When your scraping stops cold
You launch a Phantom to scrape profiles or send messages, only to see:
"Profile out of network – action not possible on a profile beyond your LinkedIn degree."
No data, no message—just a halt. If you’ve ever watched your automation grind to a stop because a lead wasn’t in your network, keep reading.
What’s really happening?
LinkedIn restricts access to profiles beyond your immediate network. A 3rd-degree contact with no mutual connections or a profile outside LinkedIn’s allowed view will trigger Phantombuster’s "Profile out of network" error. This isn’t a Phantom bug—it’s a LinkedIn limitation:
Privacy settings on users allow only certain degrees to view details.
Messaging barriers prevent InMails to profiles with no direct connection (unless you have premium credentials).
Phantombuster reflects LinkedIn’s policy: if you try to scrape or message an out-of-network profile, the action fails.
1) Quick-fix: unblock your Phantom now
Send a connection request first
Insert a Connect Phantom step to send an invitation to the target. Once accepted, subsequent steps (scrape data or send a message) will succeed.
Leverage mutual groups
If you share a LinkedIn group, join it or engage with group posts, then scrape profiles within that group—LinkedIn often relaxes network barriers for group members.
Use Sales Navigator
Premium users can access some out-of-network profiles via Sales Navigator. Connect your Sales Nav account to Phantombuster and regenerate your search URLs.
Once you’re connected or within a supported group, rerun the Phantom and watch profiles flow again.
2) Prevent future blocks
Pre-qualify your list: include only 1st- or 2nd-degree connections in your target URLs to avoid surprises.
Automate connection flow: chain connect-then-scrape steps so you never hit a dead end.
Monitor Phantom logs: catch "out of network" errors early and trigger alternative steps (e.g., skip or queue for follow-up).
Embedding these checks in your workflow keeps your automations smooth and uninterrupted.
3) Why ReactIn never hits an out-of-network wall
Ditch the network-limit headaches: ReactIn’s SmartSequences handle intent-based leads without manual scraping:
Intent signals first – ReactIn collects leads from form fills, Bookings, Stripe payments, or content interactions. These users have already engaged, bypassing the LinkedIn network barrier.
Automatic connections – ReactIn sends invites only to leads who’ve demonstrated intent, ensuring high acceptance rates before any message.
Unified data enrichment – all profile details are fetched after acceptance, so you never scrape inaccessible profiles.
With ReactIn, you get a constant stream of reachable prospects—no more dead ends.
Ready for uninterrupted automation?
Try ReactIn free for 7 days and see how effortless LinkedIn outreach can be.
