Being locked out of your LinkedIn can be frightening. Especially if you’re using it as a main channel for lead generation, recruitment, or building a personal brand.
First things first, don’t panic. LinkedIn can restrict accounts for a number of reasons, and (most of the time) it’s only temporary.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to do to get your account back, as well as what you can do to prevent LinkedIn from flagging your account again in the future.
There are three types of LinkedIn restrictions. Depending on what type of restriction you receive, the steps to get your account back look a little different.
Here’s what they look like:
Permanent Restriction: A permanent restriction is irreversiblen however, relatively uncommon. Permanent restrictions are reserved for those sending spam, violating content policies, or who continue to push boundaries with action limits.
So, your account has been restricted. You were probably logging on to check your messages, and boom, you see the infamous “your account has been restricted” pop-up.
If this is your first time seeing this message, you don’t need to worry. You can still get your account back – LinkedIn has most likely restricted your as a precaution.
Some of the common reasons why LinkedIn may have restricted your account include:
We’ll dive into each of these a bit deeper so you can avoid restrictions in the future.
Growing a LinkedIn account too quickly is the most common reason for an account restriction. This is especially true if you’re using a new or revived LinkedIn account.
Think about your LinkedIn account as if it was an email inbox. Prior to launching a big email campaign, most marketers “warm up” their inboxes. The same can be said for your LinkedIn account. Before you start a campaign, slowly ramp up the number of connection requests you send.
Even if your account is not net, you can still get your account in trouble if you’ve passed LinkedIn’s weekly limit. This limit is anywhere from 100-200 connection requests per week, depending on your subscription level and activity level.
A low acceptance rate is usually linked to sending too many connection requests. However, it can also tie into your messaging and the relevance of that message.
When your profile is still growing (under 500 connections), it’s best to connect with people who are either in the same industry as you or 2nd-degree connections. You’ll typically see a higher acceptance rate with this type of “warm” audience.
If we’re being honest, a low acceptance rate isn’t a common reason LinkedIn restricts accounts. Unless you’re being reckless with your connection requests, a low acceptance rate shouldn’t dunk you in hot water.
We hate to say it, but your messaging might suck. Luckily, we’ve written at length about creating engaging connection requests as well as follow-ups.
LinkedIn has never played well with others. While they do offer integrations with other tools, they only come with the highest-tier premium accounts (and the integrations are still limited).
With this being said, using a third-party tool does not have to be an inherent risk. Here are some things we recommend thinking about:
If you’re interested in reading LinkedIn’s exact guidelines regarding automation tools, you can find them here. While they make it sound deadly, don’t let LinkedIn scare you – millions of people use automation tools on LinkedIn every day.
If there’s one thing that will get your account banned right away, it’s spamming mass messages.
While it’s difficult to know what defines a “suspicious action,” it typically boils down to this:
To avoid LinkedIn marking your outreach as spam, you should focus on the relevance, value, and quality of your messages. You can also include variables (like [FIRST_NAME] or [COMPANY]) when automating your outreach to personalize your message.
It’s also a good idea to optimize your profile to get the most out of your messaging & ensure authenticity.
When you send a connection request, contacts have two options: accept or decline. If they decline, they can select ‘I don’t know this person.’ In short, if you get too many ‘I don’t know this person’ clicks your account could be temporarily restricted.
You can avoid falling into this trap by:
We’ve covered the “why” but not the “what.” Here’s how to get your account back as quickly as possible after you’ve faced a restriction.
The first thing you should do when your account gets banned is contact LinkedIn support. However, a common problem we’ve heard is that users can’t find the right address to contact LI support—here’s the right link.
When you’re talking to LinkedIn support, we have a few recommendations to keep your account safe:
As long as you’re respectful (and this isn’t a fourth or fifth offense), LinkedIn support will likely be able to restore your account.
It’s important to note that most LinkedIn tools, no matter how they’re being used, violate LinkedIn’s Terms of Service. If your account has been restricted, it’s recommended that you disconnect any associated tools and clear your browser cache – even if the restriction was due to another reason.
If you’re using a cloud-based LinkedIn tool (again, like We-Connect), it’s not necessary to disconnect your tools. This is just another reason we urge users to only use cloud-based tools.
Unfortunately, for most types of restrictions, you can only wait until LinkedIn provides access to your account again (which will most likely be before LinkedIn support responds to your query).
For first-time offenders, your account can be returned between 24 and 48 hours.
So, you’ve (hopefully) navigated the choppy waters of recovering your LinkedIn account. But how do you ensure smooth sailing in the future?
Here are some tips to prevent another stay in LinkedIn jail:
LinkedIn is picky. There are plenty of reasons you can get your account banned—however, if you’re using an automation tool, it’s most likely one of three reasons:
If you’re searching for a tool that’s cloud-based and up-to-date with LinkedIn compliance, give We-Connect’s 14-day free trial a shot.
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