There are many ways to communicate with people on LinkedIn. You can do it through LinkedIn posts where you deliver value to your connections and followers. You can do LinkedIn outreach to connect with your leads or connect with people through LinkedIn groups. In addition to these options, there is a way to communicate with people via direct message. You must be thinking – Are they secure? Are LinkedIn messages private? In this article, you will know all about LinkedIn message privacy, so keep reading.
Are LinkedIn messages private?
Yes, the messages sent on LinkedIn are private, and only the sender and recipient can see them. There are four types of LinkedIn messages – Direct Messages, InMail Messages, Open Profile Messages, and Sponsored Messages – and they all remain private to the user and the message recipient. In a nutshell, any sort of message sent on LinkedIn remains private.
For the different types of LinkedIn messages
Let’s understand the different types of LinkedIn messages and how private they are:
Direct Message
These are the conversations between two users who are already connected on LinkedIn. Both free and premium users can access this type of messaging.
Open Profile Messages
These are direct messages that allow LinkedIn users to message premium members that have enabled the open profile feature. All LinkedIn users can send messages to people who have activated this feature enabled. These messages are also private.
InMail Messages
Linkedin InMail allows users to send direct messages to other users even if they are not connected. You can pay for InMail messages or upgrade to a premium Linkedin account, where you receive 5 InMail credits for Premium Career plan or 15 credits for the Premium Business plan. If both parties have a premium account, they can message each other at no cost, without using up their credits. The
Sponsored Messages
Paid direct messages or sponsored messages are a type of ad that allows users to send targeted messages to specific audiences on Linkedin. This can be used by businesses to build relationships with potential clients or by recruiters to contact prospects. These messages include call-to-action buttons, image banners, and forms to generate leads.
All four types of messages are private and cannot be opened by anyone other than the recipient.
Other types of LinkedIn messages
LinkedIn Group Messages
The admins and managers of groups on LinkedIn can send direct messages to group members, which is private. If you are a member of a LinkedIn Group, you can send direct messages to any members in the group, and they are also private. However, group admins or managers can send messages in a group chat format. In each conversation, up to 20 members can be mentioned. Messages posted on this conversation are not private since other members can also see who is mentioned in the conversation.
Multiple Recipient Messages
LinkedIn messages can be sent to multiple recipients, and these messages can be sent to up to fifty other users in a single message which is not private. However, only specified recipients will be able to see the multiple recipient messages.
It is important to be more careful when using these messaging features as the more people involved within a chat, the more likely it could be leaked, and it can be difficult to know who it was that leaked the message.
Can someone see if you have read their LinkedIn messages?
While the messages are encrypted and private in most cases on LinkedIn, it is still possible to see if the message was seen. When a message is read, LinkedIn provides indicators to inform the sender that you have seen the message. The ‘read receipts’ confirm that you have read the message. Typing indicators also appear in messages when the user is typing a message. The person you are contacting can tell if you are typing or have seen their message.
You can disable these indicators if you want to keep your messages private. You can do it by turning off the ‘read recipients and typing indicator’ option in the LinkedIn settings as follows:
Step 1 – Click on your profile pic and go to ‘Settings & Privacy’
Step 2 – Tap on ‘Communications’ on the left-side menu
Step 3 – Tap on ‘Messaging experience’
Step 4 – Turn off ‘read recipients and typing indicators’ on the right-side screen
How to send messages to your connections?
There are three ways to send messages to your connections:
Messaging page
Step 1 – To send messages from the messaging page, simply click on ‘Messaging’ at the top of your LinkedIn homepage
Step 2 – Click on the pencil icon with a square on the top left-side beside messaging bar
Step 3 – Find the name of the person you want to send a message
Step 4 – Compose your message and click on send
Connections page
Step 1 – Click on ‘My Network’ at the top of the LinkedIn homepage
Step 2 – Click on ‘Connections’ on the left-side menu. Here you will see a list of connections
Step 3 – Locate the person you want to message by searching their name on the search bar
Step 4 – Once you locate the person, click on ‘Message’ beside their name
Step 5 – Compose your message and click on send option
Recipient’s profile
Step 1 – Go to their profile
Step 2 – Click on the ‘message’ button in blue
Step 3 – Compose your message and click on send
How to message someone you are not connected to on LinkedIn?
Step 1 – Go to their profile
Step 2 – You will find an option of the ‘connect’ button allowing you to send an invitation
Step 3 – Once they accept your invitation, you can follow the same step mentioned in the above section in any of the three ways
How to send messages to LinkedIn Group members?
Step 1 – Visit the group that you are part of
Step 2 – Click the hyperlink ‘members’ on the group homepage and search for the specific person
Step 3 – Click on the ‘message’ button beside their name
Step 4 – Compose a message and click on send
Key Takeaways
LinkedIn messaging remains an essential element of the social network, which is a creator of professional and business opportunities. Several forms of LinkedIn messaging options are available for basic & premium users, and all are private where only the sender and recipient can view the messages on LinkedIn.
