You may want to give someone access to your LinkedIn account for various reasons – perhaps you want to let a social media manager or assistant update your profile and manage your connections, or you need to give a co-worker temporary access to contact your network about a project or job search. However, sharing access to your LinkedIn account with others does come with some risks. In this article, we’ll look at whether and how you can safely give others access to your LinkedIn account.
Can I Add Users to My LinkedIn Account?
LinkedIn does not have a built-in feature to add additional users or managers to your account. Your LinkedIn account is intended to represent you as an individual professional.
However, there are some workarounds that allow you to securely give others access to your account:
Share Your Login Credentials
You can share your LinkedIn email address and password with someone you trust. This gives them full access to login and make any changes to your account.
Pros:
- Simple to set up
- Gives full account access
Cons:
- Security risk if credentials are misused or accessed by others
- You cannot track what changes were made or by whom
- You cannot limit permissions – the user has full control
Use LinkedIn’s Partner Program
LinkedIn allows certain verified marketing, advertising and recruiting partners to manage up to 50 LinkedIn accounts on a user’s behalf through the Partner Program.
Pros:
- More secure since partners are vetted by LinkedIn
- You can revoke partner access
- Partners have specialized LinkedIn tools and training
Cons:
- Limited to designated partners only
- Cost involved to hire a LinkedIn marketing partner
- Partner has full access and control over your account
Use Team Accounts
With LinkedIn’s Team Accounts add-on for Company Pages, you can add Account Admins who can post content and monitor analytics for your Company Page. However, they will not have access to your personal LinkedIn profile.
Pros:
- Admins can manage Company Pages without accessing your personal account
- You can add and remove Admins
- Allows multiple Admins
Cons:
- Paid add-on only available with premium Company Pages subscriptions
- Admins can only access Company Pages, not your personal profile
Risks of Sharing Your LinkedIn Account
While giving others access to your LinkedIn account can help in certain situations, it also comes with risks:
- They could misuse account access to spam or solicit your connections
- They may inadvertently make changes or posts that damage your reputation
- It violates LinkedIn’s User Agreement and could lead to account suspension
- Some private data like messages could be visible if you do not lock down settings
- If credentials leak, it could lead to account hijacking or identity theft
Best Practices for Shared Access
If you decide to give someone access to your LinkedIn account, here are some best practices to follow:
Vet Who You Share Access With
Only provide access to those you know and trust, such as an assistant, social media manager or close coworker. Avoid giving open-ended access to freelancers or agencies you have not vetted.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security, requiring both your password and a secondary code to login. Enable this under your LinkedIn account settings. Provide the secondary code only to trusted individuals.
Review Privacy Settings
Under your account Privacy settings:
- Turn off visibility of your LinkedIn profile views and who’s viewed your posts
- Disable sharing job changes and recommendations
- Turn off data sharing with third-party apps
This limits exposure of your profile analytics and personal data.
Limit Administrative Privileges
When possible, only give read-only access or limited posting privileges – not full administrative control. For Company Pages, assign the least privileges needed by Admins.
Agree on Boundaries and Brand Standards
Provide clear guidelines on your brand image, connections strategy, what can be posted or shared, and general dos and don’ts. Require approval before major changes.
Routinely Change Passwords
When sharing credentials, change your password routinely and whenever staff or freelancers transition out. Never reuse the same password across accounts.
Revoke Access When No Longer Needed
Remove account access immediately when working relationships end.
LinkedIn Access Workarounds Compared
Here is a comparison of options to provide others access to your LinkedIn account:
| Option | Setup Difficulty | Security Risk | Account Control | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share credentials | Easy | High risk | Full control | Free |
| LinkedIn Partner | High – Partners only | Medium risk | Full control | Partner fees |
| Team Accounts | Moderate | Lower risk | Limited control | Paid add-on |
Conclusion
While LinkedIn does not natively support adding multiple account users, you have a few options to securely provide others access through sharing credentials, using their Partner Program, or LinkedIn Team Accounts. However, any form of shared account access comes with risks, so you need to thoroughly vet who you provide access to, limit their permissions, and implement safeguards like two-factor authentication. Proceed with caution, establish clear boundaries, and routinely change credentials to help protect your account. With the proper precautions, it may be possible to safely provide limited LinkedIn access when absolutely necessary for your business needs.