LinkedIn Connection Message Templates That Actually Work

Why Most LinkedIn Connection Messages Fail

Most people treat the LinkedIn connection request like a formality. They send the default blank request, or worse, they paste in some corporate word salad about "synergies" and "mutual value." Then they wonder why their acceptance rate is sitting at 15%.

Here's the truth: the connection message is the first sales touchpoint. It's your cold email subject line. If it doesn't give the person a reason to click "Accept," nothing else matters - your follow-up messages, your pitch, your case studies, none of it. The gate is the connection request.

The data backs this up. An analysis of 500,000 LinkedIn connection requests found that personalized requests average around a 45% acceptance rate compared to just 15% for generic ones. That's a 3x difference from one small change. And yet most people still send the default "I'd like to add you to my professional network."

I've personally used LinkedIn to generate meetings for agencies, SaaS companies, and consulting firms. The templates below are distilled from real campaigns, not thought leadership posts. Some of these have gotten acceptance rates above 50% consistently. Pay attention to why they work, not just what they say.

The Data Behind LinkedIn Outreach (What You Need to Know Before You Start)

Before I hand you the templates, let's talk about what the numbers actually say, because the benchmarks tell you what to aim for.

Across industries, a healthy connection acceptance rate sits at 30-40%. That's the baseline. If you're below 20%, your targeting is off, your message is off, or your profile is off - usually some combination of all three. If you're above 45%, you've found something that's working and you should be scaling it.

Timing matters more than people think. One study of 16,492 LinkedIn connection requests found that 63% of all acceptances happen within the first 24 hours, and 88% happen within the first 7 days. Translation: if someone hasn't accepted within a week, they're probably not going to. Don't let stale pending requests sit in your queue for months.

The best days to send connection requests? Monday has the highest acceptance rates, followed closely by Thursday and Wednesday. The message here is simple: send when people are in work mode, not winding down for the weekend.

One more stat worth knowing: LinkedIn reply rates on messages average around 10.3%, compared to roughly 5.1% for cold email. LinkedIn outreach flat-out outperforms email on engagement. If you're doing cold email but ignoring LinkedIn, you're leaving half your pipeline on the table.

The Anatomy of a Good LinkedIn Connection Message

Before I give you the templates, understand the structure. Every high-converting connection message does at least two of these three things:

• Triggers recognition: A mutual connection, a shared group, a post they wrote, a company they work at - anything that makes you feel slightly familiar instead of random.
• States a clear reason: Why are you connecting? Not a pitch. Just a human reason. "I'm building a list of agency owners to interview" is better than "I'd love to explore synergies."
• Keeps it short: LinkedIn limits connection notes to 300 characters. Treat that like a feature, not a bug. Short means confident. Long means desperate. Practically speaking, aim for under 200 characters - messages that hit exactly 300 often get cut off in preview on mobile.

That's it. If your message does those things, your acceptance rate goes up. If it doesn't, you're just noise.

One more thing: your LinkedIn profile is part of the equation. When someone gets your connection request, one of the first things they do is click your name and scan your profile. A blank or half-finished profile tanks your acceptance rate no matter how good the message is. Before you run any of these templates at scale, make sure your profile has a real photo, a clear headline that explains what you do and for whom, and recent activity that shows you're an actual human being with opinions.

I've tested dozens of subject lines across millions of cold emails, and the principles apply perfectly to LinkedIn. "Quick Question" is without a doubt the most effective opening I've ever used - it outperforms everything else consistently. When one client was targeting game developers, we even tested relevant emojis in the subject line and saw solid results. The key is keeping it simple and curiosity-driven, not clever or salesy.

LinkedIn Connection Message Templates by Use Case

Template 1: The Mutual Group

Use this when you share a LinkedIn group, alumni network, or event attendance.

"Hey [Name] - saw we're both in [Group Name]. I'm connecting with other [job title/industry] folks there. Happy to have you in my network."

Why it works: Shared context. You're not a random stranger - you have at least one overlapping interest. It's low-pressure and gives them a category to put you in. Mentioning common ground is one of the most reliable psychological levers in connection requests - when you share something with someone, you have greater influence over them. Use every legitimate overlap you can find.

Template 2: The Content Compliment

Use this when they posted something you actually read.

"Hi [Name] - your post on [specific topic] was spot-on. [One sentence genuine reaction]. Wanted to connect with more people thinking about this."

Why it works: Specificity is flattery that doesn't feel like flattery. Generic "love your content" triggers spam alarms. Referencing a specific post shows you actually paid attention. Do not fake this one - only use it when you genuinely read something. If you want to maximize this, go to their profile activity section, read their last two or three posts, and let that inform your message. The research takes three minutes. It's worth it.

Template 3: The Direct Ask (No Fluff)

Use this for highly targeted cold outreach to decision-makers.

"Hi [Name] - I work with [type of company] on [problem you solve]. Thought it made sense to connect in case timing ever works out."

Why it works: It's honest. You're not pretending you just "stumbled across" their profile. You're a professional with a reason to connect. Decision-makers respect this more than fake familiarity. Keep the pitch out of it - "in case timing ever works out" removes pressure. The worst thing you can do in a connection request is try to sell. A connection request is not the place for your pitch. Save that for after they accept.

Template 4: The Research Hook

Use this when you've done homework on their company or role.

"Hi [Name] - noticed [Company] recently [funding round / new product / hiring push]. I help companies in that stage with [relevant service]. Makes sense to connect."

Why it works: It signals that you're paying attention to their world, not just blasting a list. The trigger event (funding, hiring, launch) gives you a timely reason to reach out that isn't manufactured. This is one of the highest-converting templates I use because it demonstrates relevance before you've even had a conversation.

Template 5: The Referral Drop

Use this when a mutual contact suggested you connect.

"Hi [Name] - [Mutual Contact] mentioned I should connect with you. I'm [one-line description of what you do]. Excited to be in your network."

Why it works: Social proof is the most powerful conversion mechanism on LinkedIn. A name-drop from someone they trust immediately moves you out of the "stranger" category. Shared connections improve credibility - prospects are more likely to accept when they see someone they know vouching for you. Always get permission from the mutual contact first. Dropping a name without permission is a fast way to burn two relationships at once.

Template 6: The Alumni Play

Use this when you attended the same university or bootcamp.

"Hi [Name] - fellow [University] alum here. Always good to connect with other [School Name] folks in [industry]. Hope to stay in touch."

Why it works: Shared identity is tribal. People accept connections from fellow alumni at much higher rates. If you went to the same school, use it. It's not a gimmick - it's a real shared experience, which is exactly the kind of common ground that drives acceptance.

Template 7: The Interview or Podcast Angle

Use this if you run any kind of show, podcast, or YouTube channel - even a small one.

"Hi [Name] - I run a [podcast/YouTube channel] for [audience type] and your work on [specific topic] caught my eye. Would love to connect and potentially feature your perspective."

Why it works: People love being featured. This flips the dynamic - instead of you asking for something, you're offering something. Acceptance rates on these are extremely high, and it opens a natural conversation path without any awkward pivot to a sales message later.

Template 8: The Profile Viewer Follow-Up

Use this when you can see that someone viewed your profile (available with LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator).

"Hi [Name] - noticed you stopped by my profile. Happy to connect if there's something I can help with."

Why it works: A profile view is a warm signal. They looked you up for a reason. This template converts the passive engagement into an active conversation. Keep it short and don't overthink it - the context does the heavy lifting.

Template 9: The Job Change Congratulation

Use this when someone just started a new role, got promoted, or launched something new.

"Hi [Name] - congrats on the new role at [Company]. I work with a lot of [job title] folks and would love to have you in my network as you get started."

Why it works: People who just started a new job are in networking mode. They're meeting new people, building relationships, and generally more open to conversations. This is one of the most underused trigger events for LinkedIn outreach. If you have Sales Navigator, you can filter for people who have changed jobs in the last 90 days. That's a goldmine list right there.

Template 10: The Industry Insider

Use this when you're targeting a specific niche and want to signal credibility fast.

"Hi [Name] - I spend most of my time in the [industry] space working on [specific topic]. Connecting with more folks who get the nuances of this industry. Would love to add you."

Why it works: It signals belonging. You're not just another outsider pitching in - you're a peer who understands their world. Industry-specific framing makes you feel like one of them, which lowers the guard faster than any other approach.

Template 11: The Event Follow-Up

Use this when you both attended the same conference, webinar, or virtual event.

"Hi [Name] - we were both at [Event Name] last week. I thought [speaker/session] made some great points on [topic]. Would love to stay connected."

Why it works: Shared events create instant common ground. Even if you didn't actually speak at the event, referencing something specific about it shows you were present and paying attention. This works particularly well in the 48-72 hours after an event while the memory is still fresh.

Template 12: The Value-First Offer

Use this when you have a free resource, report, or tool that's genuinely relevant to the person.

"Hi [Name] - I put together a [resource type] specifically for [their role/industry]. Happy to share it if useful. Connecting either way."

Why it works: You're leading with something for them, not asking for something from them. This flips the usual cold outreach dynamic entirely. The phrase "connecting either way" removes pressure by implying you have no agenda beyond sharing something useful.

LinkedIn Connection Message Templates for Specific Audiences

Generic templates are a starting point. If you're running outreach at scale, you need templates tuned to the specific audiences you're targeting. Here are templates broken out by use case and audience type.

For Recruiting and Talent Outreach

"Hi [Name] - your background in [specific skill] stood out. I'm building a team at [Company] focused on [area]. Wanted to connect in case there's a fit down the road."

Recruiters often make the mistake of leading with the job listing. Don't. Connect first, describe second. The job comes after the relationship is established.

For Agency Business Development

"Hi [Name] - I run a [type] agency and work primarily with [their industry type]. Your company caught my attention. Would love to be in your network."

Agency BD on LinkedIn works best when you're hyper-specific about what you do and who you serve. Vague "full-service digital agency" language kills acceptance rates. Be specific enough that the right people immediately recognize you're talking to them.

For SaaS Founders and Product Outreach

"Hi [Name] - building something in the [category] space and noticed you've been dealing with [specific problem]. Would love to connect with more practitioners working through this."

The key for SaaS outreach is positioning yourself as a fellow practitioner, not a vendor. Nobody wants to accept a connection request from someone who's about to demo them a product. Get in first as a peer, then start the product conversation after rapport is established.

For Real Estate Prospecting

"Hi [Name] - I work with a lot of real estate investors in [market]. Connecting with more folks active in [area]. Happy to have you in my network."

Real estate is a relationship business, so LinkedIn connection requests in this vertical work exceptionally well when they're warm and specific to a geographic market. If you're prospecting real estate agents specifically, the Zillow Agents scraper is a solid way to build your list before you start sending requests.

For Local Business Outreach

"Hi [Name] - I work with local [business type] owners in [city] on [relevant challenge]. Came across your profile and wanted to connect."

Local business outreach on LinkedIn is underused. Most local business owners are on LinkedIn, but they don't get nearly as much outreach there as they do via email or cold call. If you're targeting local businesses, pair your LinkedIn outreach with a prospecting list from a tool like the Google Maps scraper, which pulls local business contact data you can cross-reference against LinkedIn profiles.

For eCommerce and DTC Brand Outreach

"Hi [Name] - I follow a lot of DTC brands and [Company] stood out. I work with ecommerce operators on [relevant area]. Good to connect."

When prospecting ecommerce brands specifically, build your target list first using technographic or store data - a tool like this ecommerce store scraper can pull targeted lists of online store operators before you touch LinkedIn at all.

How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile Before Running Any Templates

This section doesn't get enough attention in most template articles, and that's a mistake. Your profile is the second thing someone sees after your message. If the profile doesn't hold up, the message doesn't matter.

Here's what to fix before you start sending:

• Profile photo: Professional, clear, recent. Not a logo. Not a vacation selfie. People accept connections from real humans, not corporate avatars.
• Headline: Don't just put your job title. Write who you help and what you help them achieve. "I help B2B agencies book more meetings through outbound" is more compelling than "Founder & CEO."
• About section: Tell the story in the first two lines, because that's all most people read before clicking away. Lead with who you serve and what result you create.
• Recent activity: If you haven't posted in six months, your profile looks abandoned. Post once or twice before you start a connection campaign. Proof of life matters.
• Featured section: Pin your best piece of content, a case study, or a free resource. This is valuable real estate that most people ignore.

Think of your LinkedIn profile as the landing page that your connection message sends people to. If the landing page converts badly, the ad copy doesn't matter. Fix the page first.

Here's exactly how I set up my LinkedIn profile to convert, and you can copy this formula. I recorded a walkthrough showing the complete system:

The biggest mistake I see is boring headlines like "Founder at XYZ Company." Instead, I use: "Scale your agency for only $497 a month - 14,000 clients served." That one line includes the benefit, target audience, pricing (our differentiator), and social proof. It took forever to write, but it works.

The Note vs. No Note Debate (And What the Data Actually Says)

This comes up constantly: should you always include a note with your connection request?

Here's what the data shows - and it's more nuanced than most people admit. One study found that blank connection requests and requests with notes had almost identical raw acceptance rates (26.42% vs. 26.37%). But here's the part that matters: adding a note led to a significantly higher response rate of 9.36% after connection compared to blank requests. The note doesn't necessarily get the request accepted at a higher rate - but the people who accept after reading a note are far more likely to actually talk to you.

So the real question isn't "does a note improve acceptance rate" - it's "do I want a bigger network or a more engaged one?" For pure volume networking, blanks work fine. For sales and business development, where the goal is a conversation, always write a note. Every time.

The blank request approach makes sense only if your profile is so strong that the name recognition alone does the work, or if you're targeting such a broad list that personalization isn't feasible. For targeted B2B outreach, write the note.

What to Do After They Accept

The connection request is just the door opener. The real conversion happens in the follow-up message - and this is where most people blow it by immediately sending a pitch deck or a Calendly link.

Wait at least 24 hours after they accept. Then send a message that either continues a thread from your connection note or opens with a low-friction question. Something like:

"Hey [Name] - appreciate the connect. Quick question: are you currently [relevant situation]? Trying to understand what's working for [their type of business] right now."

That question starts a conversation. Conversations lead to calls. Calls lead to deals. The mistake is skipping straight to the sales message before any dialogue has happened.

Here are three follow-up message frameworks that work consistently after connection:

The Context Continuer

Pick up the thread from your connection note directly.

"Hey [Name] - glad we connected. Following up on what I mentioned - I've been working with a lot of [type of company] on [challenge]. Are you running into that on your end, or is it something you've already figured out?"

The Soft Pitch (After Two Exchanges)

Only after you've had at least two back-and-forth messages should you introduce any kind of offer. Even then, make it low friction.

"Based on what you mentioned about [their situation], I think there might be a fit. Would it make sense to jump on a 15-minute call this week? No prep needed, just a quick conversation to see if it's worth going deeper."

The Value-First Follow-Up

Lead with something useful before asking for anything.

"Hey [Name] - I put together a [resource/breakdown] that I think would be relevant based on your focus on [topic]. Want me to send it over?"

I go much deeper on the full LinkedIn outreach sequence - from connection to close - inside my LinkedIn Playbook, which you can grab for free.

One agency owner I worked with was running a managed LinkedIn outreach service and getting decent results, but he hit a ceiling because LinkedIn kept changing the rules. His smartest move was pairing LinkedIn with cold email - he started seeing results immediately in live campaigns. I always tell clients: relying only on LinkedIn is risky because you're at the mercy of their platform changes. Use the connection to start the conversation, but have email in your arsenal as a backup channel.

LinkedIn Voice Notes: An Underused Weapon

Once someone accepts your connection, consider sending a voice note instead of a text message for your first follow-up. It's unusual enough that it stands out, and hearing a human voice builds rapport faster than text.

Keep it under 30 seconds. Be direct. No rambling. It sounds something like:

"Hey [Name], thanks for connecting. I wanted to reach out because [one sentence reason]. Would love to get your take on [specific question] - no pitch, just genuinely curious. Let me know if you're open to a quick chat."

The reason voice notes work is simple: almost nobody sends them. When everyone else is firing off text messages, a 20-second voice note creates pattern interruption. People listen because it's different. And when they listen, they hear a real human - which builds trust faster than any perfectly crafted text message.

I put together a full breakdown on this in my LinkedIn Voice Note Script - grab it if you want the exact framework I use.

How to Personalize These at Scale

If you're running LinkedIn outreach for an agency or doing serious B2B prospecting, manual personalization for every prospect isn't realistic. You need a system.

Here's what actually works:

• Segment your list by trigger: Group prospects by the type of hook you'll use - recent funding, mutual group, content post, job change, etc. Send each segment the corresponding template. It's personalization by category, not by individual, and it scales without requiring you to write 500 unique messages from scratch.
• Build your ICP before you build your list: Know exactly who you're targeting - title, seniority, company size, industry, geography - before you start. Vague targeting leads to poor acceptance rates. Precise targeting by role, industry, and geography ensures your invites reach people who actually care about your message.
• Build your prospect list before you open LinkedIn: Don't improvise who you're messaging. I use ScraperCity's B2B lead database to pull targeted prospect lists filtered by job title, industry, seniority, and company size before I ever touch LinkedIn. Having a pre-built list means I'm sending to exactly the right people, not wasting connection requests on bad-fit prospects.
• Use a LinkedIn automation tool for sequences: Expandi lets you run LinkedIn outreach sequences with dynamic variables, so you can insert things like their name, company, and recent activity automatically. It also respects LinkedIn's limits so you don't get your account flagged. This is the tool I use when I need to run outreach at volume without burning the account.
• Track acceptance rate by template and segment: This is where most people stop and where the real optimization happens. If one template is hitting 45% acceptance and another is hitting 22%, stop sending the 22% one. Double down on what's working. Run this analysis every two weeks minimum.

If you're doing local business prospecting specifically, the Google Maps scraper is another way to pull a targeted list of local businesses to hit on LinkedIn - get the list built offline, then work it on-platform.

LinkedIn Connection Request Limits: What You Need to Know

One thing that tanks campaigns fast is hitting LinkedIn's weekly limits and getting the account flagged or restricted. Here's the practical breakdown:

Free LinkedIn accounts are limited to around 50-100 connection requests per week. LinkedIn Premium and Sales Navigator users get 150-200 per week. LinkedIn also uses behavioral signals to detect spam - if too many people click "I Don't Know This Person" on your requests, your account can get restricted. After a certain number of declines, LinkedIn will automatically flag the activity, potentially resulting in a temporary ban.

What this means in practice: send targeted requests to people who have a genuine reason to accept. Prioritize 2nd-degree connections over 3rd-degree - cold connections have a much higher probability of acceptance when there's at least one mutual contact in the chain. If you're running automated outreach, set daily limits well below LinkedIn's maximum. Consistency beats volume every time on this platform.

Also worth knowing: LinkedIn occasionally adjusts these limits, so if you're using a tool to automate, keep an eye on any platform updates and make sure your tool is compliant with current limits.

How to Warm Up Cold Prospects Before Sending a Request

This is the move most people skip, and it's one of the highest-leverage things you can do to improve acceptance rates on cold outreach.

Before you send a connection request to a cold prospect, spend a few days warming them up:

1. Follow them. Not all LinkedIn members require a connection to follow. Following first means your name starts showing up in their notifications before you ever reach out.
2. Like or comment on a recent post. Genuine engagement on their content puts your name and face in front of them in a positive context. When they later receive your connection request, you're not a complete stranger - you're that person who commented on their post about [specific topic].
3. Visit their profile. With LinkedIn Premium, they can see who viewed their profile. A profile view followed by a connection request has a built-in context: "This person looked at my profile and then reached out." That's a warmer lead than a cold request out of nowhere.

Campaigns that combine a direct message with profile visits achieve significantly higher reply rates than single-action campaigns. The warm-up sequence isn't magic - it just converts a cold contact into a slightly warmer one, and that's enough to meaningfully move the needle.

I worked with a client who scraped people who liked Gary Vaynerchuk's LinkedIn posts about personal branding, then reached out with: "Saw you liked Gary Vee's post about personal branding - I'm a huge fan of him as well!" This is warming up at scale. You're finding people who've already signaled interest in a topic, then referencing that specific behavior. It's personalized segmentation - you're not researching each person individually, but you're still making it relevant. The response rates jump significantly when you do this.

When to Use InMail Instead of a Connection Request

InMail is LinkedIn's paid messaging feature that lets you message people outside your network without a connection request. Here's when it makes sense to use InMail instead of a connection request:

• When the prospect is a 3rd-degree connection with no mutual contacts and you have no warm path in
• When you're targeting very senior executives who are unlikely to accept cold connection requests from strangers
• When you have a very specific, time-sensitive reason to reach out and waiting for a connection acceptance isn't practical

InMail campaigns show the highest overall response rate among LinkedIn outreach campaign types at around 6.38%. That's not dramatically higher than other methods, but the advantage is bypassing the acceptance step entirely and landing in their inbox directly.

The trade-off: InMail costs credits, and bad InMail burns through budget fast. Use it surgically for high-value targets, not as a substitute for building your network through connection requests.

The Full LinkedIn Connection Message Workflow (Step by Step)

Here's how to put everything together into a repeatable system:

Step 1: Build your target list. Define your ICP precisely - job title, seniority, industry, company size, geography. Use a B2B lead database or Sales Navigator to pull the initial list. Know who you're targeting before you write a single word.

Step 2: Segment by hook type. Go through your list and tag each contact with the best hook available: mutual group, content engagement, trigger event, alumni, referral. This determines which template you'll use for each segment.

Step 3: Warm up where possible. For your highest-priority targets, spend a few days engaging with their content before sending the connection request. For volume outreach, this step may not be feasible for every contact - focus warm-up effort on the accounts that matter most.

Step 4: Send the connection request with a note. Use the template that matches the hook. Keep it under 200 characters. No pitch. No ask. Just the connection.

Step 5: Follow up within 24 hours of acceptance. Send the first message within a day of them accepting. This is when attention is highest. Continue the thread from your connection note or open with a low-friction question.

Step 6: Run the sequence. For sales outreach, plan for three to four touchpoints across LinkedIn and email before you close the loop. If they accepted but didn't reply on LinkedIn, a follow-up email can re-engage. This is the multi-channel play.

Step 7: Track and optimize. Measure acceptance rate by template and segment. Measure reply rate by follow-up message. Cut what's underperforming after two weeks and scale what's working.

For finding email addresses after you've identified prospects on LinkedIn, an email finding tool can pull verified contact emails so you're not relying on LinkedIn alone for follow-up. This is how you build the multi-channel layer.

Here's the follow-up sequence I use after someone accepts my connection request. Immediately after they accept, I send a message with a case study and a simple question. If no response in 3 days: "I know how busy you probably are, and wanted to make sure this didn't get lost!" After 4 more days, I reference a specific problem I just solved for someone similar: "Just got off the phone with the Director of IT at another major ecommerce company dealing with these two issues..." then I list the problems and solutions. This shows social proof and demonstrates you're actively solving problems, not just pitching.

Common Mistakes That Tank Your Acceptance Rate

• Sending the blank default request: It signals zero effort. Always write a note, even a one-liner. The blank request works fine if your profile is famous and does the selling on its own. If you're doing targeted B2B outreach, that's not you.
• Leading with your pitch: Nobody accepts a connection request that opens with "I help companies like yours..." It's self-serving and obvious. Save the pitch for after the connection. A connection request is not the place for a sales pitch - full stop.
• Being vague about why you're connecting: "I'd love to connect and learn from your experience" says nothing. Give a real reason. Even a simple one is better than nothing.
• Using fake familiarity: "I've been following your work for a while" when you found their profile 10 minutes ago. People can tell. Be honest about how you found them.
• Sending too many at once: LinkedIn limits connection requests, and hitting those limits triggers account restrictions. Use a tool or pace yourself to stay within safe daily volumes. Consistent, steady outreach is safer and more effective than blitzing your weekly limit in one day.
• Ignoring the profile: Your message gets the open, your profile gets the accept. If you've got a weak profile, even a perfect message won't save you. Fix both.
• Not following up: Most deals don't happen on the first message. If someone accepted but didn't reply, follow up once. If they accepted and you never sent a follow-up, you wasted the connection entirely.
• Rambling: LinkedIn's connection note limit is 300 characters. Some platforms preview even less. Write for the character limit, not against it. Short is always better.

Pairing LinkedIn with a Broader Outbound Strategy

LinkedIn connection messages work best when they're one channel in a multi-touch outreach strategy, not the only one. The accounts I've seen generate the most meetings combine LinkedIn with email outreach running in parallel.

If someone doesn't accept your connection request, they might still respond to a cold email. If they accept but don't reply on LinkedIn, a follow-up email can re-engage them. Tools like Smartlead or Instantly handle the email side of this at scale with solid deliverability.

A solid multi-channel sequence looks something like this:

1. Day 1: LinkedIn connection request (with note)
2. Day 3: If accepted, LinkedIn follow-up message
3. Day 5: Cold email to the same prospect (whether or not they accepted)
4. Day 8: LinkedIn follow-up if no reply to either
5. Day 12: Final email follow-up

Running this kind of sequence requires knowing both their LinkedIn profile and their email address. For finding those email addresses after you've identified prospects, ScraperCity's Email Finder can pull verified contact emails so you're not relying on LinkedIn alone.

If you need direct phone numbers to add a cold call layer on top, the mobile finder tool can pull direct dials for your prospects. Triple-touching someone via LinkedIn, email, and phone is how you get into genuinely hard-to-reach accounts.

For a full system that uses LinkedIn alongside Sales Navigator to build a real outbound pipeline, my Sales Navigator Guide walks through exactly how I set that up - including how to filter, build a list, and run the full sequence from first touch to booked meeting.

One of my clients was doing $23k/month with 9 clients using only LinkedIn outreach, but he was maxed out because the service relied 50% on him personally. When we added cold email to supplement the LinkedIn outreach, he immediately started seeing better results and reduced his platform risk. My rule: get your first email to a 10% response rate (10 meetings booked per 100 emails sent) before you scale. LinkedIn opens the door, but email is what lets you control the volume and take the conversation off-platform where you own the relationship.

Frequently Asked Questions About LinkedIn Connection Messages

What is the character limit for a LinkedIn connection request message?

The official limit is 300 characters. In practice, aim for under 200 - messages that push close to the limit can get cut off in preview on mobile, which means your carefully written ending might never be read. Treat the character limit as a feature. Short, confident, specific. That's the formula.

Should I always include a note with my connection request?

For targeted B2B outreach, yes. Always write a note. The note doesn't always lift raw acceptance rates dramatically, but it does significantly increase the response rate after connection - which is what actually matters for business development. For general network building where your name recognition does the work, blanks are fine. For sales, always write a note.

How many connection requests can I send per week?

Free accounts are typically limited to around 50-100 per week. LinkedIn Premium and Sales Navigator accounts get 150-200. LinkedIn has tightened these limits over time and uses behavioral signals to detect spam. Stay well under the limit, keep your acceptance rate above 30%, and don't send to people with zero context or common ground.

What do I do if someone doesn't respond after connecting?

Wait at least 72 hours after the connection before following up. If they accepted but didn't reply to your follow-up message, it's okay to send one more short message a week later. After two ignored follow-ups, move on. Chasing a cold accepted connection with five messages is just spam with a connected icon next to it.

How long should my first follow-up message be after they accept?

Shorter than you think. Two to four sentences maximum. Ask one question. Don't dump your value proposition, your case studies, and your Calendly link into a wall of text. One question, one ask, end the message. If they reply, you can go deeper. If they don't reply, a long first message was never going to save you anyway.

Can I use these templates for LinkedIn InMail?

Yes, with adjustments. InMail has a higher character limit than connection notes (up to 1,900 characters), so you have more room. But more room doesn't mean more words. InMail that looks like a cold email essay performs terribly. Use the extra space to add one more sentence of context, not to fit in your full pitch.

What's a good acceptance rate to aim for?

Aim for 30-40% as your baseline. If you're hitting above 40% consistently, you're either targeting very warm lists or you've found a template that's genuinely working - scale it. If you're below 25%, something is broken: either your targeting, your profile, or your message. Diagnose which one before you keep sending.

Measuring and Improving Your LinkedIn Connection Campaign

Most people send a batch of connection requests, check how many got accepted, and call it a day. That's not enough data to actually improve.

Here's what to track:

• Acceptance rate by template: Which hook type is converting best? Mutual group? Content comment? Research hook? This tells you what's working for your specific audience.
• Acceptance rate by audience segment: Are CMOs accepting at a different rate than VPs of Sales? Different titles, different industries, different seniority levels will respond differently to the same message. Segment your data.
• Reply rate after acceptance: High acceptance, low reply rate means your connection message is good but your follow-up message is broken. High reply rate on a low acceptance volume means your targeting is too narrow. Look at both.
• Time to acceptance: If most of your acceptances are happening after seven days, your message is weak and people are sitting on the fence. Stronger messages get accepted within 24 hours.
• Meeting booking rate: Ultimately, this is the number that matters. Track how many accepted connections convert to actual conversations, and which templates and segments are producing those conversations at the highest rate.

Run two or three templates in parallel against the same audience segment and treat it like a split test. Two weeks of data is usually enough to see which one is outperforming. Kill the losers, scale the winners, and iterate from there. That's the whole optimization system.

The Bottom Line

LinkedIn connection message templates are not magic. What makes them work is the combination of targeting the right people, triggering recognition or relevance in the message, keeping it short, and having a clear follow-up plan once they accept.

The data is clear on personalization: personalized requests consistently outperform generic ones by a factor of 2.5-3x. The data is also clear on follow-up: people who receive a note with your connection request are far more likely to actually talk to you after accepting. Put those two things together and you have the core of a functional LinkedIn outreach system.

Pick two or three templates from this list. Test them against each other for two weeks. Track acceptance rates by template. Cut what doesn't work, double down on what does. That's the whole system.

If you want me to look at your LinkedIn outreach sequence directly and tell you what's broken, that's what I do inside Galadon Gold.