It gives them something to recognize
An invite is accepted or ignored in a couple of seconds. The note should hand the reader a memory: a comment thread, a reply, an event, a shared contact. Recognition does more than any clever phrasing.
Connection note templates
LinkedIn connection request templates short enough to send.
Sixteen invite notes, every one under 200 characters before you fill it in. They are grouped by what you can honestly point to: nothing yet, comments you have left, a reply they gave you, a move they made first, or a room you were both in. One worked example shows the comments that came before the note.
Note limitEvery note here is under 200 characters with placeholders unfilled. LinkedIn has allowed up to 300 on paid accounts and fewer on free ones, so trust the counter in the invite box.
What a connection note is for
The short version
A connection request note is the optional line of text sent with a LinkedIn invite. It has one job: to answer the question the recipient asks when the notification appears, which is whether they know this person. If the honest answer is no, a note can only do so much. If the answer is “the one who keeps leaving good comments on my posts”, the note barely has to try. Space is tight. LinkedIn has capped notes at 300 characters on paid accounts and at a lower figure, about 200, on free accounts, and free accounts have also been limited in how many personalized notes they can send each month. Those numbers have moved before, so check the counter before relying on them.
It asks for the connection and nothing else
The moment a note mentions a call, a demo or a product, it becomes a pitch from a stranger. Accepting an invite is a small favor. Keep the request that small.
It is true
Only mention a post if you read it. Only mention a comment if you left one. The reader can check both in seconds, and a note caught bluffing is declined and remembered.
It fits with room to spare
A placeholder like {their_point} can grow by fifty characters once it is filled in. Write short, fill it in, then count. If it runs over, remove a whole clause instead of shaving words until the note sounds clipped.
01
No shared history: the honest cold note
These are for people who have never seen your name. Expect the lowest acceptance of any group on this page. A cold note cannot create familiarity, so its only job is to be clear about who you are and to ask for nothing beyond the connection.
Who I am and why you
167 charactersUse whenNo mutuals and no interaction, but their role is close to the work you do.
Hi {first_name}, we have not met. I work on {problem} for {peer_type}, and your role at {company} is close to that world. I would like to follow what you are building.What makes it work
It admits there is no relationship yet, which is disarming, and gives one clear reason for the invite. “Follow what you are building” asks for nothing.
Same job, different company
158 charactersUse whenYou hold the same role as the recipient, or did until recently.
Hi {first_name}, fellow {role} here, at {your_company}. I try to stay connected with people doing the same job elsewhere. No pitch coming. Open to connecting?What makes it work
Peers accept peers. The note makes the shared job the whole reason and rules out a pitch in three words. Only use it if those three words are true.
A change at their company
165 charactersUse whenTheir company has announced something visible, and you have lived through the same thing.
Hi {first_name}, I saw that {company} is {trigger}. We went through the same at {your_company} and I would like to see how you handle it. Connecting to follow along.What makes it work
The trigger shows the note was written for one company. Saying you have been through it puts you on the same side of the table.
Ways to adapt it
- If you have not been through it yourself, cut the middle sentence. Do not borrow an experience.
02
You have commented on their posts
This is the group to aim for. After a few weeks of comments, the invite is hardly a request at all. It is a formality between two people who already half know each other, and the note only has to say which person you are.
The comment callback
155 charactersUse whenYou left a substantial comment on a recent post, and they will likely remember it.
Hi {first_name}, I am the one who commented on your {topic} post about {your_take}. I have enjoyed the last few. It would be good to be connected properly.What makes it work
It identifies you by something they have already read. “Connected properly” treats the invite as the next step in something that already exists.
Several weeks in
131 charactersUse whenYou have commented on four or more posts and never connected.
Hi {first_name}, I have been in your comments for a few weeks now, mostly on {topic}. Figured it was time to send an actual invite.What makes it work
Short, slightly wry and entirely true. The reader pictures the name they have seen under their posts and accepts without having to think about it.
Their point, quoted back
126 charactersUse whenOne specific idea from their post changed how you think about something.
{first_name}, your line that {their_point} changed how I think about {topic}. I said so under the post. Would like to connect.What makes it work
Quoting their own idea is a compliment with evidence. The second sentence points to the public comment, so they know this is not a line used on everyone.
Ways to adapt it
- Keep {their_point} to a short phrase. A full sentence will push the note past the limit.
The familiar face
114 charactersUse whenYou have commented often enough that a light touch feels right.
Hi {first_name}, you may recognize the name from your comment section. I promise I also exist outside it. Connect?What makes it work
A small joke lands only when there is a relationship to carry it, and here there is one. Save it for people whose own posts have some humor in them.
03
They replied to your comment
A reply under their own post means they have read you, thought about what you said and answered. Refer to that exchange and the invite reads as the obvious next step.
Thanks for the answer
169 charactersUse whenYou asked a question in a comment and they answered it.
Hi {first_name}, thanks for answering my question under your {topic} post. Your reply was more useful than most articles on it. Connecting so I do not miss the next one.What makes it work
It thanks them for something specific and gives a reason for connecting that is about their writing, not about your pipeline.
The back-and-forth
149 charactersUse whenThe thread ran to several replies between the two of you.
{first_name}, we went back and forth on {topic} in your comments on {day}. I would like to continue that sometime. Sending an invite in the meantime.What makes it work
Naming the day and the topic makes the exchange easy to recall. “Sometime” keeps it unhurried, which suits a note.
After a disagreement
155 charactersUse whenYou disagreed in public and they made a good case.
Hi {first_name}, I am the one who disagreed with you about {topic}. You made the better argument. I would like to stay connected and keep learning from it.What makes it work
Conceding a point is rare enough to be memorable. It tells them you argue in good faith, which is the kind of connection people want.
04
They came to you first
A comment on your post, a few likes, a profile visit. When the other person has already shown interest, the note can be the shortest of all.
They commented on your post
127 charactersUse whenA lead left a comment on something you published.
Hi {first_name}, thanks for the comment on my {topic} post. Your point about {their_point} was a sharp addition. Let’s connect.What makes it work
They opened the door. The note thanks them, shows you read the comment and asks for the connection in two words.
They viewed your profile
158 charactersUse whenTheir name shows up in your profile views, perhaps after you commented on their post.
Hi {first_name}, I saw you stopped by my profile. I work on {problem} at {your_company}. Happy to connect in case it is relevant, and no hard feelings if not.What makes it work
It acknowledges the visit without making it strange, says what you do in one line and gives them an easy way to decline.
They have liked your posts
142 charactersUse whenA lead reacts to your posts regularly but has never commented.
{first_name}, thank you for the likes on my recent posts about {topic}. Good to know someone at {company} reads them. Connecting to say hello.What makes it work
A like is a small gesture and the note matches it in scale. Mentioning their company shows you know who they are.
05
A real-world link: mutual contacts and events
Shared context from outside LinkedIn does a similar job to comments. It gives the reader grounds to believe they know you. Be exact about what the link is.
A mutual contact suggested it
151 charactersUse whenSomeone you both know told you to get in touch, and would confirm it if asked.
Hi {first_name}, {mutual_name} suggested I connect with you after we talked about {topic}. No ask from me. They thought we would have notes to compare.What makes it work
The mutual name comes early, so it shows in the preview. “No ask” removes the worry that the introduction is a sales route.
Ways to adapt it
- Only name a mutual who actually made the suggestion. A shared connection you have never spoken to is not an introduction.
Same event, did not meet
149 charactersUse whenYou both attended a conference, webinar or meetup, and they spoke or asked a question.
Hi {first_name}, we were both at {event}. I did not get to say hello, but your question about {topic} was the best one asked. Connecting now instead.What makes it work
It places you in the same room and recalls a moment only an attendee would know.
Met briefly in person
143 charactersUse whenYou spoke for a few minutes and want to connect before the memory fades.
Good to meet you at {event}, {first_name}. We spoke about {topic} near the end. Sending this before the business card disappears into a drawer.What makes it work
Event, topic and timing are enough to bring the meeting back. The last line explains the speed and adds a bit of personality.
06
Comment first, then connect: one lead from start to finish
The notes in the second group only work if the comments exist. Below are three comments of the kind Icebreakly drafts in your voice when a monitored lead posts, followed by the invite note you would send yourself. Icebreakly does not send connection requests. It handles the weeks before one.
Comment, day 1
193 charactersUse whenMarek, a finance director at a logistics group, posts that his team now closes the month in four days instead of nine.
Four days is quick for a group with that many entities. Was the gain mostly from automating reconciliations, or from moving the cut-off earlier? We found the second mattered more than any tool.
What makes it work
It shows the commenter understands what makes the result hard, asks a question a peer would ask and shares one finding in return.
Comment, day 9
179 charactersUse whenHe posts about hiring a controller and choosing curiosity over years of experience.
Hiring for curiosity matches what I have seen. The best controller I worked with came from audit and asked “why” about every recurring journal for a month. Annoying, and worth it.
What makes it work
A short story from experience supports his point without repeating it. The second comment from the same name starts to register.
Comment, day 20
174 charactersUse whenHe writes up an ERP migration that went badly.
Respect for writing up a migration that went wrong. The parallel-run point is the one people skip. Two closes on both systems feels wasteful until the first mismatch appears.
What makes it work
It credits the honesty of the post and picks out the most practical lesson in it. Three comments in three weeks, all on topic, none selling anything.
The invite note, day 24
167 charactersUse whenMarek liked the third comment. The invite goes out by hand.
Hi Marek, I have commented on a few of your posts about the close process and always learn something. It would be good to be connected and not just lurking under them.
What makes it work
By now the note only has to say “it is me”. He has seen the name three times next to something worth reading, so accepting is close to automatic. With no comments behind it, the same note would be an empty compliment.
How to write a connection note that gets accepted
A note is short enough that every choice shows. These are the ones that matter.
- 1
Write for the notification.
Most people decide from the preview without opening the invite. Put the recognizable part first: the comment, the reply, the event, the mutual name. Your own job title can wait or be left out, since it already sits under your name.
- 2
Point at something that happened.
The strongest notes refer to an event both people can verify. A comment under their post is the easiest one to create on purpose. It costs a few minutes, and it is still there when they look.
- 3
Leave the pitch out completely.
Not a soft pitch, not a hint. If the note says what you sell, the reader files it under sales and the invite sits unanswered. The conversation about your work belongs after the accept, and only if they show interest.
- 4
A blank invite beats a generic note.
If you have nothing specific to say, send the invite with no note. A line like “I would love to add you to my network” tells the reader you had nothing to say and said it anyway.
- 5
Fill in, then count.
The counts on these cards are for the template with placeholders. Real names and topics are longer. Paste the finished note into the invite box and look at the counter before you send.
- 6
Spend invites on people who know you.
LinkedIn limits most accounts to roughly 100 invites a week, and a pile of ignored or declined invites is widely understood to count against an account. That makes each invite worth something. Sending them to people who recognize your name gets more of them accepted and keeps the account in good standing.
Connection request note questions
What is the character limit for a LinkedIn connection request note?
It depends on the account. LinkedIn has allowed up to 300 characters on paid plans and a lower limit, around 200, on free accounts. Free accounts have also been restricted to a small number of personalized notes per month. LinkedIn has changed these figures more than once, so the safe approach is to write notes under 200 characters and check the counter in the invite box before sending.
Should I add a note or send the invite blank?
Add a note when you have something specific and true to say, such as a comment you left, a reply they gave you or an event you both attended. Send it blank when you do not. A generic note adds nothing and can read as a template, while a blank invite at least lets your name, your headline and any familiarity you have built do the work.
What is the weekly limit on LinkedIn invites?
LinkedIn limits most accounts to roughly 100 invites a week. The exact allowance varies by account, is not published, and can shrink if many of your invites are ignored. With so few to spend, it makes sense to send them to people who are likely to accept, which in practice means people who have already seen your name.
Does commenting before connecting change whether they accept?
It changes what the invite is. A request from an unknown name asks the recipient to take a chance. A request from someone whose comments they have read under several of their posts comes from a person they already recognize. Acceptance is noticeably higher in the second case, and the conversation after the accept starts from a better place.
Does Icebreakly send connection requests?
No. Icebreakly does not send connection requests, notes, DMs or InMail. It monitors the leads you choose, drafts comments on their new posts in your voice and tracks how many touches each lead has had. You send the invite yourself, by hand, when the lead is familiar with you. If you need invites sent automatically at volume, a sequencer is the right tool for that job.
What should I say after they accept?
Nothing for a day or two, unless they write first. Then send a short message that continues from the note: a question about the post you commented on, or something useful that relates to it. Do not treat the accept as permission to pitch. A message that picks up the thread of your comments will be read as a continuation, which is what it is.
Can I send the same note to everyone?
You can reuse a structure, but the specifics have to change. The parts that make a note work are the topic of their post, what you said about it and when. If those are missing, what remains is a generic line that does no better than a blank invite. Reuse the frame and rewrite the details each time.
The best note says “you already know me”.
Icebreakly makes that true. It monitors the leads you choose, drafts a comment in your voice on each new post and counts the touches. When a lead reaches Familiar, you send the invite yourself. Icebreakly does not send it for you. Free for 7 days.