Remember when you first signed up for a LinkedIn account? It was a place to keep a copy of your résumé online for recruiters, colleagues, and everyone else. Every LinkedIn user’s profile was like a modern-day CV.
Today, there’s more to LinkedIn than just resumes. With over 810 million LinkedIn users from more than 200 countries, LinkedIn is now the largest professional network in the world. Half of those users visit the platform daily to engage in 1 billion interactions every month.
Not just for recruiters and salespeople anymore
LinkedIn has evolved into a powerful tool for making connections. The platform is part social media, part virtual networking event, part lead generation tool, and part professional network. It’s a place where you can hear from influencers and entrepreneurs, rub virtual elbows with other LinkedIn users, build professional relationships and find new opportunities. Social media features such as Inmail and LinkedIn Groups and automation tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator provide all kinds of ways to connect with like-minded people.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of noise as well. Every day, LinkedIn users face a mountain of newsfeed updates, InMail and invitation messages, updates from LinkedIn Groups, and of course, plenty of spam. Most users have become savvy about connecting with other people, especially people they don’t know.
When you’re trying to connect with another LinkedIn user, it helps to keep in mind that they’re probably already overwhelmed and are filtering personal messages (if they are reading them at all). You need to write a connection request message that gets their attention and builds your credibility quickly, so they’ll either follow up with a reply or even accept your invitation.
But first, you need to start the conversation. That means you need to structure your invitation messages for maximum effectiveness. This article will show you how to create a LinkedIn connection request message template you can use for any situation.
Anatomy of a LinkedIn personalized connection message
The first thing to keep in mind when you’re trying to make a connection with someone on LinkedIn is that everything is personal. It’s no different than meeting someone new at a party or networking event. You need to make an excellent first impression, and you need to find common ground and create an authentic connection fast.
Use the Head, Heart, Hands, and Heels method to build a message that makes a good impression, establishes rapport and credibility, and gets your message across effectively. All you need is to grab a few personal details from the LinkedIn user with whom you want to connect, and you can write your message quickly and easily.
We begin with the Head: Introduce yourself.
Head: Introduce yourself to make a good first impression
Let’s start at the top. Begin your connection message by introducing yourself. Say who you are and how you found the other person’s profile. Your goal is to make a good first impression, so be specific and honest. Do you have a mutual connection (even better if it’s a first-degree connection)? Did you read something they wrote in a LinkedIn Group or status update? Or did you find them in People You May Know? Whatever the case, be upfront and concise with your introduction.
Examples of connection message introductions:
Heart: Add something personal to find common ground
After introducing yourself, include something personal about the person you’re messaging. Including personal information says that you took the time to do your research before reaching out to them, and you’re interested in building rapport and starting a conversation.
Use personal details relevant to why you’re sending a connection request. Avoid leading with a direct sales pitch, but don’t be afraid to share that you’re a salesperson. You can mention one of their LinkedIn posts, a blog article they wrote or conference where they spoke, or anything that’s public knowledge.
Examples of ways to find common ground
Hands: Explain your request to connect
After you have introduced yourself and shared some personal information to build common ground, you can explain why you are interested in connecting. The key here is to be honest and straightforward about why you’re reaching out to the other person. And of course, keep things short and simple, so you don’t waste their time.
Include a little note to explain why you’re connecting. Everyone on LinkedIn is building their professional network, so be specific. Are you reaching out to specific companies to make a sales pitch? Looking for a job? Do you need help with a business challenge? Are you looking for advice or endorsements? Or are you simply connecting with like-minded people across all industries?
Examples of requests to connect
Heels: Sign off to set the tone for follow-up
Once you’ve finished writing your LinkedIn connection request message, you’ll want to sign off. The signoff is important because it sets the tone for your new connection. Keep things simple and professional. A casual signoff such as Best, Thanks, Cheers, or Regards works just fine.
Also, make sure to include your name in the signoff. It saves the other person from having to scroll up to find your name if they forgot it. It also makes it easier for them to reply to you when they’re looking at your name on-screen.
Examples of signoffs for invitation messages
Do’s and don’ts for writing the best LinkedIn connection message
Now that you know how to build a connection message, here are a few do’s and don’ts to help you make it perfect so you make the best first impression.
Do: use your connection’s name (and check the spelling)
Misspell the person’s name or their company name, and they’ll delete your message without reading it. So check and double-check the spelling. While you’re at it, check the spelling for the rest of your message.
Don’t: send a generic connection request
Using the person’s name is great, but your message will fall flat if your next sentence is obviously a copy and paste line or, worse, “I see you looked at my profile.” Take the time to personalize the message.
Do: make the connection request relevant and useful
You’re asking someone to take time out of their busy schedule to read your message and act on it. Show you respect their time: Get right to the point of your request and make it relevant and useful to them.
Don’t: send a pushy sales pitch or spam
Spam or a pushy sales pitch can turn off your recipient. It’s ok to send a sales pitch, but keep it simple, relevant, and respectful. Simply mention your services and ask if they’re interested in talking.
Do: be honest, straightforward, and respectful
People are much more likely to connect with someone who comes across as genuine and professional. That means being honest and straightforward with your message and respectful in your request for connection.
Don’t: lie about yourself or other people
Avoid lying about your skills, employment history, or connections to other people. It’s very easy for someone to confirm whether you’re telling the truth. If you get caught in a lie, it will destroy your credibility with the other person.
Do: update your LinkedIn profile
When you send a connection request to someone, the first thing they’ll do is check your LinkedIn profile. Make sure yours is up to date, with a professional profile picture, your value proposition, a brief bio, and a concise overview of your experience and skills.
Don’t: make it about yourself
Avoid self-promotion. Make the message about the other person: what you like about them and why you want to connect with them. People respond much better when they sense you are genuinely interested in them.
Write the best LinkedIn connection request messages with CoPilot AI
As you grow your professional network on LinkedIn, you will start sending more and more personalized connection requests. It can be a challenge to personalize each message, especially when sending large numbers of connection requests each day. Creating a LinkedIn connection request message template can save you a lot of time with this task.
CoPilot AI automatically sends the messages for you, so you don’t have to do it manually. Our solution will help get as many messages to prospects in as little time as possible.
Learn how CoPilot AI’s can help you streamline your LinkedIn outreach efforts. Book a demo with our team today.
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