Want to connect on LinkedIn? Don’t tell me I’m amazing.

If you use a LinkedIn message template, it’s just that…a suggestion. Fill in the blanks or come across as cheesy.

Image by Alex Knight on Unsplash with text added by Cathy Goodwin

Does someone want to connect with you on LinkedIn? Do you get messages like these:

“It looks like you’re doing some pretty amazing things with storytelling.”

“I’d love to learn more about your journey to success.” “Let’s get to know each other better.”

Somebody’s sharing a template. So I played detective…i.e., googled “How to write LinkedIn welcome messages.”

Sure enough, up popped several posts from “experts.” I’m going to omit their names because I’m not into finger-pointing and business-owner-bashing. Not that I’m not tempted…

It was amazing meeting you at [event] and learning about your company. The conversation on [related topic] was pretty interesting and knowledgeable. I am looking forward to knowing more about you and your exciting role.

and

I recently read your LinkedIn article on [topic name]. Your thoughts on [mention key takeaways from the article] are amazing and I totally agree with you. I’d love to keep in touch with you and learn more about your work and ideas.

and

“Hi [name] — I’m a huge fan of what you’re doing.”

Please do not use these templates out of the boc.

it’s like an outdated sales conversation where the salesperson was trained to find a way to give you a compliment. Someone says, “What a pretty blue sweater!” and you’re supposed to feel all warm and fuzzy…when you know they’re trying to sell.

It’s a big negative when you ask a question that’s answered right on my Home Page or About Page.

Want to know what I do? Head on over to my “Work with me” page.

Even worse if it’s in my LinkedIn Profile.

So what to do instead?

Option 1 — Just send a request with no message.

Or send a simple one-liner: “Your name came up and after a quick look at your profile, I think it makes…