LinkedIn is a popular professional networking platform used by millions of people around the world. One of LinkedIn’s key features is the ability to follow other members in order to keep up with their activities and stay connected. A common question that arises is whether a LinkedIn member will be notified if you start following them again after previously unfollowing them.
The Short Answer
No, LinkedIn members do not receive notifications when someone starts following them again after previously unfollowing. There is no alert or indication sent to the member that you have renewed following them on LinkedIn.
Examining the LinkedIn Following Process
When you initially follow someone on LinkedIn, they will receive an email notification informing them of this action. However, if you later unfollow that person and then choose to follow them again, they will not get any notification the second time you follow them.
This is because LinkedIn’s system does not distinguish between a new follower and someone who previously followed and unfollowed. As far as LinkedIn is concerned, starting to follow someone again after unfollowing simply reestablishes the connection – it does not trigger a new notification.
Why No Notification for Renewed Following
There are a few potential reasons why LinkedIn does not send notifications when someone follows a connection again:
- To avoid repetitive, unnecessary notifications if connections are frequently followed and unfollowed
- To prevent connections being alarmed at repeated follow requests
- The action of renewing a follow does not warrant a notification in LinkedIn’s view
LinkedIn seems to take the position that once a connection is established and a follow notification sent initially, any subsequent refollowing does not need special notification. The platform focuses on notifying for new followers, rather than alerting every time an existing connection’s follow status changes back and forth.
How to Tell if Someone Re-Followed You
Since LinkedIn does not directly notify you when someone starts following you again, how can you tell if a connection renewed their follow?
Here are a few ways to determine if someone followed you again after previously unfollowing:
- Check followers list periodically – Review your list of followers from time to time to see if those who previously unfollowed appear again
- Notice increased activity – If you see a noticeable increase in likes and comments from someone, they may have refollowed you
- Use LinkedIn premium insights – Premium account holders can check their follower gains report to identify returning followers
Beyond this, there is no simple way to conclusively identify followers who have returned after unfollowing in the past. You will need to rely on periodically monitoring your followers list and activity to spot any re-followers.
Following Back After Someone Re-Follows You
What should you do if you notice someone follows you again after unfollowing previously? Here are some options to consider:
- Follow them back to reciprocate renewed interest in connecting
- Continue ignoring them if you did not find their previous follow valuable
- Review their profile to see if you want to reconnect and follow them
- Use your discretion based on why they may have unfollowed originally
Essentially, you can follow back people who refollow if you think reconnecting makes sense. But if their previous unfollow and renewed interest seems in bad faith, feel free to continue ignoring their follow.
Preventing Follower Notification Fatigue
LinkedIn’s policy of only notifying on initial follows prevents notification fatigue if connections follow and refollow repeatedly. Imagine receiving a barrage of notifications any time someone started and stopped following you!
By limiting notifications to just that initial follow, LinkedIn reduces disruption for users. This approach minimizes unnecessary alerts and allows followers to organically reconnect if interests align again down the road.
Other Platform Notification Policies
For comparison, here is how some other social media platforms handle notifications when someone follows you multiple times:
Platform | Follow Back Notification? |
---|---|
No notification if refollowed | |
Sends notification each time followed | |
No notification on refollow |
As this table shows, LinkedIn’s policy is consistent with platforms like Facebook and Twitter in not re-notifying repeating follows. Instagram, however, notifies every time regardless of previous follows.
Conclusion
To summarize, if someone unfollows you on LinkedIn then decides to follow you again later, you will not receive any notification alerting you to their renewed interest. The platform only notifies on initial follows, avoiding excessive alerts as connections refollow over time.
While you will not get notified of refollows, you can spot returning followers through periodic follower list checks and monitoring engagement changes. In general, this lightweight notification approach helps keep LinkedIn connections focused on fresh followers while allowing flexible reconnections as needed.