LinkedIn connection request templates that fit in 200 characters

Most LinkedIn connection request templates still floating around were written for 300 characters, and they no longer fit a free account. A note is now capped at 200 characters unless you pay for Premium, and free accounts only get a handful of personalised notes a month. The note has become scarce, so the question is not only what to write, but which requests deserve a note at all.

Below: the current rules, what makes a short note work, seven templates that fit in 200 characters, and how to send requests as a campaign without faking personalisation.

LinkedIn’s current rules for connection requests

• Length. 200 characters on a free account, 300 on Premium. Every template in this article fits in 200 as written.
• Notes are rationed on free accounts. LinkedIn does not publish the allowance; free users commonly report around five personalised notes a month. Beyond that, requests go out without a note.
• Invitations are capped per week. The number is unpublished, and most accounts report reaching it at around 100 invitations a week.
• Pending requests work against you. A large backlog of unanswered requests is a common warning sign. Withdraw old ones, knowing that after withdrawing you usually cannot invite the same person again for about three weeks.

When no note is the better choice

A blank request from a relevant profile is not a failure. When the context is obvious, because you just exchanged comments, spoke at the same event or clearly work in the same niche, your photo and headline do the work. Keep your notes for the requests where the reason to accept is not visible from your profile.

Why connection requests get ignored

• A pitch in the note. “I help companies like yours…” tells them what your next message will be.
• Flattery without detail. “Impressed by your background” is what everybody writes.
• No reason why them. If the note could go to anyone, it reads as if it did.
• A note your profile contradicts. “No pitch, just curious” from a headline that says “Account Executive” convinces nobody.

Anatomy of a 200-character note

200 characters is about 30 words. That leaves room for two things:

1. The context. Where your paths crossed: a comment, a post, an event, a shared problem. This is the part that earns the yes.
2. The reason. Why being connected makes sense, in one clause.

There is no room for an ask, and you do not need one. The note’s only job is to make accepting the obvious move.

Seven connection request templates under 200 characters

Every template counts between 130 and 160 characters as written, variables included, which leaves room for long names. Swimlane fills in {firstName} and {company}. The rest is written once for a whole list, or by hand for one person.

1. They commented on someone else’s post

Hi {firstName}, your comment on Marc's post about annual contracts was the
most useful one in the thread. I work on SaaS pricing too, happy to connect.

Use it on a list built from one post’s commenters, where the sentence is true for everyone.

2. They commented on your post

Hi {firstName}, thanks for your comment on my onboarding post. Your point
about the first 30 days is one I'll borrow. Good to be connected.

3. You were at the same event

Hi {firstName}, we were both at the RevOps Summit in Lyon but never crossed
paths, so I'm connecting here instead. Hope the pricing panel was useful.

4. They viewed your profile

Hi {firstName}, I saw you stopped by my profile, so I looked at yours. We
both work on B2B onboarding, so connecting seemed obvious.

5. Someone you both know mentioned them

Written by hand, since no two people share the same introduction.

Hi {firstName}, Claire Martin told me about the partner programme you built
at {company}. I'm starting one from scratch and would like to follow yours.

6. They just started a new role

Also by hand: the line about their posts has to be true.

Hi {firstName}, congratulations on the new role at {company}. I've read your
posts on customer onboarding for a while and would like to keep following them.

7. No hook, and you say so

Hi {firstName}, I'm connecting with people who lead customer success at B2B
software companies. No pitch in this note, I just want to follow what you share.

Only if you mean it. If your next message is a pitch, this note makes it worse.

Personalising at scale without faking it

Swimlane replaces seven variables: {firstName}, {lastName}, {fullName}, {company}, {title}, {headline} and {location}. Three things to know before relying on them:

• Anything else is sent as typed. A {topic} or {mutualConnection} you meant to fill in reaches the prospect, braces included.
• Missing data leaves a gap. A contact with no company on record turns “at {company}.” into “at .” Use it only on lists where you know the field is filled.
• Some fields read badly mid-sentence. {headline} and {location} hold whatever the person typed, such as “Greater Paris Metropolitan Region”, so keep them out of the middle of a phrase.

Personalisation that scales comes from the list, not the variable. One list per post, event or topic lets you write one context sentence that is true for every person in it, and that beats a “personalised” note assembled from a first name and a company.

Sending connection requests as a campaign

1. Source List "Commented · annual contracts post": one context everybody shares
2. Connection request Connection request with template 1 as the note
3. Condition The request’s own acceptance wait: accepted within 14 days?
4. Yes Message 2 days later: one question about what they wrote
5. No Like their last post Like their latest post, and no second request

In the campaign builder:

1. A Connection Request step. Write the note in its note field and set “Wait for acceptance” to 14 days. The flow then splits into Accepted and Not accepted.
2. The Accepted branch. A Send Message step with a two-day delay. The message picks up the context of the note.
3. The Not accepted branch. A Like last post step, and the flow ends there for that person.

Things worth knowing before you launch:

• Existing connections leave the flow at the request step, without receiving anything, and so do contacts whose connection degree Swimlane does not know yet. If your list mixes both, start with an “If connected” condition and write to existing connections on its Yes branch.
• Steps are locked once a campaign is launched. To test another note, launch a second campaign on a comparable list and compare their invitations accepted rate. Small lists give noisy results, so do not crown a winner on a few dozen requests.
• Limits apply. Safe Mode sends up to 20 requests a day, at random gaps, inside your office hours, so a 100-person list takes about a week. The details are in LinkedIn automation without getting banned.
• On a free account, choose where notes go. For a broad list, consider leaving the note empty and keeping your monthly allowance for your best-fit lists.

After they accept

• Wait a day or two. A message the minute they accept feels like a trap closing.
• Skip the standalone thank-you. “Thanks for connecting!” with nothing else is a message they have to answer for no reason. Thank them in the same breath as a question.
• Continue the context. The note mentioned a comment, an event or a post; the first message picks up there and asks one question.
• Keep the pitch for later. It becomes relevant once they have told you enough to make it so.

Swimlane stamps the date a request was accepted on the contact record, so you can always see who accepted when. For the messages that come next, read how to automate LinkedIn follow-ups without sounding automated.

When the request is ignored

Most requests are neither accepted nor declined; they simply sit there. Give them a couple of weeks, then withdraw the ones that went nowhere to keep your pending backlog small. Stay visible in the meantime with a like or a thoughtful comment on their posts, and try again later with a new context, such as a new post, an event or a change of role, rather than the same note a week later.