LinkedIn Cold Message: Tips & Templates to Boost Responses

Like cold emails, LinkedIn cold messages get a bad rep, and it’s easy to see why. Take a glance at your LinkedIn DMs. Chances are, you’ve gotten a few generic messages that scream, “Here’s what we sell,” while offering zero incentive to care.

With over a billion members, LinkedIn offers one of the biggest platforms for outreach. But finding success with it depends on whether you use the platform as intended: for relevant, meaningful interactions. There’s a reason LinkedIn uses the term “connections,” after all.

Done right, a LinkedIn cold message can open doors to high-quality opportunities, fruitful partnerships, and a vibrant social network. It’s no wonder over 65% of marketers are doubling down on LinkedIn outreach—because when it works, it really works.

This article provides practical tips and templates to help you write LinkedIn cold messages that paint you in the best possible light and deliver results. But first, let’s start with the basics.

What is a LinkedIn Cold Message?

A LinkedIn cold message is an unsolicited message you send to someone you don’t know on LinkedIn. It's basically reaching out to a stranger to start a discussion—except you're doing it on LinkedIn.

Unlike cold calls and emails, LinkedIn provides a more professional and contextualized platform for these initial interactions. You can see a person's professional background, interests, and recent activities at a glance, giving you insights to personalize your message.

This makes a LinkedIn cold message feel less intrusive than its counterparts—but only when done right. To start, you’ll need to get a LinkedIn Premium account or buy InMail credits. This way, you can send cold messages to people outside your connection list.

Preparation Steps Before Sending LinkedIn Cold Messages

The journey of getting replies to your LinkedIn cold messages starts way before you hit “Send.” Here’s how to set the stage for a successful outreach:

Define Your Goal

First things first, what’s the purpose of your outreach? Are you looking to land new clients, start partnerships, recruit talent, find mentorships, grow your network, or something else?

Having a clear goal keeps your messaging focused and helps you communicate it confidently. It also guides the tone of your message—whether you opt for formal, casual, or a mix of both.

Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

Before sending a single message, your LinkedIn profile needs to be polished. It's your first impression, after all. You want it to immediately project credibility to recipients before they read your message.

How can you do that? By optimizing these four elements:

• Professional Photo: Use a clear, high-quality photo where you look approachable.
• Headline: Opt for a very specific headline that highlights your expertise or value proposition—something like “Helping Small Businesses Scale with Data-Driven Marketing.”
• Summary: Write up a concise, engaging summary that explains who you are, what you do, how you help others, and what sets you apart.
• Experiences & Endorsements: Go through your educational background, workplace experiences, and endorsements. Are they up-to-date, neatly structured, and compelling? If not, refine them before starting your outreach.

If prospects check your LinkedIn profile (and they likely will), they need to see a credible professional worth connecting with.

Build a Targeted Prospect List

Of course, not everyone on LinkedIn will be the right fit for your outreach. In other words, you need to narrow down your search to the most relevant contacts for your specific campaign.

How? Use LinkedIn’s advanced search and filter tools to find ideal prospects for your outreach campaigns. This could mean targeting C-level executives, middle managers in a specific industry, or active job seekers whose expertise matches your needs.

Alternatively, you may consider using a LinkedIn automation tool like Botdog to cut back your prospecting hours and scale your efforts sustainably.

Designed to simplify LinkedIn outreach, Botdog automates the process of finding and importing prospects—whether from LinkedIn Searches, Sales Navigator lists, attendees of a LinkedIn live event, or even people who simply liked a post.

With Botdog, you’re set to connect with the right people from the get-go while remaining hyper-efficient and organized. Give it a shot today at zero cost!

Research Your Prospects

This is arguably the most important part of your cold message preparations. Before reaching out, spend a few minutes researching your prospects. Your goal is to understand who you're talking to and why they might want to respond.

Look through their LinkedIn profiles for:

• Shared groups, interests, industries, etc.
• Personal preferences and current workplace or role
• Recent achievements, company news, or insightful posts you can reference
• Relevant mutual connections you can mention (or who can even mention you)

These insights become your cold message talking points. They help you prove relevance and provide value. Skipping this part is one of the biggest killers of cold outreach campaigns.

To drive home that point, here’s a Reddit post that summarizes the biggest gripes most prospects have about LinkedIn cold messages:

The lesson here? Researching prospects and personalizing your LinkedIn cold messages with the results is not optional. But don’t stuff your message with unnecessary or too many references as that can come off as insincere.

6 LinkedIn Cold Message Templates To Get More Replies

The secret to cold messages that get replies today? They read like they're written by a human, for a human. The templates below are starting points. Feel free to customize them based on your research and goals.

The Genuine Admirer

When you've genuinely followed someone's work:

Hi {{first name}},

Your post about {{specific topic}} stopped my endless LinkedIn scroll. The point about {{specific insight}} hit home—I've been wrestling with that exact issue in my work at {{company}}. It’s not often you see {{specific detail}} presented so clearly.

Would you be open to a quick chat about how you tackled {{specific challenge}}? Happy to share what's worked (and hasn't) for us too.

{{your name}}

The Shared Connection Opener

When you find what we call “uncommon commonalities” with a prospect:

Hi {{first name}},

I noticed we both {{share common ground—e.g., attended the same event, worked in similar industries, or follow the same thought leader}}. I enjoyed {{specific detail about their post, webinar, or project}} and found the recommendations thought-provoking.

I made the switch last year and would love to hear what prompted you to do the same. No pitch here—just looking to connect with others who've walked a similar path.

{{your name}}

The Light Touch

Sometimes, a dash of well-placed humor cuts through the LinkedIn noise:

Hi {{first name}},

I promise this isn't another “Let me tell you about my revolutionary AI solution” message.

I saw your post about {{specific topic}} and actually laughed out loud at your take on {{specific point}}. I work in {{your field}} and constantly roll my eyes when this “advice” comes up.

Would love to swap war stories if you're open to connecting.

{{your name}}

The Problem Spotter

When you notice a specific challenge they're facing:

Hi {{first name}},

I saw your team is tackling {{specific challenge}}—noticed it in your recent job post. We just solved a similar issue at {{company}} using an unconventional approach.

I’m happy to share our learnings if it would help. No strings attached—just paying forward help I've received from others.

{{your name}}

The Direct Value Add

When you have something concrete to offer:

Hi {{first name}},

Your work with {{company/project}} caught my eye. We just wrapped up research on {{relevant topic}} that might interest you. It includes original data on {{specific topic}}.

Would you like me to send it your way? It's not public yet, but I think it could help with your current focus on {{specific area}}.

{{your name}}

The Story Hook

When you want to build a deeper connection:

Hi {{first name}},

Something you wrote in your latest article reminded me of a turning point in my career. Back in {{year}}, I was struggling with {{specific challenge}}—just like you described.

The solution came from an unexpected place: {{brief context}}. Would love to hear if you've found similar unexpected answers in your work.

{{your name}}

7 Tips for Writing LinkedIn Cold Messages That Work

Helpful templates aside, the difference between ignored messages and meaningful connections often comes down to applying these proven cold messaging tips:

1. Write Like You Talk: Drop the corporate speak. Your message should sound like something you'd say face-to-face. “Hey {{first_name}}, loved your thoughts on AI marketing” beats “I noticed your professional insights regarding artificial intelligence applications.”
2. Focus on Building Rapport, Not Selling: Your first cold message should never try to pitch or close a deal. Instead, show genuine interest in starting a conversation and building a connection. Relationships built over time yield better results.
3. Time Your Send: Various studies found that cold messages sent Tuesday through Thursday between 8 AM and 5 PM get the highest response rates. Avoid Mondays (too busy) and Fridays (weekend mode) unless your research shows otherwise.
4. Keep First Messages Short: Think text message, not email. Your first message should take less than 20 seconds to read. If you need more than two short paragraphs, you're probably saying too much.
5. Ask One Thing Only: Each message needs one clear next step. “Would you be open to a quick chat about X?” works better than multiple requests or questions.
6. Use Soft CTAs: “Would you be interested in learning more?” beats “Can we schedule a call?” People say yes more often when they don't feel cornered.
7. Space Your Follow-ups: Wait 2 to 3 days between messages. Shoot for two follow-ups maximum. After that, you're not being persistent; you're being pushy.

Keen to explore other LinkedIn outreach best practices? Check out our article: LinkedIn Do’s and Don’ts.

What About LinkedIn Invitation Notes?

Interestingly, our research at Botdog found that LinkedIn invitations without notes have an 80% higher acceptance rate than those with them.

How come? A note, even with good intentions, leaves room for skepticism or misinterpretation. But when you send a blank invite, your profile and mutual connections do the talking. There’s no risk of saying the wrong thing or coming across as overeager.

That said, if adding a note to your LinkedIn invite makes sense for your use case, keep it brief and natural. No sales pitches. No forced small talk. Just a simple, human touch that gives context to your invitation.

How Botdog Amplifies Your LinkedIn Outreach Efforts

Manual LinkedIn outreach eats up hours of your day. Botdog changes that. Starting at just $29.99/month for individuals, Botdog handles the heavy lifting by automating your LinkedIn campaigns while keeping your outreach personal and genuine.

Think of Botdog as your behind-the-scenes assistant, saving you hours of effort on your LinkedIn outreach activities:

• Tired of manual prospecting? Botdog lets you import prospects from anywhere—LinkedIn Searches, CSV files, Sales Navigator, and more—in just a few clicks.
• Want to scale outreach as a team? You can manage multiple LinkedIn accounts, delegate tasks to your team, and reach more prospects without worrying about limits and sending patterns—all within a single, secure platform.
• Curious about your performance? Botdog's transparent campaign analytics give you actionable insights to help refine your strategy over time.

The cherry on top? You can get set up in under 3 minutes. With Botdog, your prospects get meaningful, value-driven attention, and you get your time back. Try Botdog today for free!

Key Takeaways

Three things to remember:

1. LinkedIn cold messages work best when they're not about you. Focus on what matters to your prospect, not the beauty of your pitch.
2. Smart prep work makes a world of difference. Define your goal, research your prospects, and polish your profile before starting LinkedIn cold message campaigns.
3. Templates help, but personality wins. Use the formats provided above as a starting point, then add your own unique touch to stand out.

LinkedIn cold messaging is relationship-building at scale. With an automation partner like Botdog, you can rest easy knowing your efforts remain personal and authentic even as you expand your reach dramatically. Sign up for your free trial today!