LinkedIn's 1st, 2nd & 3rd Degree Connections: What They Really Mean (+ How to Reach Anyone)

That tiny “2nd” next to someone’s name decides whether you can message them for free or spend an InMail credit to say hello. Most people scroll straight past it. Then they wonder why the message button looks different on every profile they open. LinkedIn sorts every member on the platform into tiers based on how far they sit from your own network, and those tiers quietly control what you’re allowed to do. According to LeadLoft, there’s also a hard 30,000-connection cap on every account, so the tier system matters even for people with huge networks. We’ve seen reps burn InMail credits messaging the wrong tier all week, and it’s an expensive habit.

In this guide, we’ll break down what each degree means, what you can and can’t do at each level, and how to reach anyone regardless of degree.

Definitions and strategies for LinkedIn connection categories

1st degree connections and your direct network on LinkedIn

1st-degree connections are the people you’ve directly connected with on the platform. One of you sent an invitation, the other accepted.

To manage and grow your direct network, be strategic and intentional about who you add.

Connect with colleagues, industry peers, and professionals you’ve met at events. Personalize your connection requests to increase acceptance rates and lay the groundwork for real conversations.

Bear in mind that your 1st degree connections are the people most likely to see your posts, so if you want them to engage with you, your posts need to be worth reading. But fear not, we’ve got your back.

One more thing worth knowing: LinkedIn caps every account at 30,000 1st-degree connections. Past that, your Connect button turns into Follow.

2nd degree connections

One step away from your immediate circle are the 2nd-degree connections.

These individuals are connected to your 1st-degree connections and form a large network of potential contacts that can extend your professional reach.

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  These connections can bridge you to new opportunities and introductions, so it’s worth recognizing their value early.

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  To reach out without being overbearing, lead with subtlety and mutual benefit. Request introductions through mutual connections or engage with their content to build rapport before messaging directly.

Remember that you can’t message your 2nd and 3rd degree connections directly, because you haven’t connected with them yet.

You can either send a connection request or use LinkedIn InMail!

If you want some tips on what to write and what to avoid in your connection requests, check out this video! ⬇️

3rd degree connections and their potential

3rd-degree connections are individuals who are connected to your 2nd-degree connections.

They’re further away, and they still play a role in expanding your network.

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  3rd-degree connections sit at the outer edge of your network, but they can still extend your reach and surface new opportunities.

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  Use LinkedIn’s introduction features or join shared groups to open the door, then engage with their content before messaging.

LinkedIn member (out of network)

LinkedIn members with the out of network label are so far from your network that you share no connections at all.

You can still reach them.

If you have InMail credits and the option is available on their profile, contact them through LinkedIn InMail.

What each degree actually lets you do

Here’s the part nobody explains clearly when you first land on LinkedIn.

Read that table before you spend a credit. It’ll save you a few.

Learn how to make use of LinkedIn’s algorithm

Connection presentation on LinkedIn

LinkedIn’s algorithm takes into account shared interests, mutual connections, work history, and group memberships to suggest potential new 1st-degree connections.

With 2nd and 3rd degree connections, you’ll see an icon stating the degree, and you can get closer to them using the “Connect” or “Follow” buttons.

Strategies to share content tailored to different LinkedIn connection levels

Content on LinkedIn should be tailored to resonate with different tiers of connections.

Check out this video and start writing viral posts! ⬇️

What appeals to a 1st-degree connection differs from what engages a 2nd or 3rd-degree connection.

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  1st-degree connections

Share updates and content that reinforce your professional relationship and common interests.

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  2nd degree connections

Create content that showcases your expertise and encourages your mutual connections to engage, which increases your visibility. These people may have heard something about you already, so prove you’re the best choice.

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  3rd-degree connections and people outside of your LinkedIn network

Broader industry insights and thought leadership position you as a knowledgeable figure in your field. Craft posts that appeal to anyone in your industry, so they travel once they’re shared.

Commenting on other people’s posts works too. It puts your name in front of people who’d never see your profile otherwise.

Setting LinkedIn profile privacy preferences

Your privacy settings affect your networking potential more than you’d think. A well-calibrated setup keeps you open to opportunities while you stay in control of your personal information.

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  Adjust your profile viewing options to determine how you appear to others when you visit their profiles, which affects how likely they are to visit you back. Click your profile icon and select Settings & Privacy. Then, in the left-hand menu, click Visibility.

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  Decide what personal information you’re comfortable sharing with your network and with LinkedIn members outside your connections.

LinkedIn’s networking protocols

Beyond the 3rd-degree connections

Professionals beyond your 3rd-degree connections sit outside your immediate circles, and they can still be valuable additions to your network.

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  Use LinkedIn’s search and content engagement to discover and connect with professionals outside your current reach.

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  Join LinkedIn groups and participate in discussions to bridge the gap to these “Out of Network” individuals.

Open Profiles, groups, and events: the routes around degree restrictions

Degree restrictions have doors in them, and most people never check whether they’re unlocked.

Some members enable “Open Profile,” which lets anyone message them for free regardless of degree. Check for this before spending an InMail credit. If the profile shows a Message button with no InMail warning attached, you’re in.

Shared groups work the same way. Members of the same LinkedIn group can often message each other directly, which turns a 2nd or 3rd-degree contact into someone you can reach without an invitation. LinkedIn events give you a similar opening: attendees of the same event become visible and approachable, and a shared event gives you a genuine reason to start a conversation.

Pair this with intent data so you reach out the moment a 2nd-degree contact is actually likely to engage. Knowing who’s interested matters less than acting while the interest is still warm.

Invest in LinkedIn’s InMail

LinkedIn’s InMail service is a direct line to professionals you’re not yet connected with.

To get the most out of it, keep your messages short, personalized, and genuinely relevant.

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  Research the recipient’s profile so your InMail shows real interest in their expertise or business.

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  Keep the message focused on them. A self-centered pitch gets ignored, and reaching out at the right moment does more for your reply rate than any clever opening line.

Build your LinkedIn network ethically and efficiently

Building a large LinkedIn network shouldn’t come at the expense of professionalism.

Ethical, efficient networking protects your reputation on the platform over the long run.

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  Connect with people you have genuine professional synergy with instead of adding contacts indiscriminately.

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  Provide value through insightful content and real interactions rather than only reaching out when you want something.

Go beyond the basics of degree connections, use tools like InMail deliberately, and your network expands into territory your competitors never touch.

Networking techniques on LinkedIn

Build connections with LinkedIn’s advanced search

LinkedIn’s advanced search is how you find the right people instead of the available ones. To get the most out of it:

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  Use filters such as location, industry, and current company to find professionals who match your networking goals.

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  Take advantage of Boolean search logic to refine your results and pinpoint the most relevant individuals.

Send personalized connection requests and follow-up messages

Personalized connection requests and follow-ups are what separate a growing network from a pile of ignored invitations. To make a memorable impression:

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  Reference specific details from the recipient’s profile or shared experiences to show genuine interest.

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  Articulate a clear reason for connecting that conveys mutual benefit and sets up a professional relationship.

One constraint to plan around: LinkedIn limits most accounts to about 100 connection requests per week on a rolling basis, according to AIA. Prioritize quality over volume. Linkboost also notes that engagement on your content acts as a trust signal that protects your account, so your Social Selling Index and general activity feed into how much room LinkedIn gives you.

Want more templates and examples like the one above? lemlist’s LinkedIn prospecting automates profile visits, connection requests, and voice notes with voice cloning, paced with smart limits so your account stays safe.

Network through LinkedIn groups and discussions

LinkedIn groups and discussions put you in front of like-minded professionals and the people who shape opinion in your industry.

To network artfully:

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  Join groups relevant to your field and participate actively to showcase your expertise.

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  Build rapport with group members by contributing valuable content and engaging in real dialogue.

Advanced search, personalized outreach, and group discussions compound. Use all three and you build a network that supports your career objectives instead of just inflating a number.

Find the group that best fits you and start networking.

P.S. You can also join the lemlist family, a community where we help each other grow!

Common mistakes on LinkedIn

As you expand your network, a few pitfalls will slow you down. Avoid these:

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  Don’t skip personalization when reaching out to new connections. Generic messages read as insincere and tank your response rate.

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  Don’t ignore existing connections while chasing new ones. A strong network is built on sustained relationships, not a follower count.

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  Don’t blast connection requests past safe weekly limits manually. Tools like lemlist pace sends with human-like delays so your account doesn’t get flagged.

Be assertive, not intrusive

Assertive gets replies. Intrusive gets blocked. Here’s the line:

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  Make your message clear about why you want to connect and how it could be mutually beneficial, without pushing.

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  Respect boundaries. If someone isn’t interested in networking right now, thank them and move on gracefully.

Apply your networking knowledge

Here’s the short version of what to do with all of this. Review your 1st-degree connections regularly to spot opportunities for deeper engagement, then expand into 2nd-degree contacts with a clear reason for reaching out and a mutual benefit in mind. For 3rd-degree contacts, engage with their content and find commonalities that make a warm introduction easy to ask for, and use Intent Signals to time that outreach around the moment they’re actually in market. Alongside that, keep your profile updated, share valuable content regularly, and stay visible in relevant discussions.

That’s the whole system. It takes about twenty minutes a week.

Key takeaways

-> 1st degree connections are LinkedIn members that accepted your invitation to connect or vice versa, capped at 30,000 per account.

-> 2nd degree connections are LinkedIn members connected to your 1st-degree connections.

-> 3rd degree connections are people connected to your 2nd-degree connections.

-> Out of network members share no connections with you, and InMail or an Open Profile is your way in.

-> Your outreach strategy should fit the degree of connection, and your sending volume should fit LinkedIn’s weekly limits.

-> If you can’t find a way to connect on LinkedIn, try cold emails. You can find valid addresses using lemlist’s free email finder.

Final thoughts

Connection degrees look like a cosmetic detail until the day you need to reach someone and the message button isn’t there. Learn what each tier allows, check for Open Profiles before spending credits, and keep your request volume inside LinkedIn’s limits. Do that consistently and you’ll reach more of the right people with fewer wasted touches.

When you’re ready to run this at scale without putting your account at risk, lemlist handles the profile visits, connection requests, follow-ups, and voice notes on a human-like schedule. It’s rated 4.6/5 on G2 from 2,000+ reviews.

Start a 14-day free trial. No credit card required, and you get full access to every feature.