Networking 101: Make the Most Out of Your LinkedIn Connection Requests
LinkedIn is an incredible professional resource. I personally use it to keep up with my network, follow new people who post about topics that I want to learn more about, build my brand, and even find jobs!
In this blog, I’m going to show you the best way to send a LinkedIn connection request to maximize your likelihood to get it accepted, to build stronger connections, and to help you leverage your connections better in the future.
Because I spend way too much time on LinkedIn, I’m really picky about how I use it to make sure my feed is interesting and relevant to me. This means I don’t accept LinkedIn requests from people that I do not know unless I have a reason to.
Why not?! I thought LinkedIn was about building your brand and growing your network! People ask me “Don’t you want the biggest audience possible?!” There are a few reasons:
- I spend a lot of time browsing my LinkedIn feed. I find that when I accept requests from people that I don’t know, I get a lot of content that I don’t care about.
- I actually use my network. If I’m interested in learning about a company, the first thing I do is I see if I have any connections there and reach out to them. Then, I see if I have any 2nd connections, and ask for an introduction. If you’re in my network, I have no shame in asking for a favor.
So, how would you go about getting me to accept your request?
The best way to get me (or anyone!) to accept your request is to add a personalized note. It looks like this:
If someone has a note telling me why they want to connect, and they demonstrate value for me, I will most likely accept their request, even if we haven’t met.
What?! You can do that! Of course! Let me show you how. Unfortunately, based on if you’re on mobile or desktop, or if the person is using their LinkedIn in “creator mode” or not, there are a few different ways that you have to go about this. I will show you how to do that in a bit, but first, I want to tell you why I will accept these requests.
Why is a personalized note the best way to send a request?
- It lets the person you’re connecting with know why you’re connecting. This is especially important for someone you’ve never met before. It is a space that lets you set the expectations up front — do you just admire this person, or is there something that you need from them? Have you met them before, do you have a friend in common, or did you just find them on LinkedIn?
- It will help you and them remember why you connected in the first place!
Think about it, in 3 years (or realistically, 3 days) when this person pops up on your feed, are you going to remember why you added them? And will they remember why they accepted? Probably not.
Similarly, if you’re looking for a new job, and you comb through your connections, find one that works at the company, but have NO idea why you’re connected with them, will you feel comfortable reaching out? What would you say?
Personalized notes are stored as messages. So, if you added someone with a personalized note, you can look back at your message with them and remembered why you added them. - It always feels good to get a personalized note.
I love getting a note because it means someone took the extra time to say something nice to me.
Here is my suggested format for a note.
You only have 300 characters so use them wisely!
- (Greeting — Optional if there is space)
Hi <name> - (The context)
I saw you speak at <conference>
I saw the article you recently published
It was nice to meet you yesterday - (The why)
From you talk I learned <learning> which I’m excited to apply at work.
Your article made me think of <idea> that I wanted to share.
I’m glad we get to work together. - (What call to action)
I actually have an interview at <company> and would love to talk with you about your experience.
I want to connect to make sure I see your future articles.
I can’t wait to see how our project comes together!
I love personalized notes so much, that if someone that I met in person adds me without one, I will accept, and send them a note back! This way, I have a record of why I added them, and they feel special getting a note.
How to add a personalized note to your LinkedIn connection requests
Note: This was created in June 2022. It is possible LinkedIn has changed since!
On desktop, for someone not using creator mode:
Click “Connect”, and then click “Add a note”
On desktop, for someone using creator mode or who has a lot of connections:
You’ll notice some people don’t even have a “connect” button! For them, it’s just 1 extra step. Click “More”, then “Connect”:
And then just like before, you’ll get a pop-up where you can add a note:
But you can’t always add someone.
Like Cassie Kozyrkov, who if you don’t know her, you should definitely check out her amazing blogs Cassie Kozyrkov — Medium.
Cassie has a setting enabled so that you need to know her personal email address to be able to add her.
On mobile, for someone not using creator mode
Do NOT click Connect! I repeat, DO NOT CLICK CONNECT! This will not allow you to add a personalized note. Instead, click the 3 dots, and click “Personalize Invite”
On mobile, for someone using creator mode or who has a lot of connections
Click the 3 dots for more options. Then, there is another really, really tempting “Connect” button, but do NOT click it! Instead click “Personalize invite”. But again, for people like Cassie, you still may not be able to add them without knowing their email.
Help! I already requested someone but forgot to add a note.
Have no fear! You can actually rescind invites on both desktop and mobile. It’ll give you a warning that says “you may not be able to readd this person for 3 weeks” but that’s never actually happened to me.
On Desktop
Click “My Network”, then “Manage”, and then “Sent” and you can see all of your outstanding invitations, and withdraw any that you forgot notes for.
On Mobile
Similarly, click “My Network”, and then “Invitations” (not “Management my Network”). Then click “Sent”.
Thank you for your time! I hope you learned both why and how to send personalized invites to every new connection. Now go try it out! Happy networking!
