15+ LinkedIn Connection Request Messages That Work

Tired of sending boilerplate Linkedin connection requests?

Want to increase your LinkedIn lead generation success rate?

Looking for a better alternative for "I'm looking to expand my professional network?"

In this article, we will teach you how you can write LinkedIn connection request messages that are both effective and memorable. We will cover all the tips and best practices you need to know to build a strong and thriving LinkedIn network.

17 LinkedIn connection request message templates that you can use for inspiration

Here are 17 templates for LinkedIn connection messages that you can use to come up with unique, personalized connection requests, that'll win you new connections easily.

Template 1: Professional networking

Sending a professional networking LinkedIn connection request message is an excellent way to build and expand your professional network, establish connections with potential collaborators, mentors, and clients.

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Template 2: Collaboration

This is the perfect connection message template to help you target potential partners and collaborators in your industry, expand your network, and increase your professional opportunities. 

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Template 3: To a recruiter

This template will help you build relationships with recruiters in your industry and increase your visibility to potential employers. 

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Template 4: Shared connection

This message is an effective way to build relationships and expand your professional network.

By mentioning a mutual connection in your message, you demonstrate that you have a common ground for establishing a professional relationship.

This can help build trust and get your connection request accepted more easily.

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Template 5: After a recent networking event

Want to continue the conversations and connections you made in person at an event? This is the template for you.

By connecting with others on LinkedIn, you can stay in touch, exchange ideas and information, and build on the relationships with people you met at the event.

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Template 6: Common interest

Template 7: To talent (as a recruiter)

Sending this template to candidates can help you expand your network and stay in touch with qualified candidates for current and future job openings. 

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Template 8: Offering help

This template promotes your willingness to support your potential connection after you’re connected.

By offering to help, you can provide value to others, establish yourself as a resource, and potentially open up new opportunities for collaboration or future work.

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Template 9: Referral connection

This message template shows you have a mutual connection and someone who can vouch for you.

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Template 10: Sales connection

This message is an excellent template for reaching out to potential customers, leads, or clients on LinkedIn. It allows you to introduce yourself and your business and highlight the value you can offer.

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Template 11: Impressive career journey

This connection request message is a great way to make a positive impression and build a relationship with your recipients. 

By acknowledging their achievements, you show that you are genuinely interested in their work and prove that you are willing to make a connection based on shared interests or goals.

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Template 12: Industry humor/joke

Sending a LinkedIn connection request with an industry joke or humor is a fun and effective way to break the ice and start a conversation with your potential connection.

Humor can help put them at ease and make your message stand out from more formal or standard connection requests they receive.

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Template 13: After someone reacted to your content

By reaching out in this way, you demonstrate that you value their input and would like to connect with them to continue the conversation or explore potential opportunities.

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Template 14: After someone had an interesting take on a popular post

This is another effective way to start a conversation and build a connection with someone who shares your interests or ideas.

The message shows that you are paying attention and engaging with their content. 

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Template 15: Professional growth

A connection request message that shows appreciation for your target’s professional growth can help you establish a positive relationship and make them more likely to accept your request.

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Template 16: Urgent request

The idea of an urgent request can be an effective way to get someone’s attention if you need their help or advice quickly. 

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Template 17: Network expansion

This is a common and effective way to increase your LinkedIn network and connect with new business contacts, collaborators, or experts. 

Subject line: Seeking connections in [recipient's industry/specialty] - [your name]

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3 steps to write a compelling LinkedIn connection message

Here are the three main steps you need to follow to write a compelling LinkedIn connection message that gets you through the door, beats the noise, and lands you new connections. 

Research and understand your audience.

The first step in writing a compelling LinkedIn connection message is understanding who you are trying to connect with. 

Doing so will give you insight into the language, tone, and approach that best resonates with your target connection. It will also make it easier for you to tailor your message to their specific needs and interests. 

So, your goal is to understand who they are, what they do, and what they are interested in. To achieve this, start by researching their LinkedIn profile and tracking their activities.

Try looking up the content they post, the content they react to or comment on, the content they share, the people they network with, etc. 

Doing this will help you build a complete persona of your target connection on the LinkedIn platform. You’ll be able to understand what they like and how they spend their time on LinkedIn. This will inform how you speak to them and what you offer them.

Also, you can use LinkedIn's advanced search functionality to find individuals who match your criteria and review their profiles to learn more about their backgrounds, interests, and professional goals.

Then, look for common traits and characteristics among the people you want to connect with.

Here is how to do it. 

Step 1: Enter your keywords in the search bar and run the search.

Step 2: Click the category you want to search within the search results page.

You can click on the “All filters” button to bring even more filters for your advanced search. 

The filters you can use include companies, mutual connections, LinkedIn group, events, services, locations, degree connections, followers of the same LinkedIn group or LinkedIn account.

Step 3: Choose your filters and run the search. 

For example, if you want to filter by location, click the Locations section and enter the area, city, or country in the pop-up window. You can add multiple locations in the same search bar.

Step 4: Click the “Show results” button, and LinkedIn will start generating your search results.

And here is the result. 

Create personalized first lines.

If you did the upper part well, this should be easy. First, it was to learn about the people you are reaching out to deliver your speaking accordingly. 

Now, your goal is to pick up bits of information from their footsteps on LinkedIn so you can come up with personalized opening lines.

You can easily pick up on important data you can include in your connection message to personalize it.  Here is an example. 

Suppose you are targeting Jacalyn Beales, manager of demand generation at Lever. 

First step, head over to her profile.  

Then you go through her activity to find the latest.

Important note: Her activity is full of interesting content and materials you can use for this. But this will not be the case for every person you target. 

There are many other ways and data you can use to do this. You can also search through their job experience, recommendations, mentions, company news, events they participated in, birthdays, awards, etc. 

So, here is her latest post from 12 hours ago. 

So based on that post. Your first line could read like this:

“Hey, Jacalyn

I’ve been following you for a while, and I’ve grown to become one of your biggest fans. 

I’ve been trying the strategies you share with us here and especially that cheat code on content marketing hierarchy. 

I’ve shown it to my manager, and they seem excited about the results we could get from it. Thanks, and keep up the good work!”

This personalization is critical to making a strong impression and building a relationship with your potential connection — and it will help you stand out from the crowd and increase your chances of securing a connection.

Write a personalized message.

The body of your LinkedIn connection message is where you have the opportunity to make your impression and convey why you believe the connection will be mutually beneficial. Basically, you need to convince your potential connection that they have to connect with you. 

The first step to doing this is to create a message that is tailored to the specific interests and needs of your target connection — aka a personalized message.

Doing so shows your target that you have taken the time to research them and understand their needs. It immediately sets you apart from the generic messages they usually receive. 

Here are some tips and a step-by-step writing formula you can follow for writing a personalized LinkedIn connection message.

1. Start by addressing the recipient by name and expressing your interest in connecting.

2. Create a fun, interesting first line from the data you collected when searching them in Step 1. This will help you create rapport with them, and they will be more receptive to what you have to say. 

3. Explain why you believe the connection will be mutually beneficial. This could be a shared professional goal, a potential collaboration, or a shared interest in a specific industry or topic.

4. Entice them by offering value to the connection by sharing resources, connecting them with someone else in your network, or suggesting to help in any way you can. This will also set you up for the business talk down the road.

5. Improve your relevance by mentioning a common interest, shared connection, or recent project or event that you both were a part of at the end of your message. 

6. End with a call to action; simply tell them how great it’d be if you both connected and helped each other towards their respective goals and urged them toward that action.

Let’s share some templates with you so you can see them in action.

How to send a LinkedIn connection request message

It may not be evident for everyone to know how to send a LinkedIn connection request message — given that it is not an evidenced feature on the platform. Though doing it is easy. 

First thing, know that the connection request message is simply a note you add to your LinkedIn connection requests and are different from LinkedIn messages or LinkedIn InMails.

Go to the profile of your target. Depending on their profile, you’ll either find the “Connect” button displayed or you’ll have to click on the “More” button to find it.

Here is an example. 

Next, click on the “Connect” button, and you’ll be suggested to add a note to your connection request. That’s it.

The next step is to click to “Add a note”, and that’s basically where you write or paste your message for the connection request.

As you see, you’ll have to keep your message very short; you’ve only got 300 characters. 

Key takeaways

• With so many professionals having a LinkedIn account, it's crucial to know how to write compelling linkedIn connection messages that get noticed. Note the best connection message is the one that is not just about you. You need to show your target how valuable you are. Also, a generic connection request won't be compelling enough.

• The messages you attach to your LinkedIn connection requests is your chance to introduce yourself, express your interest in connecting, create a rapport (things like mutual connections, you are in the same LinkedIn group) and convey why you believe the connection will be mutually beneficial to you both. 

• Personalized connection requests is your key to success. Simply tracking your recipients latest activity and using the data to tailor your LinkedIn messages is all you need to make an impact. So, don’t sleep on it.