LinkedIn sends birthday notifications to your connections on the morning of your birthday. The notifications go out between 12am-3am local time to your connections’ timezones. So if you have connections around the world, they may get the notification at different times of day based on their location.
How the LinkedIn birthday notification works
On the morning of your birthday, LinkedIn automatically generates a notification to all your 1st degree connections that it’s your birthday. The notification shows up in your connections’ LinkedIn feeds and says “It’s Claude’s birthday! Wish them a happy birthday on their profile.”
The notification includes a photo of you pulled from your LinkedIn profile and a clickable link to your profile page so connections can easily leave you birthday wishes and comments.
If you have over 500 connections, LinkedIn will only send the notification to a randomized selection of 500 of them. This is to prevent spamming all your connections at scale.
You do not have to do anything to trigger the birthday notification – it happens automatically based on the birthday you list in your LinkedIn profile settings. So be sure your birthday is up-to-date if you want connections notified on the right day.
Who gets the LinkedIn birthday notification?
The birthday notification is only sent to your 1st degree connections – those you are directly connected to on LinkedIn. Second and third degree connections, as well as profile viewers, do not receive the notification.
Within your 1st degree network, the notification goes to all types of connections – friends, coworkers, classmates, group members etc. You cannot select specific connections to exclude.
Things to know about LinkedIn birthday notifications
Here are some additional details on how LinkedIn birthday notifications work:
- You’ll only get notifications on your actual birthday, not the days leading up to or after it.
- LinkedIn uses the birthday you list in your profile settings. You can change this date if needed to correct or update it.
- Make sure your profile visibility is set to “Connections” or “Public” – otherwise notifications will not be sent.
- Notifications are only sent on the first birthday you pass after connecting with someone. If you are already connected prior, notifications will stop after the first year.
- The notification will only be sent once total per connection. If they miss it the first time, it won’t repeat in subsequent years.
- You cannot disable the automated birthday notification feature.
- Mobile app users may receive an additional push notification about your birthday.
Other LinkedIn birthday features
In addition to the notification, LinkedIn has a few other birthday-related features:
- A birthday icon appears next to your name on your profile on your birthday.
- There will be a reminder on your profile to update or add your birthday date if you haven’t already.
- You can add a clickable birthday CTA on your profile encouraging visits and well-wishes from connections.
- The LinkedIn mobile app may send you a special birthday message or animation on your birthday.
How to say thanks for LinkedIn birthday wishes
When your connections get the LinkedIn birthday notification, many may leave birthday messages, comments and likes on your profile page. Here are some tips for managing all these birthday wishes:
- When you log into LinkedIn on your birthday, respond to birthday wishes right away when you see the notification.
- Use the notification as a way to re-connect with dormant connections by starting conversations.
- Personalize replies when possible based on your relationship with the person.
- Reply directly on the notification if it’s from someone you don’t interact with much.
- For closer connections, reply on their profile comment thread.
- If you get an overwhelming number of messages, respond to close connections first.
- Feel free to reach out and say thanks over the next few days if you missed replying on your birthday.
- Turn off notifications if it gets distracting so you can batch respond later.
The LinkedIn birthday notification provides a nice opportunity to engage with your network. By leveraging the notification, you can strengthen relationships, reconnect with old connections, and build goodwill on your special day.
How to opt out of LinkedIn birthday notifications
If you do not want LinkedIn to send automated birthday notifications to your connections, there are a couple options:
- Temporarily change your profile visibility to “Only You” around your birthday to prevent the notification from going out.
- Remove your birthday date entirely from your profile information. This will stop notifications.
- Restrict profile viewing to only your connections to limit notification recipients.
However, there is no setting to disable birthday notifications while keeping your birthday visible. The notification is automatically triggered by your birthday date in your profile.
Conclusion
LinkedIn’s automated birthday notifications provide a great way to receive warm wishes from your professional network on your special day. By understanding how the notifications work and how to manage them effectively, you can get the most out of this LinkedIn feature for building relationships.