LinkedIn groups can be a great way to connect with other professionals, share knowledge, establish yourself as an industry expert, and grow your network. With over 2 million groups on LinkedIn, it can be overwhelming to know where to start when looking for relevant and active groups to join. Here are some tips on the best places to find new LinkedIn groups that suit your interests and goals.
Searching on LinkedIn
The LinkedIn search bar is an obvious starting point for finding new groups. You can search by keywords related to your industry, job role, interests, location, and more. For example, searching “content marketing” brings up groups like Content Marketing Professionals, Content Marketing Strategies, Content Marketing World, and many other options to browse through.
When you find groups this way, take a look at their member count, recent activity level, and description to get a sense of whether it’s an engaged community or not. Larger groups tend to have more discussions, but smaller niches can also have active member participation.
Browse by category
LinkedIn has over 50 different categories you can browse through to discover industry, role, interest, and location-based groups. Some top level categories include Technology, Creative, Finance, Healthcare, Real Estate, Nonprofit, and more. Drill into each category to find niche communities relevant to you.
For example, within the Finance category you can search through groups focused on accounting, financial planning, investment banking, corporate finance, and other specialties. Browse through different categories and subcategories to uncover groups tailored to your professional interests.
Get recommendations
LinkedIn will recommend groups for you to join based on your profile details. Go to your LinkedIn home page and scroll down the right column until you see the section “Groups you may like.” This uses LinkedIn’s algorithm to suggest communities that align with your industry, interests, location, and network.
Similarly, when you visit a group as a non-member, you’ll see a module on the right for “Suggested groups” with other recommendations to consider joining. The LinkedIn algorithm customizes these based on each user.
Ask for referrals
Don’t forget that your own professional network is full of people who likely belong to relevant groups already. Reach out to your connections and ask if they have any LinkedIn group recommendations based on your shared interests or industry focuses. They may suggest niche communities that you wouldn’t have found on your own.
You can post a request for group recommendations as a general ask to all of your connections, or message specific individuals who you think would have good suggestions to share.
Check profiles of those you follow
Visit the profiles of thought leaders, influencers, companies, and other professionals you follow. Scroll down to view the LinkedIn groups that they have joined. If you respect their opinion, chances are the groups will also provide value to you as well.
You can also see the groups mutual connections are part of on their profiles. If you share common interests, explore those communities.
Join groups your company follows
On your company’s LinkedIn page, there’s a section titled “Followed Groups” on the right column. Browse through those to identify industry and interest areas your employer feels are relevant. Joining the same groups can help you gain deeper insight into topics impacting your field.
Follow hashtags and keywords
Similar to following certain topics on Twitter or Facebook, you can follow keywords and hashtags on LinkedIn to see relevant posts and discussions. After following a hashtag or keyword, you’ll be able to browse groups using that tag and join interesting communities.
For example, popular hashtags like #leadership, #marketing, #healthcare, etc can lead you niche groups to consider. This makes it easy to identify active groups focused on specific topics you care about.
Check out your feed and who you’re following
Pay attention to the group updates that appear in your LinkedIn feed. If you notice posts from a particular community showing up frequently that catch your attention, visit the group to learn more. Chances are it will be worth joining.
Along the same lines, when looking at posts from thought leaders or companies you follow, click on any groups they mention to consider joining ones driving conversations you want to be part of.
Use Advanced Search
LinkedIn’s advanced search allows you to apply filters to precisely target the types of groups you want to find. You can search by keywords, industry, location, number of members, when the group was created, and how frequently discussions occur.
Using these filters allows you to home in on active and robust communities focused on your desired topics, industries, roles, interests, and geographic regions.
Join groups within groups
Many larger LinkedIn groups contain smaller niche communities under their umbrella focused on specific topics and interests. For example, the Content Marketing group has spinoff groups like Content Creation, SEO & Content Strategy, B2B Content Marketers, and others.
Explore if any of the groups you join have their own subset groups that dive deeper into a particular aspect of the larger community. Sign up for those micro-communities relevant to your goals.
Follow companies and thought leaders
Keep an eye on LinkedIn groups that influential thought leaders, experts, and companies in your industry join. If they are engaging with those communities, they are likely providing value. Dig into their followed groups for ideas.
You can also look at who the contributors and managers are for a group you find interesting. Recognize any familiar industry names? That’s a good sign the conversations will be insightful.
Look for active discussions
A LinkedIn group may have lots of members, but the key sign of a thriving community is regular, quality discussions. When evaluating groups to join, look for ones with active conversation. Sort by the level of recent interactions.
Join groups that have a steady stream of posts, comments, and likes. This shows members are engaged and you’ll be able to have fruitful discussions.
Focus on quality over quantity
You don’t need to join every LinkedIn group that seems mildly relevant, especially as you get started. Limit yourself to a handful of the most useful and active communities aligned with your goals. Unfollow or leave groups that turn out not to provide value.
Regularly evaluate the groups you belong to. Keep only those where you have meaningful interactions and are learning from other members. Quality matters more than quantity when picking LinkedIn groups.
Make use of LinkedIn Group analytics
As a group admin or manager, you have access to analytics that provide helpful insights into your member base and how your community is performing. You can see metrics like member growth, post volume and engagement, profile of members, and visitor demographics.
Review this data regularly to inform decisions about how to make your group more actively engaging for members. It can highlight opportunities for growth and improvement.
Leverage groups sparingly for promotion
While you don’t want to overtly treat groups as a pure promotional channel, occasional and relevant sharing of your helpful resources can be beneficial. Contribute 80% by commenting and posting thoughtful insights, and reserve just 20% for tastefully highlighting your work.
For instance, if you publish a blog post or guide that would clearly interest that group’s members, share it there as something of value. Find the right balance between providing and promoting.
Here is an example table visualizing types of LinkedIn groups:
| Group Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Industry | Focused on specific industries or sectors | Healthcare Marketing Network |
| Job function | Dedicated to particular roles and functions | Recruiting Professionals |
| Interests | Built around hobbies, causes, and passions | Environmental Sustainability |
| Company | Sponsored by specific brands and businesses | HubSpot Group |
| Geographic | Organized locally or regionally | Austin Tech Network |
Conclusion
The vibrant world of LinkedIn groups provides endless options to engage with like-minded professionals, discuss industry topics, and grow your network. Take advantage of LinkedIn’s powerful search and recommendation capabilities to find active communities relevant to your goals. The most engaging groups feature quality conversations between members who genuinely have shared interests and aims.