The Do’s and Don'ts of Messaging on LinkedIn


Inbox hell -- we've all experienced it at some point.

messaging on LinkedIn

Slimy sales messages filling up your Inbox.

The problem? 

There are two as I see it:

  1. People are being trained wrong by other LinkedIn coaches to slip into an inbox with a sales message

  2. People don’t know what they don’t know. Meaning, they just don’t know how to message someone correctly. They don’t even realize that they are sending a message that most would consider “SPAM”.

You get one chance to make a good first impression. Are you sure your messaging is doing the job?

Here are my top pet peeves of what NOT to do.

  1. Don’t send me a novel. You barely know me and you send me a message that is clearly more suited for email.  Keep your message brief and to the point. 

  2. If you are asking me to book time with you then send me your calendar link in the original message. No need for a separate message with just that link. 

  3. Don't play ping-pong with me. OMG! The need to reply to each message with a gif or emoji drives me crazy! At some point, it’s okay not to reply.

  4. Don’t send me a generic message.
    “Hi, I see we have mutual connections…”  Don’t be generic, put some effort into your message. Show the person that you actually read their profile and viewed their posts.


My favorite message tips:

  1. Be yourself. I preach this day in and day out. Be the same person online as you are offline. It’s too hard to be 2 different people!

  2. Use different communication styles- everyone learns differently 

    1. Use video

    2. Send a voice message

    3. Use a gif

  3. Make it personal- tell me WHY you want to connect. What intrigued you to message me? Was it my post about my love for white coffee or my weekly tip series?

Don’t ruin your reputation by sending bad messages! Take a little time to craft your message.

Trends and algorithms change as often as I change my nail polish (weekly) and you don’t have time to search for the latest tips and trends so you can stay top of mind to your potential clients.

But I do. Are you ready to be known and get found? Let’s start with a focused strategy session.

Book a time here:  https://bookme.name/MaryFainBrandt/lite/2-hour-intensive.

Mary Brandtlinkedintips, messaging, LinkedIn, linkedinstrategist, salesstrategies