Having a strong LinkedIn presence is crucial for companies looking to build their brand, attract talent, and drive business opportunities. One important element is creating a LinkedIn Company Page to showcase your organization. However, in order to create a Company Page, LinkedIn requires businesses to meet certain criteria, including having a minimum number of employees.
Why does LinkedIn require a minimum company size?
LinkedIn enacted the minimum company size requirement to ensure the credibility and legitimacy of organizations on their platform. By setting a baseline number of employees, they aim to prevent fake or spammy company profiles from being created. This helps maintain the professional nature of the LinkedIn community.
In addition, LinkedIn wants to reserve Company Pages for established businesses that will actively manage their presence, engage with members, and add value to the platform. Requiring a substantial company size helps filter out non-serious or inactive profiles.
What is LinkedIn’s current minimum size requirement?
As of 2023, the minimum size to create a LinkedIn Company Page is:
Country | Minimum Company Size |
United States | 5 employees |
Canada | 5 employees |
United Kingdom | 5 employees |
Australia | 5 employees |
India | 10 employees |
Rest of World | 25 employees |
So in most major English-speaking countries, the requirement is just 5 employees. For other parts of the world, it ranges from 10-25 employees minimum to qualify.
Has the minimum size always been this low?
No, when Company Pages first launched in 2007, the minimum was much higher:
- United States: 100 employees
- India: 100 employees
- Rest of World: 300 employees
But over the years, as LinkedIn has grown, they have gradually reduced the minimum size several times:
2009 | Lowered to 25 employees for US and India |
2011 | Lowered to 10 employees for US and India |
2013 | Lowered to 5 employees for US and India |
2014 | Lowered to 100 employees for Rest of World |
2016 | Lowered to 25 employees for Rest of World |
Lowering the barrier to entry has allowed smaller and medium enterprises to establish a presence and benefit from LinkedIn Company Pages over time.
Are there any exceptions to the minimum size rule?
LinkedIn does make a few special exceptions to their company size requirements:
- Educational institutions like schools, colleges, and universities can create Company Pages regardless of size.
- Government agencies and non-profit organizations are exempt from the minimum as well.
- LinkedIn partners that are in their small business program can also qualify for early access to Company Pages.
These exceptions aim to be more inclusive of schools, government entities, non-profits, and LinkedIn partners that may be smaller in size but still add value to the platform.
What if my company is below the minimum size?
If your company falls below LinkedIn’s current minimum employee count, you unfortunately cannot create a full Company Page. However, you do have a few options:
- Build out your personal LinkedIn profile to represent your company. You can include your job title, company details, description, website, and more.
- Create a LinkedIn Showcase Page. This allows you to post content and have followers, but more limited than a Company Page.
- Partner with a group of businesses. If a group of companies combines meets the minimum, you can create a single Company Page together.
- Wait until you grow. Once you meet the minimum employees, apply for a Company Page.
While you may not have a formal Company Page, there are still ways to build out a presence on LinkedIn and leverage it for your small business. Then over time as you scale, you can graduate to creating a full Company Page.
How do you prove your company size to LinkedIn?
When applying to create a LinkedIn Company Page, you will need to provide proof that your company meets the minimum employee requirements. Here are some of the ways LinkedIn verifies size:
- Official company registration paperwork showing employee count.
- Government filings and documentation with employee numbers.
- Company directory or contact list showing staff names.
- Employee badges or organizational chart depicting roles.
- Photographs from a company event or meeting showing attendance.
LinkedIn may ask for this verification during the Company Page application process. Be prepared to share official documents, files, or images that validate your total current staff size.
Can you fake your company size?
While some companies may be tempted to exaggerate their size, this is not recommended. LinkedIn has gotten quite stringent about requiring official proof of employee numbers. Any evidence of inflating your size or providing false documentation could result in your Company Page being flagged, banned, or shut down.
It’s better to be patient and wait until you legitimately reach the minimums through actual business growth. For startups and entrepreneurs, focus first on building your product, service, and personal brand instead of rushing to create a Company Page prematurely.
Does company size matter for growth?
While LinkedIn’s minimums may be frustrating for small businesses, company size is not the most important factor for success on the platform. Crafting an engaging Company Page, sharing valuable content, interacting with your audience, and advertising effectively can help you build reach.
For example, a company with 600 employees but weak, inconsistent messaging and no follower engagement will likely get less value from LinkedIn than a company with 30 employees executing top-notch content marketing and social media strategies. Don’t get too hung up on size – focus on quality engagement.
Should LinkedIn lower their size requirements further?
There are good arguments on both sides of whether LinkedIn should keep reducing their company size minimums:
Arguments For Lowering | Arguments Against Lowering |
---|---|
– Gives small businesses access to powerful branding and networking tools | – Opens door to more fake, spammy, or inactive pages |
– Levels playing field for startups vs. large companies | – Waters down exclusivity and professionalism of Pages |
– Provides value to LinkedIn’s own long-tail of small business users | – Makes vetting and verifying applicants more difficult |
– Follows trend of other networks lowering barriers like Facebook | – Could anger existing larger brands who had to meet higher minimums |
There are reasonable points on both sides, and LinkedIn will likely continue gradually reducing the minimums over time to strike the right balance. But for now, the current requirements seem appropriate based on LinkedIn’s scale and demographics.
Conclusion
To create a LinkedIn Company Page in most countries, the minimum size is just 5 employees for major English-speaking countries like the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. For India it is 10 employees, and for the rest of the world, it is 25 employees. These minimums have dropped over the years as LinkedIn has grown. While small businesses may need to wait until they hit these size minimums, they can still build up a LinkedIn presence in the meantime through personal branding, Showcase Pages, and partnering with other organizations. Ultimately, quality of content and engagement matter more than company size alone when it comes to success on the platform.