LinkedIn First Message Examples and Templates

LinkedIn conversations mirror in-person networking—they require the same thoughtfulness, relevance, and respect for the other person's time and interests.

Contents

• What Makes a Good LinkedIn First Message

• Why Timing Matters for First Messages

• Never Lead With a Sales Pitch

• LinkedIn First Message Examples

• Automating Personalized Outreach with Ornn

What Makes a Good LinkedIn First Message After Connecting?

Crafting an effective first message requires balancing brevity with personalization, relevance with restraint. Follow these principles to dramatically improve your response rates.

1. Keep It Concise and State Your Purpose

Professionals receive countless LinkedIn messages daily. Respect their time by getting to the point quickly—two to four sentences is ideal.

Skip generic pleasantries and immediately establish why you're reaching out. Provide just enough context to make your message relevant without overwhelming them with information.

Example:

"Hi [Name], thanks for connecting. I noticed your recent post about [specific topic] and found your perspective on [particular point] really valuable. I'm exploring similar challenges in [area] and would appreciate your insights. Would you be open to a brief conversation when you have time?"

2. Demonstrate Genuine Research and Personalization

Generic, copy-paste messages are instantly recognizable and typically ignored. Show that you've invested time in understanding who they are and what they care about.

Reference specific elements from their profile: a recent article they published, a project they're working on, a career milestone, or a mutual connection. This personalization transforms your message from spam into a relevant conversation starter.

Better yet, leverage insights from beyond LinkedIn—recent company announcements, industry challenges, or news about their organization.

Example:

"Hi [First Name], I read your piece on [platform] about [topic]. Your insight on [specific challenge] resonated, especially the point about [detail]. Given your experience with [relevant area], I'm curious—how do you see [related trend] evolving over the next year?"

3. Make Responding Easy and Worthwhile

People respond when your message requires minimal effort and offers clear value to them. Ask thoughtful, open-ended questions that are simple to answer but invite meaningful discussion.

Avoid questions that can be answered with "yes/no" or a perfunctory "thanks." Instead, prompt them to share their expertise, perspective, or experience.

Example:

"Hi [Name], your analysis of [topic] in your recent post was spot-on. Based on what you're seeing in [their industry], how do you think [specific trend] will impact [relevant area] over the next few months?"

4. Focus on Them, Not You

Your first message isn't about showcasing your achievements, products, or expertise. It's about demonstrating genuine interest in the other person's work and insights.

Reference their projects, ask about their perspective, or mention shared professional interests. When the recipient feels the message is truly about them rather than a thinly veiled sales pitch, they're far more likely to engage.

Instead of: "I'd love to share how our solution helps companies like yours..."

Say: "I noticed you recently launched [project]. How's the early feedback been? I'm curious about your approach to [specific challenge]."

5. Suggest a Clear, Low-Pressure Next Step

End with a specific but pressure-free call to action. Make it easy for them to respond on their own terms without feeling cornered or obligated.

Examples of effective closings:

• "I'd love to hear your perspective when you have a moment."

• "If you're open to chatting, I'm happy to connect at your convenience."

• "No rush at all—just wanted to open a dialogue if you're interested."

These closings invite engagement without creating pressure or urgency that might trigger resistance.

Why Timing Matters for First Messages

Making a connection shouldn't be your end goal—it's merely the starting point. Real value comes from the conversations and relationships that follow.

Sending a thoughtful first message demonstrates initiative and genuine interest. It shows you didn't just collect another connection—you actually care about building a relationship.

Without that first message, your new connection remains dormant, offering no real opportunity for collaboration, learning, or business development.

The 24-48 Hour Window

Timing significantly impacts response rates. Send your first message within 24 to 48 hours of connecting while you're still fresh in their mind and the context of your connection is still relevant.

Wait three weeks, and they'll likely forget why they accepted your request. Your message will seem random and out of context, dramatically reducing your chances of a response.

Never Lead With a Sales Pitch

Leading with a sales pitch in your first message is the fastest way to damage a potentially valuable relationship before it even begins.

Consider your own reaction to unsolicited sales messages. Exactly—you ignore or delete them immediately.

Your prospects experience the same deluge of aggressive pitches. If your first message sounds like every other salesy outreach, it gets lumped into the same ignored category.

Instead, start a genuine conversation. Ask questions, reference shared interests, or comment thoughtfully on their work. Provide value first, and commercial opportunities will emerge naturally from the relationship.

LinkedIn First Message Examples

Use these examples as templates, but always customize them based on the recipient's profile, industry, and the specific context of your connection.

First Message After Connecting on LinkedIn

The Thoughtful Compliment

"Hi [Name], I came across your analysis of [specific topic] and found your perspective on [particular point] really insightful. I'd love to stay in touch. What's your current thinking on [related question]?"

The Common Experience Approach

"Hi [Name], thanks for connecting! I noticed we both have experience in [specific area/industry]. How has that background influenced your approach to [relevant challenge or skill]?"

Mutual Connection Mention

The Warm Introduction

"Hi [Name], I see we're both connected with [Mutual Connection Name]. It's always valuable to meet others in [specific industry or field]. I'd be interested in your perspective on [current industry trend]. Have you noticed any significant shifts recently?"

New Role Recognition

"Hi [Name], congratulations on your new position at [Company]! I've been following [Company]'s work in [specific area]. I'm curious—what trend or challenge in [industry] are you most focused on this year?"

First Contact Message on LinkedIn

Shared Group Connection

"Hi [Name], I noticed we're both members of the [Group Name] community. Your recent comment on [specific topic] really resonated. Have you found [particular approach or tool] effective in addressing that challenge?"

Industry-Specific Inquiry

"Hi [Name], I see you're working in [specific industry/role]. I'm always interested in connecting with professionals tackling [particular challenge]. What do you see as the biggest obstacle right now with [emerging trend]? Do you think it's a temporary hurdle or something that will fundamentally reshape how the industry operates?"

First Message to Recruiter on LinkedIn

The Direct Professional Introduction

"Hi [Name], I see you specialize in recruiting for [specific industry]. I'm currently exploring opportunities in [particular role type]. Are there any positions in your pipeline that might align with my background in [relevant experience]?"

The Research-Based Approach

"Hi [Name], I noticed you focus on [industry/specialty], and I've been following some interesting developments in this space. With my background in [your field], I'd value your perspective on where you see the industry heading and whether there might be opportunities to explore. Looking forward to staying connected."

Automating Personalized Outreach with Ornn

Manually crafting personalized messages for dozens or hundreds of LinkedIn connections is time-intensive and unsustainable at scale. Ornn solves this challenge by combining automation with genuine personalization.

Intelligent Personalization at Scale

Unlike basic automation tools that simply insert names and job titles, Ornn's AI analyzes company websites, recent news, social signals, and industry trends to help you craft messages that genuinely resonate.

Instead of generic outreach, you can reference:

• Specific challenges the prospect's company is facing

• Recent achievements or announcements

• Industry pain points relevant to their role

• Company initiatives and strategic priorities

This level of insight transforms automated messages from obvious templates into conversations that feel researched and relevant.

Key Ornn Capabilities for First Messages

AI-Powered Message Generation

• Creates personalized messages using insights from company websites and news

• References specific pain points and recent achievements

• Maintains a natural, conversational tone

Smart Variable Insertion

• Dynamically includes 20+ personalization variables

• References name, location, job title, company, and recent activity

• Ensures every message feels individually crafted

Automated Send Scheduling

• Delivers messages at optimal times within your 24-48 hour window

• Includes built-in delays to mimic natural human behavior

• Prevents LinkedIn flags with intelligent rate limiting

Conversation Management

• Tracks replies across all your outreach campaigns

• Organizes conversations in a centralized inbox

• Enables quick responses directly from the platform

Multilingual Outreach

• Generates messages in over 40 languages

• Maintains personalization quality across languages

• Enables effective international networking

The Ornn Advantage: Personalization Without Robots

Traditional automation sacrifices quality for quantity. Ornn's approach preserves the human touch while dramatically scaling your capacity to build meaningful connections.

By analyzing prospect companies' digital footprints—their websites, press releases, social media, and industry news—Ornn helps you write messages that demonstrate genuine research and relevance. Your recipients can't tell the difference between an Ornn-assisted message and one you painstakingly crafted manually, because the personalization is real.

Conclusion

Your first message after connecting on LinkedIn isn't just a formality—it's your opportunity to establish a meaningful professional relationship. The quality of this initial outreach determines whether your connection becomes a valuable part of your network or remains another forgotten contact.

Remember the core principles:

• Be concise and purposeful

• Demonstrate genuine research

• Focus on the recipient's interests

• Make responding easy and valuable

• Never lead with a sales pitch

Use the examples above as starting points, but always tailor your approach to each recipient's specific context, industry, and professional interests.

When you need to scale personalized outreach without sacrificing quality, Ornn provides the intelligence and automation to maintain authentic conversations at volume. By leveraging company insights and industry context, you can turn every first message into a compelling conversation starter.