Understanding LinkedIn’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-Degree Connections

With over 15,000 LinkedIn followers, I’ve observed that many professionals are curious about the significance of LinkedIn’s connection degrees. Understanding these can be pivotal in optimizing your networking strategy, especially in the B2B landscape.

‍

‍

General Overview : 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-Degree Connections Meaning on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn categorizes your network into degrees to indicate how closely you’re connected to other users:

• 1st-Degree Connections: These are individuals you’ve directly connected with. You can message them freely and view their full profiles.
• 2nd-Degree Connections: These are connections of your 1st-degree contacts. While you can view their profiles, messaging requires a connection request or InMail.
• 3rd-Degree Connections: These are connected to your 2nd-degree contacts. Interaction is more limited, often requiring InMail or group/event participation for engagement

‍

‍

🧠 What Does 1st Mean on LinkedIn?

Let’s start with the basics. A 1st-degree connection on LinkedIn is someone you’ve directly connected with — either by sending them a connection request that was accepted or vice versa. You’ll notice a small “1st” badge next to their name across LinkedIn — that’s your green light to engage. This is your inner circle on the platform.

As a 1st-degree connection, you’re granted access to more than just their professional summary. You can often view contact details like email addresses, phone numbers, or even their linked social accounts like X (formerly Twitter) by clicking the “Contact Info” section on their profile. However, it’s important to note that only about 30% of users share their email addresses, and as few as 5% share phone numbers — so don’t count on these appearing every time.

‍

LinkedIn limits each user to 30,000 1st-degree connections, which is more than enough for most professionals but crucial to know if you’re growing aggressively.

If you’re manually building your prospect list, making someone a 1st-degree connection is your best shot at accessing their contact information natively — unless you’re using smart tools like Evaboot or Datagma to extract enriched data directly from LinkedIn.

Bottom line? If you’re serious about B2B lead generation, your first-degree network isn’t just your closest circle — it’s your highest-value audience. These are the people you can message directly, invite to webinars, ask for referrals, and close deals with faster than any cold lead.

‍

‍

🔗 What Does 2nd Mean on LinkedIn?

2nd-degree connections are your next layer of opportunity. These are people who know someone you’re already connected with — and that mutual connection creates a warm path for engagement.

On their profile, you’ll see the “2nd” badge next to their name. Just above the Connect button, LinkedIn shows you how you’re connected — often listing mutual contacts. This is a key advantage in B2B: mutual connections build instant credibility and often improve connection request acceptance rates.

Now, here’s the twist — you can’t message 2nd-degree connections directly unless you either send a connection request or use a LinkedIn InMail. InMails are paid messages available via LinkedIn Premium tiers like:

• LinkedIn Premium
• Sales Navigator
• LinkedIn Recruiter

‍

So yes, even recruiters are using this same tactic — because it works. If you’re doing outbound or recruiting via LinkedIn, InMail becomes a vital part of your toolbox.

Pro tip: While you can click on “Contact Info” for 2nd-degree connections, you won’t see any direct contact details unless they’ve made them public — and that’s rare.

This makes 2nd-degree connections incredibly powerful — they’re close enough to warm up, but distant enough to scale. Your goal? Bridge the gap and move them into your 1st-degree circle.

‍

‍

🌐 What Does 3rd Mean on LinkedIn?

3rd-degree connections are the outer rim of your LinkedIn galaxy — people connected to your 2nd-degree contacts. You’ll spot the “3rd” label on their profiles, but here’s where things get a bit trickier.

Unlike with 2nd-degree profiles, the Connect button often isn’t visible up front. Instead, you’ll need to click the “More” button under their profile photo, then select “Connect” from the dropdown menu. A tiny detail — but if you’re doing this at scale, it matters.

‍

As with 2nd-degree contacts, you can only message 3rd-degree users via InMail — unless you’re both part of the same LinkedIn Group or Event. That’s a powerful loophole: joining niche industry groups can give you messaging access to thousands of 3rd-degree prospects without upgrading to Premium.

So, what about 3rd+? These are people outside your visible network entirely — no mutuals, no shared circles. LinkedIn hides most of their profile, and connecting usually requires extra effort or paid features.

In short: 3rd-degree connections are your coldest leads — but not to be ignored. With the right content, context, and engagement strategy (group participation, thoughtful comments, or shared events), you can warm them up and bring them into your active network.

‍

‍

‍

🧩 What Does 3rd+ Mean on LinkedIn?

Beyond 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-degree connections, there’s a lesser-known category: 3rd+ connections.

These are users who sit completely outside your visible network. You’re not connected directly, you don’t share any mutual connections, and LinkedIn shows you minimal information about them. In most cases, their profiles are partially obscured, and your engagement options are limited — unless you use a LinkedIn Premium account or share a group/event space with them.

‍

Think of 3rd+ connections as cold outreach territory. They’re not discoverable through normal connection chains, which makes them harder to reach but not impossible to engage.

This is where smart networking comes in. Whether you’re using LinkedIn groups, participating in virtual events, or leveraging tools like Sales Navigator to identify overlap, there are still effective ways to get in front of these users and turn cold profiles into warm leads.

‍

‍

Why Understanding Connection Degrees Matters

Recognizing these distinctions helps in:

• Strategic Networking: Prioritizing outreach to 2nd-degree connections can yield higher acceptance rates due to mutual contacts.
• Content Visibility: Engaging with 1st-degree connections can amplify your content’s reach to their networks.
• Efficient Prospecting: Tailoring your approach based on connection degree can enhance response rates and build trust.

‍

Optimizing Your LinkedIn Strategy

To leverage these connection degrees effectively:

1. Personalize Connection Requests: Mention mutual connections or shared interests to increase acceptance likelihood.
2. Engage with Your Network: Regularly interact with your 1st-degree connections’ content to stay top-of-mind.
3. Utilize LinkedIn Groups and Events: Participating in these can provide avenues to connect with 2nd and 3rd-degree contacts.
4. Consider LinkedIn Premium: Features like InMail can facilitate communication with broader connection degrees.

‍

Connection Degrees and Engagement Opportunities

Here’s a breakdown of the interaction capabilities across different connection degrees:

‍

‍

Expanding Your LinkedIn Network—The Smart Way

Understanding LinkedIn’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-degree connections is just the beginning. If you want to turn this knowledge into tangible growth — more leads, more influence, and more opportunities — you need to go beyond just sending connection requests. You need a strategy.

But here’s the catch: LinkedIn doesn’t give you unlimited reach. In fact, the platform caps your weekly connection requests to maintain quality engagement. So how do you scale your outreach without tripping LinkedIn’s spam alarms?

The answer lies in your LinkedIn SSI (Social Selling Index) — a hidden scoring system that determines how influential and active you are on the platform. The higher your SSI, the more connection requests LinkedIn lets you send (up to 200 per week for top performers).

‍

‍

🔧 How to Send More Connection Requests Without Getting Blocked

Here’s how you can earn LinkedIn’s trust and grow your outreach safely:

1. Polish Your Profile to Convert

Before you hit “Connect,” make sure your profile is doing the heavy lifting. A strong headline, a real profile photo, a clear value proposition — this isn’t just branding, it’s conversion optimization. A clean profile improves your acceptance rate and shows LinkedIn you’re building quality connections.

‍

‍

2. Keep Your Acceptance Rate High

LinkedIn watches how many of your requests go unanswered. Too many pending invites? Your outreach will get throttled.

Here’s how to stay in the green:

• Don’t overthink your note — sometimes, no message works better.
• Withdraw unaccepted invites after 2–3 weeks.
• Engage with someone’s content before connecting. Warm them up.

‍

3. Be a Voice, Not a Viewer

Posting insightful content regularly helps boost your SSI and positions you as someone worth connecting with.

Talk about what you’re learning, trends in your niche, or lessons from your journey. People remember names they’ve seen in their feed — especially when that name shows up in their connection requests.

‍

Learn how Linkedin Content is the new sales eldorado

‍

‍

‍

FAQ – Everything You Need to Know About LinkedIn Connections

‍

What do 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-degree connections mean on LinkedIn?

• 1st-degree: You’re directly connected. You can message freely and may access contact details.
• 2nd-degree: Connected through someone in your 1st-degree network. You need to send a request or InMail to message them.
• 3rd-degree: They’re part of your extended network via 2nd-degree links. Limited visibility; connection or InMail required to reach out.

‍

What does 3rd+ mean on LinkedIn?

3rd+ refers to users who are outside your visible network — no shared connections. You typically can’t see their full profiles or connect without joining the same group or upgrading to LinkedIn Premium.

‍

How do I cancel a LinkedIn connection request?

Go to My Network > Sent Requests > Withdraw. You can withdraw any pending connection request manually. The other person won’t be notified.

‍

Do LinkedIn connection requests expire?

Yes — LinkedIn automatically expires connection requests after six months if they go unaccepted. This helps clean up outdated or inactive requests.

‍

Is there a limit to how many connections I can have on LinkedIn?

Yes, LinkedIn allows a maximum of 30,000 1st-degree connections per user. After that, you can still be followed, but not connected directly.

‍

What’s the difference between “Connect” and “Follow” on LinkedIn?

• Connect = You both follow and can message each other.
• Follow = You can see their posts but can’t interact directly unless they follow back or accept a request.

‍

‍

Final Thoughts

Understanding and strategically leveraging LinkedIn’s connection degrees can significantly enhance your networking efficacy. By focusing on building meaningful relationships across these degrees, you can expand your professional reach and uncover new opportunities.

‍