Send Personalized Connection Invites for Better Uptake on Your LinkedIn Connection Requests

I’m just back from an ABA conference and am following up with some of the people I met. That might mean a phone call or an email with a link to an article, and in some cases, it means sending a LinkedIn connection request.

LinkedIn makes it very easy to send a connection invitation. After searching a name, a simple click on a button creates a standard message: “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” and a second click sends it on its way.

While virtually effortless, these generic invites are far from ideal, and they are probably scaring some of your potential connections away. People receiving generic invites may not remember you and that will make them more likely to ignore the connection request.

To make it far more likely that the person will recognize you and accept your connection invite, take a few extra seconds to write a personalized invite note. For example:

Hi [first name]

Great to meet you at the ABA LPL Conference. I would like to add you to my LinkedIn network.

Dan

If it was someone you didn’t actually meet, try to make a connection in some other way: “I enjoyed your presentation and would like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” or “I see we share an interest in legal malpractice and would like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.”

Taking the time to send personalized connection invites will help you more grow your LinkedIn network.