LinkedIn Cold Message Templates
A cold LinkedIn message is competing with every other unread DM in the recipient's inbox, and most of those open with a paragraph about the sender. The messages that get replies do the opposite: they're about the recipient, they fit inside the notification preview, and they end with a question that's easy to answer.
Three rules run through every template here. Keep it under four sentences. Make the first sentence prove you looked at their profile. Ask for a reply, not for a meeting — the meeting comes two messages later.
The first_name placeholder in each template is filled in automatically by the TemplateJet Chrome extension when you open a profile or chat, so the mechanical part of personalization is handled and your attention goes to the one detail that matters.
The one-question opener
A real question people have opinions about outperforms any pitch. The answers also tell you exactly how to pitch later.
Trigger event (funding, launch, hiring)
"Want them here in writing?" removes the meeting ask entirely — the easiest possible yes.
Competitor reference
Naming the niche (not the customers) signals relevance without name-dropping anyone you'd need permission to mention.
Content-first opener
Reacting to their words beats describing your product. Offer the value before any ask.
Recruiter cold pitch for a role
Transparency about the band and the follow-up policy is what separates this from the twenty other recruiter DMs they got this week.
Partnership feeler
"No decks involved" is doing more work than it looks like.
The permission close
Asking permission to pitch converts surprisingly well — a "sure" commits them to reading the next message.
Save any template to TemplateJet and the Chrome extension inserts the recipient's first name via first_name right inside LinkedIn, Telegram, and WhatsApp — Cyrillic names included.
How long should a cold LinkedIn message be?
Under 400 characters is the sweet spot — roughly what fits on one phone screen without scrolling. If your message needs a scroll, it needs an edit.
Should I pitch in the first message?
No. The first message earns a reply; the reply earns the pitch. Messages that open with a product description get archived because they read as broadcast, not conversation.
How many people should I message per day?
Fewer, better. Twenty genuinely personalized messages beat two hundred sprayed ones on replies alone — and LinkedIn throttles accounts that behave like spray. Templates should save you typing, not thinking.
Connection notes that fit the 300-character limit and give people a real reason to accept.
Second and third messages that add something new instead of "just bumping this up in your inbox."
Most deals close in the follow-up — these cover every stall from post-demo silence to "call me next quarter."
Write once. Personalize every send.
TemplateJet is a free template manager with a Chrome extension — your whole library one click away on LinkedIn, Telegram, and WhatsApp.