40% of B2B marketers agree that LinkedIn is the most effective channel for driving high-quality leads. They weren’t wrong. But LinkedIn also does more by enabling marketers uncover new trends and keep track of their customers wherever they are.
As such, the professional social platform relies on user data to keep the community as authentic, human, and professional as it can be. Businesses caught on the wrong side of LinkedIn’s data protection policies and in violation of its terms of use could see major restrictions on their accounts or a life-long ban – which is the last thing you want if you rely heavily on LinkedIn to get your steady stream of customers.
In this article, we’ll go over a few things you need to keep in mind to ensure unspammy lead generation for your account safety and higher response rates.         Â
What are the Account Activity Limits on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a social community for professionals in all fields, regardless of where they are in the world. There are various limits restricting users to fair usage of the platform, including commercial LinkedIn limits on the amount of activity personal and business account users can have. These limits are also set in place to protect users from spam and encourage a more harmonious community across the platform.
Other LinkedIn limits include:
- LinkedIn search limit (users can search 300 profiles in a month on the free plan, Career, and Premium plans)
- 4,000 characters in each post
- 30,000 maximum 1st-degree connections
- A single search  is limited to 1000 search results (this figure can be increased by upgrading premium, recruiter, premium business, or sales navigator count).
On the bright side, LinkedIn will not penalize your account for searching for other LinkedIn profiles by name on the search box, browsing through 1st-degree connections from the connections page, and job search. These do not contribute to the LinkedIn limits.
Rule#1 Anti-Spam Policy
LinkedIn has a strict anti-spam policy to filter out any users who are not using the platform responsibly. Any user that is caught spamming other members will be most likely suspended or banned from the site indefinitely.
LinkedIn strictly adheres to CAN-SPAM & CASL laws and clearly states that:
“Unsolicited messages that promote or sell a product or service, whether sent to many recipients or just one, may be subject to certain legal requirements.”
What does this mean for your LinkedIn messages? An unsolicited message is one that the recipient has not granted permission to receive from the sender. LinkedIn requires users to mark promotional messages. It also advises users to avoid sending promotional messages to users who have declined such message sequences or have expressed that they are not willing to receive promotional messages from the sender.Â
Rule#2 How Many LinkedIn Messages Can I Send Per Day?
Are you ready to be locked in a cupboard under the stairs with your LinkedIn lead generation software doing nothing on your computer for the next month? Because that’s what it will feel like if you want to send out 1000 messages per day through LinkedIn. That’s because, believe it or not, there is a mystical LinkedIn message limit – a cap on the number of messages a user can send every day before their activity triggers a red flag.Â
LinkedIn’s algorithm doesn’t clearly state how many messages you should send in a day. However, it is safe to play below the LinkedIn limits – 100 messages or less a day. If you send more than 100 messages to over 100 different people, your account is likely to draw some unwanted attention.
Rule#3 How Many LinkedIn Messages Can You Send Per Month?
If you send 100 messages to one person, two people, or fewer than 100 people on a basic (or any other account), you’re probably safe. With that logic, we can safely assume that you can send about 3000 messages or preferably less a month on LinkedIn without triggering the red flag.
A premium business account allows you to send up to 250 messages a day. Multiply this by thirty days a month, and you get up to 7500 messages. When choosing a LinkedIn lead generation software, be sure to choose one that watches this limit upfront.
Rule#4 Can You Resend the Connection Request?
A LinkedIn connection request is a great way to meet new people and grow your network. However, if you accidentally send a request to the wrong person or they fail to respond, you might find it difficult to connect with them again in the future.
LinkedIn allows you to resend a connection request to your recipient after three weeks. This can only be done if you withdraw the connection request before the other user accepts your request. Since the LinkedIn community focuses on creating professional relationships, it takes the number of pending connection requests very seriously.Â
The more the pending connection results, the higher the risk that your account could be flagged as a spammy account.
Rule#5 How Many Times Can You Resend the Connection Request
As mentioned earlier, too many pending or ignored connection requests are a bad sign. You want to withdraw a connection request after one, two, or three weeks. You can only resend the request three weeks after the withdrawal. LinkedIn doesn’t specify how many times you can actually resend a connection request.
However, it’s easy to see that a potential connection who ignores your connection requests more than three times may not be interested in what you have to offer. And there’s not much you can do with your LinkedIn lead generation software if they blocked you on their account.
The best way to prevent waiting far too long after sending connection requests is to personalize your LinkedIn message. Optimize your profile, introduce yourself, and add a greeting to your message. Let your connection know how they can benefit by accepting your connection request. Also, pay more attention to targeting people who might be interested in what you have to say.
Rule #6 LinkedIn Commercial Use Limit
You may have received a LinkedIn warning message if you use the platform’s search function a little too much. What this means is that your search activity is approaching the maximum 300 profile search mark and that LinkedIn may interpret this as a hiring, prospecting, or any other commercial account.