LinkedIn Connection Request Messages by Buyer Role

LinkedIn limits connection notes to a few hundred characters, and some free accounts get fewer characters and only a handful of personalised notes each month. Every note here is written to fit in 200 characters once you fill it in. Check your own limit before you send.

The job of a connection note is to get accepted and nothing more. Selling comes later, if at all.

How to use it

1. Decide the person's role in the decision. Title alone is not enough.
2. Find one specific, true thing about them or their company.
3. Pick a note for that role and replace the brackets.
4. After they accept, wait a day, then send one of the follow-up messages.

Notes by buyer role

Decision maker (CEO, MD, business head): company event

Hi [Name], I read about [company]'s [expansion / launch / result]. I work with [sector] leaders on [topic] and would value being connected.

Decision maker: their own words

Hi [Name], your point about [topic] in [post / interview] stayed with me, especially [detail]. I'd like to follow your thinking here.

Finance leader (CFO, finance director): shared topic

Hi [Name], I work with finance teams in [sector] on [cost or risk topic]. I saw [company] is [initiative] and would like to connect.

Finance leader: event or community

Hi [Name], we're both in [group / event]. I spend most of my time on [finance topic] with [sector] companies. Good to be connected.

Technical leader (CIO, CTO, head of IT): their stack or project

Hi [Name], I saw [company] is working on [project / platform]. I work on the [integration / security / data] side of that and would like to connect.

Technical leader: content they shared

Hi [Name], thanks for the post on [technical topic]. The part about [detail] matches what I see with other [sector] teams. Glad to connect.

Operations or business-unit head: the daily problem

Hi [Name], I work with [function] teams in [sector] on [daily problem]. I'd like to learn how [company] approaches it. Open to connecting?

Operations head: a team milestone

Hi [Name], congratulations to your team on [milestone]. I follow how [sector] operations teams handle [topic] and would like to connect.

Procurement or vendor management: process first

Hi [Name], I work with [sector] companies as a supplier of [category]. I'd like to understand how [company] prefers vendors to engage. Open to connecting?

Procurement: respect the route

Hi [Name], I'm speaking with colleagues of yours in [function] about [topic] and want to follow your process properly. Glad to connect.

Send the second procurement note only if you really are in conversation with their colleagues.

Champion (manager or senior specialist): their expertise

Hi [Name], your work on [project / topic] at [company] caught my eye. I work in the same area with other [sector] teams. Good to connect?

Champion: a mutual connection

Hi [Name], [mutual connection] and I worked together on [context]. I see you lead [area] at [company]. I'd like to be connected.

Mention a mutual connection only if that person would recognise your name.

When to send no note

A blank request is sometimes the better choice: when you have nothing specific to say, when you share many relevant connections, or when your profile headline already explains why you are relevant. A generic note is worse than no note.

After they accept

Wait a day. Then send one message with a question and no pitch.

Follow-up 1: ask about their view

Thanks for connecting, [Name]. A question, not a pitch: with [trigger or initiative] at [company], what has been the hardest part for your team so far?

Follow-up 2: offer something useful

Thanks for connecting, [Name]. We put together [a checklist / template / short note] on [topic] for [role] teams. Shall I send it over? Nothing needed in return.

Follow-up 3: say why you chose them

Thanks for connecting, [Name]. To be direct: [company] is one of a small number of companies we think we can help with [problem]. Would you be open to a short conversation, or is someone else closer to it?

Never send

• A pitch or a calendar link in the connection note.
• "I'd love to pick your brain" or "I see we have mutual connections" with nothing after it.
• Praise for a post you have not read.
• The same note to several people in one company.
• A claim that a colleague referred you when they did not.
• A third follow-up after two unanswered messages. Move to another channel or another person in the account.