eager tone with excessive exclamation points/emojis!
Essentially, if a message looks like it was blasted out without regard for your specific profile, it is likely an automated message. Taking a few seconds to scan the sender’s profile for authenticity is also recommended.
Best practices for responding to automated LinkedIn messages
When you receive a LinkedIn request that appears to be automated, how should you respond? Here are some best practices:
- Politely decline or ignore the request if you have no interest in connecting.
- Report fake or suspicious accounts to LinkedIn.
- Unsubscribe from further messages if the sender is using an automation tool.
- Provide private feedback explaining your dislike of automated messages.
- If relevant, send a personalized message back establishing common ground.
- Consider disabling the “Open to” setting on your profile to limit incoming messages.
The key is to avoid validating or encouraging the use of automation tools by responding positively. But a polite reply explaining your preferences can help well-meaning senders improve their practices.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn itself does not send automated connection requests or messages. However, some individual users and third-party tools do rely on automated messaging to quickly grow their networks. While this saves time, it often annoys recipients and goes against LinkedIn’s policies. Looking for telltale signs of automation like generic language and no customization can help identify these auto-messages. Responding thoughtfully and providing feedback can hopefully improve the behavior of well-intentioned senders.