--- title: "LinkedIn Connection Request Messages (8 Templates)" description: "8 LinkedIn connection request messages under 200 characters, for events, shared context and peers, plus what to send after they accept." path: /templates/linkedin-connection-request-messages family: templates updated: 2026-10-17 html: /templates/linkedin-connection-request-messages sources: - "https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/46662" - "https://github.com/Ken-Technology/cold-email-skills" facts: templates: "8" examples: "3" channel: "LinkedIn connection request" longest_template: "160 characters" cadence: "3 steps: Day 1; Day they accept; 3-4 days later" written_from: "Ken's public cold email skills (MIT)" --- # 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 | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | 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. Action: [Use this template in Ken](/waitlist) (cost: AI personalization: 300 credits per 1,000 contacts) ## 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. Template 1: The shared-context note ```text 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. Template 2: The after-the-event note ```text 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. Template 3: The they-engaged note ```text 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. Template 4: The peer note ```text 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. Template 5: The mutual-connection note ```text 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. Template 6: The no-pitch note ```text 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. Template 7: After they accept: the useful first message ```text 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. Template 8: After they accept: the direct ask ```text 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. **LinkedIn connection request message cadence** | 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. Example: Commercial HVAC ```text 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. Example: Accounting firm ```text 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. Example: Property management ```text 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. 1. Create a campaign and paste template 1 as the first LinkedIn step. 2. Add the next steps from this page on the days in the timing table. 3. Replace every [bracketed] part, and add a fallback such as {firstName|there} where a field can be empty. 4. Add your contacts and launch. - Link: [Send This Sequence in Ken](/waitlist) - Cost: AI personalization: 300 credits per 1,000 contacts ## Related - [All sales email templates](/templates) - [Cold Email Templates](/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](/templates/introduction-email): Introduce yourself, take over an account, ask for a warm intro, make one or bring a colleague into a deal. - [Meeting Request Email Templates](/templates/meeting-request-email): Cold, referral, inbound, executive, event and customer meeting requests that ask for the call in plain words. - [Trade Show Follow-Up Email Templates](/templates/trade-show-follow-up-email): Follow-ups for booth talks, brief hellos, badge scans and missed meetings, sent within 1-2 business days. - [Event Invitation Email Templates](/templates/event-invitation-email): Invites for webinars, customer dinners, roundtables, booth visits, launches and meetups, plus reminders. - [Cold email skills for AI agents](/tools/cold-email-skills): The open-source skills these templates are written from. - [LinkedIn outreach in Ken](/linkedin-outreach) - [Ken pricing](/pricing) ## Sources | Source | URL | Checked | | --- | --- | --- | | LinkedIn Help, Personalize invitations to connect | https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/46662 | 2026-10-17 | | Ken cold email skills (MIT), email-copywriting and campaign-strategy | https://github.com/Ken-Technology/cold-email-skills | 2026-10-17 | ## Changelog - 2026-10-17: Page published.