LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with over 800 million members worldwide. Making connections and growing your network is a key part of using LinkedIn effectively. But do your connections get notified when you add them on LinkedIn? Let’s take a closer look at how LinkedIn notifications work when forming new connections.
Notifications When Sending Connection Requests
When you send a connection request to someone on LinkedIn, they will be notified by email and also within the LinkedIn platform. On the LinkedIn website, a notification will appear at the top of their homepage indicating that they have a new connection request. They will also receive an email alerting them to the request, unless they have specifically disabled LinkedIn email notifications in their account settings.
So in short, yes – your connections do get notified when you try to add them on LinkedIn. This allows them to review the request and decide whether to accept or ignore it. The notification also makes them aware that you would like to connect with them professionally on the platform.
Customizing Connection Request Messages
When sending a connection request, you have the option to customize the message that the recipient will see. By default, LinkedIn will populate the message with generic text like “I’d like to add you to my professional network.” However, it’s recommended to personalize this message to improve your chances of getting accepted.
For instance, you could remind the person who you are, where you met them, or why you want to connect on LinkedIn. Some examples of more personalized messages include:
- “Hi [name], we met at [event/company] and I wanted to connect on LinkedIn.”
- “Hi [name], I see we share interests in [topic]. I’d love to connect here on LinkedIn.”
- “Hi [name], I’m looking to expand my professional network and thought it would be great to connect.”
Taking the time to write a unique message shows your connections that you want to add them for professional reasons, not just to grow your connections list. It can significantly improve your acceptance rate when requesting new connections.
Notifications When Accepting/Ignoring Requests
Just as your connections get notified when you send them a request, you in turn will be notified when they accept or ignore your request. On LinkedIn’s website, you will see confirmation at the top of your homepage if a connection accepts your invitation. You will also receive an email alerting you to the new connection.
If the recipient chooses to ignore your request, you will similarly be notified by an updated message on your homepage and via email. The notification will say that the recipient declined your invitation to connect. Don’t take it personally – sometimes people prefer to keep their network more limited. You can always try sending a new request in a few months.
Managing LinkedIn Notification Settings
As mentioned above, LinkedIn sends email notifications by default whenever you receive a new connection, message, or other interaction on the platform. However, some LinkedIn members prefer not to receive so many notifications via email.
You can manage your notification settings by going to your LinkedIn account settings and choosing “Communications.” From there, you can disable certain email notifications entirely or choose to get a daily or weekly digest instead.
Here are some of the email notifications you can customize in your settings:
- You have a new connection
- Someone sent you a message
- Someone commented on your post
- You have a new post mention
- Your post got a new like
- Your network updated
Disabling email notifications means you’ll need to log into LinkedIn more frequently to check for new activity. But for some members, it can help reduce inbox clutter.
Notifications on Mobile Devices
In addition to email and website notifications, LinkedIn also provides mobile push notifications through its iOS and Android apps. Push notifications allow you to get real-time alerts about LinkedIn activity straight on your mobile device.
By default, your mobile app should mirror the email notification settings for your account. But you also have the option to customize your mobile notifications further in the app’s settings:
- iOS app – Go to profile icon > Settings > Notifications
- Android app – Tap the 3-line menu > Settings > Notifications
From there, you can toggle certain notification types on or off, such as connections, messages, post reactions, comments, shares, and more. You can also control the frequency of notifications, choosing between getting them in real-time, hourly, or disabled.
Do Connections Get Notified When You View Their Profile?
A common misconception is that your connections will be notified when you view their LinkedIn profile. In reality, LinkedIn does not notify members about profile views. The only exception is if you pay for a premium LinkedIn account, which allows you to see who viewed your profile.
Without a premium account, members cannot tell when another user views their profile. So feel free to browse and research connections discreetly without them knowing.
Premium Account Profile View Notifications
LinkedIn Premium accounts offer a “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” feature under the My Network tab. This shows you the name and headline of members who have recently viewed your profile.
Premium members will see that you viewed their profile listed here. But it won’t trigger any email or additional notification – it’s simply a list they can consult. And you can choose to be anonymous and not have your name/headline displayed if you prefer.
When Profile Views Show Up Anonymously
For non-premium members, LinkedIn will occasionally send notifications that “Someone viewed your profile” without naming names. These anonymous profile view notifications are triggered when:
- A member views your profile that you are already connected with
- Someone from a company you are following views your profile
- An anonymous viewer has their settings enabled to show their industry and location
In these cases, the notification serves to prompt non-premium members to upgrade to see who exactly is viewing their profile. But individual members are not actually notified when a specific person views their profile anonymously.
Notifications When Messaging Connections
LinkedIn also provides notifications when sending or receiving messages. By default, you will get an email alert any time someone sends you a new LinkedIn message or replies to an existing conversation thread.
You can also control email and push notification settings specifically for LinkedIn messaging. This includes options like:
- Get notified for new messages: Off/Immediately/Hourly
- Get notified for replies: Off/Immediately/Hourly
- Receive digest summary of conversations: Never/Daily/Weekly
Additionally, there are notifications within the LinkedIn messaging interface itself. When you send a message, you will see when your connection has read your message based on the read receipt.
Your connections will see the same read receipts from you, so they will know when you’ve read their messages. These in-platform notifications can be useful for ongoing conversations and following up with connections.
Conclusion
To sum up, LinkedIn provides notifications both on and off their platform to help keep members informed of their network activity and engagement. When sending connection requests or messages, the recipient will be notified by email and through on-site alerts. But passively viewing someone’s profile does not trigger notifications unless you have a premium account.
LinkedIn aims to strike a balance between alerting members to meaningful activity while limiting notification overload. By customizing your settings, you can control what types of notifications you receive and how frequently. Understanding what triggers notifications on LinkedIn can help you efficiently manage your professional relationships and brand.
