How to Mention People in LinkedIn Posts and Comments

Mentioning someone on LinkedIn can be a useful way to acknowledge their contribution, thank them after an event, respond to an idea they have shared or draw their attention to a post that is genuinely relevant to them.

Used well, a mention helps connect people to a conversation.

Used carelessly, it can feel like an attempt to borrow someone else’s audience.

The difference is relevance.

How to mention someone on LinkedIn

To mention someone in a LinkedIn post or comment:

1. Start writing your post or comment.
2. Type the @ symbol.
3. Begin typing the person’s name.
4. Select the correct person from the suggested list.
5. Continue writing and publish your post or comment.

Once published, the mention links to that person’s LinkedIn profile. In many cases, you do not need to be connected to someone before LinkedIn allows you to mention them. However, whether a person appears in the suggested list may depend on their privacy settings and how LinkedIn presents their profile.

When mentioning people is useful

A mention can be appropriate when you are:

• thanking someone after a meeting, event or collaboration
• acknowledging a speaker, organiser or contributor
• responding to a useful post, article or report they have shared
• recognising a team member, client or partner, with permission where appropriate
• sharing a photo from an event and identifying relevant people
• adding context to an organisational update where someone has played a visible role

For organisations, mentions can help bring more human context to a Company Page update.

For leaders, they can be a simple way to acknowledge colleagues, clients and professional relationships.

Use LinkedIn mentions thoughtfully

Mentioning someone does not guarantee that they will engage with your post. It should not be used simply to attract attention or extend the reach of your content.

Before tagging someone, ask:

• Is this genuinely relevant to them?
• Would they be comfortable being associated with this post?
• Does the mention add useful context for the reader?
• Have I checked their name, title and organisation are correct?
• Would a private message be more appropriate?

Avoid tagging large numbers of people, particularly people with large followings, in the hope that they will help distribute your post. A small number of relevant mentions is more professional and more likely to be well received.

Mentioning clients, colleagues and team members

Mentions can be particularly useful when you are sharing work connected to a client, colleague or team member. For example, you may want to acknowledge someone after a project, thank an event organiser, recognise a speaker or share an organisational milestone.

Use care when mentioning clients or external partners. Check whether the work is public, whether they are comfortable being named and whether there are confidentiality, privacy or reputational considerations.

For leaders and client-facing professionals, the safest approach is usually to make the acknowledgement specific, accurate and proportionate.

Can you mention someone you are not connected to?

In many cases, yes. You do not always need to be connected to someone before LinkedIn allows you to mention them in a post or comment.

However, this should still be a professional judgement call. If you do not know the person and your post is not clearly relevant to them, it may be better to refer to their work without tagging them or send a brief, respectful message first. This is especially important when mentioning senior leaders, journalists, public figures, prospective clients or people you have not met.

Can you edit or remove a mention?

Yes. You can edit a LinkedIn post or comment after publishing it and remove or add a mention. This can be useful if you have selected the wrong person, made an error in context or decide that a mention is no longer appropriate. If the post has already received engagement, remember that people may still have seen the original version. It is worth checking mentions carefully before publishing.

Managing mentions and notifications

People can manage whether they receive notifications when they are mentioned. This means a mention may not always result in an email or app notification. You can also review your own settings if you want more control over the notifications LinkedIn sends you.

For practical guidance, read How to Change Your LinkedIn Notification Settings.

Mentioning people in LinkedIn articles, newsletters and photos

LinkedIn also allows mentions in some longer-form publishing formats, including articles and newsletters, as well as selected visual content.

The same principles apply. Only mention people where the connection is clear, relevant and professionally appropriate. For an article or newsletter, a mention may be useful when crediting a source, acknowledging a contributor or directing readers to another person’s work. For event photos, check that people are comfortable being identified before tagging them.

Use mentions to strengthen relationships, not manufacture reach

The most useful LinkedIn activity is built around genuine professional relationships. A mention can help you recognise someone, continue a conversation or make a post more relevant to the people involved. It does not need to become a tactic. The strongest use of LinkedIn mentions is simple: acknowledge people thoughtfully, add context where it is useful and make sure the association is one they would be comfortable with.

For broader guidance on participating professionally on LinkedIn, read How to Post with Confidence on LinkedIn.

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