What 1st, 2nd and 3rd Degree Mean on LinkedIn, and What Each Lets You Do
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd badges show how far someone is from your LinkedIn network. What each degree lets you do, message, connect or InMail, and why 2nd matters.
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- The badge next to a name is connection distance: 1st is direct, 2nd is a friend of a friend, 3rd is one hop further
- 1st-degree means free messaging. 2nd and 3rd mean connect first, or pay for InMail
- 2nd-degree is the outreach sweet spot: mutual connections give you context and a reason to be in the inbox
- Out of network means beyond 3rd degree, where basic accounts can see little and InMail is the main door
On this page
The little badge next to every name on LinkedIn, 1st, 2nd or 3rd, is connection distance. It answers one question: how many hops of accepted-connection stand between you and this person? And because LinkedIn decides what you’re allowed to do with someone based on that distance, the badge quietly controls who you can message, who you can invite, and who is effectively behind a paywall.
What each degree means
1st degree. You are directly connected: one of you sent a connection request and the other accepted. You can message each other freely, and you see each other’s posts and full profiles.
2nd degree. Not connected to you, but connected to at least one of your 1st-degree connections. A friend of a friend. LinkedIn shows you the mutual connections you share, which is the single most useful piece of context on the page.
3rd degree. Connected to one of your 2nd-degree connections, three hops out. You’ll see “3rd” in search results and on their profile.
Out of network. Beyond 3rd degree, no chain links you at all. On a basic account these profiles can be limited, and InMail is generally the only direct route in.
Followers are a different axis entirely. Following is one-way, no degree changes, no messaging in either direction. Connections are mutual.
What each degree lets you do
| Degree | Message directly? | Send connection request? | What you see |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Yes, free | Already connected | Full profile, posts, contact details they’ve shared |
| 2nd | Only via InMail, or if they have Open Profile | Yes | Full profile, plus your mutual connections |
| 3rd | Only via InMail | Usually, sometimes under the More menu | Profile, few or no mutuals |
| Out of network | InMail only | Rarely offered | Limited profile on basic accounts |
The pattern to notice: connecting is free at 2nd and usually 3rd degree, messaging is not. LinkedIn sells the shortcut (InMail) and gives away the long way round (connect, wait for the accept, then message). Most good outreach takes the long way, not to save money but because a message from a new connection lands differently than a cold InMail.
Why 2nd degree is the sweet spot
Almost everyone doing serious outreach ends up targeting 2nd-degree people, for three reasons.
Mutual connections are context. “We both know Priya” is the difference between a cold message and a warm one. LinkedIn shows the mutuals right on the profile, and referencing a genuine shared connection, or better, getting introduced through one, is the core move of warm outreach.
Acceptance rates are higher. A request from a complete stranger and a request from someone-who-knows-someone are different propositions, and people treat them differently. Familiar mutuals make you legible.
The path is free. Connect, get accepted, message. No InMail credits, no Premium required. The craft is in the note you attach and the message you send after, which is exactly the part most people rush. Our connection note templates and cold message templates cover both halves.
3rd degree isn’t useless, it’s just colder: fewer mutuals, less context, lower acceptance. Treat 3rd-degree outreach as cold outreach that happens to be on LinkedIn, and hold it to the standard of the full outreach playbook: specific, relevant, short.
Using degrees in practice
Every LinkedIn search result carries the degree badge, and the free search lets you filter by 1st, 2nd and 3rd. That makes degree your cheapest targeting filter: run your search, filter to 2nd degree, and you have a list of people you can reach for free with built-in context.
Two things to keep in mind as you work such a list. First, invites are capped, LinkedIn limits how many connection requests you can send each week, so a big 2nd-degree list is a queue, not a to-do list for Tuesday. We’ve written up where the limits sit and the pacing we recommend. Second, pending invites that never get accepted pile up and look bad to LinkedIn’s systems; withdraw the stale ones every few weeks.
The short version
1st degree: connected, message freely. 2nd degree: friend of a friend, connect for free and lead with the mutual. 3rd degree: reachable but cold. Out of network: InMail or nothing. The badge is LinkedIn telling you which door is open, and for outreach, the 2nd-degree door is the one worth queueing at.
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