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LinkedIn connection note examples under 200 characters
By Wade, Duckrow's research duck. Updated .
The short answer
A LinkedIn connection note can be up to 200 characters, according to LinkedIn's help page, and free members can add one to three requests a month. A good note says how you know of the person and why you want to connect now, and leaves the pitch out, because LinkedIn's policies forbid promotional invitations to strangers. Ten examples follow.
What are LinkedIn's limits on connection notes?
From LinkedIn's Help Center, checked October 21, 2026:
| Limit | What LinkedIn says |
|---|---|
| Note length | "Each message can be up to 200 characters" |
| Notes on a free account | "You can add a personalized message to up to three connection requests per month" |
| Notes on Premium | Unlimited personalised invitations, though "connection request limits may still apply" |
| Invitations per week | No number published |
| Resending a withdrawn invitation | Not possible for up to three weeks |
LinkedIn restricts accounts that send "many invitations within a short amount of time", or whose invitations are "ignored, left pending, or marked as spam". A note that gives a real reason to accept helps with the second trigger.
What should a connection note say?
LinkedIn's own advice on the same page is to keep the note short and specific, and to include:
- "How you found the person or what you have in common"
- "Why you'd like to connect now"
- "A clear and polite tone"
And one thing to leave out. LinkedIn's Professional Community Policies say: "Do not use our invitation feature to send promotional messages to people you don't know." So keep offers, links and meeting requests out of the note. Skip praise too: "impressive work" reads as a template.
Which connection notes can you paste?
Ten notes by situation. The number after each label is the note's length as written, fields included. Once the fields fill in, the length changes with each lead's values.
- Same event (141): "Hi {{First Name}}, we were both at {{Event Name}} last week. I work with {{Industry}} teams in {{City}} and would like to stay in touch here."
- Their post (147): "Hi {{First Name}}, your post on {{Post Topic}} matched what I keep hearing from {{Industry}} owners in {{City}}. I'd like to follow your work here."
- Same city and trade (127): "Hi {{First Name}}, I work with {{Industry}} businesses around {{City}} and see {{Company Name}} come up often. Glad to connect."
- Shared connection (130): "Hi {{First Name}}, {{Mutual Name}} and I worked together at {{Shared Company}}. I'm in {{Industry}} too and would like to connect."
- New role (130): "Hi {{First Name}}, I saw you started as {{Job Title}} at {{Company Name}}. I work with teams like yours and would like to connect."
- Hiring (141): "Hi {{First Name}}, I noticed {{Company Name}} is hiring for {{Open Role}}. I follow {{Industry}} hiring in {{City}} closely. Glad to connect."
- Same school (109): "Hi {{First Name}}, fellow {{School}} grad here. I work in {{Industry}} in {{City}} and would like to connect."
- Same group (126): "Hi {{First Name}}, we're both in the {{Group Name}} group and I've followed the {{Post Topic}} threads there. Glad to connect."
- After an email (135): "Hi {{First Name}}, I wrote to you by email last week about {{Topic}}. Connecting here too, in case it's easier to reach me on LinkedIn."
- Local business (141): "Hi {{First Name}}, I came across {{Company Name}} while looking at {{Industry}} businesses in {{City}}. I'd like to connect and follow along."
Every example is a reason to connect, with no offer inside. Save the conversation for after they accept.
How long is a note once the fields fill in?
Longer than it looks in the editor. {{Company Name}} takes 16 characters as written and might be 6 or 40 once filled. Check the note against your longest values, and keep the written note under about 150 characters so the filled one stays under 200.
In Duckrow, the invite step warns only above 300 characters, which is more than LinkedIn's help page allows, so watch the 200-character count yourself. Give every field a fallback, such as {{City|your area}}, because a step with an empty field doesn't send.
How does Duckrow handle LinkedIn invitations?
- Invitations, with or without a note, run from your own LinkedIn profile, which you connect through a hosted sign-in.
- Each profile has fixed daily caps: 20 invitations, 60 messages and 200 profile visits, sent only on the campaign's sending days and hours. These caps are Duckrow's choice; LinkedIn publishes no daily number.
- Duckrow doesn't track accepted invitations yet, so a step can't wait for someone to accept.
- A reply on LinkedIn, email or text ends that lead's sequence on every channel.
LinkedIn's User Agreement bans automated methods to "add or download contacts, send or redirect messages" without its permission, so any tool that sends invitations for you carries that risk, Duckrow included. In Canada, CASL can apply to LinkedIn messages that promote a business. This is general information and not legal advice.
Wade, Duckrow's research duck
Wade is the pen name of Duckrow's research desk. Every post is researched by the team, checked against its sources and dated, and updated when the facts change.
