LinkedIn allows you to control the privacy settings on your posts, letting you choose whether you want your connections, their connections, all LinkedIn members, or the public to see it. By default, posts are set to be visible to your connections only. However, you can easily change your post privacy from connections only to be visible to anyone on LinkedIn or the general public.
Being able to adjust the visibility settings gives you flexibility in how you use LinkedIn. For personal updates, you likely want to restrict the audience. But when posting content related to your business, brand or industry, widening the reach can help expand your visibility and connections.
In this guide, we’ll walk through the simple steps to change a LinkedIn post from connections only to be viewable by anyone or the public. We’ll also discuss the implications of adjusting your post privacy and when you may want to use the different settings.
How to Change LinkedIn Post Privacy Settings
Changing your post privacy on LinkedIn only takes a few quick steps:
1. Go to your LinkedIn homepage and click on “Post” at the top to begin creating a new post.
2. Write your post as you normally would, adding any text, images, links, hashtags, etc.
3. Before sharing your post, click on the dropdown next to “Share with:” below your post text.
4. This will open up your post visibility and privacy options. The default setting is “Connections only.”
5. To make your post viewable by anyone on LinkedIn, click “LinkedIn.”
6. To make your post completely public, click “Public.”
7. Once you’ve selected the visibility you want, click “Post” to share your update with the new privacy setting.
And that’s all there is to it! With just a few clicks, you can easily adjust who is able to see and engage with your LinkedIn posts.
Changing Existing Post Privacy
You can also change the privacy settings on posts you’ve already shared:
1. Go to your LinkedIn profile page and click on “More” next to an existing post.
2. Select “Change visibility” from the dropdown menu.
3. This will open the post visibility window. Click on the option you want the post to be changed to.
4. Hit “Close” and your updated privacy setting will take effect immediately.
It’s just as easy to modify the audience on old posts. Use this if you want to expand the reach of an outdated post that is still relevant or restrict an old post that you no longer want widely visible.
LinkedIn Post Privacy Settings
LinkedIn gives you 4 different options for your post privacy:
– **Connections only** – This default setting means the post will only be visible to your 1st-degree connections on LinkedIn.
– **Your network** – Widens the audience to 2nd-degree connections, so connections of your connections.
– **Anyone** – Makes your post visible to all LinkedIn members.
– **Public** – The post can be seen by anyone on the internet, even non-LinkedIn members.
Consider who you want to be able to see your post when selecting which option to use:
Setting | Who can see your post |
---|---|
Connections only | Your 1st degree connections |
Your network | Your 1st & 2nd degree connections |
Anyone | All LinkedIn members |
Public | Anyone on the internet |
In most cases, you’ll likely want to use “Connections only” for personal life updates and sharing within your professional network.
But for posts meant to increase your visibility and spread your brand message, “Anyone” or “Public” are better options.
Benefits of a Public Post
Here are some of the advantages of making your LinkedIn posts public:
– Increased reach for your content and brand
– Ability to share your posts easily via link, helping SEO
– Lets you demonstrate thought leadership on topics
– Helps you connect with a wider audience and potential clients
– Builds awareness for your business outside your network
So use public posts strategically when you want to expand your audience and connections.
When to Keep Your Posts Connections Only
There are also good reasons to keep your LinkedIn posts limited to your connections:
– Keeps personal life updates private and limited to people you know
– Allows for sharing confidential business updates with your team
– Lets you discuss topics relevant to your industry that don’t need wide exposure
– Avoid attracting negativity or criticism on controversial opinions
– Prevents connections of connections from seeing your posts if you don’t know them well
Connections only tends to be the best fit for most personal status updates, political commentary, inside jokes, customer issues, and content not meant for a general audience. Consider your intentions before making a post public.
Posting Strategies for Each Audience
The content and tone you use in your posts should vary based on the privacy setting. Here are some best practices tailored to each audience:
For Connections Only:
– Personal life updates
– Inside jokes/humor
– Customer service issues
– Confidential business updates
– Opinions on political/religious topics
– Casual tone and style
For Your Network:
– Industry-specific topics
– Business wins or losses
– New offerings relevant to connections
– Job updates or openings
– Major company announcements
– Some personal updates okay
For Anyone or Public:
– Thought leadership content
– Demonstrating expertise
– Case studies and success stories
– Promoting products, services and offers
– Calls to action to engage audience
– Brand messaging and awareness
– PR and news announcements
– Professional tone and style
Tailor both the content and tone of your posts based on who you want to see it. Being intentional about your audience helps increase the impact of your LinkedIn posts.
Potential Drawbacks of Public Posts
While making posts public has definite advantages, there are also a few potential risks to keep in mind:
– **No control over how posts are shared or used** – Once public, your post can easily be copied and shared without your knowledge or consent. Others could potentially misuse or distort your content.
– **Inability to delete or fully remove public posts later** – If a public post ends up reflecting badly on your brand, it could be difficult to undo the damage. Public posts tend to live on forever through screenshots and caches.
– **No vetting of audience** – With public posts, you lose control over who engages with you. This opens up the possibility of negative comments or trolling.
– **Oversharing of personal details** – Any personal details in public posts becomes information anyone can access and use.
– **Security and privacy risks** – There is the potential for data mining, tracking and hacking of accounts with public information.
So use discretion, especially when sharing anything controversial or sensitive. While public posts have upsides, they do come with risks related to permanence, privacy and lack of control.
Tips for Changing Post Privacy on LinkedIn
Here are some best practices around modifying your LinkedIn post privacy:
– Double check the audience before first posting to avoid unintended sharing.
– Periodically review old posts to see if privacy needs to be adjusted based on changes over time.
– For conference or event recaps, start with connections only and expand to public once you have attendees’ consent.
– When commenting on public discussions, respect the original poster’s settings.
– Use privacy settings strategically to expand reach for promotions or thought leadership posts.
– If concerned about post permanence, keep sensitive topics connections only.
– Customize privacy for each post depending on the content rather than keeping a default.
– Remember public posts cannot be unpublished fully if you later change your mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the privacy of other people’s posts on LinkedIn?
No, only the original poster can modify the privacy settings of a LinkedIn post. You do not have the ability to adjust the audience on posts made by others in your network.
Do page followers see posts changed to public?
Yes, when you change a post’s visibility to public, it becomes visible to any of your LinkedIn page followers as well as anyone else on the internet. Page followers will see the post in their feed.
Can I schedule a post in advance with a specific privacy setting?
Yes, when you use LinkedIn’s post scheduling feature, you can select the privacy setting you want at the time you schedule it. The post will then publish with that audience at the scheduled date and time.
Do all public posts appear in LinkedIn search?
Not necessarily. While public posts can be surfaced in LinkedIn’s search feature, they may not show up in search. Search algorithm factors like keywords, relevance, and interactions impact visibility in search.
If I change post privacy, will people get notified?
No, LinkedIn does not proactively notify your connections or followers when you change the privacy settings on an existing post. The post will just automatically become visible to the new audience you select.
Conclusion
Adjusting your LinkedIn post privacy settings from connections only to be public or visible to anyone is simple and straightforward. With just a few clicks, you can widen the potential audience for your content and updates.
Use connections only for personal sharing within your network. For more professional brand building content, select public or anyone visibility. Just be thoughtful in your sharing, be strategic about using privacy settings, and be aware that public posts can’t be fully deleted.
With the ability to customize audiences on LinkedIn, you can maintain professional connections and share personal updates, while also demonstrating your thought leadership to build credibility and authority. Experiment with privacy settings to find the right balance and maximize the impact of your LinkedIn content.