Having trouble connecting with people on LinkedIn? You’re not alone. Many LinkedIn users encounter issues when trying to grow their network by sending connection requests. While frustrating, there are several potential reasons why your LinkedIn connections may not be going through – along with solutions to try.
You haven’t personalized your connection request
One of the most common reasons connection requests may be ignored or declined is failing to personalize them. Generic connection requests come across as spammy and thoughtless. Instead of just clicking the “Connect” button, take a few minutes to customize your request:
- Mention where you know the person from or what you have in common
- Explain why you’d like to connect with them
- Ask a question to start a conversation
Personalized requests make it clear you actually read the person’s profile and are interested in connecting beyond just growing your network size. This makes the recipient much more likely to accept.
Your message is too sales-y or promotional
While personalization is key, avoid going overboard with pitching your business, products, or services. Overtly sales-y connection requests come across as inauthentic and may turn recipients off from connecting with you.
Keep the focus on introducing yourself, establishing common ground, and expressing interest in their work. Once connected, you can gradually build the relationship before engaging in promotional activities.
You have few shared connections
Having shared connections in common increases the likelihood of a connection request being accepted. When you and the recipient both know some of the same people, it establishes legitimacy and provides social proof.
Before sending a request to someone you have no existing connections with, try to expand your shared network first. Engage with the recipient’s connections by liking and commenting on their posts. This increases your visibility and familiarity when you do send the request.
Your profile needs improvement
An incomplete or unappealing profile makes it easy to ignore connection requests. Make sure your profile is 100% complete with a professional photo, headline, summary section, and work experience. The more compelling and optimized your profile is, the more motivated recipients will be to connect.
Additionally, having lots of existing connections, followers, groups, and posts helps convey you are an active, reputable member worth linking up with.
You’re connecting outside your network
When trying to connect with executives, influencers, and others far outside your immediate network, your request is less likely to be accepted. These individuals tend to receive an overwhelming amount of connection invitations.
Instead of a direct connection request, consider engaging with them via their company page, commenting on their posts, participating in relevant groups, and connecting with those in your shared network first. This approach is slower, but builds familiarity and trust over time.
You have a history of poor networking etiquette
How you’ve utilized LinkedIn in the past can come back to bite you. Recipients may check your profile and see signs of spammy behavior such as:
- Automated connection requests
- Messages promoting your business
- Generic endorsements for skills
- Link sharing without context
These behaviors make you appear salesy, less credible, and only interested in exploiting LinkedIn for self-promotion. Focus on relationship-building by engaging thoughtfully and authentically.
You’ve sent multiple unanswered requests
Bombarding someone with repeated connection invitations after they’ve ignored your initial request comes across as desperate and pushy. Only send a maximum of one reminder request, personalized to acknowledge they may have simply missed your original ask.
If they continue to ignore your outreach, accept that a connection is unlikely. Find other ways to engage with their content and network without forcing a direct connection.
Their settings limit who can connect
Some LinkedIn members restrict who can send them connection requests. They may limit invites to only people in their organization or industry, or only 2nd-degree connections and above. If someone has these restrictions enabled, no matter how thoughtful your request, it simply may not reach them.
Review their profile settings and groups to see if you can determine whether their connection eligibility is limited. If so, you can still engage via other channels like commenting and liking.
They’re inactive on LinkedIn
If someone has not logged into their LinkedIn account for a prolonged period, they will not see your connection request. The notification may be waiting there for months or longer until they finally sign in again.
Before sending a request, look for signs of inactivity, such as a stale current position and lack of recent posts. Connect with active members who are more likely to engage and respond in a timely manner.
It was an accidental request
Occasionally, users report sending connection requests unintentionally due to LinkedIn’s interface. For example, a user reads someone’s post and attempts to like or reply, but accidentally clicks the connect button instead.
If you suspect an unintended request, send a follow up politely asking if it was meant for you or a mistake. Offer to remove if they would prefer to rescind the request.
Conclusion
There are many potential roadblocks to successfully connecting with people on LinkedIn. By avoiding common missteps like unpersonalized, overly promotional requests, improving your own profile, actively networking within your existing connections first, and engaging politely with inactive users or accidental requests, you can overcome these challenges.
With an authentically relationship-focused approach, persistence, and good LinkedIn etiquette, you can gradually build your quality network connections over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many connection requests can you send per day on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn limits users to sending a maximum of 300 connection requests per day. This prevents spammy behavior and protects recipients from receiving an excessive number of invites.
Does a personalized request guarantee acceptance?
No, personalizing your connection requests will significantly improve your chances but does not guarantee acceptance. Some recipients may still decline requests due to factors like limited profile settings, inactivity, or simply not being interested.
What is the ideal number of shared connections to have?
Generally, the more shared connections you and a recipient have, the higher the chance they will accept your request. 3-5+ shared connections tends to be ideal, but even just 1-2 increases likelihood versus no connections in common.
Can you tell if someone reads your connection request?
No, LinkedIn does not notify you if a recipient opens or views your connection request. The only way to tell if they’ve seen it is if they accept, ignore, or decline the request.
Is there a character limit for connection request messages?
Yes, LinkedIn restricts the message body of connection requests to 300 characters maximum. This encourages senders to be concise yet personalized when introducing themselves.
Can you undo a sent connection request?
Unfortunately no, once you have sent a connection request you cannot directly revoke or undo it. However, you can send a follow up message politely asking the recipient to disregard your invite if you change your mind.
How long does it take for request notifications to appear?
Connection requests may take up to 24 hours to actually deliver to a recipient’s notifications and inbox. Do not resend multiple requests since the first is likely still pending.
| Connection Request Issue | Potential Solution |
|---|---|
| Unpersonalized | Customize your message with details about shared experiences, interests, goals for connecting, etc. |
| Too sales-focused | Keep the focus on introducing yourself and building a relationship, not promotions. |
| No shared connections | Try engaging with the recipient’s existing connections first before requesting to connect directly. |
| Weak profile | Fill out your profile 100% with a professional photo, summary, experience, etc. to convey your credibility. |
| Outside your network | Don’t directly request to connect with executives and influencers outside your network. Engage with them via other channels like their company page first. |
| History of spammy behavior | Avoid generic endorsements, automated invites, and link sharing without context to boost your reputation. |
| Repeated requests | Only send a maximum of one reminder request if your initial invite goes ignored. |
| Restricted profile settings | Review their profile and groups for signs their connection eligibility is limited by organization, industry, or minimum connections. |
| Inactive account | Check for signs of inactivity like a stale position. Connect with active members more likely to respond timely. |
| Accidental request | Send a polite message asking if the request was intended for you or a mistake that can be removed. |