50 LinkedIn Connection Request Templates, All On This Page
Every template is below, organised by scenario, each under LinkedIn's 300-character note limit. No PDF, no email wall. Copy what fits, fill the slots, send.
Jump to a scenario
Before you copy anything
A word on where these come from. The patterns are drawn from campaigns run on Banyan and from a teardown we published where one customer sent 100 connection notes five different ways to the same ICP. The two results that matter most:
| Approach | Accept rate | Reply rate |
|---|---|---|
| Cold template, no signal | 28% | 4% |
| Warm signal + copy that references it | 73% | 24% |
So the template matters less than the signal behind it, and the signal matters less than whether the note actually references it. Three rules carry all fifty templates below:
- Reference the signal in line one. The first sentence is where they decide whether you're a person or a bot.
- Be specific in the middle. Every
{placeholder}is homework: their words, their post, their action. Generic fillers ("your great work") roughly halve the reply rate. - End with a soft ask. A question, not a meeting request. The note's only job is to earn the connection.
The five patterns we hand every new Banyan customer, with per-template accept and reply benchmarks, are in our field-tested templates guide. If you'd rather have a draft generated from your own context, use the free connection request generator. And if you have no warm signals to work with yet, start with the warm outreach guide, two weeks of posting fixes that.
They engaged with your content
The strongest signal there is. In the teardown below, this pool accepted at 71–73% no matter what the copy said, but the reply rate tripled when the note referenced the specific thing they engaged with. Reference it in line one, always.
"Hi {firstName}, saw your comment on my post about {topic}. Your point about {theirPoint} matched something I've been wrestling with too. Curious how you're approaching {relatedQuestion}?"
"Hi {firstName}, saw you reacted to my post on {topic}. Most of the people reacting were {specificCohort}, curious if you're seeing the same thing at {company}?"
"Hi {firstName}, you've engaged with a few of my posts on {topic} now, so I should probably stop being a stranger. Would be good to have you in the network properly."
"Hi {firstName}, you pushed back on my post about {topic}, and your counterpoint was fair. Connecting because I'd rather have people who disagree well in my network than people who agree quietly."
"Hi {firstName}, you voted {option} on my poll about {topic}. That was the minority answer, and I'm curious about the reasoning. Open to connecting?"
"Hi {firstName}, saw you reshared my post on {topic}, thank you. If it was worth sharing, we probably think about {problem} similarly. Would be good to connect."
"Hi {firstName}, noticed you started following me recently. I mostly write about {topic}. Connecting so it goes both ways, I'd like to see what you're working on at {company} too."
"Hi {firstName}, you asked about {question} under my post. The full answer didn't fit in a comment. Short version: {oneLineAnswer}. Happy to share the rest if we connect."
Profile viewers and website visitors
They came to you first, which makes these warm even though you've never spoken. Name the visit plainly and give them an easy out. Pressure is what kills these. One honesty rule: LinkedIn shows page admins only aggregate company-page analytics, never who visited, so never claim to know that. Profile-viewer identity needs Premium; website-visitor identification needs a tool you actually run.
"Hi {firstName}, our visitor-identification tool flagged a few visits from {company} to our site this week. No idea if that was you, so I'll say it plainly: we help {icp} with {value}. If that was the errand, happy to share specifics. If not, no worries."
"Hi {firstName}, saw you viewed my profile this week. Not sure what brought you by, but your work on {theirFocus} at {company} looks interesting, so I'm connecting either way."
"Hi {firstName}, you've turned up in my profile viewers twice this month, so something there is either useful or unresolved. Happy to answer whichever it is."
"Hi {firstName}, saw you grabbed {leadMagnetName} last week. We made it because most people who download it are dealing with {problem}. Was that what you were trying to solve, or something else?"
"Hi {firstName}, thanks for sitting through our session on {topic} last week. You didn't ask a question, which means you either agreed with everything or nothing. Curious which, so I'm connecting."
Cold, but with context
Cold accepts run around 28% in our data. Context, a real and checkable reason for reaching out, is the only thing separating these from spam. If you can't fill the context slot honestly, don't send the note. Build a warm signal first instead.
"Hi {firstName}, saw {company} raised its {round} last month. That stage usually means outbound gets serious fast. I work with {icp} on exactly that, connecting in case it's useful, no pitch in your inbox either way."
"Hi {firstName}, saw you moved into the {role} seat at {company}. The first 90 days usually mean auditing what the last person built. If {topic} is on that list, happy to share what we're seeing work."
"Hi {firstName}, noticed {company} is hiring {role}s. That usually means {function} is scaling, and scaling is where process breaks. We work with teams at exactly that stage, connecting in case comparing notes is ever useful."
"Hi {firstName}, listened to your episode on {podcast}. The bit about {specificPoint} stuck with me, we've seen the same thing with our customers. Would be glad to connect."
"Hi {firstName}, read your piece on {topic}. You wrote {shortQuote}, which is the clearest version of that argument I've seen. Connecting because I want more of that in my feed."
"Hi {firstName}, noticed {company} runs on {tool}. Teams on that stack usually hit {problem} around your stage. It's the exact thing we work on, so I'm connecting in case comparing notes is useful down the line."
"Hi {firstName}, saw you commented on {competitor}'s post about {topic}. We're building in the same space and your take on {theirComment} resonated. Open to comparing notes?"
"Hi {firstName}, fellow {city} founder here. I try to keep my network heavy on people building nearby, it's easier to turn a connection into a coffee. Your work on {theirFocus} caught my eye."
"Hi {firstName}, we both follow {person} and you keep showing up in the comments I agree with. Figured I'd connect directly instead of meeting in someone else's thread every week."
"Hi {firstName}, saw {company} launched {product} last week. Genuinely curious how the first weeks have gone, we shipped something adjacent last year and the launch taught us more than the build. Open to connecting?"
Events and communities
Shared rooms, physical or virtual, are the easiest warm context in India's B2B circles. The note only needs to prove you were actually in the room: name the session, the question, the thread.
"Hi {firstName}, we were both at {event} yesterday. I didn't manage to say hello in person. The {session} talk was the one that stuck with me, what was yours?"
"Hi {firstName}, caught your talk at {event}. The point about {specificPoint} was the most useful thing I heard all day, and I've already repeated it to my team. Would be glad to connect."
"Hi {firstName}, saw you're also registered for {webinar} on Thursday. Connecting beforehand, it's always better when a few faces on the attendee list aren't strangers."
"Hi {firstName}, we're both in {community}. I've seen your answers in there and they're consistently the practical ones. Connecting here too so I don't lose track of you in the scroll."
"Hi {firstName}, good meeting you at {event}, I was the one asking about {topic}. Following up here as promised. Would be glad to continue that conversation."
"Hi {firstName}, thanks for coming to {event} last week. You asked about {question} during Q&A and I don't think we answered it fully. Happy to close the loop here."
"Hi {firstName}, your question in the {community} AMA deserved a longer answer than the format allowed. Connecting to close the loop. The short version is {oneLineAnswer}, but there's a useful caveat behind it."
Mutual connections
A named mutual is the closest thing to a referral LinkedIn offers. Name them only if the relationship is real, the first thing many recipients do is ask the mutual about you.
"Hi {firstName}, {mutualName} and I have been trading notes on {topic}, and your name came up. Would love to connect, {mutualName} speaks highly of your work at {company}."
"Hi {firstName}, {mutualName} shared your post on {topic} with me and said we'd get along. After reading it, I think they're right. Connecting on that recommendation."
"Hi {firstName}, we share {number} mutual connections, mostly people in {space}, and yet we've never crossed paths. Seems worth fixing. I work on {yourFocus} at {yourCompany}."
"Hi {firstName}, I worked with {mutualName} at {company} for a couple of years. They mentioned you're the person to talk to about {topic}, so I'm taking the direct route."
"Hi {firstName}, {mutualName} keeps engaging with your posts, which is how you ended up in my feed. Your take on {topic} was worth the detour. Connecting so it's not luck next time."
After they accept: the first message
These are not connection notes. They're the first message you send once someone accepts, which is where most outreach actually dies. The 300-character limit doesn't apply here, but short still wins, and pitching in message one is how you earn silence.
"Thanks for connecting, {firstName}. No pitch, one question: what's the biggest thing slowing down {function} at {company} right now? We hear the same three answers everywhere and I'm curious if you're the fourth."
"Thanks for accepting, {firstName}. You mentioned {topic} in your post. This teardown we published covers what actually moved replies for us: {link}. No follow-up attached, just thought it was relevant."
"Glad we're connected, {firstName}. You reacted to my post on {topic}, was that professional interest or just a good line? If {problem} is live for you at {company}, I have opinions and scar tissue to share."
"Thanks for connecting, {firstName}. Curious, how does {company} handle {process} today? We've been comparing notes with a few {role}s and the answers are surprisingly different."
"Thanks for accepting, {firstName}. I'll be straight: we build {product} for {icp}, and {company} looks like a fit. Would a two-line summary be welcome, or would you rather I stay a normal connection? Both are fine."
"Hi {firstName}, resurfacing this once, then I'll leave it. If {topic} is on your plate this quarter, the offer to compare notes stands. If not, happy to just see your posts in the feed."
"Hi {firstName}, saw your post yesterday on {topic}, good timing. It's exactly the problem I mentioned when we connected. We wrote up how {customerType} handled it, want the link?"
"Hi {firstName}, we connected a while back and I dropped the ball on actually talking. Your recent post on {topic} reminded me why I reached out. How has {theirProject} been going?"
India-specific: context and etiquette
Notes for the Indian B2B context specifically: shared communities, building outside the metros, selling into the US from IST, and the etiquette that separates peers from pitchers.
Etiquette, briefly
- Drop "Respected Sir" and "Dear Ma'am". Peers write plainly; formality theatre reads junior, not polite.
- Referrals carry more weight here than anywhere. Name your mutual when the relationship is real, and say you don't have one when you don't.
- Festival wishes are fine when they're genuine. A Diwali greeting stapled to a pitch is neither a greeting nor a good pitch.
- If Hinglish is how you actually talk, it's fine in a note to a peer. Forced formal English reads worse than plain speech.
"Hi {firstName}, sending this before {festival} week swallows everyone's calendar. No agenda attached to the festival, I just know {topic} tends to come back on the list in the new quarter, and I'd rather already be connected when it does."
"Hi {firstName}, always glad to find another founder building from {city}. The playbooks written for SF, or even Bengaluru, don't always translate. Would be good to swap notes on what's working for you."
"Hi {firstName}, saw {company} sells to Indian SMBs. We've been figuring out the same motion, WhatsApp-first buyers, price sensitivity, long trust cycles. Connecting to compare notes with someone in the same trench."
"Hi {firstName}, noticed {company} sells into the US from India. We run the same overlap-hours game. Curious what's working for your team on timezone coverage, happy to share what's worked for ours."
"Hi {firstName}, fellow {college} alum. Saw it on your profile next to the {theirRole} title, and it's the combination I find interesting, not the college alone. I work on {yourFocus}. Would be glad to connect."
"Hi {firstName}, most intros in our world move on referrals, and I'll be honest that I don't have one for you yet. What I do have is a genuine interest in how {company} handles {topic}. So I'm taking the direct route."
"Hi {firstName}, no respected-sir and no pitch deck, promise. I run {yourFocus} at {yourCompany} and your work on {theirFocus} keeps crossing my radar. Would be glad to have you in my network."
Common questions
Do connection notes actually improve accept rates?
For raw accepts, a blank invite sometimes does as well as a mediocre note, which says more about mediocre notes than about blank invites. The gap shows up in what happens after: a note that references a real signal starts a conversation, and conversations are the point. Across campaigns running on Banyan we measure a 34% average acceptance rate, with warm, signal-referencing notes reaching 68–73%.
What is the LinkedIn connection note character limit?
300 characters, which is why every note template on this page shows its count. LinkedIn has also been capping how many personalised notes free accounts can send per month, and the cap has changed several times, so check what your own account shows before planning volume around notes.
Can I automate sending these?
Yes, and full disclosure: we build a tool that does, Outpilot by Banyan. Whatever tool you use, ours included, the templates only work if the specificity slots get filled per person, and conservative daily limits matter more than any feature. We've written about picking safely in the LinkedIn automation guide.
Want these as a swipe file?
Everything above is free on this page, you never need to give us an email. If you'd like a copy-paste swipe-file version when we put one together, leave your details and we'll be in touch.
Run your LinkedIn pipeline from your device.
OutPilot by Banyan is cloud-native, runs on web and mobile, and is priced in rupees. Your first campaign ships in under fifteen minutes.