Understanding LinkedIn Invites and Connection Degrees is a fundamental component of outreach and automation.

Invitations are how you make connections on LinkedIn. When one LinkedIn member sends an invitation to another person, who then accepts it, they establish a 1st-degree connection. If the person who received the connection request isn't a LinkedIn member, they'll be prompted to join the platform to be able to accept it. Sending out new invitations is one of the most effective outreach techniques, as each new connection can increase your access to thousands of professionals in your network.

There are 3 Degrees of Connections on LinkedIn

On LinkedIn, people in your network are called connections. Your network is made up of your 1st-degree, 2nd-degree, and 3rd-degree connections, as well as fellow members of your LinkedIn groups. You can build your network by sending invitations to connect with other LinkedIn members and the contacts you’ve imported, or by accepting invites from others. The degree of connection you have with another member affects how you can interact with them on LinkedIn

1st-degree connections

People you're directly connected to because you've accepted their invitation to connect, or they've accepted yours. You'll see a 1st-degree icon next to their name in search results and on their profile. You can contact them by sending a direct LinkedIn Message.

2nd-degree connections

This group consists of people who are connected to your 1st-degree connections. You'll see a 2nd-degree icon next to their name in search results and on their profile. You can send them an invitation by clicking the Connect button on their profile page, or by contacting them through an InMail.

3rd-degree connections

People who are connected to your 2nd-degree connections. You'll see a 3rd-degree icon next to their name in search results and on their profile.

• If their full first and last names are displayed, you can send them an invitation by clicking Connect;
• If only the first letter of their last name is displayed, clicking Connect isn't an option, but you can contact them through an InMail.

Growth Haus Tips:

• To ensure an optimal site experience, LinkedIn members can have a maximum of 30,000 1st-degree connections. Learn more about LinkedIn’s network size limit.

Why am I temporarily blocked from sending invites and how can I overcome this limitation?

In March 2021, LinkedIn announced they are reducing the number of connections members can use to engage with potential prospects to 100 invitations per week. Previously, the limit was set to 100 per day. That's a drastic change, and it has a tremendous impact on the outreach volume.

Growth Haus’ team has been always here to support our users in building the most effective engagement strategies. Take a look at the tools we have developed in order for you to stay on top of the game.

Bypass LinkedIn Weekly Invitation Limit with these Growth Haus features:

• Growth Haus’ Connection Request Booster
• Connection Requests by Email (Currently Disabled)
• InMail Campaigns to 2nd & 3rd Degree Connections
• Email Outreach
• Automatic Invite Withdrawal

According to LinkedIn:

"We have invitation limits in place to protect our overall member experience and to ensure that our members only receive relevant requests. Your LinkedIn account may be temporarily restricted from sending invitations to people for the following reasons:

• You've sent many invitations within a short amount of time;
• Many of your invitations have been ignored, left pending, or marked as spam by the recipients;
• All LinkedIn members are subject to invitation limits and restrictions;
• You can’t buy or acquire more invitations;
• For your privacy, LinkedIn Support cannot disclose any additional information regarding the type or reason for the invitation restriction on your account”.

This premium messaging feature allows you to send messages to people who you are not connected on LinkedIn.

What Is LinkedIn InMail?

LinkedIn InMail is a premium messaging feature that allows you to send messages to people who you are not connected to on LinkedIn. While you can't send direct messages to people outside of your network, you can do so with InMail as long as you have a premium LinkedIn account.

You can’t send another InMail message to a member until they respond to the first message you sent. An automatic reminder is sent to the recipient within three days of the InMail message being sent.

Every InMail message that is accepted/declined or responded to directly within 90 days of it being sent is credited back. A pending InMail message isn’t counted as either accepted or declined. As part of the LinkedIn messaging experience, Quick Replies to InMail messages also count as a response.

Quick Stats on the power of InMail Messages:

• InMail response rate is three times higher than a regular email.
• Referencing a former common employer in your InMail increases your chances of getting a response by 27%
• You’re 21% more likely to get a response from a prospect when they are in the same LinkedIn Group as you
• People who follow your company on LinkedIn are 95% more likely to accept your InMail and 81% more likely to respond to it
• A prospect is 46% more likely to accept an InMail if they are connected to someone who works at your company

Quick Tip on InMails:

https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-strategy/these-inmails-get-best-response-rates