LinkedIn Jail-Do’s and Don'ts &
everything else in between
LinkedIn Jail-Do’s and Don'ts &
Did you get logged out of your LinkedIn account all of a sudden?
Did you try to sign in back and still couldn't get through?
Instead, you are presented with a message that reads your account has been restricted. In other words, your account has landed in LinkedIn jail.
Thus, working with LinkedIn and keeping out of its jail eventually turns back to the popular adage, “Better safe than sorry”.
To transform Linkedin into a more valuable community for professionals, Linkedin is known to restrict active user accounts.
And guess what. Linkedin jail is not the only avenue the company is walking on.
Only last year, i.e., in 2019, the site reportedly took down more than 20 million fake accounts. More so, 2 million accounts were put under the restricted category following suspicious reports.
And the story gets better every minute.
Although several users are already in Linked jail, little do they know that their sentence is getting extended every day. One can blame (or thank otherwise) the Linkedin algorithm and the back-end tech that’s there directly impacting profile visibility and content sharing leading to potential incarceration.
In essence, it has a lot to do with your mismanaging things and how one cares a fig about the quality of content posted on Linkedin and related stuff.
By all means, it is sheer harassment for any genuine user and puts you on a rough road getting an ally on your network.
This post is directed towards answering all questions regarding Linkedin Jail and offers a clear perspective into knowing everything that you can do to keep out of the predicament.
Decoding the Reasons for Restriction
- The first reaction towards an account being restricted is definitely to panic. However, one can only advise you against it.
- There is no reason to panic.
- In most cases, chances are you haven’t done anything wrong. You are just the wrong person, in the wrong room, at the wrong time.
- Nevertheless, you will need to run down a list of major possibilities that include:
- Way too many connection requests and subsequently a lower acceptance rate.
- Using potentially unsafe Linkedin automation tools.
- Spammy or inappropriate content posted from your account.
- An unrealistic number of profile views.
Besides, there are certain Linkedin Jail situations that are directly proportional to your feed and engagement level:
“I don’t know you” invitations that directly makes it spam. Hence, jail.
LinkedIn Pulse articles automated daily with zero engagement, which necessarily doesn’t account for a jail situation.
Also, low or inferior quality content, ruled by the algorithm to account for LinkedIn jail.
It’s an irritating, brain-ravaging algorithm that is in play. What’s upsetting it’s how your fate depends on it, whether you like it or not.
Thus, working with Linkedin and keeping out of its jail eventually turns back to the popular adage, “Better safe than sorry”.
Mitigating risk factors
Only because your account isn’t restricted yet, it doesn’t mean you are safe.
No painting a scary picture here, but it’s always recommended to steer clear of the risk factors.
One of the most common possibilities from the list we touched upon earlier, using wrong or unsafe automation tools is what leads to restriction of accounts.
Undeniably, LinkedIn automation tools are a go-to option these days. However, you will need to make sure which one is your safest bet.
Fret not! Let’s figure this out.
LinkedIn automation tools usually rely on being either browser powered or cloud-based.
Browser-based automation tools make use of browser cache to function. While that is good for easy detection, the frequently changing IPs, especially from different countries may trigger a few alarms on the way.
In comparison, cloud-driven automation tools use a dedicated IP. What it does for your LinkedIn automation efforts is to ensure consistent login info every single time.
Take LinkedFusion for instance. A dedicated cloud-based LinkedIn automation tool that ranks high on being safe as it uses an exclusive IP.
Like other cloud-based tools, it doesn’t restrict your automation efforts to Linked in Search alone. One is also free to use Webhooks and CSV files to set the target audience for optimum performance across the sales funnel.
Cloud-based tools, assuming a back end approach, make it difficult for LinkedIn to detect varying activities interfering with the codes of discipline.
Furthermore, it packs in a handful of advanced features that lets you personalize your outreach plan, boosting chances of conversion. Thus, compared to a browser-based automation tool, it tends to appear less spammy.
Do’s and don'ts when you account is restricted
It’s no brainer how all your efforts should be directed towards recovering your account after it has been restricted.
As a first step, disconnect any automation tools that you’ve been using with your LinkedIn account.
In the majority of cases, a large number of LinkedIn automation tools are found to be violating terms of service, which clashes directly with the policies laid out by LinkedIn.
You should delete your account info registered with the automation service provider, restrict access, and clear your browser cache if need be.
If it’s genuinely not your fault, LinkedIn might rest the case easily by giving you a general warning. At the most, it might ask you to revisit the policies page once again (after your access is restored) to ensure you are doing everything right.
What you need to do is to take things slow, be non-aggressive towards making connections, and limit accepting invitations to a bare minimum.
Whatever you do, please do not try to open a new LinkedIn account altogether. Contrary to what many believe, trying to open a new account invariably puts you in the bad books of LinkedIn.
Even though you haven’t done anything wrong and accidentally got yourself restricted, trying to open a new account will lead to LinkedIn detecting the activity from the same IP and might impose a permanent ban.
Next, you should touch base with LinkedIn to sort out the issue. However, for most of us, it can be a tad difficult to find the right contact information.
Sure, you can drop a mail or fill a form, but in most cases, it doesn’t seem to work well.
Here’s a smart tip.
Move over to Twitter and tag the handle @LinkedInHelp stating your problem.
Tweets are like wildfire. God willing, you will get an answer soon enough in your inbox, and even someone offering a resolution.
When you do have a chance to talk to a customer rep, state your case on a candid note, and get things fixed for good. They will still be reluctant enough to restore your account, but reassuring and persuading have never lost to date.
While you are at it, for heaven’s sake, do not even mention using any LinkedIn automation tool. If that is the reason for your restriction, no point beginning it up again to add more fuss.
Show interest as to why your account was restricted in the first place, and that you are willing to go over with policies and other info to have it restored.
Remember, there can be two possible conclusions. Yes and No.
Yes! Your account gets restored.
No! Your restriction stays on.
If the conclusion is negative, there is still no reason to lose hope. If you have been jailed, there always remains a chance to be paroled.
So, you’re back on LinkedIn. What next?
Coming out of LinkedIn jail doesn’t make you a free man, just yet.
You will need to ensure you are playing it safe all the way. A little slip here and there, you are up for a permanent ban.
Start by adopting safe practices. For starters, do not go back to using the same browser-based LinkedIn automation tool that got you in muddy waters before.
Instead, embrace a new cloud-based automation tool to boost your LinkedIn outreach efforts. To be on the safe side, keep a gap of at least two to three months before resorting to using a new tool.
Plus, it is also important that you sanitize your account. Revisit your invitations list and get rid of any pending invitations that don’t hold any value for you.
Also, engage in sending out personalized messages and do that quite often.
Wrap up
LinkedIn jail can be quite a bit of a hindrance, especially when your revenue churning depends on the platform.
However, the situation can be reversed. All you have to do is to practice a lot of personalization, work with safe cloud-based LinkedIn automation tools, and stay clear from posting or sharing inappropriate or spammy content.
Have you ever experienced a LinkedIn Jail situation? Were you able to come out of it? What are the things you did?
Drop a line below and let us know.
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