LinkedIn Account Restricted: Here’s What to Do

LinkedIn has become an exciting part of all professionals’ daily lives, but let’s face it – keeping an active profile, sharing, commenting, writing articles, growing an audience, responding to DMs, and expanding networks is a difficult and time-consuming job. As it is a social media network, you may accidentally step on a few toes one day, and wake up to a restricted account.

If this is the case, before you start mourning the loss of all your connections, take a deep breath. First, there is a way to handle the situation and get your profile back. And even if you ‘lost everything’ for some unknown reason, be sure that your skills are not lost with it, and you’re completely capable of creating awesome content and growing your following again.

Let’s see what you can do if you get a LinkedIn Account Restricted message.

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Is My LinkedIn Account Restricted?

You will have to have done something really bad to be banned forever from LinkedIn. The platform applies a range of warnings and restrictions. The most probable scenario is that, in case of a violation, you’ll receive a warning or temporary hold. Therefore we recommend you wait a few days before panicking.

LinkedIn accounts can be restricted for various reasons, from violating user agreements to suspicious activity. For B2B marketers, this can severely impact one of their main demand generation channels. It’s crucial to follow LinkedIn’s guidelines to maintain access and leverage LinkedIn as one of the best demand generation channels.

Why Did My LinkedIn Account Get Restricted?

If, for some reason, your account is restricted, you may have violated the Professional Community Policies. Since very few users read these terms before agreeing to them, they might unknowingly go against the rules.

There are 4 main reasons an account might be restricted:

1. Content violations. If you keep posting content that breaks the rules, LinkedIn might limit your account. Serious rule-breaking content is content that is considered harmful such as material that promotes child mistreatment, terrorism, extremely violent content, or egregious sexual harassment.
2. Profile violations. As a basic requirement, your profile should include your name, profile photo, background photo, and experience and information. If any part of these violates their policies (for instance, your profile picture), they might remove it. If the user continues to violate the policies, the platform might restrict it. In the case of a very serious violation, they might restrict the account after a single violation.
3. Identity violations. LinkedIn requires its users to use their true identities and provide authentic information about themselves. If a profile does not reflect a real identity, they may place restrictions on it.
4. Automated tools violations. The platform doesn’t allow the use of third-party software or browser extensions that scrape, modify the appearance of, or automate activity on LinkedIn’s website. This violates the LinkedIn User Agreement.

Additionally, LinkedIn may flag your account for unusual activities, such as sending too many connection requests (you have a limit of 100 per week), suddenly becoming hyperactive and visiting hundreds of profiles, or if too many people start clicking on the ‘I don’t know this person’ option when receiving requests from you. And of course spamming.

For example, some of the best B2B brands like IBM and Microsoft have great LinkedIn pages that showcase their industry insights and engage their audience effectively. These companies often collaborate with the best media agencies to craft content that complies with LinkedIn’s policies while managing all of their demand generation channels.

LinkedIn Restricted My Account: Now What!?

If your LinkedIn account is temporarily closed or restricted, you may be not able to log in. Or still be able to log in, but with limitations.

1. Check for notifications and messages. If there are any, they will contain details about the restriction and the next steps to follow to regain your account.
2. Check your email. If you cannot access your account, check your email for one that notifies you about your suspension and what follows.
3. In case you don’t agree with the restriction, and if possible, submit an appeal. Sometimes the notifications include an option to appeal with a link or instructions. Before sending an appeal, read through the form carefully. Once you have understood well the reason for the restriction, you can properly refute it, and explain why you believe it’s unfair and should be lifted.
4. Respond if you’re asked for clarifications. If LinkedIn requests additional information to verify your identity, for instance, this is a good sign. Ensure all the information is clear and legible before submitting it.
5. Contact customer support. If you’re unable to resolve the issue through the notification or appeal process, reach out to LinkedIn’s Customer Support. Be concise yet comprehensive when explaining the problem, including any steps you’ve already taken, and why you’re seeking further assistance. You should also be able to fill out the customer support form even if you’re not logged in. Then you wait.

Should You Open a New Account Right After You’ve Been Restricted?

If you find yourself having to follow the path of appealing or waiting for customer support, you might wonder if it’s better to just open a new account and start from scratch. The answer to this question is speculative, as there is no official statement or instruction about it from LinkedIn. However, we recommend not opening a new account right away. The platform can detect a new account from the IP address of the banned one and perceive this one as a new fake account.

What to Do After the Restriction Is Lifted?

We’re pretty sure that if you go through this process once, you’ll try never to make the same mistake again.

Here are a few tips, other than ‘Read the Guidelines’:

• Keep your profile info updated and make sure it accurately shows your work background.
• Verify your account to show you are trustworthy on LinkedIn.
• Don’t send too many friend requests to avoid looking like you’re spamming or being too pushy.
• Don’t send accounts any unwanted messages or spam.
• Avoid using tools that break LinkedIn’s rules, as it can get you in a lot of trouble.
• Personalize your messages to show you’re genuinely interested in connecting.
• Join chats, share helpful ideas, try building good relationships, and always be polite.
• To keep a professional image try thinking about what you post before you post it.
• Check and adjust your privacy settings regularly to manage who sees your profile and posts.

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Wrap Up

Having your LinkedIn account restricted can be a stressful experience. Thankfully, you can usually get it back without too many problems. Just be patient as it may take a few days.