Complete Guide to Creating A Powerful LinkedIn Message (with 5 Templates)9 min read

What is a LinkedIn Message and Why Should I Have One?

LinkedIn is the major platform for professional networking, seeking jobs, and career building. Creating a strong and attractive profile on LinkedIn is very crucial so that you are noticed by recruiters.

Hence you need to curate a well-formulated LinkedIn message that speaks of your strength and quality in a simple yet powerful way. It is vital to catch the attention of the recruiting firms so that they visit your profile and establish a connection with you.

There are several templates available on the internet, that provide guidance on how to write a LinkedIn message. Further in this article, we will discuss how a LinkedIn message work by sharing the best practices for writing a strong and powerful message.

Further reiterating what are the benefits of having a LinkedIn message, it helps in gaining a new customer base for an online business or website. New leads can be generated through networking via LinkedIn and hence more growth.

Let us discuss the different types of LinkedIn messages, the best practices, and the different types of LinkedIn message templates

Also, see How can you use LinkedIn for freelancer marketing

Different Types of LinkedIn Messages and When To Use Them

Let us focus now on different types of LinkedIn messages. It is crucial to understand the essence behind each of the message types, and the responses to the questions like how often should I send out messages? And who should I be sending my links in messages to?

There are three main types of LinkedIn messages:

1. InMail messages: You can send out InMail messages only if you have subscribed to a Premium LinkedIn account. You can directly send messages to any LinkedIn account or member, even if they are not in your connections. But if a member decides not to receive InMail messages and mentions the same in the settings, then you will not able to send a message. Credits are allotted for InMail messages depending on the type of subscription. The credits can be checked on “My Premium Page”.

2. Sponsored messaging: If you want to run a hiring or marketing campaign on LinkedIn then you need to use the sponsored messaging feature. It is essentially a promotional or informational advertisement to connect to prospective candidates, customers, recruiting specialists, or hiring companies.

The message can be found only on the messaging web page of a LinkedIn member or the LinkedIn mobile app. It is not sent to a professional or personal email account. The audience target is set based on your current role, area, and industrial sector or genre. If a member wants to opt out of LinkedIn sponsored messaging, he or she can do so from the Privacy Settings.

3. Open Profile messages: To enable Open profile messaging, you need to have a paid account i.e. a Premium LinkedIn account. It is basically a setting in your account that you need to enable so that any LinkedIn member can send you a message for absolutely free.

To avail of this facility, you need to first switch on Premium Profile visibility. In the privacy settings, you need to enable “Allow Open Profile messages?”

The 5 Best Practices for Writing Powerful LinkedIn Messages

Writing a powerful and eye-catchy message on LinkedIn grabs the attention of customers and recruiters. Hence it is important to be acquainted with the best practices for writing links in messages and how to create powerful LinkedIn messages.

Here are the 5 best practices on how to write good LinkedIn messages.

1. Write a strong, short, and a catchy subject line

Your message will be read-only if your subject line is an attractive one and speaks in brief about the subject being described in the message. It increases the chances of being noticed fast.

A generic message may be penned down by many and will not lure someone to read through your message.

The philosophy is applicable to recruiters or hiring companies too, who are looking for prospective candidates for their company. Keeping the subject concise and with a personal connection drives the interest easily.

2. Introduce a “personal” touch

Try to introduce a personal touch to both the title and message. People feel connected and related to their interests which is important in imparting the correct purpose embedded within the message. For example, it is always good to mention your hobby in your profile.

A survey by LinkedIn has proved that the response rate to a message increases by 20% once there is a personalized touch attached to it.

An audience on LinkedIn believes in facts, pinpointed, and straightforward information since it is a professional networking platform.

Further a well-researched message or content is even more attractive. You may refer to some blogs or articles as references if you want to increase your visibility and credibility in the genre or category of your interest.

3. Count messages between 200 to 400 words

It is advisable and recommended to keep the word count between 200 and 400 characters for a LinkedIn message. LinkedIn has conducted surveys on the response rate of messages that were within the limit and those which exceeded the limit. And the responses were low for messages exceeding 400 characters.

Keeping the message short and crisp but then not losing out to retrieve the key data or information, is sure to attract the audience.

For example, if you want to mention a time for your audience to connect, it is better to state a date and time range. That ensures you are flexible and not too rigid when it comes to providing a space to your audience.

4. Highlight connections and networks

Both for a recruiter or a candidate, it is always better to mention and highlight your connections and networks. Writing about people with the same interest and genre, creates a comfort zone, familiarity, and a personalized feeling to the message.

Surveys and research have proved that the response rate leaps by almost 27% if one refers to and mentions connections.

For example, a recruiter may mention the name of a person working in the same company, mention the skills of the person, and how the person has climbed up the ladder of professionalism and role. Further, as another example, a candidate may mention LinkedIn recommendations to be noticed by a hiring manager or firm.

Also, see 6 tips for writing LinkedIn cold outreach message

5. Ending with a Thank You note

A touch of grace in your LinkedIn message is surely going to create a difference. You may want to drop a note to express your eagerness to hear back. Next can be appreciating the expertise and experience of the probable candidates which definitely will motivate the audience to apply for jobs for example.

Besides, a Thank You note definitely rings a feeling of compassion and gratitude that surely peps up the professional aspect of the message. An important aspect of a professional network or platform is to be grateful and grant respect, be you an employer or an employee.

Hence, expressing thanks will certainly be a good beginning step in the world of recruitment and connections.

Linkedin Message Templates

In this section, we will discuss the different LinkedIn message templates.

1. Introduction Template

An introduction message on LinkedIn is the one that is included when sending a connection request to any member of the networking platform. The number of characters for the message is 300. So whenever you want to increase your network and connections, then you can drop in a short crisp message so that your request is not declined and increase the chance of acceptance.

This type of message is recommended to add a personalized touch to your connection request and draw as many users to your profile. It is advisable to provide a one-line introduction so that it attracts the attention of the member you want to connect with.

Here are some samples to refer to:

2. Sales Template

If you want to connect to a prospect, then you need to send out a sales pitch to the person you desire to connect with and grow your network. My recommendation is to ask questions to grab attention and then introduce your company’s product or service as a solution summary to the question.

This introduces a personal touch to the message as well as provides an assurance of resolving the problems. It eventually proves that you care for the audience.

Here are some samples to refer to:

3. Cold Email Template

Cold emails have been found to be very effective with the response rate much higher than normal messages. If you want to reach out to prospects or business professionals, then it is always advisable to use cold emails. But then the quality of content within the cold emails is vital in gaining attention from the intended audience.

Besides if you are looking for a respectable job, cold emails help in connecting with companies and recruiting firms faster.

Here are some samples to refer to:

4. Recommendation Template

LinkedIn recommendations are very helpful in strengthening your profile. When people talk about your product, service, and even your skills, it is noticed by your customers, audience, recruiters, and many others. So whenever you are writing a recommendation, it is advised to specify importantly the skills and special features explicitly. A recommendation is a big weapon in expanding one’s professional growth and credibility.

Some tips for writing a recommendation are:

Also, see The Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn Company Pages

• Divide into 3 to 4 paragraphs
• The character limit is 3000 but it is not mandated to utilize it to the full
• Start with some exciting discreet opening lines to grab attention
• Mention the professional relationship with the person whom you are recommending
• Elaborate on the unique skills and qualities possessed by the person
• Bring in some personal and sentimental touch to the recommendation
• Conclude with an authoritative statement

Here are some samples to refer to:

Conclusion:

LinkedIn is a widely popular professional networking platform. It has several features and means to connect with a huge network of recruiters, working professionals, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and many more.

Hence it is crucial to understand the best practices for writing messages in a professional manner to attract an audience and grab the attention of the audience. Hope the article will provide you with valuable guidance, assistance, and support in achieving the same.