What’s a LION LinkedIn or LinkedIn Open Networker?

Have you ever heard the term “Lion LinkedIn” or LinkedIn Open Networker? 🦁

Well, let me tell you it has nothing to do with the animal… hahaha

Simply put, LION is an acronym for LinkedIn Open Networker (LION), 🤓 or a person who wants to connect with everyone on their network, regardless of whether they’ve worked together or met in person.

It’s about people connecting online with other people! ⚡

What is a LION on LinkedIn?

If you’re looking for ways to grow your LinkedIn network or improve your outreach and lead generation strategies, you’ve probably come across the term LION and wondered what it means. 😅

Let’s start with the definition. 👉 The term LION stands for “LinkedIn Open Networker” and refers to someone who wants to expand their network and has many connections.

This is done by accepting most connection requests they receive, even if they don’t know the sender of the request or have no mutual connections* (we’ll talk about this in a bit!). 💡

Open to Network LinkedIn Meaning

Open to Network LinkedIn means simply that you’re willing to accept invitations from someone you don’t know. 👀

Although your goal as an open networker is to connect with many people, including followers you don’t know, you don’t need to accept every invitation to connect. 🙈

Moreover, as an open to network user, you shouldn’t report someone as “someone you don’t know” which would result in them having their account restricted by LinkedIn. 🙏 Please be mindful of this detail.

Many LinkedIn Open Networkers use the acronym LION, on their titles and join special LION groups. 👉 However, you can choose not to include the term LION in your profile.

It’s totally up to you! 🫵

Get the LinkedIn Open Networking List

Now that you know who the Lions are, here’s a little tip I want to share with you to get the LinkedIn Open Networking list! 🤗

First, you’re going to need an awesome profile-scraping tool, like Waalaxy. 👽

To get a LinkedIn Open Network (LION) list using Waalaxy, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to Waalaxy: Go to your account and navigate to the dashboard.
2. Create a new campaign: Select “Campaign” from the menu and click “Create campaign”. Select the campaign type that fits your network goals.
3. Import LinkedIn Contacts: Use the “Import” function to add LinkedIn contacts. You can enter the details manually or directly from a LinkedIn search if you have prepared a listing in advance.
4. Filter for open networks: Apply filters to segment contacts based on their open network status. Look for keywords like “LION” to indicate they are open networkers.
5. Engage and connect: Use Waalaxy campaign tools to send connection requests or personalized messages to these filtered contacts, to enhance your networking efforts. 💪
6. Manage contacts: Track responses and interactions with Waalaxy CRM features, organizing your open networkers’ list for ongoing engagement.

This scraping approach helps you effectively manage and grow your LinkedIn network using Waalaxy!

Great! Now that you have your prospects’ list on Waalaxy, you can export these LION profiles to a CSV file and use it for other social media campaigns! 🌟

What are the pros and cons of LION?

People with large networks 🔗 often act as bridges between users who wouldn’t otherwise meet on LinkedIn.

💡 As you may know, a LinkedIn user can have three levels of mutual connections*:

1. First degree Connections : Your actual connections, the followers you are directly connected to.
2. Second degree Connections : Someone who’s not directly connected to you, but your first degree connections are connected to them. 👋
3. Third degree Connections : People who are connected to your second degree connections.

This brief explanation will help you understand the importance of having a LION in your network.

Thanks to LIONs, you can suddenly get in touch with thousands of other users because their connections will become your 2nd or 3rd degree connections. 💥

Now that we have understood this, let’s have a more detailed look at the pros and cons of becoming a LinkedIn LION. 👇

The pros of LION LinkedIn

The biggest advantage of becoming a LION LinkedIn is that your visibility will increase to the roof, and more potential customers can see you. 🚀

🟢 As your network rapidly grows, so does the reach of your posts and articles. 💥 Joining a group for Open Networkers means you’ll get more views, likes, and comments on your posts without having to pay for LinkedIn ads.

🟢 Additionally, connecting with LIONs will allow you to use LinkedIn search more effectively if you are a recruiter or business owner. 🧭

🟢 When you are an Open Networker, we tend to see you as an expert in your field because you are so approachable. 🤩 If someone has a question or wants to ask you about something, they know they can send you a quick message and get a prompt response.

Therefore, becoming an Open Networker can help you become a thought leader in your industry, and that’s valuable currency. 🤑

Can you imagine how many leads or qualified talent you are missing out on simply because you don’t have a large network?

Then cons of LinkedIn LION

However, you should know that all of this carries certain risks. 🙊 Accepting a connection request from someone you don’t know will expose you to possible privacy policy and spam issues.

🔴 Your new connections can see public information on your profile and information specific to your connections. 👁️ And you never know how they will use this data.

🔴 But don’t worry because you decide what information to display. 🦾 If you want to become a LinkedIn LION, we encourage you to remove sensitive information such as phone numbers or emails.

🔴 However, we advise you to put your business name, the university from which you graduated, the jobs you worked before, etc. 🧑‍🎓 And other networking stuff like that, but not personal details like addresses or locations.

Click here to learn how to do it! 🙌

The best way to protect yourself from spammers and trackers is to filter every connection request. 👍 Before accepting a contact, make sure that it seems authentic and that they have at least a profile picture. 📸

Want more tips on how to heat up your profile*? 🔥 Then keep reading…

How to find LIONS on LinkedIn?

There are several ways to find a LION LinkedIn. 🐅 The easiest is by joining one of the LION groups or finding them in search results or in the LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

First, open the search bar and type “lion”, you’ll find hundreds of people to meet. 🌌

But if you want to be more intentional about building your network, you can do an advanced search instead. 🔍

Access LinkedIn’s advanced search filters and enter the desired title or a keyword to search in the LinkedIn job title. For example:

• “Lion” + “Social Media Marketing”,
• “IT LION”,
• “Business L.I.O.N”.

This method is much more effective than a simple keyword search typed directly into the search bar, especially when using Boolean operators.

Additionally, by adding different keywords, you may be able to connect with LIONS who are:

• In your industry,
• Working in the same role,
• Living in the same city,
• Attended the same university,
• Etc.

Remember that the goal is to grow a quality network, so remember to use certain filters when connecting with new people. 💧

Furthermore, learn how to master the LinkedIn search feature here! 👈

How do I find Open Networkers on LinkedIn?

If you want to find more LIONs, here’s a tip. 🧠 You can do a simple search by “People” but instead of using the term lion, use the term “Open Networker”.

Both terms are practically the same, it’s just a matter of how they like to be called! 📞

Ultimately, the fastest way to meet LinkedIn LION is to join their community. 🤝

Therefore, use the search feature by “Groups” to find the main LION groups near you. 📍 The groups with the largest number of LIONs are LION™ and “Leading International Open Networkers”, where you can meet other network members and comment on their post.

Why heat up your LinkedIn profile?

Furthermore, don’t forget to heat up your profile* before you start sending out invitations to connect. This will increase your chances of getting accepted by lions! 👏

As you know, LinkedIn is a great online platform for building professional relationships. 🤝 If you’re not actively updating your contact information, it can be a liability to your career.

The next thing you need to do is invest in your LinkedIn connections, which includes sending messages to someone who’s connected to you. 💰 Furthermore, connecting with new individuals who might be interested in working with you or that can provides services for you. 🥸

To achieve this, you can include a friendly note when sending your request to explain how you know each other or why you want to connect. ✍️ For example:

If you don’t know the person, don’t worry! 😇 You can still send a simple connection message like this: “Hi {firstname}, I saw your profile in my suggested friends! Do you want to connect?”

Nothing too fancy, I can assure you it works every time. 🪄

Start an Outreach Campaign

Lastly, you can launch a networking campaign with Waalaxy, like we saw earlier. 😉

• Start by creating a LION list to identify the profiles you want to reach.
• Then, you can select the profiles you want and click on “Start a campaign”.
• Select an automated sequence to connect quicker. For example, send an “Invitation + 2 messages” to follow up with your contact. 👍

When you add someone as a connection on LinkedIn, they’ll receive a notification that you want to connect. 🛎️

If they approve your request, you can start viewing their information and messaging them directly. And that’s it! ✔️

Recap of LinkedIn LIONS:

Open networking on LinkedIn allows you to grow your professional network rapidly and enter new business or professional circles. 🌐

LIONs are LinkedIn users ready to connect. ⚡ They understand the power of networking and the importance of building strong relationships.

If you want to grow your network, 🌱 we recommend connecting with as many LIONs as possible.

That way, not only will you improve your professional expertise, but you’ll also gain access to a greater pool of resources and connections. 🏊‍♂️ So go ahead and start networking!

You never know who you will meet or what opportunity will come your way. 🔮

How to define your LinkedIn Networking Strategy?

The most basic and arguably most important LinkedIn networking strategy is connecting with individual users, but you can also: 👏

• Connect with People,
• Join Groups,
• Follow Companies.

Another great way to make valuable business connections on LinkedIn is to join groups. There are groups for virtually every industry, interest, and position imaginable. 🪄

And once you join a LION group, you can start participating in discussions, sharing relevant content, creating posts and connecting with other members. 🗣️

Just like with individuals, make sure your profile is optimized before trying to join a group so you have the best chance of being accepted. 💘

Finally, most users are used to connecting with individuals and joining groups, but did you know you can also follow companies to find a LION? 👀

By following a LinkedIn company page, you’ll receive notifications whenever they post new content or updates. 🔔 It’s a great way to stay up to date with what’s happening in your industry today!

FAQ of the article

What does LION title mean?

LION or LinkedIn Open Networker is a LinkedIn user willing to connect with other users without prior personal or professional interaction. 🤔

They often display the acronym “LION” 🐯 in their account to indicate they are willing to accept connection requests from any LinkedIn member.

This approach is typically used when you want to quickly expand their professional network, increase visibility, or improve access to different industries and jobs opportunities.

By becoming a LION, 🤗 users signal that they are approachable and interested in expanding their network, making them valuable contacts for networking and exchanging information.

Why do people put LION on LinkedIn?

People put “LION” on their LinkedIn profile to signal that they are a LinkedIn Open Networker, meaning they are open to connecting with anyone on the platform. 👍

This designation is used by individuals who want to quickly expand their professional network without the usual restriction of having to know someone before connecting. 😏

LinkedIn LION often aims to increase visibility, improve access to jobs opportunities, or expand their reach in different sectors.

By identifying themselves as LION, individuals can attract more connection requests and potentially open up new career opportunities, collaborations, and the exchange of valuable information in their industry. 💥

How to add Open to Network LinkedIn?

To add “Open to Network” to your LinkedIn page, you can follow these steps: 👇

1. Edit your profile: Click the “Me” icon at the top of your LinkedIn home page and select “View Profile.”
2. Include a title: Use the title section to include “Open to Networking” or a similar term, like LION, that demonstrates your desire to meet others.
3. Open Profile Settings: Under “Settings & Privacy,” find “Visibility,” then “Visibility of your LinkedIn activity.” Turn on “Open profile” to let someone message you for free.
4. Update your summary: Mention your openness to networking in your LinkedIn summary to better convey your intentions/services.

These steps will signal your intent to network with others online in the platform. ✅

How to remove LinkedIn Open Networker?

On the other hand, to remove your “Open to Network” status or any indication that you are an open networker (LION), follow these steps: ⏬

1. Edit your profile: Go to your LinkedIn profile by clicking the “Me” icon and selecting “View Profile”.
2. Update Title and Summary: Remove phrases like “Open to connect” from your title and summary. Make sure your summary reflects your new network preferences.
3. Adjust opening settings: Go to “Settings & Privacy policy”, select “Visibility”, then “Visibility of your LinkedIn activity”. Turn off the “Open profile” setting to limit who can message you directly.

This way, you signal to others that you prefer selective networking. 👌

Great, now you know what Lion LinkedIn means! 🦁