How to Message a Stranger on LinkedIn
You can only make one first impression. Make it count!
I send and receive thousands of LinkedIn messages.
The truth?
Most people are doing it wrong.
“Can you review my resume?”
“Let’s jump on a call!”
“Hello, how are you doing?”
The majority of messages I get are low effort, bland, and lack a personal touch.
You can only make one first impression when you reach out to someone. Make it count!
In today’s blog we’ll talk about the do’s and don’ts of sending cold messages. I’ll share a template that will boost your response rates and networking game.
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Lesson number one about cold messages:
An effective message should be more about the other person and less about you (or about what you need). Keep this in mind every time you connect with someone new.
I love this quote from my favorite book ,“How to Win Friends and Influence People”:
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
Don’ts
Don’t ask for anything directly (yet). Don’t start a relationship with your hand out. This person is a complete stranger; they don’t owe you anything! (later on I’ll teach you about the “soft ask”).
Don’t ask for a resume review. Giving people homework at first contact is a bad idea. Resume reviews are time intensive and not many people are willing to dedicate that time for you.
Don’t ask questions that can easily be Googled. “Can you tell me more about your company?” “I’m looking for [this role] - are you hiring for that right now?”
No small talk. It’s not the best way to have a dialogue on LinkedIn.
Don’t overwhelm them with information. If I open a message and it’s several paragraphs long, I immediately want to move on. Don’t make them read a novel.
Do’s
Be brief. We’ve been trained to consume shorter content (think Instagram reels and Tik Tok). Get to the point fast and shorten it up.
Be friendly. Try giving them or their company a compliment. I’m not suggesting you be a kiss a$$ but people appreciate when you’re nice.
Do your homework. At minimum you should review their profile and look into the company they work for. Showing that you made some effort goes a long way.
Make it personal. Try calling out something about their experience or maybe something they posted. “Hey Josh, I loved your post about [xyz]” or “Hey Josh, I noticed you’ve been at Dragos for 2 years!”
Highlight common ground (if possible). Having a similar background is a great ice breaker.
Try the “soft ask”. Instead of saying - “here’s my calendly, let’s book a call” you can just open the door for that to happen later on - “I hope we can connect soon” or “I’d love the chance to meet you or swap emails”. It’s way less pressure but still calls out your intention to get them on a call in the future.
Cold Message Template
You shouldn’t send the same message to everyone but having a template can help save time and ensure you’re sending the right information. Check out this example:
Hi [recipient’s name],
[A brief intro about yourself - e.g., “Thanks for connecting! My name’s Josh and I’m a Cyber Recruiter …”]
[A personalized statement about the other person - e.g., “I attended your webinar on xyz topic and wanted to say thank you...” or "It looks like you've had an awesome career focused on ...”]
I'm looking to make a career move and have been actively connecting with people who have experience in [xyz field].
I’m interested in [xyz target roles] and I’m sure there’s a lot I could learn from you based on your experience at [list some titles and company names].
I understand it’s tough to schedule outside calls but I hope we get the chance to speak soon or swap emails.
Have a great week!
Thanks,
[your name]
Cold Message Example
This is the message I sent to the hiring manager when I applied to Dragos. I got an immediate response and invite for a call.
Closing Thoughts
Remember that while you reach out to people you will get ignored. Don’t take it personally. A ton of people never check their messages, many of them don’t find time to respond, and others never log in to see that they have a pending message. Keep going and don’t give up:)
P.S. I Have Some Big News!
My video course “Cyber Dream Job Journey” is under construction. It comes available June 30th and all of my blog subscribers will get early access. In this course I take you through the 6 step framework to land more interviews and job offers. Here’s a sneak peek:
Lesson 1 - Choosing your path and building a job search strategy
Lesson 2 - Building relationships that lead to opportunity (networking tactics)
Lesson 3 - How to market yourself through a value-driven resume and optimized LinkedIn profile
Lesson 4 - Interview skills and preparation
Lesson 5 - How to stand out with extra effort during an application/interview process
Lesson 6 - Staying visible online with content engagement/creation (personal branding)