Council Post: How To Level Up Your Direct Messages When Using LinkedIn

President & Founder, HR Maximizer Inc, Speaker, Live Stream Host. Helping organizations fill perm jobs faster, regionally & nationally.

LinkedIn has changed. We know that sending inbox messages is the best way to engage ideal candidates, but the question is, how?

In the past, we could simply send a “hello” and hear a response, but not anymore. High-quality candidates are frequently sought after, meaning their inboxes are always flooded. It’s frustrating for us to send messages into the wind. We stare at our inboxes praying for replies but receive nothing.

LinkedIn InMails can be an amazing way of generating recruitment leads or selling opportunities to a certain extent. However, the way to make them more effective has changed. So how do we engage potential candidates and level up our direct messages? Let’s take a step back, and before we even direct message someone, consider doing the following:

1. Engage with their content. The first thing I suggest is to follow and engage with several of your target person’s posts before asking to connect.

2. Send a customized message. Your direct message isn’t original if you are using a lot of the same phrases in your connection requests that people receive in their inboxes daily. Please keep in mind that customized connection requests produce a new inbox message, so they should be meaningful and not boilerplate. They should truly be custom, otherwise, just send the request as-is.

These are recent examples of “custom connection requests” that I have recently received in multiple ways in my inbox. I put this in quotes because they aren’t really custom to me at all. Much of the verbiage used is comprised of the same things I used to send in 2010 but no longer use:

Connection Requests: Unoriginal And Non-Impactful

There is nothing wrong with any of the messages below, but the problem is that so many others (people and LI tools) are using the exact same messages, so yours and mine no longer stand out. After introducing themselves, I’ve found that people often direct message like this:

• I came across your profile and think we should connect.

• Your profile caught my eye, so I thought that I would connect.

• I noticed that we share several mutual connections, so I thought that I would connect.

• Your LinkedIn profile really impressed me. I am looking to connect with people like yourself.

• I see that you work in the x industry. I am looking to expand my network of professionals in this area.

Oftentimes, they mention an industry that I left several years ago or the wrong one entirely. And with this type of introduction, I assume they are using a tool to do it.

Connection Requests: More Impactful

After engaging (liking, commenting and sharing) enough of the target person’s content, you probably don’t even need a custom connection request, but if you do, here are my suggestions: 

• I have followed your posts for some time and have really enjoyed reading them, especially your recent one on x. Keep up the great work, and I thought that it would be good for us to connect directly.

• I really appreciate what you are doing on LinkedIn. Your last post on x was awesome, so let’s connect!

• Recruiting-specific: I enjoy following your content and really appreciated your recent post on x. Because I am focused on the x space, it is important for me to stay connected with leaders/pros like yourself.

Note: Please do not copy and paste this. Make sure the wording is custom to what you would say in a similar situation.

First Message After Connecting: Unoriginal Or Non-Impactful

After being accepted, I often get this:

• Thanks for connecting! I would love to hear more about your story and the type of business you are in. Here is a little about me, I do x. I would love to connect for about 10-15 minutes this week if you have time. Here is my automated calendar…

• Thanks for connecting, can we meet this week to learn a little more about each other? Does Tuesday or Thursday work better for you?

It’s important to note that I have a profile that explains who I am, my story and the business I am in, plus recent posts that go into more detail about all of this.

First Message After Connecting: More impactful

Again, after engaging (liking, commenting and sharing) enough of the target person’s content, try saying something like this:

• Sales/Selling Opportunities: I see that you are the x at [company], and after reading several of your posts, I noticed an area where I think that I might be able to add value. Have you explored/thought about x? I recently helped a client with this same issue, and we were able to receive x results. Let me know if that interests you. (Then follow up after a week or so with new information and/or try another way of contacting if available.)

• Recruiting-specific: Based on what I have gathered from reviewing your recent posts, you are definitely the type of leader/pro that I would like to stay in touch with. I noticed on your profile that you do x, and I am working with/for x that is seeking someone with an experienced profile like yours. Would you be open to having a conversation so that I can share more with you about it? If it isn’t the right fit, let me know what I should inform you about if I come across it (or what I should be on the lookout for).

I hope these suggestions are useful to you in helping you to make more meaningful LinkedIn connections in 2021.


Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?


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