Sales email templates
LinkedIn Connection Request Messages
Keep the note under 200 characters, give one specific reason to connect and leave the pitch out. Without Premium, LinkedIn lets you add a note to up to 3 connection requests a month, so save notes for the people who matter most.
Template 1 as a Ken Sequence Step
Ken sequence step
Query
Sequence step 1 - LinkedIn connection request message
- Subject
- None, LinkedIn notes have no subject
- Body preview
- You're working on [specific thing] at {company}, and I spend my days on the same problem with other {industry} teams. Would be good to ...
- Variables
- {firstName}, {company}, {industry}
- You write
- [specific thing]
Template 1 below, "The shared-context note", set up as the first step of a Campaigns sequence.
When to Use
In short Add a note when you have one real reason to connect, and leave the pitch for the message after they accept.
- You share something specific with them: a customer type, a problem, a city or an event.
- You met at an event, or they reacted to your post, and you want the thread to start warm.
- You're reaching a peer in the same role to compare notes.
- A mutual connection mentioned them, and you can say who.
- Without Premium you get up to 3 personalized invitations a month, so spend them on the accounts you most want to open.
Templates
In short Copy any of the 8 templates below, replace each [bracketed] part and cut any line that isn't true for you. Ken fills the {firstName}-style variables.
Variables
The templates use Ken's editor syntax. Ken fills {firstName}, {company} and {industry} from each contact and {sender_first_name} from the sending inbox. {{First Line}} is an AI variable. Ken's AI personalization writes it for each contact from the prompt of that name. To cover an empty field, add a fallback after a pipe, such as {firstName|there}. Replace every word in [brackets] with your own before you paste.
Hi {firstName},
You're working on [specific thing] at {company}, and I spend my days on the same problem with other {industry} teams. Would be good to connect.Why it works: One concrete thing you share is a better reason to accept than any compliment.
Hi {firstName},
Good to meet you at [event name]. I'm still thinking about what you said on [topic]. Let's stay connected here.Why it works: Naming the event and their point proves you were in the room and listened.
Hi {firstName},
Thanks for reacting to my post on [post topic]. Curious what you'd add from the {industry} side. Glad to connect.Why it works: They already showed interest in your topic, so the note only has to turn that into a conversation.
Hi {firstName},
I run [function] at a company a lot like {company}, and I'm trying to meet more people doing the same job. Glad to connect and compare notes.Why it works: Peer-to-peer framing reads as a colleague reaching out, not a seller with a quota.
Hi {firstName},
[mutual connection] and I worked together on [project], and your name came up when we talked about [topic]. Good to connect.Why it works: A name they know in the first line does most of the work of getting accepted.
Hi {firstName},
No pitch. I work with {industry} teams and like to know the people who run [function] in the space. Glad to connect.Why it works: Saying there's no pitch, and meaning it, removes the main reason people ignore requests from sellers.
Hi {firstName},
Thanks for connecting. I put together [resource] on [topic] for {industry} teams. Want me to send it?Why it works: A useful thing on offer gets a one-word reply and opens the thread without a hard ask.
Hi {firstName},
Thanks for connecting. We help {industry} teams [outcome]. Open to a call next week to see if it fits {company}?Why it works: Once they've accepted, a short yes-or-no ask for a call is the clearest next step.
Timing
In short Ken's view: one connection note, one message after they accept and one follow-up, then stop.
| Day | Step | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Connection request with a note (templates 1-6) | Get accepted, with no pitch |
| Day they accept | First message (template 7 or 8) | Offer something useful or ask for the call |
| 3-4 days later | One follow-up message | Add one new reason to reply, then stop |
LinkedIn allows 200 characters per note. Without Premium you can add a note to up to 3 connection requests a month; Premium removes that cap, though connection request limits may still apply.
Examples
In short 3 filled-in versions for commercial HVAC, accounting firm and property management, all with fictional companies.
Tallowmere Mechanical is a fictional company. A rep selling field service software connects with the service manager at a commercial HVAC contractor after meeting at a regional trade show.
Hi Rosa,
Good to meet you at the Midwest mechanical expo. I'm still thinking about what you said on scheduling techs across three counties. Let's stay connected here.Fennick & Daw Accounting is a fictional company. A payroll software rep sends a note to a partner at a 30-person accounting firm; both work with restaurant groups.
Hi Owen,
You're building out the restaurant practice at Fennick & Daw, and I spend my days on payroll for the same kind of clients. Would be good to connect.Wendlemere Property Group is a fictional company. The day a property manager accepts, a rep selling tenant-screening software sends a first message.
Hi Lena,
Thanks for connecting. I put together a one-page checklist on cutting vacancy days for mid-size property managers. Want me to send it?Mistakes to Avoid
- Pitching in the connection note. The note's only job is to get accepted; save the offer for the message after.
- Writing past the limit. LinkedIn allows 200 characters per note, so draft to that length instead of trimming at the last second.
- Using a generic line like "I'd like to add you to my network." It gives no reason to accept; name the thing you share instead.
- Spending your few notes on strangers you know nothing about. Without Premium you get up to 3 personalized invitations a month, so use them where you have a real reason.
- Sending three messages in a row after they accept. One message and one follow-up are enough; then wait for a reply.
FAQ
What is the character limit for a LinkedIn connection request message?
200 characters per note, according to LinkedIn's help center. Without Premium you can add a note to up to 3 connection requests a month; Premium members can personalize every invitation, though connection request limits may still apply.
Should you add a note to a LinkedIn connection request?
Add one when you have a specific reason: a shared event, customer type, problem or contact. In Ken's view, a blank request beats a generic note, and it saves your monthly allowance if you don't have Premium.
What should you say in a LinkedIn connection request to a stranger?
One specific reason you're connecting, in a sentence or two, and no pitch. Name what you share with them: an event, a customer type, a problem or a mutual contact.
What do you send after someone accepts your connection request?
A short thank-you plus one useful thing or one direct ask, such as a checklist or a call next week. Keep it as short as the note, so it reads like a message from a person.
How do you write a LinkedIn connection request for sales?
Leave the sale out of the request. Connect on the shared context, make the offer in the first message after they accept and stop after one follow-up.
Do This in Ken
Send This Sequence in Ken
Run these templates as a Campaigns sequence in Ken. Campaigns finds and qualifies leads, writes personalized email and LinkedIn sequences, and sends them from your outbound inboxes. AI personalization, priced below, can fill the personal lines for each contact.
- Create a campaign and paste template 1 as the first LinkedIn step.
- Add the next steps from this page on the days in the timing table.
- Replace every [bracketed] part, and add a fallback such as {firstName|there} where a field can be empty.
- Add your contacts and launch.
- Module
- Campaigns
- Open in Ken
- /waitlist
- Cost
- AI personalization: 300 credits per 1,000 contacts
The new Ken opens to the waiting list in batches.
Related
- All sales email templates
- Cold Email Templates
First-touch cold emails under 80 words, each with one idea and one direct ask, plus a 3-email cadence.
- Introduction Email Templates
Introduce yourself, take over an account, ask for a warm intro, make one or bring a colleague into a deal.
- Meeting Request Email Templates
Cold, referral, inbound, executive, event and customer meeting requests that ask for the call in plain words.
- Trade Show Follow-Up Email Templates
Follow-ups for booth talks, brief hellos, badge scans and missed meetings, sent within 1-2 business days.
- Event Invitation Email Templates
Invites for webinars, customer dinners, roundtables, booth visits, launches and meetups, plus reminders.
- Cold email skills for AI agents
The open-source skills these templates are written from.
- LinkedIn outreach in Ken
- Ken pricing
Sources
| Source | Checked |
|---|---|
| LinkedIn Help, Personalize invitations to connect | |
| Ken cold email skills (MIT), email-copywriting and campaign-strategy |
Changelog
- Page published.