How to Connect with Someone You Don’t Know on LinkedIn
Hi friend,
Have you ever sat looking at the LinkedIn profile page of someone you didn’t know on LinkedIn, and wondered if you should connect with them? It can feel awkward to send a connection request to someone you don’t know— after all, why would someone accept a LinkedIn request from a stranger? Don’t worry, there’s an easy, professional way to send that connection request!
Start with their name: A lot of people send low effort spammy messages and connection requests on LinkedIn. If you want someone to keep reading, use their name.
Explain how you found them: They don’t know who you are or where you came from! Did you see an article they wrote? Were you looking for people with their job title? Did you go to the same school?
Tell them why you want to connect: Do you just want to stay up to date with their content, do you have a question, or would you like to talk?
Sign it: It’s a mini-letter, not a tweet.
Here are two examples of a LinkedIn connection message to illustrate:
Hi Frastika,
I was looking through our class directory at Duke and noticed that you work as a UX Designer. I’m currently a front end developer who is considering a career switch, and I wondered if you’d be willing to tell me about your career experience thus far.
Karissa
Hi Nick,
I keep seeing your content about sales analytics pop up in my feed through a mutual connection, and I always find it insightful! I was hoping to connect so I don’t miss anything; I would love to get to know more about your role at some point as well if you have time for coffee.
Karissa
In my experience, the other person will accept your connection request and you will get a positive response more than half of the time (success!) with a message like this. So don’t be afraid to connect with strangers on LinkedIn! Of course, keep in mind that people who are not visibly active on LinkedIn may not be checking their messages regularly, and that people with certain roles are likely to receive a high volume of requests. Don’t take it personally if you don’t hear back right away.
Bonus: The LinkedIn Mobile App doesn’t support adding a note after you click Connect, so be sure to send your connection request and message on a Desktop version of the site.
Happy Tuesday!
Karissa
