In recent years, LinkedIn has become one of the major sales and marketing channels for B2B businesses. It’s probably a part of your professional life as well.
What if, one day, you found out that you can’t view other users’ profiles, send connection requests or messages, post content, or even log into your LinkedIn account?
Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens when LinkedIn throws your account in jail.
In this article, we’ll dive into what LinkedIn jail is and, most importantly, how to keep away from it.
Outline:
What is LinkedIn jail?
Did you imagine a dark dungeon under LinkedIn’s HQ? Alas, we have to disappoint you. LinkedIn jail is just a term for the situation when your LinkedIn account gets restricted or banned.
In general, you risk being thrown into the LinkedIn jail if you violate the platform’s terms of service. Depending on the severity of your “crime,” you can receive one of three different punishments:
- Temporary restriction. This type is the least severe and usually lasts for a few days or weeks. During this time, you won’t be able to send connection requests and messages or post any content.
- Account lockdown. This is a more serious restriction that allows you to view content but not interact with it. You won’t be able to comment on or react to other users’ posts. This type of penalty can last several weeks or even months.
- Account ban. This is the ultimate punishment: you won’t be able to log into your LinkedIn account. In case of a repeated breach of LinkedIn’s terms of service or grave misconduct, your account may be permanently removed from LinkedIn.\
Why you may land in LinkedIn jail?
Ever asked, ‘Why did I get banned on LinkedIn?’ You’re not alone. There were times when I also couldn’t grasp why LinkedIn locked me out.
Here are the main reasons why you could end up in LinkedIn jail:
- LinkedIn Professional Community Policies’ violation
- Sending too many connection requests
- Having a low acceptance rate
- Sending generic messages or spamming
- Creating a fake profile
- Logging into a LinkedIn account from different IP addresses
- Scraping LinkedIn data too quickly
- Posting offensive or controversial content
- Using unreliable LinkedIn automation tools
1. LinkedIn Professional Community Policies’ violation
This one is obvious, yet some users fail to read and adhere to LinkedIn’s policies. Repeated breaches of the LinkedIn Professional Community Policies can lead to account restriction and worse repercussions.
Below, we’ll discuss the most common activities that result in LinkedIn policy breaches in more detail.
2. Sending too many connection requests
LinkedIn has a limit on connection requests. Once you hit it, you won’t be able to send any more connection requests during the same week.
If you often reach the limit or have many unanswered requests, LinkedIn might penalize your account further. Here’s why:
- LinkedIn doesn’t allow spamming in any way. Sending many connection requests rapidly can raise suspicion and flag your account as a potential spam threat.
- LinkedIn protects its users from unwanted business advancements. If other users don’t accept your connection requests, it looks like you’re not targeting the right people.
3. Having a low acceptance rate
If you send many connection requests that are either ignored or declined, they accumulate in your Sent invitations tab. That will signal to LinkedIn that you’re not a trustworthy user. The longer connection requests are pending, the more negative impact your account reputation undergoes. As a result, you may find yourself in LinkedIn jail.
4. Sending generic messages or spamming
LinkedIn forbids spam in any shape or form, be it connection requests, posts, messages, or InMails. The platform’s advanced algorithm monitors all activity from LinkedIn accounts, including the content of users’ conversations.
Sending repetitive or generic messages, especially over a short period of time, can trigger LinkedIn spam filters against your account.
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5. Creating a fake profile
Creating a fake profile is a serious violation of LinkedIn’s policies. Fake profiles are usually used for malicious or illegal activities. Even if they are not, they still mislead LinkedIn users and damage the reputation of the platform itself. That is why LinkedIn can ban you for this kind of offense, and recovering your account won’t be easy.
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💡 Pro-tip: Don’t experiment with adding false credentials or offers to your LinkedIn account. Such strategies will land you right into LinkedIn jail. Watch this video to learn how to set up a successful LinkedIn profile on the first try or improve the existing one: |
6. Logging into a LinkedIn account from different IP addresses
It’s not explicitly forbidden to use different IP addresses to log into your LinkedIn account. Still, it can raise red flags.
LinkedIn might think your account is used by different people if it looks like you’re browsing the platform from geographically distant locations in a short period of time. Additionally, if you’re using public Wi-Fi or shared devices, you may unknowingly expose your account to security risks.
7. Scraping LinkedIn data too quickly
Rapidly scraping large amounts of data from LinkedIn is against the rules and can easily put your account into LinkedIn jail.
First of all, scraping information without permission or proper attribution is unethical. Secondly, it can put a strain on LinkedIn’s servers, negatively impacting the platform’s performance for other users.
8. Posting offensive or controversial content
LinkedIn prohibits posting materials that include:
- harassment and bullying,
- violence,
- children exploitation,
- promotion of illegal goods or services
- support of terrorism and extremism
Any sensitive content that falls under these categories may result in your account being banned.
9. Using unreliable LinkedIn automation tools
As we’ve already mentioned, LinkedIn prohibits actions that look like spam. That’s why the platform doesn’t approve of automation tools. This is not because automation is inherently bad. It’s because many LinkedIn automation tools violate the platform’s terms of service, leading to spammy activities.
Using unreliable LinkedIn automation tools might not only send you straight to LinkedIn jail. Such software can put your data safety at risk, damage your reputation, and spoil relationships between you and your prospects.
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❗️ Does this mean you can’t automate your LinkedIn actions at all? Definitely not! But you have to be smart about it and use the proper tools. Snov.io LinkedIn Automation Tool, for instance, is tailored to comply with LinkedIn’s rules:
You can use a warm-up mode of the Snov.io software to gradually increase your activity on LinkedIn. |
How to get out of LinkedIn jail?
What if you made some of the above mistakes, and now your account is in LinkedIn jail – restricted or even banned? First of all, don’t panic.
There are steps you can take to escape LinkedIn jail as quickly as possible:
1. Understand the cause. In some cases, the LinkedIn support team will send an email clarifying its decision to put your account in LinkedIn jail. In others, you’ll need to figure it out by yourself.
You can find the list of potential causes for account restriction in the LinkedIn Help Center. Review the information provided there to determine which of your actions could lead to your penalty.
2. Contact LinkedIn support. If you can’t find relevant information in the Help Center, it’s time to contact the LinkedIn support team. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Contact Us button. You’ll be redirected to another page where you’ll be able to submit a ticket.
Remember to explain your situation politely and thoroughly in order to get a faster reply.
- Follow LinkedIn’s instructions. Attentively read any emails and notifications from the LinkedIn support team and follow their advice. Respond promptly and professionally. Complete any verification steps the LinkedIn support team requires from you (including providing a phone number or an ID).
- Stop all LinkedIn automation. Disable your LinkedIn automation tools or scripts while your account is under some kind of penalty. Even if they’re not the reason you’ve landed in the LinkedIn jail, it’s best to be on the safe side.
After your account’s functionality is restored, assess your automation strategy before enacting it again. Consider replacing your tool with more reliable and trustworthy LinkedIn automation software solutions.
5. Appeal the decision. In some cases, you’ll have to write an email to dispute your penalty. It’s vital to carefully follow LinkedIn guidelines when submitting an appeal. Make sure your appeal letter is well-written and professional, emphasizes your contribution to the LinkedIn community, and explains why the account restriction is unjustified.
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❗️Remember: Be patient. Don’t create a new account while you’re waiting for the LinkedIn support team’s response. Doing so will only lock you in the LinkedIn jail for much longer. |
How to avoid LinkedIn jail: 8+ expert tips and solutions from Snov.io (and a bonus)
No one wants to get penalized. So why do people still land in LinkedIn jail? Is it so hard to avoid?
Well, some users just don’t know what the LinkedIn rules are. They haven’t read the LinkedIn User Agreement and are in the dark about what they are allowed to do. Others ignore the rules in favor of a quick LinkedIn growth or sales boost.
Remember, you can grow your LinkedIn network without risking your social media reputation and account health! To help you reach your sales quota safely, we compiled a list of the best LinkedIn practices.
Tips on how to avoid LinkedIn jail:
- Follow LinkedIn policies
- Keep your LinkedIn profile information up to date
- Stay below LinkedIn limits
- Send personalized connection requests
- Withdraw old pending connection invitations
- Avoid generic messages and InMails
- Don’t use automation 24/7
- Review and refine your outreach strategy regularly
- Bonus tip: Employ other channels besides LinkedIn
1. Follow LinkedIn policies
It goes without saying that you should know what LinkedIn Professional Community Policies are and comply with them. That’s the first thing you should read while starting to use the platform.
So, if you haven’t acquainted yourself with the LinkedIn policies yet, it’s high time you did that and started complying with all the rules.
2. Keep your LinkedIn profile information up to date
Your goal is to show LinkedIn that you are a real person who participates in transparent and legal professional interactions. Therefore, it’s vital to provide relevant and truthful information about yourself on your LinkedIn page.
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3. Stay below LinkedIn limits
Are you using LinkedIn to find leads and their emails? Be careful not to anger the LinkedIn algorithms. The platform limits the number of connection invites you can send weekly:
→ Read more about LinkedIn weekly connection limits and how to bypass them.
LinkedIn also limits the number of daily profile views, though not providing any explicit numbers.
Based on my personal experience, I recommend not exceeding 150 prospect views per day if you’ve got a free LinkedIn account.
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💡 Pro-tip: How to keep up with LinkedIn limits with an automation tool – a solution from Snov.io Snov.io LinkedIn Automation solution ensures that you stay within LinkedIn’s daily limits. In addition, you can safely scrape data with LinkedIn Email Finder. Simply choose the number of search pages from which your prospects will be collected. You can set the delay between profile views to make it look natural:  This way, you can control how many LinkedIn profiles the tool will view daily and keep your account free from suspicion. |
4. Send personalized connection requests
LinkedIn’s algorithms are designed to detect repeated generic connection requests. Personalized requests have variability that helps keep these algorithms undisturbed.
What’s also important is that such requests are more likely to be accepted. Meanwhile, the higher your acceptance rate and the faster users connect with you, the more trustworthy your account seems to algorithms.
5. Withdraw old pending connection invitations
Unfortunately, LinkedIn itself doesn’t clearly state what the safe limit is. We recommend keeping the number of your requests under 500 to avoid going to LinkedIn jail.
You should regularly monitor your connection requests and clean out the old ones. You can do this manually or automatically.
To delete pending requests manually, see the list of prospects to whom you sent requests from the selected account. Sort the prospect list to show the oldest requests first. These are the ones you want to get rid of.
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💡Pro-tip: How to withdraw old connection requests automatically – a solution from Snov.io You can set the maximum number of pending connection requests for your account. The tool will delete the old requests automatically when your account reaches the limit. |
Once you delete a connection request, wait up to three weeks before contacting the same prospect again.
6. Avoid generic messages and InMails
Similar to connection requests, if a LinkedIn algorithm catches you sending the same message to multiple users – it’s a LinkedIn jail sentence.
Put time and effort into researching your audience base and segmenting your prospect list. Your goal is to send messages that are personalized based on your recipient’s interest and profile information.
7. Use automation sparsely
This may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s best to pause your LinkedIn activities for at least 8 hours a day. People usually sleep as much, so if your account is active all the time – the LinkedIn algorithm will suspect that you’re a robot.
Configure your LinkedIn automation tools to pause all activity from your account during the time when people in your time zone are usually off LinkedIn.
8. Review and refine your outreach strategy regularly
We recommend evaluating your outreach automation strategy regularly, regardless of whether you’ve been to LinkedIn jail or not. Analyze if your campaigns help you reach your goals and optimize your strategy if necessary.
Bonus tip: use other channels besides LinkedIn
Surprised? Well, let us explain. While using multiple channels for your outreach doesn’t protect you from LinkedIn jail, it helps soften the consequences of landing there.
We have to be realistic: LinkedIn jail happens, sometimes for seemingly no reason. And it usually takes days to get your account back. It’s crucial that, in the meantime, you can communicate with your prospects through other channels.
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💡 Pro-tip: Managing multiple outreach channels requires a lot of time and effort. Technology is here to help. Snov.io Multichannel Outreach Tool is an all-in-one solution that streamlines the entire prospect’s journey through the sales funnel. Use it to:
Keep track of all actions taken for every lead with the help of a built-in CRM.
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The difference between LinkedIn jail and a shadow ban
By now, we’ve covered everything you need to know about LinkedIn jail – the explicit penalty for violating the platform’s terms of service. But there’s another type of penalty LinkedIn can impose on your account. It’s much harder to notice, yet it can also negatively impact your outreach.
We’re talking about the LinkedIn shadow ban.
What is a LinkedIn shadow ban?
LinkedIn shadow ban is when LinkedIn hides your posts, comments, or profile from other users without any notification. During the shadow ban, your account remains active, so you can perform activities as usual.
The change is subtle — you don’t get the same amount of impressions and engagement on your posts as before. Plus, you get fewer messages, and your profile doesn’t appear in the search.
| LinkedIn jail | LinkedIn shadow ban |
It is a clear and obvious restriction imposed on your account. You may be unable to log in, send messages, or post content. |
It is a less obvious restriction. Your entire profile or only parts of your content may not be visible to other users. At the same time, your actions on the platform are not restricted in any way. |
It is usually the result of repeated or serious violations (for example, spamming, creating fake accounts, harassing other users, or engaging in other fraudulent or malicious activities). |
It is usually the result of less severe violations (for example, frequent or excessive liking, posting, commenting, or sharing, overuse of hashtags, and mildly unprofessional content). |
Users are aware of the restriction. They can learn why it has been imposed and take steps to appeal to have their account freed from LinkedIn jail. |
Users aren’t always aware that their account has been shadow-banned. It is difficult to identify the issue. It’s even harder to prove that the restriction has been imposed on your account and break out of the shadow ban. |
How to avoid LinkedIn shadow ban
The general recommendations for avoiding the LinkedIn shadow ban remain the same as for the LinkedIn jail. Stick to LinkedIn’s terms of service and be professional.
Yet, there are a couple of specific actions you can take to make sure your account is not shadow-banned:
1. Be authentic. Engage in genuine conversation. Avoid sending spammy or self-promotion messages from your account.
2. Show your expertise. Post the content that is relevant and valuable to your audience. Join discussions on topics related to your industry.
3. Focus on organic growth. We’ve already covered the careful use of automation tools earlier, but you also have to avoid any “followers for sale” schemes.
❗️ If you buy followers, you most likely will be followed by a bunch of accounts unrelated to your industry (if not outright fake). Such accounts will not show any activity under your posts. This can significantly hurt your SSI and even send you into a shadow ban.
4. Monitor your account’s analytics. Regularly check your LinkedIn account’s performance to notice any unusual patterns or drops in engagement.
5. Don’t fake a shadow ban. Some LinkedIn users create posts that tell their audience they are worried about being shadow-banned and ask for likes and comments. Doing so can land your account in a shadow ban – the real one this time.
Your next steps
We’ve covered all the basics of different types of LinkedIn penalties and discussed how to avoid LinkedIn jail.
Now that you know which actions are safe and which ones impose some risk, don’t be afraid to experiment with your LinkedIn outreach strategy. Just make sure to use high-quality software if LinkedIn automation is a part of your strategy. Everything you need for safe outreach automation waits for you in your Snov.io account.
Keep in mind that LinkedIn changes its explicit and unspoken rules quite often. We’ll add new tips on how to stay off LinkedIn jail and shadow ban, so come back to this article from time to time. And if you want to upgrade your skills in LinkedIn automation, visit Snov.io Academy and sign up for our free LinkedIn Automation crash course.
