# LinkedIn Collaborative Posts: how to add collaborators > Learn how to add collaborators to a LinkedIn post, how collaboration differs from tagging, and what to check if Add collaborators is missing. Author: Mariliis Uibomäe, Brand Promotion Published: 2026-09-23 Last updated: 2026-10-22 Web version: https://brandpromotion.ee/en/marketing-blog/linkedin-collaborative-posts ## In brief A LinkedIn Collaborative Post is one public post shared with up to five collaborators. After they accept, it appears on their profiles or Pages, with reactions, comments and reposts kept together. Unlike tagging, collaborators can view engagement metrics but cannot edit the post. Set visibility to Anyone and use Add collaborators to invite them. If the option is missing, check your collaboration settings and account availability. Organic collaboration and paid promotion are separate: in Estonia, sponsoring another author's post as a Thought Leader Ad is restricted. Want to publish a LinkedIn post with a partner, colleague or company Page? A LinkedIn Collaborative Post lets you invite up to five collaborators using Add collaborators on a public post. Each invitee must accept before the post appears on their profile or Page. Together with the original author, the same post can appear across as many as six profiles or Pages. Collaborators receive public attribution and access to engagement metrics, while all reactions, comments and reposts stay in one place. Editing remains with the original author. This guide explains how to add collaborators, what to check when the option is missing, and when collaboration makes more sense than an @mention. Tagging draws attention to a person or company, but does not publish the post on their profile. For an event recap, the organiser, host and keynote speaker could be collaborators while other contributors are mentioned in the text. [[TOC]] ## How does a LinkedIn Collaborative Post work? Start by creating a normal public post. Its visibility must be set to Anyone. At the top of the share box, next to the audience and comment settings, you may see the Add collaborators option. It lets you invite up to five connections or LinkedIn Pages. After publishing, each invitee can accept or decline. If they accept, the post also appears on their profile or Page. If they decline, it remains with the original author only. An invitation sent to a Page must be accepted by one of its administrators. If Add collaborators is missing, go to Settings & Privacy, Visibility, then Mentions, tags and collaborations. Make sure mentions, tags and collaborations are allowed. If the setting is already active, LinkedIn may not have rolled the feature out to your account yet. ## Collaboration does not mean shared editing A collaborator receives public attribution, organic distribution through their network and access to engagement metrics. They cannot edit the post or manage the other collaborators. Those controls remain with the original author. A collaborator can remove themselves later. The post will then disappear from their profile and they will lose access to its metrics. It is best understood as shared publishing, not shared editing. ## What is the difference between tagging and collaborating? An @mention sends a notification and links a person's or company's name to their profile. The post does not become their post, and the tagged party does not get access to its analytics. Adding a collaborator requires acceptance. The post then appears on their profile or Page, their role is listed publicly and engagement metrics become available to them. A post can mention up to 40 people or Pages in the text, while it can have up to five collaborators. Photo tagging has a separate limit. You can use both options together. In an event recap, for example, the organiser, host and keynote speaker might be collaborators. Other speakers, the photographer and relevant attendees can be mentioned in the text or tagged in a photo. ## What can you publish as a Collaborative Post? Collaborative Posts can include text, one or several images, native video, external links, PDF documents, polls, events and celebration posts. The post must be public, and collaboration depends on each invitee's account settings. If money or a free product is involved, add LinkedIn's Brand Partnership label. The original author remains responsible for the content even when several collaborators join the post. ## When does a Collaborative Post create the most value? Collaborative Posts work best when several people or organisations genuinely own the story. Strong use cases include: - a joint product or service launch - a business partnership or integration - an event recap - shared research or a report - a customer story and its results - a shared insight from a podcast host and guest - an employer and employee success story - milestones from a programme, accelerator or project Do not invite someone simply because they have a large audience. The connection should be genuine and clear to readers. Otherwise, the post may feel like an artificial distribution tactic. ## How can you get better results? Choose collaborators whose audiences are relevant but not identical. Agree on the main message before publishing and give everyone time to review the final post. You do not need to fill all five collaborator slots. After publishing, encourage each collaborator to add their own perspective in the comments. This gives the shared post more depth and helps start a real conversation. Respond to comments actively and compare the result with a similar standard post. This will show whether collaboration added relevant reach, engagement or new contacts. Remember that LinkedIn does not promise exposure to every follower or an automatic algorithm boost. A Collaborative Post becomes eligible to enter several professional networks, but its performance still depends on content quality and audience interest. ## Creator Marketplace and Thought Leader Ads Creator Marketplace in LinkedIn Campaign Manager helps brands discover public posts that may be worth promoting. Discovery can include posts mentioning the brand as well as content from employees, customers and creators. If you want a brand to discover your post there, mention it directly in the post text with an @mention. Adding a brand as a collaborator is not the same as mentioning it. When a brand finds a suitable post, it can ask the original author for permission to use it as a Thought Leader Ad. The author can approve, decline or later revoke that permission. Accepting a collaborator invitation and approving paid promotion are two separate decisions. Not every format is eligible for advertising. Public text posts, single image posts, videos and certain articles and newsletters may qualify. PDF documents, posts with several images, polls, celebration posts, reposted content and posts originally published by Company Pages may not qualify as Thought Leader Ads. ## An important limitation in Estonia and the European Union As of September 2026, LinkedIn restricts one specific route in DMA countries, including Estonia: a brand discovering another author's post through Creator Marketplace and sponsoring it as a Thought Leader Ad. Organic Collaborative Posts continue to work. A collaborator may also be able to promote the post that now appears on their own profile by using Boost. Boost means spending your own budget to advertise your own post. A Thought Leader Ad means a company spends its budget to promote someone else's eligible post with the author's permission. Availability may change by region and account, so check the current options in Campaign Manager before planning a campaign. ## Which option should you choose? Use a tag when a person or company is mentioned, thanked or referenced. Add a collaborator when they genuinely helped create the story, project or outcome and want it to appear on their profile too. Use Boost when you want to advertise your own post with your own budget. Creator Marketplace and Thought Leader Ads are designed for situations where a company wants to promote an eligible author's content with their permission. A well planned Collaborative Post is not simply a way to chase more reach. It connects several credible voices, makes a partnership visible and creates one shared conversation that can benefit everyone involved. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many collaborators can I add to a LinkedIn post? You can invite up to five collaborators to one public post. Together with the original author, the post can appear on up to six profiles or company pages. ### Why can't I see the Add collaborators option? Make sure the post visibility is set to Anyone and allow mentions and collaborations under Settings & Privacy, Visibility, Mentions, tags and collaborations. If it is still missing, LinkedIn may not have rolled it out to your account yet. ### Can a collaborator edit the post? No. A collaborator gets a public connection, reach into their network and access to analytics, but editing rights stay with the original author. ### What is the difference between a tag and a collaborator? A tag sends a notification and links the profile, but the post does not appear on the tagged profile. A collaborator's post appears on their profile with analytics once they accept the invitation. ### Do Thought Leader Ads work in Estonia? As of September 2026, LinkedIn restricts sponsoring another author's post via Creator Marketplace in DMA countries, including Estonia. Organic collaborative posts and boosting your own post still work.