Short answer
A good LinkedIn message to a connection is short enough to read in the preview, starts with something specific to them (a post, a new role, news at their company or an event you both attended), offers something useful or asks one easy question, and leaves the pitch out until they've replied. Ask for a meeting only after a real exchange, and move to email once there's a reason to.
- Open with something of theirs: a post, a new role, a company announcement.
- Ask one question that takes ten seconds to answer.
- Ask for a meeting only after they've replied at least once.
- Follow up once, with something new, then stop.
- LinkedIn's User Agreement bans bots for sending messages, so write and send them yourself.
On this page
This page is for salespeople, recruiters, founders and consultants writing to people they're already connected with on LinkedIn: starting a conversation, following up after an event or a post, asking for a meeting or a referral, and reviving connections that went quiet. For the note you send with a connection request, see the LinkedIn connection message examples; for people you're not connected to, see the LinkedIn InMail templates.
Who you can message, and how
LinkedIn's help pages set out who you can reach:
| Who | How | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| 1st-degree connections | Direct message | Nothing: it's free |
| Premium members with Open Profile | Direct message | They must have Open Profile turned on |
| Members of a group you share | Message request | Membership of the same group |
| Current coworkers | Message request | The same current employer |
| Anyone else | InMail | Paid credits, included in Premium, Sales Navigator and Recruiter plans |
Members can also turn off InMail from people they're not connected to. And LinkedIn's User Agreement says you may not use "bots or other unauthorized automated methods" to "send or redirect messages". Tools that send connection messages for you put your account at risk; send them yourself.
Which message for which moment
| Moment | Send | The ask |
|---|---|---|
| They liked or commented on your post | A thank-you with a question about their view | Their opinion |
| They started a new role | Congratulations with one relevant thought | None, or a light question |
| News at their company | Something useful tied to it | "Useful?" |
| You met at an event | A note on what they said | A short call if it fits |
| They've replied once or twice | A meeting request with a reason | 20 minutes, two times |
| You need the right person | A referral question | "Who owns this?" |
| A connection went quiet a year ago | A reconnect with something new | Catch-up |
| No reply to your last message | One follow-up with something new | Same as before, smaller |
What makes a LinkedIn message work
- Something of theirs first. Their post, their new role, their company's news. Not your product.
- Short. Two to four sentences. If it needs more, it's probably an email.
- One question. Easy to answer in a line, on a phone, between meetings.
- Value before asks. A useful link, an introduction or an answer to something they asked, before you ask for time.
- An honest reason. Never imply you met, worked together or were referred when you weren't.
Finding something specific to say about each person is the slow part when you're working a full list of accounts. Bebop researches each account and writes a playbook with what's happening at the company and who to talk to, which gives you the first line.
LinkedIn message templates
Fill each bracket from something you've checked. If you can't find anything specific, wait until you can.
Thanks for the comment on my post about [topic], [first name]. Your point about [their point] is one I hadn't thought about. How does it play out at [company]?
Congratulations on the move to [role] at [company], [first name]. The first few months in a role like that usually mean deciding what to keep and what to change in [area]. Hope it's going well. If [area] ends up on the list, I'm happy to share what I've seen work.
Hi [first name], saw that [company] is [the news, e.g. opening a site in Reno]. We put together [the resource, e.g. a checklist for the first 90 days of a new site] after working with [type of company] on the same thing: [link]. No reply needed. Hope it's useful.
Thanks for the detail on [what they shared], [first name]. It sounds like [their problem] is worth a proper look before [their date or trigger]. Would 20 minutes on [day] or [day] work to compare notes? Happy to do it by email if that's easier.
Good to see you at [event], [first name]. You mentioned [what they said, e.g. that hiring for the new plant starts in January]. [One useful thing: a resource, an answer, an introduction.] Worth a short call before then?
Hi [first name], it's been a while since [how you know each other, e.g. we worked on the Denver rollout]. I saw [their news or a change at their company]. How's it going? Since then, we've [one relevant change on your side], which made me think of you.
Hi [first name], quick question, since you know [company] far better than I do. Who looks after [area, e.g. uniform and workwear contracts] for [site or region]? I'd like to send them a short note about [the reason], and I'll mention you suggested it only if you're comfortable with that.
Hi [first name], one more thought on [topic]: [the new thing: a fact, a short example, a simpler question]. If it's not a priority right now, no problem at all.
Thanks, [first name]. Easier to share the details by email: what's the best address? I'll send [the specific thing] today, and it'll be short.
Hi [first name], I'm working on a [role] opening at [company or type of company] in [location]. Your work on [specific thing from their profile] is close to what they need. Open to hearing more, or know someone who might be? Either way, no pressure.
A three-week plan for one connection
| Day | Message | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A comment on their post or news (public, not a message) | Be a name they recognize |
| 3 | Something useful tied to their news | Give before you ask |
| 7 to 10 | One question about their situation | Start a conversation |
| After a reply | Meeting request with a reason | Turn interest into a time |
| 14 if no reply | One follow-up with something new | A last, easy chance to reply |
| After that | Stop, and watch for the next trigger | Don't become noise |
Worked example: an hour a week on LinkedIn
Illustrative example. The companies, people and figures are fictional, to show the method.
The seller: Andre, an account manager at a uniform rental company (northfielduniform.example) covering food plants and warehouses in Ohio. The network: 180 first-degree connections who are plant, facility or operations managers. The budget: one hour a week.
At about five minutes per message, including the check on what's happening at the company, one hour covers 12 messages. Andre doesn't message all 180 in rotation. He sorts them each Monday:
| Group | Connections | This week |
|---|---|---|
| Something new in the last 30 days (new role, expansion, hiring) | 14 | 8 messages, the most recent first |
| Replied to him in the past and the conversation stalled | 9 | 3 follow-ups, each with something new |
| Everyone else | 157 | 1 reconnect; comment on posts when relevant |
One message that week went to Lena, operations manager at Harlow Cold Storage (harlowcold.example), which had posted jobs for a second shift:
Hi Lena, saw Harlow is hiring for a second shift at the Columbus warehouse. When teams add a shift, workwear usually runs short in the first month: new starters wait for sizes, and laundry cycles double. We wrote a one-page checklist for sizing a new shift: [link]. No reply needed. Hope it helps.
Why it works: it opens with Harlow's own news, names a specific problem a second shift creates, gives something useful and asks for nothing. Lena replied two days later asking how long sizing takes, which gave Andre a reason to ask for a call.
Mistakes to avoid
- The pitch straight after acceptance. "Thanks for connecting! We help companies..." gets ignored or reported.
- Messages that could go to anyone. If you could swap in another name and send it, rewrite it.
- Long blocks of text. Two to four sentences. Put detail in an email.
- Asking for a meeting in the first message. Ask a question first.
- Following up three times. Once, with something new, then stop.
- Automation tools. They break LinkedIn's User Agreement and read like it.
Checklist before you send
- The first line is about them, and it's true and recent.
- It's two to four sentences.
- There's one question, or no ask at all.
- You've had a reply before asking for a meeting.
- Nothing implies a relationship you don't have.
- You're sending it yourself, not through an automation tool.
Next step: once the conversation moves to email, use the meeting request email templates to set up the call.
Sources
- Send Messages on LinkedIn, LinkedIn Help, accessed 26 October 2026
- User Agreement (section 8.2, Don'ts), LinkedIn, effective 3 November 2025, accessed 26 October 2026
- Personalize invitations to connect, LinkedIn Help, accessed 26 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Last updated .
Questions people ask
How do you message someone on LinkedIn after connecting?
Start with something specific to them, such as a recent post, a new role or news at their company, then offer something useful or ask one easy question. Keep it to two to four sentences and leave the pitch out. If they reply, you can ask for a short meeting with a reason. If they don't, follow up once with something new and then stop.
What should my first LinkedIn message to a connection say?
Something that shows you noticed them: a reaction to their post, congratulations on a new role with one relevant thought, or a useful resource tied to their company's news. End with a question they can answer in a line, or with no ask at all. Avoid "Thanks for connecting, we help companies like yours", which reads as a sequence rather than a person.
How long should a LinkedIn message be?
Two to four sentences for most messages. People read LinkedIn on their phones between other things, so a short message with one question is more likely to get a reply than a long one. Connection request notes have a hard limit of 200 characters; messages to existing connections are longer, but anything that needs several paragraphs usually belongs in an email.
Can you message someone on LinkedIn without connecting?
Sometimes. You can message Premium members who have turned on Open Profile, and send message requests to members of a group you share or to current coworkers. For anyone else, you need InMail, which uses paid credits included in Premium, Sales Navigator and Recruiter plans. Members can turn off InMail from people they aren't connected to.
Is it allowed to automate LinkedIn messages?
LinkedIn's User Agreement says members may not use bots or other unauthorized automated methods to add contacts or send or redirect messages. Accounts using automation tools risk restriction. Templates are fine, as long as you personalize each message and send it yourself. In practice, automated messages also read like automation, which hurts replies more than the time they save.