LinkedIn Connection Request Templates
A LinkedIn connection request note is capped at 300 characters, and most people burn them on "I'd like to add you to my professional network." A blank request is often better than a generic note — but a short, specific one beats both.
The pattern behind every template below is the same: use their name, name the one thing that made you click their profile, and say why connecting is worth their time. No pitch — the pitch comes later, after they accept.
Each template uses a first_name placeholder. If you save these in TemplateJet, the Chrome extension fills the name in automatically from the profile you're viewing, so personalization costs you zero keystrokes.
Same industry, no agenda
Flattery works when it's specific and asks for nothing. This one is for people whose content you actually read.
After a post they wrote
Swap the topic for the actual post. Referencing something they wrote is the single strongest accept trigger.
Shared group or community
A shared space plus a remembered detail signals "peer", not "prospector".
After meeting at an event
Send within 24 hours while the conversation is still fresh for both of you.
Recruiter to candidate (honest version)
Candidates accept recruiters who are upfront. The "before I have a role" framing removes the pressure of a pitch.
Sales, without the pitch
If you pitch inside the connection note, you've spent your one first impression on being deleted. Connect first, earn the pitch.
Mutual connection
Only use a name when the mutual contact actually knows you both. It gets verified more often than you'd think.
Job seeker to hiring manager
Polite, useful, and it makes the follow-up conversation feel natural instead of pushy.
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.
Should I send a connection request with or without a note?
If you can write one specific sentence about why you're connecting, send a note. If all you'd write is a generic line, send it blank — a blank request outperforms a template that smells like a template.
How long can a LinkedIn connection request message be?
300 characters, including spaces. Free accounts also have a monthly cap on personalized notes, so spend them on requests where the note actually adds context.
How do I personalize requests at scale without sounding automated?
Keep the structure templated and the details variable. A tool like TemplateJet inserts the person's first name automatically via first_name while you swap the one specific detail — the post, the event, the mutual contact — by hand. Specificity is the part that can't be faked.
First messages after the connect — short enough to read in the notification preview, specific enough to answer.
Second and third messages that add something new instead of "just bumping this up in your inbox."
For the outreach that isn't selling anything — advice asks, reconnections, intros, and thank-yous.
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.