The Difference Between “Connecting” and “Following” on LinkedIn

Today I was asked again what is the difference between "Connecting" and "Following" on LinkedIn?

The answer is simple. A connection a two-way relationship that requires one profile to send an invitation and the other profile chooses to accept. The fairly new “following” feature allows one user to see and interact with another user’s content and activity without being connected. By turning on the “Follow option” it will help you reach a larger audience without being bombarded by connection requests from every LinkedIn user who’s interested in your content.

To change your profile to show the 'Follow' button instead of ‘Connect,’ go to your 'Settings' in the LinkedIn mobile app, then go to the 'Visibility' tab, then scroll down to the bottom and click on "Followers" - then scroll down within that page click on "Make follow Primary" which will then change your call to action (CTA) on your profile. Follow the same process on mobile or desktop.

LinkedIn stated that “When members follow you, they are more likely to see your content in their feed. We've heard from you that it can be overwhelming to receive a large volume of connection requests from people you do not know. This option makes it easy to establish a relationship and share your insights with people who are interested in what you have to say. By sharing high-quality content, you can build a loyal and engaged audience."

What does this mean? It takes away the time needed of having to go through and accept hundreds of connection requests in order to showcase your content to the people who really want it. It also helps keep your own newsfeed and the information you see as relevant to you. When you create and share relevant and helpful information, it gives you a better opportunity to develop an engaged audience of prospects, leads, and customers.

So I suggest that today you change your profile to show “follow” as opposed to “connect”. Then going forward you can choose to connect with those people you want to connect with – as opposed to scrolling through random connection requests from people you don’t know. 

Now that you have made the change, ensure that you continue to post, like and share content that will encourage "followers" to continue following you.  Happy posting !!