Jeff BullasGood question – LinkedIn’s “Connect” vs. “Follow” trips up a lot of people. Here’s the main difference:
Connection: This is a two-way, mutual relationship. You send or accept a connection request. Once connected, you are 1st-degree connections. You typically see each other’s posts and activity in your feeds, and you can send direct messages to each other. Think of it as a formal professional link.
Follower: This is a one-way relationship. You can follow someone to see their posts and articles in your feed without them having to approve it or follow you back. They won’t automatically see your content unless they also choose to follow you or connect with you.
Key Distinctions:
Reciprocity: Connections are mutual. Following can be one-sided.
Default Visibility: When you connect, you automatically follow each other and see each other’s updates. If you just follow someone, only you see their updates by default.
Messaging: You can directly message your 1st-degree connections. Messaging someone you only follow (and aren’t connected to) might be restricted unless they have an Open Profile (a Premium feature) or you use InMail.
Network Level: Connections directly build your 1st-degree network. Followers don’t, unless you also connect.
“Creator Mode”: If someone has “Creator Mode” enabled on their profile, their primary call-to-action button often defaults to “Follow” instead of “Connect.” You can still usually connect via a “More” menu option on their profile.
In simple terms:
Connect when you want a mutual professional relationship and direct messaging capability.
Follow when you primarily want to see someone’s content (like an influencer, thought leader, or company updates) without necessarily forming a direct, mutual link.
All your connections automatically become followers. However, not all followers are connections. Understanding this helps you use LinkedIn more effectively for networking and information gathering.
Cheers,
Jeff