In the case of thought management and nice alternatives, professionals are lacking out in the event that they’re not on LinkedIn. It’s the world’s largest skilled community with over 1.2 billion members in 200 international locations and areas worldwide.
LinkedIn’s reputation rose following a major flip away from X (previously Twitter), and customers appeared for continuation with their established viewers and exiting community, however information feeds at the moment are stuffed with AI-generated posts and really noisy with self-promotional shouting.
Additionally, there have been adjustments to the platform’s algorithm that prioritize advert income and sponsored content material, and it may be unattainable to seek out posts from the individuals you do wish to attain and work together with.
Fortunately, LinkedIn isn’t the one platform the place you’ll be able to community and proceed to work together with individuals in your group and community in your {industry}.
Listed here are eight skilled networking alternate options to LinkedIn that will help you hook up with alternatives:
Occasion & In-Individual Networking
1. Meetup
With over 52 million members, Meetup is a social media platform that connects you to like-minded fans in your personal area people, wherever you might be positioned. It’s a platform that encourages face-to-face conferences to kind lasting, high-quality connections.
Whether or not you join as an organizer or a member, the platform supplies instruments that provide help to create and talk scheduled Meetup occasions.
From internet hosting digital occasions about AI instruments as an organization to assembly fellow entrepreneurs and practising public talking abilities, you’ll be able to get pleasure from a variety of social actions.
For those who don’t discover one which pursuits you or one which works along with your schedule, you’ll be able to set one up, and Meetup will notify anybody who has recognized your subject as one thing of curiosity to them.
2. Eventbrite Communities
Screenshot from Eventbrite, October 2025Much like Meetup, Eventbrite is a big networking platform, internet hosting 4.7 million whole occasions in 180 international locations in 2024, centered on larger-scale skilled gatherings and festivals alike.
You may attend and luxuriate in immersive or digital dwell experiences. It’s a seamless registration and sign-up course of, and very like attending a live performance, you purchase tickets to an occasion so you’ll be able to meet fellow friends, discuss store, and develop your skilled circle.
Group & Group-Based mostly Networking
3. Discord
Screenshot from Discord, October 2025Whereas most individuals assume Discord is restricted to being a screen-sharing gaming communication platform (about 90% of customers play video games), it is usually an awesome networking possibility.
It’s commonplace to think about using Discord as an alternative choice to LinkedIn. In any case, it’s a free voice, video, and textual content communication platform with over 200 million month-to-month lively customers (MAU).
Screenshot from Discord, October 2025Though it appears extra profitable for builders and gaming-related professionals to community on the platform, what units Discord aside is the real-time connections you can also make, due to devoted areas, particularly Discord servers.
The platform makes collaboration a no brainer. Members can be a part of a number of channels, voice rooms, and dwell co-working periods which are centered on their area of interest, which is much extra personable than a plain DM.
The informal setting additionally helps professionals chill out and work together higher than on formal job websites. Non-curated, genuine posts inside tight-knit communities on Discord can increase your skilled networking higher than polished LinkedIn posts that get little to no consideration.
4. Slack Communities
Screenshot from Slack, October 2025Whereas Slack is finest generally known as an organization’s inner messaging software, it has been adopted as a networking platform that may be thought-about as a LinkedIn various. There are nice communities for no matter your area of interest could also be, from startup founders to UX designers. For instance, information specialists can be a part of Measure, a digital analytics group Slack group, or LocallyOptimistic, one other information group that shares their challenges working with information.
Learn the foundations rigorously, as some Slack Chapters don’t permit mentions of your personal model/product, nor do they allow contacting for job alternatives.
The caveat is that you simply’re seemingly already utilizing Slack for work, so notifications in your cell phone and work gadget might be distracting. If you end up simply distracted by prompt messaging (IM) and cellular/desktop notifications, Slack won’t be the best choice (although you’ll be able to at all times alter notifications in your settings).
To seek out your related Slack group, merely seek for “[Your Topic] + Slack Group” in Google; this often turns up a number of choices. If it doesn’t exist but, you’ll be able to create your personal Slack workspace and invite individuals to hitch at no cost.
5. Fb Teams
Screenshot from Fb, October 2025There are 3 billion month-to-month lively customers on Fb, which implies that whereas it’s usually considered as a private social media platform, you’re greater than prone to discover your skilled community on it.
Fb can function an awesome, much less formal various to LinkedIn, significantly Fb teams, which stay common for skilled networking. You may plug in associated key phrases to your curiosity or {industry} inside Fb, then click on on Teams and filter the outcomes based on your location.
There are a number of teams that share skilled recommendation, maintain conferences, or function a community for hiring freelancers. These teams cater to numerous features of digital advertising, from tactical data to working a digital company.
Open & Social Networking Platforms
6. Reddit
![Search for [digital marketing] on Reddit](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/screenshot-2025-10-08-at-8.36.15-pm-225.png)
Screenshot from Reddit, October 2025Reddit is rising in popularity and can be utilized for networking. With over 100,000 lively communities, Reddit boasts a whole bunch of helpful advertising subreddits, together with r/PPC for paid search and r/search engine optimization. These communities are utterly free to hitch and open to the general public.
You may reply to these in search of skilled opinion and construct up your karma and profile to earn curiosity in your model/companies.
Every of those has its personal function, with a algorithm and mods in place to implement them, guaranteeing they’re not scams. So, in case you’re job looking, it’s finest to seek for categorized boards equivalent to r/RemoteJobs and r/forhire. You may reply to current posts or create your personal; merely join a free Reddit account to take part within the dialog.
7. X (previously Twitter) Threads
Screenshot from X (previously Twitter), October 2025Like Reddit, X (previously Twitter) isn’t a direct LinkedIn various, nevertheless it’s public, free, lively, and remains to be going sturdy with over 586 million estimated MAU. You may join with a broad viewers on it to change work-related concepts and ask for suggestions. It’s excellent for digital entrepreneurs as a result of it’s a high social media platform that simply attracts individuals throughout the tech {industry}.
The communities on the platform are public, free, lively, and might be actually supportive. You can too ask Grok, the free AI assistant constructed into the platform, to investigate real-time information and present developments, to summarize conversations or uncover related information.
SEOs and digital entrepreneurs can discover hashtag-driven communities, equivalent to @SEOChat, #PPCchat, #FBadsChat, #SEOchat, #SEOtalk, #socialROI, and #contentwritingchat. Merely exhibiting up for related conversations can result in convention invites, podcast appearances, or doubtlessly job alternatives.
Startup & Profession Centered Platform
8. AngelList
Screenshot from AngelList, October 2025For a extra startup-focused networking expertise, AngelList is a robust various to LinkedIn. With over 13,000 lively startups on the platform, it was initially created for startup founders to lift funding, however has developed right into a networking platform helpful to tech, advertising, and entrepreneurial professionals.
Members can create specialised profiles to spotlight their abilities, apply for job listings, comply with firms, take part in discussions with professionals of their subject, and join with founders to share data and experience.
AngelList is like LinkedIn, however custom-fit to startup fans and founders, so it’s extra seemingly that will help you achieve startup-stage connections and alternatives sooner than in case you had been to browse on LinkedIn.
Wrapping Up
Whereas LinkedIn remains to be the biggest skilled networking web site on this planet, it’s not the one one you want. There are such a lot of alternate options to construct significant connections.
Many of those alternate options listed could also be extra useful than LinkedIn as a result of they concentrate on creating extra skilled connections based mostly on group or area of interest pursuits, or provide location-based networking in a way more relaxed setting.
Professionals are branching out to different channels like Slack, the place they’ll foster real connections and or discover profession alternatives via a number of job boards on Reddit. The hot button is to fulfill your friends the place they’re, pitch your finest work, and join round a shared purpose.
Whether or not you favor an off-the-cuff forum-style job posting or a high-energy dwell occasion, these LinkedIn alternate options may help you develop your community and take the subsequent step in your profession.
Extra Assets:
Featured Picture: Master1305/Shutterstock
FAQ
Is on-line networking on social platforms like X (Twitter) as efficient as formal networking websites?
Social platforms like X (Twitter) might be remarkably efficient for skilled networking as a result of these communities are sometimes extra informal and approachable in nature. Listed here are a few of the advantages:
- They’re public and free, permitting unfettered entry to {industry} discussions.
- Communities equivalent to X (Twitter) present supportive environments the place new members are welcomed and inspired to contribute.
- Professionals can use hashtags to have interaction in industry-specific conversations, share experience, or search recommendation.
- Many professionals have leveraged X (Twitter) for profession alternatives, together with talking occasions or shopper referrals.
X (Twitter) and related platforms provide a dynamic and interactive avenue for constructing skilled relationships and staying present with {industry} developments.
What are some issues when selecting knowledgeable networking platform?
Selecting a networking platform appropriate to your skilled wants entails evaluating a number of components:
- Objective: Decide in case you want a platform for job looking, {industry} networking, shopper outreach, or skilled improvement.
- Geographical Focus: Some platforms are higher for native networking (like Meetup), whereas others have a broader, usually international attain.
- Business Relevance: Search for platforms internet hosting communities or boards that cater to your particular {industry} or area of interest.
- Format and Options: Contemplate in case you desire informal social media interactions, structured networking websites, or {industry} boards for data change.
- Person Base: The dimensions and exercise degree of the group can vastly impression networking alternatives and useful resource availability.
- Price: There is likely to be membership charges concerned, so assess if the potential advantages justify the bills.
Analyzing these features may help pinpoint the perfect networking platforms for reaching your skilled objectives.
