LinkedIn Etiquette
LinkedIn is a community platform, a social media platform. There are rules, and norms, and LinkedIn “jail”.
Being in LinkedIn jail can be a bigger problem that on other platforms because you can’t just “go make another account”. This is your work identity, it is considered a “real” identity. That insures better behavior than on other platforms, and it behooves us to behaves ourselves, too.
Let’s list a few good practices to get you started using LinkedIn properly, and list some bad practices to avoid to keep your account from being restricted.
Table of Contents
Linked In Basic Good Behavior
How to build credibility, avoid the algorithm penalty box, and act like you’re at work
🔒 Respect the platform
Follow LinkedIn’s Community Guidelines (no spam, discrimination, or hate speech)
Post content that’s original, relevant, and professional
👤 Be a human, not a bot
Send connection requests only with a reason — no cold spam
Limit to 30–50 follows or connections per day to stay under the radar
View <100 profiles per day to avoid rate limits
Use automation tools sparingly — no mass messaging
💬 Engage like a professional
Leave thoughtful comments — not generic “Great post!” spam
Use 3–5 relevant hashtags per post (avoid hashtag stuffing)
Ask questions, share ideas, and contribute to your field
Like and share posts with context to show thought leadership
🧠 Use it as a research tool
Follow companies, PIs, journals, and future career targets
Study others’ profiles to reverse-engineer your own trajectory
Behaviors That Can Get You Restricted or Banned on LinkedIn
(A.K.A. What Not to Do if You Want to Keep Your Account)
🚫 Aggressive or Suspicious Activity
Sending too many connection requests in a short time
➤ Especially to people you don’t know and without a message.
Tip: LinkedIn may cap you at around 100 invites per week.Viewing too many profiles per day
➤ 100+ profile views/day can look automated and trigger restrictions.Mass-following or unfollowing accounts
➤ Behaves like a bot = flagged like a bot.Using third-party automation or scraping tools
➤ Tools that auto-connect, auto-message, or extract profile data can get you instantly banned.
🚫 Violating Content Rules
Posting misinformation, hate speech, or offensive material
➤ This includes discriminatory content, political rants, or targeted harassment.Spamming your feed or inbox
➤ Repeated low-quality posts, excessive self-promo, or cold-pitching strangers.Overusing irrelevant hashtags
➤ Signals spammy behavior. Avoid stuffing 10+ hashtags into every post.Plagiarizing or reposting without attribution
➤ Copy/paste without credit can trigger content flags or user reports.
🚫 Abusing the Platform
Lying about your identity or experience
➤ Fake names, fake job titles, or fake companies are a major red flag.Creating multiple accounts for the same person
➤ Unless you’re managing a company page or verified org, stick to one profile.Misusing LinkedIn for dating, harassment, or inappropriate behavior
➤ Creepy DMs, suggestive comments, or off-topic attention = immediate trouble.
⚠️ If It Happens…
You may get a temporary restriction (can’t send invites, limited visibility).
You might have to verify your identity or explain your behavior.
In serious cases, your account can be permanently banned — and it’s hard to get back.
