The default LinkedIn connection request — sent with no note, to someone who doesn’t know you — has a low acceptance rate. The people who accept it are largely those who accept everything. The people you actually want to connect with tend not to.
A brief, specific note changes the equation. You have 300 characters. Here’s how to use them.
Why most connection notes fail
The notes people do write tend to fall into two categories:
The pitch: “Hi [name], I came across your profile and wanted to connect to discuss potential synergies between our organisations. I’d love to schedule a call.”
This is a sales email in a connection request. It asks for the person’s time and attention immediately, before they know anything about you.
The generic compliment: “Hi, I found your profile interesting and thought it would be great to connect with you.”
This says nothing. Profiles are read by bots and people — and both know filler when they see it.
Neither note gives the recipient a reason to say yes. A good connection request does.
What a good connection request does
A connection request should answer one question for the recipient: why should I add this person to my network?
The answer needs to be specific, brief, and true. That’s it. No pitch, no ask, no flattery. Just a genuine, single-sentence reason that makes the person think: “Oh, that makes sense.”
The structure
[How you found them / the context] + [one specific reason] + [optional: brief who-you-are]
The note does not need to be a complete paragraph. It can be two sentences. At 300 characters, it has to be concise.
Examples that work
Shared interest / content:
“Hi [name] — I read your post on hotel retention rates and it matched almost exactly what I’ve been seeing in my own teams. Wanted to connect and follow your content.”
Sector / role overlap:
“Hi [name] — I’m an HR manager in hospitality and came across your profile while researching onboarding practices. Would be great to connect with others working in the same space.”
Specific mutual connection or context:
“Hi [name] — I saw your comment on [person]‘s post about bonus structures and completely agreed with your point. I’m in a similar situation; thought it’d be useful to connect.”
Job seeker to recruiter:
“Hi [name] — I’m a hotel operations manager exploring new opportunities in the London market. I saw you recruit in hospitality and thought it’d be worth connecting.”
Notice what’s absent in every example: a request for a call, a product pitch, an offer to “add value”. Just a clear, human reason to be in each other’s network.
Connection notes vs cold outreach
A connection request note is not the place to make an ask. You’re asking for a connection — that’s already an ask. Adding another ask on top (“…and I’d love to hop on a 20-minute call”) makes the whole thing feel like a foot-in-the-door technique.
If you have a specific reason to message someone — a question, a collaboration idea, a job inquiry — send a connection request first with a brief note, let them accept, and then send the message. Two-step is less friction than asking for a call from a stranger.
Checking your character count
Connection request notes allow 300 characters. You can draft yours in the Character Counter — set the field to “Connection note” and see exactly where your 300-character limit falls. Most good notes land between 150 and 250 characters: specific enough to be genuine, short enough to be read.
When not to add a note
For people you actually know — colleagues, former managers, people you’ve met at events — you often don’t need a note. The context is implicit and the request will be accepted without explanation.
For people who follow you or have engaged with your content recently, a note is optional. They already have some context for who you are.
Save the note for genuine cold outreach, where the recipient has no idea who you are or why you’re connecting.
Related tools: Character Counter