21-01-25 email đCONTROL VISIBILITY during LI profile viewing
21-01-25 [How to] đCONTROL VISIBILITY during LI profile viewing
Happy Monday!
Today's [How to] explains how to CONTROL VISIBILITY on LinkedIn as to what others see when you have viewed THEIR personal profiles.
I've started placing [How to]  in the Subject line of certain emails, so you can easily find them. I'd love to hear if this makes it easier for you to find my practical LinkedIn tips in your email feeds.
First, let's discuss the pros and cons of allowing others to be able to see that you have visited their personal profile.
PROS:
It is a subtle/passive way of letting them know you are “here.”
It's a step short of (overtly) Following or Connecting with them.
You might catch their attention and inspire them to click to see your profile.
Who would choose this option:
Job candidates who want to be noticed by Recruiters.
Salespeople and freelancers who want to be noticed by prospects.
Small business startups who want to attract investors.
Networkers looking to build their LinkedIn network who are not afraid to be seen “scoping out” profiles.
CONS:
You don't want people to know when you have looked at their profile.
People could ask you what you were looking for (or “Can I help you?”) when you are not ready to engage/buy.
You could accidentally click on someone's profile and they might take notice/action.
Who would choose this option:
Recruiters doing preliminary work.
Employers checking references before phoning them.
People new to LinkedIn who are looking for examples of profiles.
Competitors who want intelligence or to copy your marketing content.
MEÂ Â I am always scrolling through profiles to note LinkedIn trends AND to help my clients with examples of competitors.
So once you have decided your preference, here's how you change your settings within LinkedIn.
If you are already logged into LinkedIn on a desktop/laptop
Find your small circle headshot on the top toolbar.
If you are not already logged in, the login window will open first.
On the LinkedIn app on your mobile device, assuming you are logged in:
Click on the circle headshot in the top left corner.
Click on the blue Settings link.
Tap on the Visibility link.
Choose “Profile viewing options.”
Either way, you will see the Visibility screen.
In the left-hand menu, select Visibility and then choose “Profile viewing options.”
There will be 3 choices, and a green dot (or a checkmark in mobile) will indicate whether youâre visible or viewing in private mode.
The top choice will show your profile picture (headshot) name, and headline.
The middle one shows “Private profile characteristics” which is usually your title, and maybe your company or industry.*
The last choice is Private mode, no photo, and “Anonymous LinkedIn Member.”
* I find this one silly and meaningless. It will appear like “Accountant at Coca-Cola” or “Someone at Bentley University,” sometimes with a geographic location also. And it could be inadvertently specific enough to blow your cover, for example, if you were scoping out a romantic interest or rival who KNEW that you were an Accountant at Coca-Cola!
BE AWAREÂ Â Â BEWARE
Selecting Private profile characteristics or Private mode will disable “Who's Viewed YOUR Profile” and erase your viewer history. That's a fair enough tradeoff in my mind, but again, you want to consciously decide which approach is better for you.
One more thing (and, no, I get no commissions from LinkedIn, darn it). If you upgrade to Premium you can see all your viewers in the last 90 days while browsing in private mode. That means you can see them when they look at you BUT you can remain anonymous while looking at them.
UNLESS they also have chosen the private mode, by either relinquishing their rights to see who has viewed them, OR by purchasing the Premium service. Ugh.
Reminds me of some children's game (or bar game) where you place your hand on top of someone's, and they top yours, etc.
In conclusion:
I recommend that most of my clients set this to Private Mode. That means no one can tell when they view others' LinkedIn profiles. The downside is that they cannot tell who has viewed them, but unless they are strategically using LinkedIn for sales, it is worth the tradeoff.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. And if you want to visit MY profile, I will see you  unless you are anonymous (because I subscribe to Premium). But why not just Connect with me anyway?
I hope this didn't come across like a firehose. It is MUCH easier to actually just DO than to explain in writing!
To that point, if you would like to hop on a Zoom call with me so I can help you look at your profile and help you make changes on the spot, without the need to read a lot of instructions, pick a time on my calendar: https://anitahampl.com/checklist50 It's at a crazy low price right now for a 45-minute call. We'll have fun and we can look at anything you like on your profile!
Have a great start to your week!
Anita
p.s. Paid/premium versions of LinkedIn treat Visibility differently. Email me if you have any questions about that and I'll try to help you.
p.p.s. Have you ever started your week wondering, “What will I do to make money today?” Well, you are in luck! Successful blogger, trainer, and course creator Cindy Bidar offers all kinds of courses and training for freelancers and solopreneurs.
The fine print: I am an enthusiastic affiliate for Cindy's products. I trust her and buy and believe in her products. When you and your clients buy her products or courses  through my links on this email, I will receive a commission. Thank you!