LinkedIn Follow-Up Message Templates
Most replies on LinkedIn come from the follow-up, not the first message — people are busy, not uninterested. But there's a hard rule that separates a good follow-up from a nag: every message must add something that wasn't in the last one. "Just bumping this" adds nothing and burns goodwill.
The templates below each carry a different kind of "new": a resource, a deadline, a changed circumstance, or a graceful exit. Two follow-ups after the original message is the practical ceiling; the last one should close the loop so cleanly that replying to it feels easy even months later.
Save these once with the first_name placeholder and TemplateJet's Chrome extension personalizes each send from the open conversation — useful when follow-up day means thirty conversations, not three.
The value-add follow-up
A follow-up that would be worth receiving even if they never reply is the standard to aim for.
The changed-circumstances follow-up
"Does that change the picture" reopens the conversation without re-pitching from zero.
The honest bump
Explicitly inviting a "no" gets more replies than pretending a "no" isn't an option. Many of those replies aren't "no".
Recruiter follow-up after silence
A real deadline plus a real promise of silence. Keep the promise — candidates remember recruiters who do.
After a "maybe later"
Following up precisely when you said you would builds more trust than anything in the message body.
The graceful close
The close is a message people actually save. It converts later, when the timing finally is right.
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 many times should I follow up on LinkedIn?
The original message plus two follow-ups is the practical ceiling. Beyond that you're training the person to ignore you — and LinkedIn's spam filters to notice you.
How long should I wait between follow-ups?
Three to five working days after the first message, then a week or more before the last one. Faster reads as pressure; slower loses the thread's context.
What should I never write in a follow-up?
"Just bumping this", "Did you see my last message?", and any guilt trip about being ignored. All three make replying less attractive, which is the opposite of the job.
First messages after the connect — short enough to read in the notification preview, specific enough to answer.
Most deals close in the follow-up — these cover every stall from post-demo silence to "call me next quarter."
Connection notes that fit the 300-character limit and give people a real reason to accept.
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.