LinkedIn message templates
10 messages for the two moments that decide an outreach campaign: the note you send with the invitation, and the first message once they accept. Copy them, fill in the brackets, send.
The short version
- A connection note is capped at 200 characters on a free account, not the 300 everyone quotes. 300 is the Premium limit.
- Free accounts only get a handful of personalized invitations a month. LinkedIn's own help pages say three on one page and five on another.
- The ones that work are short. We collected 42 real messages where someone said whether it worked, and the median came out at 148 characters.
- End on a question they can answer in one line. A note that only gets you accepted has not done its job, and most requests are accepted and then never opened again.
- Only write a note when you have something specific to say. A generic one is worse than sending none at all, because it gives someone a reason to decline.
Should your request have a note?
Yes, when you have something specific to say. Here is when it is worth spending one.
Write one when you have something specific to say about this person. When you do not, send the request blank.
One real reason, and it has to fit this person only
A post you read, a room you were both in, a name you both know. If the same sentence would work on anyone with their job title, it is not a reason, it is filler.
A generic note is worse than no note
This is the part people get backwards. A blank request gets judged on your photo, your headline and whether you look worth knowing. A generic note gives someone an actual reason to decline. Somebody who receives these daily put it best: hi, I would love to connect shows you could not be bothered.
On a free account, notes are rationed
You get a handful a month, so treat them as a budget. Spend them on the people you genuinely researched and send the rest blank. Premium removes the cap, which is most of what it buys you here.
Around 150 characters, whatever your limit is
We collected 42 real messages where someone said whether it worked. The ones that worked came in at about half the length people are allowed. Nobody has ever complained that a connection note was too short.
In practice: write a note for the people you actually looked into, send everyone else a blank request, and put the time you save into choosing better people. That trade beats any wording change on this page.
What your account lets you send
Your note is capped at 200 characters unless you pay for Premium. Most advice online assumes you have 300.
| Limit | Free account | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Characters in a noteLinkedIn help centre | 200 | 300 |
| Personalized invitations per monthLinkedIn's two help pages disagree | 3 or 5, depending which help page you read | Unlimited |
| Invitations per week, note or no noteLinkedIn has never published this one | Around 100 | Around 100 |
Check your own account before trusting either row. LinkedIn's help pages give two different monthly allowances, three in one place and five in another. They do agree on the character limit, and that is the one that catches people out: 200 without Premium, 300 with it.
What gets a request accepted
Four rules, taken from what the people who receive these messages say about them.
Give a reason that fits this person and nobody else
A post you read, a room you were both in, a name you both know. That reason is the whole message. Two things kill it: a sentence that would work on anyone with the same job title, and praise for something you did not actually read. People can tell, and they are blunt about it.
Never pitch, and never link
You are asking to connect, not selling. It is the thing recipients complain about most. A link does the same job as a pitch, it tells them what this is really about, so keep it out of the note and out of the first message. Send the thing once someone asks to see it.
Two sentences, then stop
Notes that work run around 150 characters, half of what you are allowed. If yours needs scrolling on a phone, it is too long. People decide whether to read in about two seconds, and nobody has ever complained that a connection note was too short.
You are opening a conversation, not filing a request
The win is a reply, not an accept. Most requests get accepted and then sit there forever, which is the failure nobody talks about. If you ask something, ask one thing with a one-line answer: how did you get into this, want the details, who handles this. Tell me about your experience gets ignored, and so does do you have 15 minutes.
The templates
Copy any of them. Nothing is gated, and there is no sign-up.
Sent with the invitation, before they know you
200 characters on a free account, 300 on Premium. Never spend any of it asking to connect, because the note IS the request and the button already says it. Give one reason that fits this person and nobody else, then ask something they can answer in a line. A note that only gets you accepted has not done its job.
Cold, same industry
Hey {first_name}, we're both in [industry] and [person] is in both our networks. How are you handling [problem] at {company}?
Why it works. The mutual connection does the vouching, so the rest of the note can be spent on a question. Asking how someone does something is the cheapest thing they can answer.
They posted something
Hi {first_name}, your post on [topic] made me rethink [specific thing]. Does that still hold at {company}'s scale?
Why it works. Naming what changed proves you read past the headline. The question turns a compliment into a conversation, which is the difference between an accept and a reply.
You were in the same room
Hi {first_name}, we were both at [event] last week. Your point about [detail] is the one I wrote down. Did anything come of it?
Why it works. Shared context is the one thing you cannot fake, and it is checkable in seconds. Asking what happened next is easier to answer than asking for their time.
Recruiter to candidate
Hi {first_name}, I'm hiring a [role] at [company] in [location], [salary range]. Want the details?
Why it works. The closest thing to a proven winner in our research. A candidate who had ignored recruiters for years replied to a message shaped like this and took the job. The salary is doing most of the work.
You applied for the job
Hi {first_name}, I've just applied for the [role] at {company}. Anything you'd want to see from a candidate that the posting doesn't mention?
Why it works. The least crowded move on LinkedIn: one hiring manager counted 1,300 applicants and not a single direct message. Asking what the posting left out gets an answer because it is genuinely useful to them too.
Frequently asked questions
Can't find the answer you're looking for? Send us a message and we'll help you out.