LinkedIn connection request template
Under 300 characters, one specific reason for connecting, and no pitch until after they accept.
- Web research
- HubSpot / CRM
- Sequencer
- Google Sheets
Write a LinkedIn connection note to a VP Marketing who posted about content operations last week.
- Reviewed public activityPost 6 days ago on review cycles slowing publishing
- Checked ICP fitMatch: B2B SaaS, 180 employees, content-led
- Drafted the note241 characters, references the review-cycle point, no ask
- Drafted post-accept messageSends day 4, continues the review-bottleneck thread
Note is 241 characters and references the specific claim in their post about review cycles rather than the post in general. No ask. The day-four follow-up continues that thread and asks one question about their current review step.
A LinkedIn connection request template has one job: get accepted. This one writes a note under 300 characters with a specific, verifiable reason for reaching out and no ask attached — because a pitch in the connection note is the most reliable way to be ignored.
What is a LinkedIn connection request template?
A short note attached to a connection request that gives a real reason to accept. It works within LinkedIn’s character limit and deliberately contains no pitch, because the first touch is buying permission, not selling anything.
Find a real reason to connect
- Reference a specific post, role change, or shared context
- Verify the reference exists before using it
- Skip the request when nothing genuine is available
Write within the constraint
- Under 300 characters, no truncation
- No pitch, no link, no ask in the first touch
- Your voice rather than LinkedIn boilerplate
Plan the follow-through
- Draft the post-accept message that follows the stated reason
- Recommend a waiting period before messaging
- Note where this fits in the wider sequence
What should you write in a LinkedIn connection request?
One sentence naming something specific — a post they wrote, a shared group, a change at their company — and one sentence on why you want to connect. Nothing about your product. Vague flattery reads as automation and gets declined.
When do you send the LinkedIn outreach message after connecting?
Not immediately. Wait a few days, engage with something they post if it is genuinely relevant, then send a message that follows from the reason you gave for connecting. Pitching the hour after an accept spends the permission you just earned.
Should a LinkedIn outreach message replace email in a sequence?
It complements it. LinkedIn works well as a mid-sequence touch that adds a channel without adding another email, which is why the multi-touch sequence template places it around touch three or four.
How the LinkedIn connection request template works across your stack
The agent researches the person’s public activity for a genuine reference point, checks account fit against your ICP, and writes in your voice from workspace Knowledge. Notes and the follow-up message export to your CRM or sequencer so the LinkedIn touch is tracked alongside email rather than happening in a separate silo.
- Web research
- HubSpot / CRM
- Sequencer
- Google Sheets
Who uses this LinkedIn connection request template
- SDRs running multi-channel sequences
- Add a LinkedIn touch that gets accepted rather than reported.
- Founders building a network
- Send fifteen genuine requests a day without writing each from scratch.
- Recruiters and partnerships
- Open a conversation without leading with the ask.
How to run this LinkedIn connection request template in Metaflow
Give the agent the person and company
It reviews public activity for something specific worth referencing.
Confirm the eventual goal
What you want later shapes the post-accept message, not the connection note.
Review the note
Under 300 characters with the reference it used, so you can verify it is real.
Send, wait, then follow up
Use the drafted post-accept message after a few days rather than immediately.
What you provide
- Person and company
- Your eventual goal for the relationship
- Optional: ICP criteria to check first
What you get back
- Connection note under 300 characters
- The reference used and its source
- Post-accept follow-up message
- Recommended waiting period
Why use this LinkedIn connection request template?
No pitch in the first touch, which is what actually drives accepts
References are verified rather than invented
Stays inside the character limit without truncating mid-sentence
Drafts the post-accept message so the follow-through is coherent
LinkedIn connection request template FAQs
What should I write on a LinkedIn connection request?
One specific reason you are reaching out and one sentence on why connecting makes sense. Leave the product out entirely — the note exists to earn an accept, and a pitch is the fastest way to lose one.
Can you provide an example of a LinkedIn connection request message?
"Your post on brief-to-draft cycle times matched what we keep hearing from content leads — especially the part about review being the real bottleneck. Would like to follow your work." Specific, no ask, comfortably inside the limit.
Should you send a note with a connection request?
For cold outreach, yes — a specific note materially improves accept rates. For people who already know you, a bare request is fine and often faster.
How long can a LinkedIn connection note be?
Around 300 characters. Shorter tends to perform better anyway, since the note is read in a notification preview.
Similar cold email and outbound templates
Key takeaways
- No pitch in the connection note — you are buying permission
- One verifiable, specific reference beats any amount of flattery
- Wait a few days before the post-accept message