Quick Answer
To invite someone to join LinkedIn who is not already a member, follow these steps:
- Click “My Network” at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
- Click “Invite” under the “Manage my network” section.
- Enter the person’s full name and email address.
- Optional: Add a personalized message.
- Click “Send Invitation.”
The person will receive an email inviting them to join LinkedIn. They can either accept the invitation by clicking the link in the email, or decline it.
If they accept, they will be walked through the process of creating a LinkedIn account. Once their account is set up, they will be added to your network automatically.
Detailed Step-by-Step Instructions
Here is a more detailed walkthrough of how to send a LinkedIn invitation to someone who is not yet a member:
- Go to LinkedIn.com and log into your account if you aren’t already logged in.
- Click on the “My Network” tab at the top of the homepage. This will bring you to your network homepage.
- On the left side of the page, look for the “Manage my network” section. Click on the blue “Invite” button.
- This will open up the Invite page. Here you can enter the name and email address of the person you want to invite.
- Start by typing the full name of the person in the “Full name” field. As you type, LinkedIn will suggest possible matches from your contacts – select the correct person if they appear.
- Next, enter the person’s email address in the “Email address” field.
- Optional: You can enter a personalized message in the “Notes” field, such as how you know the person or why you’d like them to join your network.
- Once all the information is entered, click the blue “Send Invitation” button at the bottom of the page.
This will send an email invitation to the person through LinkedIn. They will have the option to either Accept or Decline your invitation.
If they click Accept, they will be walked through the process of signing up for a LinkedIn account. They will need to go through steps like entering their name, location, job information, etc. to complete their profile.
Once their account is created, they will automatically be added to your LinkedIn network, since you sent them the initial invitation.
You will receive a notification when the person joins LinkedIn through your invite. At that point, you can connect with them on the platform.
What Happens If the Person Already Has a LinkedIn Account?
If you try to invite someone who already has a LinkedIn account, one of two things will happen:
1. LinkedIn will recognize that the email address is associated with an existing account. In this case, it will send that person a message saying “[Your name] wants to connect with you on LinkedIn.” This lets them know you are interested in connecting.
2. If the person’s account is private, LinkedIn may not recognize that the email is already registered. In this case, your invitation may be sent to their inbox. When they try to accept, LinkedIn will ask them to sign in to their account rather than create a new one.
Either way, once you send the invitation, it’s up to the recipient to decide whether to accept your request to connect. Sending an invitation is merely expressing interest – not a guarantee that they will add you to their network.
Tips for Personalizing Your Invite
Here are some tips to create a great personalized invitation:
– Mention how you know the person or where you met them. This gives context.
– Note any shared connections you have in common. This helps them understand the relevance.
– Share why you want to connect with them specifically. Do you admire their work? Did you meet them at an event? Explain the reasoning.
– Suggest areas where you could potentially help each other out. Offer value to make the relationship mutually beneficial.
– Keep the tone casual and friendly. You want them to see this as a personalized outreach, not a generic message.
– Avoid asking for something right away. Just focus on introducing yourself and suggesting linking up.
– Thank them for considering your invite. Show that you appreciate them taking the time to consider it.
– Check for spelling and grammar. Typos or sloppy writing can undermine your message.
– Double check that you have the right contact information for them before sending. An incorrect email will bounce back.
Following up after sending the invite can also increase your chances of getting accepted. Send them a follow up message on LinkedIn if they haven’t responded to the invite after a week or two.
How Many Invites Can I Send?
When you first join LinkedIn, there is no limit on the number of invitations you can send. However, if LinkedIn notices you are sending many unaccepted invitations, they will limit how many you can send per week as an anti-spam measure.
The exact number you are allowed to send will vary based on your account status and history. Typically it ranges from around 50-100 invites per week for an established user.
If you do hit the limit, you will see a notice informing you when you can send your next batch of invitations. This limit resets weekly.
The main way to avoid hitting the cap is to be selective in who you send invitations to. Only invite people you know well or who you have strong reasons to connect with. Avoid mass blasts of invites to strangers.
LinkedIn wants to maintain the professional nature of connections, so take the time to build relationships gradually and thoughtfully. The size of your network is not as important as the quality and depth of those connections.
Conclusion
Sending LinkedIn invitations to non-members is a great way to expand your professional network by introducing new contacts to the platform. Make sure to personalize the message, follow up after sending, and focus on quality over quantity when choosing who to invite. With some tact, you can use this feature to make meaningful connections that will benefit your career.
Step | Action |
---|---|
1 | Click “My Network” at the top of your LinkedIn homepage |
2 | Click “Invite” under the “Manage my network” section |
3 | Enter the person’s full name and email address |
4 (Optional) | Add a personalized message |
5 | Click “Send Invitation” |
Key Takeaways
– Go to the “Manage my network” section and click “Invite” to send invitations.
– Enter the non-member’s name and email address, and optionally add a note.
– They will receive an email to join LinkedIn by creating an account.
– Personalize the message to increase the chances they will accept.
– Follow up if they don’t respond after a couple weeks.
– Focus on quality connections, not quantity – don’t spam invites.