What to Say (and Not Say) When Networking on LinkedIn

What to Say (and Not Say) When Networking on LinkedIn What to Say (and Not Say) When Networking on LinkedIn LinkedIn is one of the  world’s most powerful networking tools. Not only can we connect to people we know, we now have insight into who they’re connected to and who we may know through past roles, schools, and other organizations. Regardless of what you do as a career, in this day and age, networking on LinkedIn  is directly linked to your ability to be successful. I work at LinkedIn as part of their customer success team, and I’m also a career success coach with Vertucci Career Academy, so I know a lot about how to hire people and get people hired. During my years of training recruiters and hiring managers on how to reach out to candidates, and teaching candidates about how to network to elevate their career, I’ve learned some big dos and don’ts of  networking on LinkedIn. Follow these tips for networking on LinkedIn: 1. Do put yourself in their shoes. As the writer of a LinkedIn message, we often get too caught up in ourselves. “Hi, I’m Rebecca. I work at so-and-so company doing a, b, and c. I’d like to talk to you about blah blah blah.” We rarely make our messages about the person to whom we’re reaching out. My expert tip: Read the message you write as if you’re the one receiving it. How does it make you feel? Would you respond to this message? Does it feel templated or personal? Does it have clear next steps or a call-to-action? If you’re not likely to take action and respond, why would the recipient? 2. Don’t ask for favors. A LinkedIn message isn’t the place to pitch yourself as a candidate or to sell your products or services. Nor is it the right channel to ask for help. The purpose of an InMail is to introduce yourself and to try and get connected with someone who may be able to help you in your career or business. Keep it simple. My expert tip: The goal of this LinkedIn message is to set up a time to meet or talk in person. If you’re trying to do more than that, you’re missing the point, and you may be turning off the person to whom you’re reaching out. Avoid a sales pitch all together. 3. Do say why you’re reaching out. The biggest mistake I see in personalized messages on LinkedIn is people not being clear about why they’re reaching out. Do you both know someone? Did you used to work together? What do you have in common? Why do you want to talk to this person? My expert tip: Make it personal and be specific about why you’re reaching out to me and what our common connection is. Talk about me. Make me feel a little flattered. Let me know that my speaking with you would be helpful or useful to you in some way. Most people want to help other people when they can. 4. Don’t write your whole life story. Between 50 and 60 percent of LinkedIn’s traffic now comes from mobile devices, which means the majority of messages you send are read on a small mobile screen. Don’t make your recipient scroll and scroll. Keep your message short, sweet, and to the point. The goal of this message is to set up a time to chat- possibly in person or over the phone. That meeting is your chance to truly get to know each other and build rapport. A LinkedIn message is just a conduit to get that meeting agreed upon and scheduled. Focus on the goal at hand. My expert tip: Keep your message to three or four sentences. One or two short paragraphs only are necessary. I promise you can say all you need to in that space. Even if you’re in sales or recruiting or business development or a freelancer, I promise! (I train people how to do it every day!) 5. Do have a call to action. Again, what’s the purpose of this message? A meeting, a connection, a conversation? Make sure you end this message with clear steps on how to set that up. Do you want to chat this week? Say that. Do you want to meet for coffee next week? Let me know it. There’s no reason to send a message to anyone without a clear call-to-action. My expert tip: Simply end the message by saying you’d love to chat with them and ask when might work for them. Be specific. “If you have 15 to 20 minutes this week, I’d love to connect for coffee. My treat.” So in a nutshell, an ideal message on LinkedIn should start with one or two sentences explaining how you know the recipient and why you’re reaching out. Example: “My name is Rebecca, and we’re both graduates of the University of Central Florida. I see you’ve been in project management for a number of years, and I’m looking to learn more about that field.” Then follow up with a couple of sentences explaining why you’re reaching out and next steps. Example: “I’d love to pick your brain about how you got started in your field and what you like about it. Do you have some time this week to chat with me? I was thinking we could grab coffee or chat on the phone. Let me know which works best for you.” Keep it brief but be personal and genuine. Make it about them. The majority of people will happily help out those they know or have something in common with. However, if you come off as pushy, aloof, too salesy, impersonal, or unfriendly, we may opt out of responding back to you. Readers, how do you go about networking on LinkedIn? Tell us in the comments section below!