Crafting the Perfect LinkedIn Contact Request Message

300 characters is not much. It may be more than a tweet, but it’s still a small amount of characters to get your message across, particularly if you are cold messaging people you don’t know. While in my experience, I feel less creeped out by random contact requests on LinkedIn than I would say a random friend request on Facebook, one thing is for certain: a hand written message is always more compelling.

When requesting people you have met somewhere, (be it in person or digital), always be sure to bring this up early. Tell them how you found them and establish common ground immediately. Otherwise this may get creepy dude on Facebook vibes that just messages “hey beautiful.”

Hi Carol!

It was great meeting you at the San Jose Job Fair last weekend. I’m always interested to meet a fellow Doctor Who enthusiast! I loved your article comparing the Doctor Who/River Song timelines to HTML vs CSS code. I’d love to connect and learn more from you!

Thanks,

Kelsey

Short and to the point, you have to immediately establish a connection. Wouldn’t you want to right away know where you know this person from if you got a connection request? Establish a connection and find common ground between you and the other person. Be brief and authentic.

This approach is even more important when cold messaging someone you’ve never met. The key when doing this is to add value. Why would connecting with you benefit them? Here is a template that I have tweaked and used many times before.

Hi Aleksandra,

I am seeking to expand my network of technical professionals (particularly women) as I am new to the tech world. You have worked for several very impressive companies and I would love to connect and learn about opportunities you might have!

Thank you, Emily Shaindlin

I have many times used this basic template of : greeting, my reason for connecting, insert something about them, compliment and address mutual benefits. Again, keeping it simple and to the point. Here is an example of another message that follows the same basic setup.

Hi Julian!

I am in the middle of a job search and Flockjay was one of the companies I was interested in. I am very excited about the possibility of working for a company that aims to help make education accessible to everyone. I would love to connect and learn more about the work environment there.

This template actually gained me a video chat and an offer to pass along my resume. I was upfront and honest about my intentions and managed to begin connections with several people within the company. We’ll see if anything comes of it!

Above all, when crafting a connection request message, being honest and authentic in your phrasing will help you connect with people on a personal level as well as professional, and that’s all anyone wants, right?