LinkedIn Auto Follow

PhantomBuster's LinkedIn Auto Follow Automation runs in the cloud, so you don't need your browser or computer on. Connect using your LinkedIn session cookie, provide a list of profile URLs, and set it to launch repeatedly. Results are saved to a spreadsheet, and you can optionally extract emails using our email discovery service.

Check out the Tutorial for step-by-step setup.

Safety first: We recommend following a maximum of 80 profiles per week (or 150 if you have a Sales Navigator account), spread out across several launches within working hours.

What you give / What you get

You bring your target list and credentials. PhantomBuster delivers back a structured record of every profile you've followed, along with the option to enrich each one with additional data.

In short, you bring the profiles, PhantomBuster handles the rest, automating your LinkedIn presence while keeping results organized for immediate action.

What you can automate with LinkedIn Auto Follow

Here's what PhantomBuster's LinkedIn Auto Follow Automation can do for you:

• Follow target profiles at scale: Queue up hundreds of LinkedIn profiles and follow them gradually over days or weeks.

• Trigger notifications to get noticed: Each follow sends a notification, putting your profile in front of your target audience.

• Extract profile data while you follow: Optionally visit each profile and pull available data, including emails via our email discovery service.

• Run repeatedly on autopilot: Set the Phantom to launch daily, spreading actions across working hours for maximum safety.

• Track your progress in a spreadsheet: Every followed profile is logged automatically, so you always know who you've engaged.

• Build a follow-unfollow sequence: Pair with the LinkedIn Auto Unfollow Phantom to maintain a healthy follower ratio.

Perfect for sales reps automating LinkedIn prospecting, marketers warming up leads, and growth teams staying visible to target accounts.

How teams use LinkedIn Auto Follow

Sales teams and marketers use LinkedIn Auto Follow to accelerate prospecting, warm up leads, and grow their network organically, all while staying compliant.

• Warm up prospects before outreach: Follow profiles you plan to message later, so your name is already familiar when you reach out. Combine this with our LinkedIn Auto Liker and LinkedIn Profile Visitor to build a complete warming sequence. See the Warm Outbound Playbook.

• Grow your network with engaged leads: Extract users who like or comment on industry posts using the LinkedIn Post Likers Export or LinkedIn Post Commenters Export, then follow them to stay on their radar.

• Monitor competitor engagement: Follow profiles interacting with your competitors' content to identify intent signals and build a pipeline of warm leads.

• Execute a follow-unfollow strategy: Follow profiles gradually over a week or two, then unfollow them using the LinkedIn Auto Unfollow Phantom to keep your follower-to-following ratio balanced while still gaining visibility.

• Enrich profiles with emails while you follow: Enable profile visits and email discovery to build a qualified lead list with contact details as you go, then sync to your CRM or qualify with AI.

Workflow Ideas to Get You Started

PhantomBuster Automations become more effective when combined into Workflows. Here are proven sequences you can build today. Try it free to see how they work for your workflow.

Workflow Example: Warm up leads before outreach

LinkedIn Profile Visitor → LinkedIn Auto Follow → LinkedIn Activity Extractor → LinkedIn Auto Liker

Why this works

Following someone after visiting their profile creates multiple touchpoints, making your name familiar before you send a connection request. This sequence improves acceptance rates from 10% to 50% by building recognition first.

Who it's for

SDRs, BDRs, and sales reps running warm outbound campaigns who want higher reply rates without cold pitching.

How to build it

1. Use LinkedIn Profile Visitor to appear in prospects' "Who's Viewed Your Profile" list.

2. Chain LinkedIn Auto Follow to send a notification and increase recognition.

3. Extract recent posts with LinkedIn Activity Extractor to find relevant content.

4. Use LinkedIn Auto Liker to like their posts, showing genuine interest.

Outcome

Prospects recognize your name before you reach out, leading to warmer conversations and higher conversion rates.

See full playbook →

Workflow Example: Turn post engagement into qualified leads

LinkedIn Post Likers Export → LinkedIn Auto Follow → AI LinkedIn Profile Enricher → HubSpot Contact Sender

Why this works

People who engage with industry content are already interested in your market. Following them keeps you visible while AI qualification filters for decision-makers, so only ICP-fit leads reach your CRM.

Who it's for

Sales managers and RevOps teams who need a steady flow of qualified, engaged leads synced directly to their CRM.

How to build it

1. Extract engaged prospects using LinkedIn Post Likers Export from competitor or industry posts.

2. Follow them automatically with LinkedIn Auto Follow to stay on their radar.

3. Qualify leads with AI LinkedIn Profile Enricher to identify decision-makers matching your ICP.

4. Sync qualified leads to HubSpot using HubSpot Contact Sender.

Outcome

Your CRM fills with warm, qualified leads showing real buyer intent, ready for personalized outreach.

See full playbook →

Workflow Example: Build a compliant follow-unfollow sequence

LinkedIn Search Export → LinkedIn Auto Follow → LinkedIn Auto Unfollow

Why this works

Following profiles triggers notifications and increases visibility. Unfollowing after one week keeps your follower-to-following ratio healthy while maximizing the initial visibility boost.

Who it's for

Growth teams and personal brand builders who want to expand their network without appearing to follow everyone indiscriminately.

How to build it

1. Build a target list with LinkedIn Search Export from a saved LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search.

2. Set LinkedIn Auto Follow to run daily at 40 profiles per day (or 75 with Sales Navigator).

3. After one week, configure LinkedIn Auto Unfollow to process the same number of profiles daily.

Outcome

You maintain a clean follower ratio while staying visible to hundreds of prospects each month, all within safe daily limits.

Workflow Example: Enrich and sync followers to your CRM

LinkedIn Profile Follower Collector → LinkedIn Auto Follow → LinkedIn Profile Scraper → HubSpot Contact Sender

Why this works

People who follow you are already interested. Following them back creates reciprocity, while enrichment and CRM sync turn followers into actionable leads with complete contact data.

Who it's for

Sales teams and marketers who want to convert their LinkedIn followers into CRM contacts for targeted outreach campaigns.

How to build it

1. Extract your followers using LinkedIn Profile Follower Collector.

2. Follow them back automatically with LinkedIn Auto Follow to build reciprocal connections.

3. Enrich profiles with LinkedIn Profile Scraper to collect job titles, company data, and emails.

4. Sync enriched leads to HubSpot with HubSpot Contact Sender.

Outcome

Your CRM fills with engaged, enriched leads who already know your brand, ready for personalized sequences.

Important: Follow safe usage. Safely follow up to 80 profiles per week (150 with Sales Navigator) and use human-like pacing. See our LinkedIn limits guide and safe automation practices for details.

How to auto follow on LinkedIn

This Phantom automatically follows a list of LinkedIn profiles in four straightforward steps.

1. Connect to LinkedIn using your session cookie. This lets PhantomBuster act on your behalf safely and securely.

2. Gather the LinkedIn profiles you want to follow. Provide a spreadsheet with profile URLs from searches, posts, or other sources.

3. Launch the Phantom or set it on repeat. Choose manual launch for one-time campaigns or schedule repeated launches for steady, daily follows.

4. Track results in a spreadsheet. Every followed profile is recorded automatically, with optional data enrichment including emails.

Check out the LinkedIn Auto Follow Tutorial for detailed setup instructions, including how to configure safe daily limits and enable email discovery.

Pro tip: Spread follows across several launches within working hours (9am–5pm in your timezone) to mimic human behavior and reduce the risk of triggering LinkedIn's activity filters. This is especially important if you're following close to the daily limit.

Best practices

Get the most out of LinkedIn Auto Follow while staying safe and compliant.

• Respect daily limits: Follow a maximum of 80 profiles per week (or 150 if you have a Sales Navigator account). For follow-unfollow sequences, use lower limits: maximum of 40 profiles per day (or 75 with a LinkedIn Sales Navigator account). Spread actions across several launches within working hours.

• Build targeted lists first: Use LinkedIn Search Export or Sales Navigator Search Export to find qualified profiles before you follow them. Quality beats quantity.

• Combine with other warming actions: Following alone is good, but pairing it with profile visits and post likes creates a stronger impression. See our Warm Outbound Playboo for a complete approach.

• Enable email discovery selectively: If you want emails, enable profile visits and connect an email discovery service (Dropcontact, Hunter, or Snov.io). This adds time per profile but gives you direct contact info for outreach.

• Monitor account health: If you get a LinkedIn warning or restriction, pause automation immediately and review our guide on how to fix restricted accounts.

• Time your follow-unfollow sequence carefully: Wait at least one week after following before unfollowing. This gives people time to notice you and follow back, maximizing the benefit of the initial follow.

• Keep your profile optimized: When people get a follow notification from you, they'll check your profile. Make sure your headline, summary, and recent activity position you as a credible, relevant connection.

Frequently asked questions

Here are the most common questions about using LinkedIn Auto Follow, from setup and compliance to data quality and workflow integration.

What does LinkedIn Auto Follow actually do?

LinkedIn Auto Follow Phantom automatically follows a list of LinkedIn profiles you provide, triggering a notification for each person so they see your name and profile. It runs in the cloud, so you don't need your browser or computer on. You can set it to launch repeatedly, spreading follows across days or weeks to stay within safe daily limits. Optionally, the Phantom can visit each profile and extract available data, including emails via an email discovery service.

Is there a limit to how many LinkedIn profiles I can follow per day?

There is no fixed daily limit on how many profiles you can follow, but aggressive following can still trigger restrictions or spam checks. LinkedIn’s official help center states that while there is a cap on 1st‑degree connections (30,000), “the number of people who can follow you (and who you can follow) is unlimited. However, LinkedIn also notes that accounts may be restricted if activity appears abusive or violates policies (for example, behaving like a bot or spamming). In practice, PhantomBuster recommends keeping all rapid actions (follows, connects, profile views) to a moderate, human-looking pace to avoid triggering account reviews or temporary restrictions.

How do I get started with LinkedIn Auto Follow?

Start by connecting to LinkedIn using your session cookie, then provide a spreadsheet with the profile URLs you want to follow. Launch the Phantom manually or set it to repeat daily. Results are saved to a spreadsheet automatically. For a full walkthrough, including how to configure safe limits and enable email discovery, check out the Tutorial.

How many profiles can I safely follow per day?

We recommend following a maximum of 80 profiles per week (or 150 if you have a Sales Navigator account), spread out across several launches within working hours. For follow-unfollow sequences, use lower limits: maximum of 40 profiles per day (or 75 with a LinkedIn Sales Navigator account). These limits help you stay compliant and avoid triggering LinkedIn's activity filters. Learn more about LinkedIn's 2025 limits and how to scale safely.

What are the benefits of using LinkedIn Sales Navigator with this Automation?

Sales Navigator users can follow more profiles per week without looking spammy (150 instead of 80, or 75 instead of 40 for follow-unfollow sequences), have access to more advanced search filters for building target lists, and can pair this with the Sales Navigator Search Export to find highly qualified prospects. If you're serious about LinkedIn prospecting at scale, Sales Navigator is worth it. Compare LinkedIn account types here.

Can LinkedIn Auto Follow extract email addresses automatically?

Yes. Enable the option to visit profiles, and the Phantom will extract all available information, including email addresses using our email discovery service (Dropcontact, Hunter, or Snov.io). This turns LinkedIn Auto Follow into both a warming tool and a lead enrichment tool, giving you contact details for immediate outreach. For more comprehensive data extraction, pair this with the LinkedIn Profile Scraper.

How do I build a safe follow-unfollow sequence on LinkedIn?

Set up LinkedIn Auto Follow to run repeatedly at a safe daily limit (e.g., 40 profiles per day). After a time interval of your choice (e.g. one week), configure the LinkedIn Auto Unfollow Phantom to launch at the same frequency and process the same number of profiles each day. This creates a steady, compliant follow-unfollow workflow that keeps your follower-to-following ratio healthy while maximizing visibility.

Will LinkedIn restrict my account for using automation?

Not if you follow safe practices. LinkedIn restricts accounts that behave spammy or exceed daily limits, not accounts that automate responsibly. Stay within the recommended limits (maximum of 80 profiles per week, or 150 if you have a Sales Navigator account), spread actions across working hours, and target relevant profiles. If you do get a warning, here's how to fix it. For best practices, read our guide on safe LinkedIn automation.

Why use LinkedIn Auto Follow instead of manual following or static databases?

Manual following doesn't scale, and static databases give you outdated contact info. LinkedIn Auto Follow extracts fresh, live data directly from LinkedIn profiles, follows people automatically to trigger notifications, and keeps everything organized in a spreadsheet. It's faster, more accurate, and lets you focus on closing deals instead of clicking buttons. Plus, it integrates seamlessly with other PhantomBuster Automations for end-to-end prospecting workflows.

Can I integrate LinkedIn Auto Follow with other Automations or my CRM?

Absolutely. Chain LinkedIn Auto Follow with other Automations to build complete prospecting workflows. For example, use LinkedIn Post Likers Export to find engaged leads, follow them automatically, then enrich with AI and sync to your CRM. Check out our Warm Outbound Playbook or AI Lead Qualification Playbook for ready-made workflows.

What's the best way to learn LinkedIn prospecting strategies with this tool?

Start with our guide on how to use LinkedIn for prospecting, which covers 8 practical strategies including how to build target lists, warm up leads, and automate outreach safely. Then explore our warm outbound automation guide to see how LinkedIn Auto Follow fits into a complete multi-touch campaign. Try it free to see how it works for your workflow.

Ready to try it?

Start following LinkedIn profiles smarter today.

Try LinkedIn Auto Follow free, no setup or coding required. Connect your LinkedIn session cookie, upload your target list, and launch. Results appear in your spreadsheet automatically, and you can set it to run daily for steady, compliant growth. Get your profile noticed, warm up leads, and build a qualified pipeline on autopilot.