LinkedIn Connection Message Prompt

What this prompt does

LinkedIn has a 300-character limit on connection requests — and most people use all 300 to explain who they are. This prompt flips that: it puts the recipient's context first, so they read "you" before they read "me."

The resulting messages are short (under 200 characters for requests, under 100 words for InMail), reference something specific to the recipient, and have a clear but low-pressure reason for connecting.

The prompt

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How to use it

1. Find one real thing to reference — check their recent posts, articles, or company news. One specific detail separates your message from the 20 generic requests they got this week.
2. Know your reason before running the prompt — "growing my network" is not a reason. "I'm hiring for a role like theirs" or "we're solving a similar problem" are reasons.
3. Use the connection request version first — send the short version, wait for acceptance, then send the InMail follow-up if needed.
4. Don't pitch in the request — the goal is connection acceptance, not an immediate reply. The pitch comes after.

Example output

Connection request (under 200 characters):

Your breakdown of intent signals in B2B sales was the clearest I've seen on this. Building something in that space at Pulsar and would love to follow your work.

InMail after connection:

Hey Alex — your posts on SDR tooling have been genuinely useful as we build out our prospecting stack at Pulsar. We're at the stage where I'd love to get a few opinions from people who've scaled these teams. Not pitching anything — would a quick exchange of thoughts be welcome?

Both versions: specific observation → brief context → soft reason. No ask in the request; a genuine question in the InMail.

Variations

Post-event follow-up

"We met at [EVENT] last week — I was the one asking about [TOPIC FROM YOUR CONVERSATION]. Would be good to keep the conversation going."

Reconnecting with a dormant contact

"It's been a couple of years since we worked together at [COMPANY]. I've been following what you've built since — would love to reconnect and catch up."

Reaching out to a potential collaborator

"I've been reading your [CONTENT TYPE] on [TOPIC] for a few months. I'm doing adjacent work at [COMPANY] and suspect we'd have interesting things to talk about."

Common pitfalls

• Don't: Start with "My name is [NAME] and I'm a…" — even with a character limit, this wastes space on the least interesting part.

• Try instead: Start with the observation about them. Your name is in your profile.

• Don't: Include a pitch or CTA in the connection request. It reads as a spam pattern that most experienced professionals ignore on sight.

• Try instead: Save the ask for after they accept.

• Don't: Use the same message for everyone. If you're mass-connecting with a tool, skip this prompt — it's designed for targeted outreach where the specificity is the point.

Who uses this prompt

• Sales reps: Opening conversations with prospects before email outreach
• Recruiters: Reaching passive candidates without coming across as a pitch
• Freelancers: Building relationships with potential clients before pitching
• Marketers: Connecting with journalists, partners, and event speakers
• Job seekers: Reaching out to people at target companies before applying