Understanding when and why to follow people on LinkedIn

As the global job market continues to shift, having access to unique perspectives and insights from incredibly skilled professionals is more valuable than ever before. From cybersecurity insiders, to agriculture experts, to thought leaders on diversity and leadership, and beyond, the world’s experts are talking on LinkedIn. If you’re looking to gain even more professional insights, updates, and advice from the knowledgeable people you don’t know on LinkedIn, we have a simple solution – follow them. 

By choosing to “follow”, you can see and interact with people you want to learn from, ranging from seeing their articles, posts, and other content. If you are seeking knowledge to solve difficult professional challenges, insights on breaking news, tips to grow in your career and much more, follow leaders across the globe to learn from. Your connections are the people you have trusted relationships with such as coworkers, alumni, business partners and friends, whereas people you follow are those who you don’t know but want to learn from. (You can learn more about the differences between connect vs. follow in this blog post.)

No matter where you are in your career, learning from leaders can be empowering and helpful. If you are one of the many recent college graduates looking for a job or are reconsidering your next career move, following people can help you get started by gleaning job hunting tips and insider knowledge on specific industries from thought leaders in the fields that interest you. (If you’re looking to follow folks who can help you enhance your career, check out the recently released 2022 LinkedIn Top Voices: Next Gen list. It highlights 10 LinkedIn creators covering how to succeed in the next generation of jobs.)

Ready to start following people? Here are two ways to do it:

• Follow those who show up in your Feed: Now, it’s easier than ever to find new people to follow. In your Feed, you’ll see content from creators who are of interest to your connections. Click on the Follow button next to their name to add them to the list of people you follow.

• Use the search function to discover voices on specific topics: We’ve simplified how you can find creators through search results. After you search - and find - a particular person, you can opt to follow them from directly within the search experience. Also, if you search for a specific company or topic, we’ll show you creators who talk about that subject. With a single click, you can follow those people as well.  

Once you start following people you’ll get relevant information directly in your Feed alongside activity from your connections. Since connections should be reserved for those you know personally, following someone is a great way to expand the amount of timely news, insights and other quality content you’ll see in your Feed. To never miss a post or article, click the “subscribe” bell in the profiles of the people you follow. This way, you’ll be notified whenever they publish an update.  

Now that you’ve got the 101 on why you should follow folks and how to do it, give it a try. We’re excited to have you start following other professionals and join the conversation to help advance your career with news and expert opinions, smart takes on the state of the industry, and inspiring ideas.