Good or bad? What You Need to Know About Linkedin Private Mode
LinkedIn is a great resource for business professionals of all kinds. It can be used to network, market, and even build new contacts and relationships with ease.
However, if you want to remain anonymous while searching around LinkedIn, there's a way for that too! You can use the Linkedin Private Mode.
But how does it work? And what results should you expect from it?
In this post, we'll explain how to use the private mode on LinkedIn and cover what kind of results you can get when using this versatile option.
What is LinkedIn Private Mode?
Long story short: Linkedin Private mode allows you to stay anonymous.
By default when a user browses LinkedIn, they can share their LinkedIn profile information with others. When you look at someone's profile, LinkedIn keeps your information on file and shows it on the other person's "who viewed your profile" page.
This may be useful if you're hinting at your interest in someone on Linkedin and want them to get in touch with you.
However, you don´t always want to be noticed. If you want to remain anonymous while searching around LinkedIn you need to turn on the private mode.
How do I turn LinkedIn Private Mode on?
To enable your LinkedIn private mode, follow these steps:
- Go to the top of your LinkedIn homepage, click the Me symbol, and then select Settings & Privacy from the drop-down menu.
2. Select Visibility from the left menu.
3. In the Visibility of your profile & network area, select the option Change next to Profile viewing options.
4. Select the mode that you want to use. You have three choices:
- Public Profile: Your name and headline
- Semi-Private mode: Private profile characteristics (i.e. job title and industry)
- Private mode
Linkedin Private and Semi-Private Mode
When you view someone's profile in private mode, you'll be listed as "LinkedIn Member - This person is viewing profiles in private mode" in their Who's Viewed Your Profile section.
No additional information about you will be provided to the individual whose profile you viewed.
When you use semi-private mode, some of your profile details such as job title, company, and institution will be displayed to the member you are viewing. (for example, Sr. Engineer at Google, Someone at Citigroup, or Student at Harvard University).
Can everyone use LinkedIn Private Mode?
Private mode is available to everyone, regardless of whether they have LinkedIn Premium or not.
However, the account type you have has an impact on this setting:
Free account: If you turn on private mode, you won't be able to figure out who's looked at your profile either.
Premium account: you may browse in private mode and still see a list of people who have viewed your profile in the last 90 days.
Even if you have a Premium account with Linkedin, you can't see the names of private mode viewers of your own profile because of Linkedin's user privacy policies.
How does Linkedin's private mode can be used?
Make sure your profile is fully completed
The private mode may be a fantastic option if you're just getting started or need to dust off your old Linkedin profile.
This will assist you in keeping your identity hidden while browsing and improving your profile.
If your online presence isn't fully optimized, you shouldn't be engaging with too many people.
They won't connect with you if they don't understand what you do or how you can assist them.
So, if you want to examine LinkedIn profiles that are similar to what you do, consider turning on LinkedIn private mode.
You can turn it back on once you're satisfied with how everything looks. You'll get a much better acceptance rate for your connection requests.
Job recruiters
If you're a job recruiter, you may find that using the private mode on Linkedin is extremely beneficial.
When you're putting together a list of strong candidates, use LinkedIn private mode for the first part of your research Then, when you're ready to contact them, switch it back to the public profile setting.
When your prospects get a notification that an HR recruiter has reviewed their profile, the surprise effect is lost, and they'll know what to anticipate.
Competitor research
Analyzing your competition on LinkedIn and their activities may provide important information for your own company.
Learn what your competitors are doing, identify industry trends, and stay one step ahead of the pack by analyzing your rivals and their actions.
If you decide to monitor your competitors on Linkedin, you may choose to keep it a secret. By utilizing LinkedIn's private mode, you can keep an eye on your competition without their knowledge.
Is it a Good or Bad Idea? Should You Use the Private Mode on Linkedin?
In a lot of cases, the Linkedin private mode may be quite beneficial. However, we believe that they should be utilized as a short-term plan.
In the long run, you may want to focus on being seen to expand your network, extend your reach, and build authority on Linkedin.
One of the most effective ways to build authority and social proof on Linkedin is through content and engagement. If your post has a high number of likes and comments, this can attract viewer attention.
The best way to automate and consistently having posts with higher engagement is by using a tool such as Linkboost.
With Linkboost you can generate qualified engagement and 10x the usual outreach on Linkedin. This will help to highlight your posts, which brings an opportunity for connections and a higher acceptance rate.
Still not familiar with Linkboost? Watch this intro video to learn the basics!
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