LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 800 million users worldwide. Having a strong LinkedIn presence and large network of connections is important for personal branding and can help advance your career. One way some people look to grow their LinkedIn network quickly is by buying LinkedIn followers.
Purchasing followers on LinkedIn may seem tempting as a shortcut to build up your profile. However, most LinkedIn experts advise against buying followers. LinkedIn has algorithms in place to detect fake or inactive accounts, so buying followers can actually hurt your profile more than help if LinkedIn flags your account for suspicious activity.
Instead, the recommended approach is to build an authentic network and establish yourself as an expert in your field by regularly sharing insightful content. This organic approach takes more time but will drive real engagement.
That said, if you still wish to explore buying LinkedIn followers, this article will provide an overview of where you can find offers and what to look out for.
Can you buy real LinkedIn followers?
The short answer is no. Any service offering to sell LinkedIn followers will not be providing real, active profiles interested in your content. At best, they may automatically add bot or fake accounts to your follower count. However, these “followers” will not engage with your posts and could even be deleted by LinkedIn for violating terms of service.
LinkedIn has robust mechanisms in place to detect fake and bot accounts. Any significant spike in your followers will be flagged as suspicious. If found to be artificially inflating your follower count, LinkedIn may penalize your account by restricting access to certain features.
So while services may claim to sell “real” LinkedIn followers, they will actually be fake accounts that do more harm than good for your profile. Proceed with extreme caution before handing over payment for LinkedIn followers.
What are the risks of buying LinkedIn followers?
Here are some of the major risks to be aware of if you buy LinkedIn followers:
– Account suspension or termination – As mentioned, LinkedIn proactively monitors for fake accounts and buying followers violates their terms of service. There is a real risk of LinkedIn penalizing your account if found to have purchased followers.
– Limited reach and engagement – Fake followers will not engage with your posts or content. This can actually decrease your overall engagement rate and organic reach.
– Loss of credibility – Savvy LinkedIn users can often spot when someone has an inflated following of inactive accounts. Rather than boosting your credibility, buying followers can negatively impact your reputation.
– Waste of money – Any followers purchased will not add genuine value to your profile. It ends up being a waste of money for accounts that may not even last before being deleted.
– Security risks – To deliver followers, some disreputable services may gain access to your account credentials or personal info, which poses a security threat.
The potential downsides significantly outweigh any perceived benefits of buying LinkedIn followers. Maintaining an authentic profile and building real connections is always the recommended approach.
Where to buy LinkedIn followers
If you still wish to proceed, here are some places where you can find offers to buy LinkedIn followers:
– Social media marketing agencies – Some social media and influencer marketing agencies provide LinkedIn follower packages. However, the methods used may violate LinkedIn’s terms.
– Freelancing platforms – Sites like Fiverr have freelance gigs offering to boost LinkedIn followers. But quality and reliability vary significantly.
– Underground forums – There are underground communities like EpicNPC where you may find people offering LinkedIn follower services. Use caution as many are scams.
– Facebook groups – Check Facebook for groups focused on buying social media followers. People may advertise LinkedIn services though quality is questionable.
– Youtube or blog sponsorships – Some YouTubers or bloggers may promote services for buying LinkedIn followers in sponsored posts or videos. But they often fail to deliver.
While options exist, we strongly advise against buying LinkedIn followers altogether due to the previously covered risks. Tread carefully and avoid services making unrealistic promises of thousands of high-quality, instant followers.
What to look out for in LinkedIn follower packages
If you do choose to purchase LinkedIn followers, here are some things to keep in mind:
– Gradual follower delivery – Avoid any service promising thousands of followers instantly, as this is a clear sign they use fake bot accounts. Look for a gradual schedule (e.g. 50-100 followers per day) to seem more natural.
– Quality over quantity – Prioritize services that emphasize quality active followers over merely inflating your numbers with obvious fakes. Higher prices can indicate better quality.
– Replacement guarantees – Given attrition of inactive accounts, see if the provider offers any guarantees to replace lost followers.
– Refund policies – In case followers are unable to be delivered or get removed, check for refund policies.
– Security – Make sure not to share your login credentials. Follower services only require an email or username.
– Reviews – Check online reviews to see if a service actually provides what’s promised regarding followers. But many reviews could be fake.
Again, while these factors may help mitigate risk, we recommend building your LinkedIn network organically for the best results.
How much do LinkedIn followers cost?
Costs to buy LinkedIn followers vary depending on the number of followers desired and the quality. Some typical price points:
– 100 followers – $5 to $30
– 500 followers – $30 to $150
– 1,000 followers – $100 to $300
– 5,000 followers – $300 to $1,500
– 10,000 followers – $500 to $3,000
Many services charge more for gradual delivery over weeks versus all followers instantly. “Premium” followers also command much steeper pricing, though quality is still dubious.
For example, a basic package of 100 low-quality followers may cost $5. But a “premium” package of 100 supposedly high-quality followers could cost $50 or more.
As a benchmark, genuine followers you attract organically have the most value. But buying any followers typically works out to around $1 per follower at a minimum.
Are there any legal issues?
Buying artificial followers or engagement on social media does not inherently violate any specific laws. However, there are some potential legal considerations:
– Violating LinkedIn’s terms of service against inflating follower counts could open you up to civil litigation or account termination by LinkedIn.
– In certain contexts like advertising, buying followers could be construed as fraud if trying to artificially embellish your social proof. The Federal Trade Commission may get involved.
– Services buying or selling social media activity on your behalf must comply with platform terms of service and CAN-SPAM regulations. Violations could lead to criminal charges.
– If auto-login bots are used to control accounts, it may run afoul of the CFAA (Computer Fraud and Abuse Act).
– Any buying or selling of LinkedIn followers for deceptive purposes theoretically violates consumer protection laws against false advertising.
For individual users, the legal risks are relatively low. But if found violating LinkedIn’s terms, your account could be restricted or disabled.
Is it safe to buy LinkedIn followers?
No, it’s generally not safe to buy LinkedIn followers. Here are some of the safety risks to consider:
– You have to provide personal information like your email or LinkedIn username to follower services, which could be used maliciously or exposed in a data breach.
– To deliver followers at scale, some services use automated bot networks and auto-login software, which can be infected with malware that gets on your device.
– Paying for followers often requires sharing financial information which could lead to credit card fraud or identity theft if service provider is unscrupulous.
– Fake followers added to your profile could trigger LinkedIn’s security algorithms and cause your account to be flagged or restricted.
– Any service willing to violate LinkedIn’s terms of service is already on shaky ethical ground, making it risky to provide them any private data.
The general lack of regulation in this industry means there are few guarantees or safeguards provided. Your personal information and account security may be put at risk.
What are signs of fake LinkedIn followers?
Here are some telltale signs that followers on your LinkedIn profile may be fake or bot accounts:
– No profile photo or generic stock photo as the image
– No work experience listed on profile
– Connection list is either empty or includes many known fake accounts
– Profile has no posts or content
– Account was created very recently
– Username is random letters or numbers strung together
– Location does not match where most of your real connections are
– Following/follower ratio is severely imbalanced
– They have few or no shared connections in common with you
Regularly audit your own followers list and look for any suspicious accounts. If you purchased followers, expect many of them to be obvious counterfeits.
Best practices for growing LinkedIn followers
Instead of wasting money buying fake LinkedIn followers that could harm your profile, focus on these legitimate tactics to grow real followers:
– Regularly share high-value written posts, articles, videos and other media
– Engage with your existing connections by liking and commenting on their content
– Participate actively in relevant LinkedIn groups and forums
– Follow companies and influencers in your industry to network with their followers
– Leverage thereach of your email list or website audience to connect them to your LinkedIn
– Host events or webinars on LinkedIn that attract new followers
– Run LinkedIn ads targeting your ideal audience and their interests
– Publish and share content during peak times when your audience is most active
– Include prominent LinkedIn buttons on your website and social media bios
– Cross-promote new content across all your social media channels
– Build relationships and engage directly with your target followers
– Curate relevant industry news and insights to share with followers
With an organic, value-focused approach, you can steadily gain real, high-quality followers and connections on LinkedIn over time.
Conclusion
While buying LinkedIn followers may seem like a quick shortcut, it comes with substantial risks and downsides. The purchased followers are invariably fake accounts that will not engage and could trigger penalties from LinkedIn against your profile.
Focus your efforts instead on cultivating an authentic follower base by consistently providing value. You will gradually attract real followers – without jeopardizing your account.
Make sure to avoid any services that promise instant delivery of thousands of high-quality LinkedIn followers. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
Build relationships, share compelling content, and utilize LinkedIn’s tools to genuinely grow your reach. With a steady organic approach, you will see far better results over time and avoid the dangers of buying fake followers.