Writing a catchy message on LinkedIn that grabs attention and inspires engagement starts with understanding your goal and audience. Are you reaching out to connect with a new contact, share an update with your network, or promote your business? Your messaging strategy will vary based on your intent. Tailor your tone, length, and content to your recipients. For example, casual language works for reaching out to a peer, while a more formal tone suits contacting a senior executive. Carefully craft your message’s opening line and headline to draw readers in. Ask a thoughtful question, highlight common ground, or state an interesting fact relevant to your audience. Share just enough intriguing details in the preview text to pique curiosity without giving everything away. Check grammar, spelling, and punctuation to prevent errors from undermining your professional brand. Test your message by reading it aloud to ensure clarity. A little extra effort goes a long way towards making your LinkedIn messages pop.
Know your objective
The first step in crafting killer LinkedIn messages is defining your purpose for connecting. Common goals include:
- Introducing yourself to a new professional contact
- Reaching out to someone for the first time in awhile
- Following up after meeting someone at an event
- Asking for career advice
- Requesting an informational interview
- Sharing an article or post relevant to their work
- Commenting on their content or updates
- Promoting your business, products, or services
- Announcing company news or initiatives
- Networking with fellow group members
Understanding your messaging intention upfront directs your strategy. A first outreach requires more background and talking points than following up with an existing contact. Cold promotional pitches demand extra finesse. Define your goal before drafting so you can tailor tone, length, and content accordingly.
Know your audience
Along with your purpose, consider your target recipients. Messaging that entices one audience may miss the mark with another. For example, casual language suits reaching out to peers and younger contacts but risks undermining professionalism with executive-level connections. Those you do not know well warrant more introductory background than familiar contacts. Sharing niche industry news makes sense when engaging with role-specific groups versus a general network update.
Research your recipients beforehand by reviewing their profiles and posts. Note common ground like shared schools, employers, interests, or connections to reference in your message. Familiarize yourself with their roles and expertise to share relevant insights. Customizing messages based on recipients’ backgrounds and needs boosts relevance.
Craft a compelling headline
Your message preview in LinkedIn inboxes shows recipients the sender, subject line, and a snippet of text. This preview acts like a digital “envelope” housing your full message “letter” inside. Since recipients first see the preview without opening, crafting a compelling headline and snippet drives engagement.
Effective subject lines:
- Catch attention with curiosity-sparking questions
- Highlight common experiences, interests, or connections
- Convey a benefit of reading further like useful advice or an exciting update
- Directly reflect the message purpose or request
Test potential subject lines by asking: “Would this make me click if I received it?” Bland, generic phrases lead to lower open rates. Share just enough intriguing details to hook interest without giving everything away up front.
Pull the reader in with a strong opening
Your message preview generates curiosity, while the opening line satisfies it. This first sentence sets the tone and encourages recipients to read on once opened. Effective openers:
- Start conversations by referring to shared connections or experiences
- Ask thoughtful, open-ended questions that spark discussion
- Offer a compliment, expression of appreciation, or congratulatory remark
- State an interesting fact, statistic, or news relevant to the recipient
- Summarize an exciting update in their industry or your mutual network
Avoid trite greetings like, “I hope this email finds you well.” Instead, say something specific to build rapport quickly. The ideal first line draws readers into the body of your message right away.
Provide just enough context upfront
After your headline and opening line, include a concise “preview paragraph” in the message snippet covering:
- Who you are
- Your existing connection (if any)
- Why you are reaching out
This brief background allows recipients to recall who you are if needed. Summarize your intent without revealing all details. For example, “Following up on our meeting at last week’s conference…” reminds recipients of your previous interaction without sharing your full request yet. Use this space judiciously to provide helpful context before readers click through.
Structure messages for recipient convenience
With inboxes overflowing, Respect recipients’ time and attention through thoughtful organization:
- Include a clear, direct subject line.
- Highlight the main request or most important content upfront.
- Use greetings and introductions sparingly – 1-2 sentences at most.
- Separate ideas into short paragraphs for easy skimming.
- Summarize key points at the end.
- Thank recipients and make any calls-to-action obvious.
Anticipate busy readers who may scan rather than study messages. Make your key points easy to digest by leading with relevance and being concise.
Mind your messaging manners
With digital communication, etiquette still matters. Consider these tips for minding your messaging manners on LinkedIn:
- Make personal requests responsibly. Avoid overasking favors from casual connections.
- Reply promptly if recipients respond or agree to your request.
- Respect others’ time by keeping messages focused. Avoid unnecessary backstory.
- Express gratitude to those who help you even if the outcome falls short of hopes.
Building goodwill increases the chances your messages receive a warm reception versus being ignored or perceived as presumptuous.
Edit carefully to look polished
With your professional reputation at stake, carefully proofread messages before sending by:
- Reading every message aloud to catch awkward phrasing
- Checking for clarity so points come across as intended
- Confirming grammar, spelling, and punctuation are flawless
- Removing unneeded words to tighten sentences
- Ensuring tone suits the recipients and context
Resist the urge to dash off messages in haste. Invest time refining your wording. A thoughtful, professional tone always makes a good impression.
Personalize invitations and outreach
When inviting connections to link up or engage with you on LinkedIn, increase response rates by personalizing outreach. Generic invitations are easy to ignore. Instead, reference shared experiences, interests, or connections. Comment on the recipient’s content specifically to show you actually viewed their profile. Ask questions and make suggestions tailored to what you learned about them. Signaling you invested time reviewing their background before connecting makes a positive impression.
Engage consistently with your network
Periodically reach out to your LinkedIn connections to nurture relationships, not just when you need something. Share relevant articles, celebrate wins, or just say hello. These “we’re thinking of you” messages strengthen bonds and make recipients more receptive when you have a direct request later.
Set reminders to connect with dormant contacts before they forget you. Quick check-ins asking about new projects or challenges facing their business shows you care while updating you on their latest needs you may help address.
Conclusion
Mastering the art of catchy LinkedIn messaging takes experimentation. See what headline formulas, opening lines, preview text approaches, and structures work best for your goals and contacts. Study messages you open versus ignore. Ask recipients for feedback to improve relevancy. Refine messages over time based on results. With a mix of personalization, creativity, conciseness, and polish, you can craft messages that consistently capture attention and drive engagement on LinkedIn.