LinkedIn connection request message template: the shape, three examples, what to leave out
Last updated 28 September 2026
The note on a connection request is short, and the reader decides from the first line. Name the reason you are writing, once, and stop. This page gives the shape, three examples and what to leave out, then how a HeyLead campaign writes the note from the person's profile and your own posts.
The shape
- The reason, in the first line. A post they wrote, a job they just took, a problem you both work on. Something that could only be about them.
- Who you are, in half a line. What you build or do, not your title.
- No ask. The request is the ask. The conversation starts after they accept.
Three examples
After a post they wrote
Hi Maria, your post on why settlement retries fail silently is the clearest thing I have read on it. I build tooling for exactly that at a small fintech. Would be good to be connected.
After a job change
Hi Tom, congratulations on the move to Northwind. I run payments engineering at a company your size and follow what your team ships. Would be good to be connected.
Someone you would like to buy from
Hi Lena, we are choosing a payroll provider for Poland and Portugal this quarter and your name came up twice. Would be good to be connected so I can ask two questions.
Leave out
- A pitch. A note that sells gets declined; a note that names a reason gets accepted.
- "I would love to add you to my professional network." It says nothing about them.
- A link. Nobody opens a link from a stranger's request.
- Flattery about the company. One specific line about their work does more.
How a HeyLead campaign writes it
A HeyLead campaign writes the invitation note from the person's profile, the reason the agents chose them (a signal such as a post or a job change), and the voice of your own LinkedIn posts. A selling campaign opens with curiosity and no product name; a job-search campaign may name the company and the role; a buying campaign says you are the buyer. Warm-up comes first: a profile view, a follow, a comment on a recent post, so the note lands on a name they have seen.
Set up HeyLead using https://heylead.dev/llms.txtHeyLead sends from your own LinkedIn account at a human pace: at most 20 invitations a day and 100 a week on a free LinkedIn account (more on Premium or Sales Navigator), Monday to Friday 08:00 to 22:00 in your time zone, minutes apart. It backs off when LinkedIn pushes back and resumes on its own. You can pause any campaign at any time. HeyLead is not affiliated with LinkedIn. It reaches LinkedIn through Unipile, which is also not affiliated.
Questions people ask
What should a LinkedIn connection request message say?
One reason you are writing that could only be about them (a post, a job change, a shared problem), half a line on what you do, and no ask. Under 200 characters; LinkedIn cuts the note short.
Should I send a connection request without a note?
A request without a note is accepted often, but the acceptance carries nothing: the next message still has to explain who you are. A note that names the reason does that work up front.
How does HeyLead write the note?
From the person's profile, the signal that started the outreach and the voice of your own LinkedIn posts. Invitations follow the seat's ceiling: at most 20 a day and 100 a week on a free LinkedIn account.