On LinkedIn, there is no way to know for certain if someone has seen or read a message you sent them. LinkedIn does not have read receipts for messages like some other messaging apps. However, there are a few signs that can indicate if your LinkedIn message has likely been seen by the recipient.
They viewed your profile
One of the clearest signals that someone may have seen your message is if they viewed your LinkedIn profile around the time you messaged them. On LinkedIn, you can see who has viewed your profile in the last 90 days. If the person you messaged views your profile shortly after you sent the message, it’s a good indication they saw the notification and clicked on your profile.
Of course, it’s not a guarantee they read the actual message, but viewing your profile at least shows they noticed you messaged them. It’s possible they only skimmed the preview of your message in the notification. But more likely than not, if they viewed your profile, they probably opened the message.
They responded
This one is obvious, but if the person responds to your LinkedIn message, then clearly they have seen it. A response, whether just a quick acknowledgement or a more substantive reply, definitively proves they’ve read your message.
Even if they respond days or weeks later, a response shows they eventually saw your message sitting in their inbox and took the time to write back.
They reacted to or commented on your post
Similarly, if you messaged someone asking them to look at a post of yours or provide feedback, and they like, comment on, or otherwise react to that post, it’s a strong sign they read your message prompting them to do so. The timing also matters here. If they engage with your post shortly after you messaged them about it, it was likely in response to reading your message.
Your message shows “seen”
In some cases, LinkedIn will actually display that a message has been “seen” by the recipient. This happens when you message someone who you are not connected to and they have their message settings enabled to show when non-connections have seen their messages.
So if you message someone you don’t already have a LinkedIn connection with, and you see “Seen” under your message, then you know for sure they have seen the message. However, many LinkedIn members keep this setting turned off for privacy reasons, so you won’t always see if a message has been seen.
They accepted your connection request
If your LinkedIn message included an invitation to connect and they accept your connection request, that indicates they saw your message and accepted the invitation to connect. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean they read your full message, since they may have just glanced at the preview and accepted the connection.
Still, a newly accepted connection request is a strong sign your message was at least noticed, especially if it happens soon after you sent the message.
No other signs of activity from them
On the flip side, if you’ve messaged someone and they have not viewed your profile, accepted a connection request, responded, or otherwise shown any activity after you messaged them, then there is a good chance they have not seen your message yet.
Lack of any engagement from them after you sent your message may signal it’s sitting unread and unseen in their inbox. Of course, there could be other reasons for the lack of response besides them not seeing it yet, but no activity from them is often a clue the message has likely gone unread.
The message notification stays bolded
Within your LinkedIn inbox, message notifications will appear bolded until you click on them. So if the notification from your message to someone stays bolded, that may be an indication they have not opened or clicked on it yet.
Once again, not foolproof, but if the bold notification remains, they probably have not viewed the message and you can follow up. Of course, they could have seen it on mobile and it still shows bold on desktop, so other confirming signs are preferable.
Following up and asking directly
If it’s been a few days or more since your initial message, one way to find out if they’ve seen it is to simply send a polite follow up. You can say something like “Just wanted to follow up and make sure you received my earlier message” and see if that prompts a response.
If they respond confirming they saw your first message, then you have your answer. If they say they didn’t see it or haven’t had a chance to read it yet, then you know they did not view your original message. Following up is often the best way to get a direct answer on whether your message was seen.
Turn on message read receipts (recipients only)
Under your LinkedIn settings, you can choose to turn on read receipts for messages you send. This will show you if and when a recipient opens your message. Note that this will only display for you – recipients will not know you have turned on read receipts.
The downside is that many people consider read receipts an invasion of privacy, so turning them on universally is not recommended. But in certain cases where it’s important to know if your message was read, and you let recipients know receipts are on, it can be useful.
Why you can’t definitively know if they’ve seen your message
While the signs above can indicate if your message was likely seen, the reason there is no 100% way to know is that LinkedIn simply does not have native read receipt capabilities like email or other messaging platforms.
LinkedIn seems to have made a deliberate choice not to include definitive read receipts or “seen” notifications in their messaging products. It comes down to user privacy and discretion. They want to leave it up to the recipient if or when they will respond.
So ultimately, the signs like profile views and lack of responses are just educated guesses. Without concrete read receipts, you can’t ever know with total certainty if your message has been seen on LinkedIn.
Tips for increasing likelihood your message is seen
While there’s no guarantee, here are some tips to help ensure your LinkedIn messages have the best chance of being noticed:
- Only message people you have an existing connection with already
- Personalize the message subject line with their name
- Keep the message brief and focused
- Include a clear call to action with next steps
- Follow up if you don’t receive a response in 3-5 days
- Avoid spamming or mass messaging people
Sending focused messages to legitimate contacts, following up politely, and not spamming will give your messages the highest chance of being read and responded to on LinkedIn.
Other scenarios where you’ll know a message was read
While LinkedIn doesn’t have universal read receipts, there are some cases where you will definitively know if a message has been read:
- They directly respond to the message
- They accept a LinkedIn invitation you sent in the message
- They act on a request you made in the message
- The “Seen” indicator appears for messages to non-connections
- You have read receipts turned on and can see they opened it
So in certain situations, you will know for sure your message was viewed based on the recipient’s engagement and actions or LinkedIn’s tools. But most of the time, you’ll have to rely on educated guesses based on profile views, lack of responses, and other signals.
Conclusion
LinkedIn does not provide definitive read receipts or “seen” notifications within its messaging system in most cases. The platform seems to prioritize user privacy and discretion over providing senders with 100% certainty their messages were viewed.
However, by looking for signs like profile views, connection requests, lack of responses, and utilizing LinkedIn’s limited read receipt options, you can make good guesses about whether your message was seen.
Following up politely, personalizing messages, and managing expectations around responses will lead to your LinkedIn messages having the highest open and response rates.
While you can never know with absolute certainty your specific message was read, following best practices can help ensure your recipients notice and engage with your LinkedIn outreach overall.