What Do 1st, 2nd and 3rd Mean on LinkedIn?
Last updated: October 2026
On LinkedIn, 1st, 2nd and 3rd show how close someone is to you in your network. 1st means you are directly connected and can message each other for free. 2nd means you share at least one connection: you can send them an invitation. 3rd means they are connected to one of your 2nd-degree connections; 3rd+ means they are further away. To message a 2nd or 3rd-degree person, you either connect first or pay for an InMail. For prospecting, 2nd-degree people who just engaged with a post on your topic are the easiest to turn into 1st-degree connections.
Makelead is our product. The method below works by hand or with any tool; the section "How Makelead does it" shows where ours fits, and every claim about it can be checked on our pricing page and in the product.
What each LinkedIn degree means, and what you can do
The small 1st, 2nd or 3rd badge next to a name is not a ranking. It tells you how many steps separate you from that person, and therefore what LinkedIn lets you do with them.
- 1st degree: you are connected
You accepted each other's invitation. You can send messages for free, see their posts in your feed and, depending on their settings, see their email address in their contact info.
- 2nd degree: you share a connection
They are connected to someone you are connected to. LinkedIn shows the mutual connections. You can send them an invitation, with an optional note of up to 200 characters, but not a free message.
- 3rd degree and 3rd+: further away
3rd means they are connected to one of your 2nd-degree connections. 3rd+ means they are even further. The Connect button is often hidden behind the More menu, and some profiles ask for an email address before you can invite them.
- Out of network and group members
Someone outside your network shows no degree, only their name. If you are in the same LinkedIn group, the group can be enough to send a message, depending on their settings.
- Messaging someone who is not 1st degree
Either you invite them and wait for them to accept, or you send an InMail, which requires a paid plan (Premium or Sales Navigator) and uses credits. Some profiles are Open Profiles and accept free messages from anyone.
- Turning 2nd and 3rd degree into 1st degree
Invite people who have a reason to accept: they engaged with a post on your topic, you share connections, or you work in the same niche. A short, specific note helps more than a generic one.
How Makelead does it
- Warm targets: Makelead imports the people who liked or commented on posts about your topic, who are often 2nd or 3rd degree and accept more often than a cold list.
- Invitations with an optional note of up to 200 characters, written per prospect.
- Branches on the relationship: a campaign can check whether a prospect is already a 1st-degree connection and take a different path.
- A first message at least one day after someone accepts, then follow-ups, three messages at most, stopping at the first reply.
- A fixed cap of 200 invitations a week and 40 a day per account, which no setting can raise.
Manual vs Makelead
| Step | By hand | With Makelead |
|---|---|---|
| Who to invite | Scroll search results by degree | People who engaged with posts on your topic |
| Existing 1st-degree connections | Easy to pitch twice by mistake | Can be detected and sent down their own branch |
| Invitation note | Typed one by one | Up to 200 characters, written per prospect |
| After acceptance | Pitch right away, or forget | First message at least one day later |
| Account safety | Up to you | 200 invitations a week, not adjustable |
Mistakes to avoid
- Thinking 3rd degree means low quality: it only measures distance in your network.
- Sending an InMail to someone you could simply invite for free.
- Inviting 3rd-degree strangers in bulk with no note and no shared context, which drags your acceptance rate down.
- Pitching a new 1st-degree connection seconds after they accept.
- Letting thousands of invitations stay pending instead of withdrawing old ones.
Frequently asked questions
What does 1st, 2nd and 3rd mean on LinkedIn?
They are degrees of connection. 1st: you are directly connected. 2nd: you share at least one connection. 3rd: they are connected to one of your 2nd-degree connections. The badge appears next to the person's name.
What does 3rd+ mean on LinkedIn?
It means the person is three or more steps away from you in your network. You can usually still invite them, sometimes through the More menu, or message them with an InMail.
Can I message a 2nd or 3rd-degree connection on LinkedIn?
Not for free, unless they have an Open Profile or you share a group. Otherwise you invite them first, or send an InMail with a Premium or Sales Navigator plan.
Is a 2nd-degree connection better than a 3rd-degree one?
It is closer: you have mutual connections, which often makes people more likely to accept. But relevance matters more than distance. Someone who just commented on a post about your topic is a better prospect than a random 2nd-degree profile.
How many 1st-degree connections can I have?
LinkedIn caps your network at 30,000 first-degree connections. Followers are not capped.
How do I turn 2nd and 3rd-degree people into connections safely?
Invite people with a reason to accept, add a short specific note, spread invitations over the week and stay under about 200 a week. Makelead enforces a cap of 200 a week and 40 a day on every account.