Write a personalized LinkedIn connection request
A character limit forces the request to actually be specific — there's no room for a generic opener to hide in.
- Use it for
- Anyone sending a LinkedIn connection request who wants it to feel personal, not like a template.
A LinkedIn connection request has almost no room to work with, which means a generic opener ("I'd love to connect and expand my network") takes up space that could have gone to something actually specific — and specific is what makes a request feel like it was sent to this person, not blasted to a list. This prompt uses the limited space on one real, specific reference point.
When not to use this
If you already know the person well enough that a request needs no context at all, this level of crafting is unnecessary.
Fill in
Write a personalized LinkedIn connection request, under 300
characters, to a {{target_title}} in {{industry}}. Reference this
specific point of genuine connection: {{connection_point}}. Don't
sound salesy or like you're pitching something.Why it works
Requiring a genuine, specific reference point rather than a generic compliment is what makes the note feel personal within the character limit — a compliment about someone's "impressive career" could be sent to anyone, while referencing something they actually said or did couldn't.
Common mistakes
- ×Using a generic compliment that could apply to anyone in a similar role.
- ×Making the request sound like the opening move of a sales pitch.
Follow-ups
- They accepted — help me write a genuine first message that doesn't immediately ask for something.
- Write a version of this for a different specific connection point: {{new_connection_point}}.
Did this work?
The note references something genuinely specific to this person, not a generic compliment or reason that could apply to anyone in their role.
Tested on claude-opus-5. Evidence status is draft; it moves to battle-tested only on recorded runs, never by hand.