LinkedIn is a fantastic platform to network with thousands of different people and to share content to develop your brand.
LinkedIn is also one of the only professional social media sites that allows you to connect with and message top CEOs and professionals across different industries.
Why should you write a personal LinkedIn connection message?
A personal LinkedIn message is a lot more interesting and engaging than the standard message of “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn”.
- Before connecting with someone, think about why you want to connect with them and why you think this networking opportunity will be beneficial for you, or them.
Composing a personal message is important to create a meaningful first impression. Remember, you have a limit of 300-characters, so you must stay to the point and state your reasoning for wanting to connect.
Where do I find my connections?
This step is simple by following these instructions:
- Search for the company that you are interested in
- Filter by ‘People’
- Click on the employee that is most relevant to your search to see their profile
Now that you know how to find an individual, here is how to reach out to them!
Be polite!
A simple “Hi, I hope you are well” can go a long way before jumping into your intentions of why you are sending them the connection. Treating the connection as a person, and not just a by-product of the company they work for shows that you have a genuine interest in them and their speciality.
Who are you?
Start by introducing yourself, make sure to keep it short and sweet! All you need to include is who you are and what it is that you currently do.
Break the ice
Make sure to do some research on their profile to create a shared connection on a particular interest. If they’ve posted something interesting recently, you can use that as a stepping stone to the conversation to show that you have expressed an interest in them.
Additionally, if you have mutual connections or have been recommended by a connection, make sure to include this information as a starting point for your conversation
Be precise
Now, precisely summarise why you would like to connect. Some reasons to connect could be:
- To seek professional advice
- To understand more about their path into their career
- To strengthen your networking
- To collaborate together
Tip: it’s important to be patient and understand that a lot of people might not reply instantly.
The most important factor in sending the message is to explain why the connection is beneficial to them. Remember, you won’t need to explain your entire work history as your profile will explain your background.
Make sure to be polite and phrase the request as a genuine invite rather than coming across as demanding.
Be welcoming
You can also subtly flatter your potential connection to show that you have personally selected them to connect with and tailored your invite message to match their expertise.
You can achieve this by:
- Describing them as an expert in their role
- Commenting on a recent achievement
- Asking for expert advice on the sector of work
Once you connect, you will be able to continue the conversation and schedule a potential meeting to discuss your ideas further.
The completed message
Now you should be equipped with all the elements to compose the perfect connection message.
Here is an example message:
“Dear Name, I see that we have mutual connections of X and Y, and might be working on Z project together in the upcoming months. It would be great to connect and discuss this further with you? Kind regards, Your Name”
Or
“Dear Name, my name is X and I work within the marketing sector. I’m currently looking to expand my network of experts in Y sector, and I came across your profile. It would be great to connect and share some ideas? Kind regards, Your Name”.
Now that you know what to say in a connection message… what are you waiting for? It is time to start building your LinkedIn connections!