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Weekly Newsletter Vol. 83 - April 2, 2025

Generating your Lead Story…

The Truth About Connection Requests: What Works Best?

Networking on LinkedIn is more than just sending connection requests, it’s about making meaningful connections that lead to business opportunities. However, when it comes to sending connection requests, most people are unsure whether to personalize their message or leave it blank. Surprisingly, 95% of all connection requests are sent without a personal note, yet they have a higher acceptance rate than 90% of personalized ones. This challenges the common belief that personalization is always the best approach and highlights the need for a more strategic approach to networking.

The Numbers Behind Connection Requests

Data reveals some eye-opening statistics about connection request acceptance rates. Here’s a breakdown:

Connection requests sent on a Monday have a 21.2% acceptance rate. While this may seem low, Mondays tend to be high-activity days on LinkedIn, as professionals start their week by catching up on messages and notifications. Sending requests early in the morning can increase visibility, while sending them later in the day may result in your request being buried under new notifications.

Hyper-personalized connection requests see an 82% acceptance rate. This suggests that when a message is tailored to the recipient—perhaps referencing their work, a shared interest, or a mutual connection—the likelihood of acceptance is significantly higher. However, hyper-personalization takes time and effort, which can limit scalability.

Automated outreach (copy-paste messages) perform the worst, with an acceptance rate of less than 2%. If your strategy involves sending the same generic message to hundreds of people, chances are you’ll be ignored. LinkedIn users can easily detect automated messages, and they tend to associate them with spam or irrelevant solicitations.

Clearly, personalization matters, but not in the way most people think. While hyper-personalized messages perform well, generic, automated outreach is widely ignored. The challenge is finding a balance between efficiency and authenticity.

The Best Performing Connection Request

What if I told you that one type of connection request outperforms all others? There is a method that boasts an astonishing 97% acceptance rate. What is it? A mutual group or event-based connection request. When people see that you share a common group or attended the same event, they are far more likely to accept your request.

For example, if you recently attended a recruitment webinar or are part of a LinkedIn group focused on hiring trends, referencing that in your connection request significantly increases your chances of getting accepted. It creates instant familiarity and relevance, making it easy for the recipient to say yes. A simple message like, “Hi [Name], I noticed we’re both part of the [Group Name] community. I’d love to connect and exchange insights!” can be much more effective than a generic request.

Another great example is event-based networking. If you attended a virtual conference or an in-person industry event, following up with attendees through LinkedIn is a powerful way to solidify those new relationships. Mentioning a specific session or speaker from the event adds an extra touch of relevance.

Timing Matters: When to Send Your Requests

Beyond personalization, timing plays a crucial role. While Mondays see a solid acceptance rate, other days may perform even better. In our upcoming newsletters we will provide a deeper analysis of the best days and times to send connection requests.

Some early insights suggest:

• Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to have higher response rates, as professionals are more settled into their workweek and actively engaging with content.

• Evening hours (6 PM - 9 PM in the recipient’s time zone) can be effective, as people are winding down and have more time to review and accept requests.

• Fridays and weekends may see lower acceptance rates, as professionals are either wrapping up their week or taking time off from professional networking.

Understanding LinkedIn’s peak engagement hours can give you a strategic advantage in building your network. Rather than sending requests at random, you can increase your success rate by aligning with user behaviour patterns.

Crafting the Perfect Connection Request

If you want to maximize your acceptance rate, consider these tips:

Keep it short and relevant. No one wants to read a long message from a stranger. A concise, to-the-point message referencing mutual interests or connections works best.

Avoid overly sales-driven language. If your request reads like a sales pitch, you’ll likely be ignored. Focus on relationship-building rather than selling upfront.

Engage with their content first. Liking or commenting on a prospect’s posts before sending a request makes them more familiar with your name, increasing the chances they’ll accept.

Follow up with value. Once your request is accepted, don’t jump straight into a pitch. Instead, share an insightful article or ask a meaningful question to start a genuine conversation.

What’s Next?

If you’re looking to optimize your LinkedIn networking strategy, stay tuned. Future newsletters will help you fine-tune your approach and build stronger, more meaningful professional connections.

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