How to write a cold LinkedIn message for a job search

The cursor is blinking in a box with a stranger's face above it. You have a dream job, a vague plan and a strong urge to open with "I hope this message finds you well." Here is what to write instead.

What does a bad cold LinkedIn message look like, and how do you fix it?

The classic, probably written at midnight. Both versions are made up.

Now run the test. Swap Rahul for Priya. Still works. Swap him for a dentist. Still works. It is a message addressed to the concept of a person. It asks for a call, a referral and his life story, and gives him no reason to pick any of them.

Swap Rahul for Priya and it falls apart, because Priya is not on the payments team. Good. That is the whole trick.

How do you open a cold message to a stranger?

With why them. Not why you admire them. Why them.

Now Maya knows why she was picked. It is also a reason to reply: she has actually done the thing you are asking about.

Says nothing. Sounds like a bot wearing a blazer.

Is it worth messaging someone you barely know?

Yes. People you know only a little are useful. A study by researchers from Harvard, Stanford, MIT and LinkedIn, published in Science, ran randomised experiments on LinkedIn's People You May Know feature. According to MIT Sloan's write-up, moderately weak ties did the most for job mobility, and the strongest ties did the least.

That is a finding about connections, not a promise that any single message works. But it is a fair reason to write to someone outside your inner circle. Your best friend from college is lovely. Your best friend from college is also probably not on the payments team.

For who to pick in the first place, see who to message before applying.

What should you ask for in the first message?

One thing. Small.

Not a referral, thirty minutes, a resume review, career coaching and an introduction to the CEO, all before they know your name. That is not an ask. That is a to-do list for a stranger.

Manageable. Answerable from a phone. A referral can come later, after there is a conversation. See how to ask for a referral.

What goes in a cold LinkedIn message?

1. Why them.
2. Why you are relevant.
3. What you are asking.

The Rahul "after" above is all three, in that order. No speech about passion. No life story.

If you share a school or a former employer, one line on it is fine. "Fellow Wolverine here, go Blue!" is optional. Forced enthusiasm is not required, and it shows.

How long can a LinkedIn connection note be?

Shorter than you want. And LinkedIn's own help pages do not agree with each other.

• The page on personalised invitations says you can add a message to up to three connection requests per month, each message up to 200 characters, and that Premium members can personalise all their requests (other connection limits may still apply). It does not give Premium a different character limit.
• An older page comparing InMail with personalised invitations says free accounts can send up to five personalised invitations, with no time period stated, at 200 characters each, and that Premium members get unlimited personalised notes at up to 300 characters each.

So on a free account, plan for 200 characters, about two sentences, and only a handful of notes. Check the counter in your own account before you trust either number.

Which is a good reason to make the request itself tiny. Here is one that fits in 198 characters (illustrative):

Notice what got cut to fit: the hope that this finds her well, the adjectives about you, the word "journey". Nothing of value died.

Should you send a connection request or a message?

Send a connection request with a note when the person is likely to recognise the context, your short note is enough, and you want to start a light relationship.

Need more room? Depends on your account. LinkedIn's help page says InMail is a Premium feature, and that on a Basic (free) account you can only directly message people you are already connected to.

If you have found a work email through a legitimate source, email is another route. In our view it is the better one when you have a longer, senior-level or specific professional reason to write. Whether a stranger welcomes either varies by person, and there is no way to know beforehand.

Can you automate LinkedIn outreach?

No. LinkedIn's help page on prohibited software says it does not permit bots, browser plug-ins or extensions that automate activity on the site, and its User Agreement bans using bots or other unauthorised automated methods to add contacts or send messages. Members who use such tools, it says, risk having their accounts restricted or shut down.

Its page on invitation restrictions lists what triggers them: many invitations in a short time, many being ignored, left pending or marked as spam, or an excessive number of invitations along with suspected use of an automation tool.

The same page also recommends sending invitations only to people you know and trust, and suggests InMail and Groups for reaching members you do not know. So a cold connection request is within the rules, but a stranger can ignore it or mark it as spam, and enough of those gets you restricted.

Send few. Make each one specific. The message you write by hand for one person is also the safe one. Convenient, that.

What if they do not reply?

One thoughtful follow-up. Then stop.

Cold outreach is probabilistic. Not every good message gets an answer, and silence does not mean the next one should be longer. See what to send after an ignored LinkedIn message.

HUNT finds the people at a company worth messaging, tells you why each one is relevant, and drafts a first message from your own background that you send yourself. See how HUNT handles networking.

Related: Who should you message before applying?, How to ask for a referral without making it weird and What to send after someone ignores your LinkedIn message.