LinkedIn groups allow you to connect and share information with professionals in your industry or with shared interests. While some groups are open for anyone to join, private groups allow you to maintain an exclusive membership and discussions. Starting a private LinkedIn group can help you build relationships, generate leads, and establish yourself as a thought leader in your field. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to start your own private LinkedIn group.
Requirements for Starting a Private LinkedIn Group
Here are the requirements you need to meet in order to start a private LinkedIn group:
- You must have a LinkedIn profile in good standing. Make sure your profile is complete with industry keywords, a professional photo, and recommendations from connections.
- Your LinkedIn profile must be at least 30 days old. This requirement prevents spammers and scammers from creating private groups.
- You’ll need at least 50 1st-degree connections in your network. These connections will be the starting members of your private group.
- Your LinkedIn profile must showcase your expertise in the group’s focus area. Position yourself as a thought leader to attract the right members.
Meeting these requirements indicates you’re a real contributor in your industry and not just looking to collect contacts. With the basics covered, let’s look at how to set up your private group.
Step 1: Select Your Group Settings
When starting a new private LinkedIn group, you’ll first need to establish some basic settings:
- Name: Choose a name that reflects the group’s focus and will appeal to your target members.
- Description: Write a short paragraph summarizing the group’s purpose, focus topics, and target audience.
- Category: Select a category that best represents your group’s industry and focus.
- Group Type: Choose “Private” to make the group invitation-only to control membership.
Take time to make these settings align with your goals for the private group. The name and description will appear on your profile and in search to help attract the right members.
Step 2: Configure Your Group’s Membership
One of the key benefits of a private LinkedIn group is controlling who can join and view discussions. Configure your membership settings:
- Membership Approvals: “Invite only” ensures only people you invite can join.
- Content Visibility: “Members-only” means only approved members see discussions.
- Post Visibility: “Members-only” limits posts to approved members only.
Restricting content and posts exclusively to members encourages more open discussions relevant to the group. Members also feel a greater sense of community.
Step 3: Invite Initial Members
Now it’s time to start building up your private group’s membership.
- Invite colleagues, clients, partners, and industry peers who will engage in meaningful discussions.
- Aim for quality over quantity – a small group of active contributors is better than inactive contacts.
- Personalize invitations to connect with each potential member.
- Leverage your 1st-degree network first, then look to 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections.
Here’s a table summarizing tips for inviting your initial private group members:
Who to Invite | How to Invite |
Colleagues and coworkers | Send personal messages explaining the group’s purpose and how they can benefit from joining. |
Partners and strategic contacts | Highlight how the group can strengthen your business relationship and industry standing. |
Industry thought leaders | Share why you admire their work and how the group can feature their expertise. |
Existing clients or customers | Emphasize how the group can help serve their needs and connect them to useful contacts. |
Take the time to thoughtfully curate and individually invite members who will provide valuable contributions. Starting with around 50-100 members establishes a solid base.
Step 4: Engage Members in Discussions
Once your private LinkedIn group is set up, your responsibility as a group manager is driving consistent engagement. Follow these best practices:
- Post discussion questions at least 3-5 times per week to spark conversations.
- Share relevant articles, resources, and insights to provide value.
- Reply and react to other member posts to sustain interactions.
- Send regular digest emails showcasing top posts and discussions.
- Highlight stand-out content through LinkedIn’s saved posts feature.
Interacting daily with your private group establishes you as an engaged community leader. This drives more member participation while helping you build relationships.
Example Post Topics
To get started managing your private group, here are examples of engaging post topics you can share:
- Ask members to share advice on addressing a common challenge in your industry.
- Poll members to learn about their current priorities and pain points.
- Feature members by sharing their career stories and successes.
- Discuss recent news and trends and how they impact your focus area.
- Share a case study and ask for feedback on the approach.
Mix up questions, resources, and perspectives to spark a well-rounded conversation. Think of content that aligns both with your industry and the interests of your target group members.
Step 5: Set Group Rules
Finally, establish clear rules to maintain constructive discussions within your private LinkedIn group:
- Require professional conduct and respectful communication.
- Keep discussions focused on the group’s core topics and purpose.
- Prohibit self-promotion and soliciting group members.
- Ban offensive, discriminatory or off-topic posts and comments.
- Appoint other members as managers to help moderate conversations.
Putting group policies in place protects the community you want to build. As a last resort, remove members who repeatedly violate the rules.
Conclusion
Starting a private LinkedIn group takes strategic planning but opens valuable networking and leadership opportunities. Define your audience, invite relevant connections, spark engaging discussions, and set community policies. With ongoing management, your private group can build industry relationships, generate leads, and position your brand as an authority.
Here are some key takeaways:
- Meet LinkedIn’s requirements for starting a private group, like having 50+ connections.
- Carefully configure settings for controlled membership and private content/posts.
- Invite quality connections likely to actively participate and contribute.
- Post questions and resources consistently to drive member participation.
- Set and enforce rules to maintain constructive group discussions.
Following these best practices will lead to a thriving private LinkedIn community that provides unique value to members. Invest time as a manager to build relationships and be seen as an industry leader.