salessocial selling

LinkedIn Prospecting Message Templates

Creates LinkedIn connection requests and follow-up InMails that start conversations without being salesy.

Prompt

Act as a social selling expert specialising in [industry] B2B outreach. Write a LinkedIn prospecting sequence for reaching [target persona] to introduce [product/service]. The goal is to start genuine conversations, not pitch. Format the output as structured sections with character/word counts: (1) Connection request note (under 300 characters): 3 variations, one referencing their content, one referencing a mutual connection, one referencing a company trigger event such as a funding round or product launch, (2) First message after connection (Day 2): lead with value, share a relevant insight, under 150 words, (3) Follow-up (Day 5): share a case study or data point, under 100 words, (4) Meeting request (Day 8): direct ask for a 15-minute call with a specific reason, under 80 words, (5) Break-up message (Day 15): graceful exit, under 50 words. For example, a strong connection request might reference a specific post: 'Your take on [topic] in your recent post resonated, especially the point about [specific detail].' You must include an engagement strategy: 3 ways to warm up the prospect before sending the request. Avoid phrases like 'pick your brain' or 'exciting opportunity'. Only send messages that feel peer-to-peer, not salesperson-to-target.

Why this prompt works

The LinkedIn messages that get replies look nothing like what most teams send. This prompt avoids the worst defaults by banning specific phrases ('pick your brain', 'exciting opportunity') and by enforcing variation at the connection-request stage with three different reference angles (their content, mutual connection, company trigger event). The 'feels peer-to-peer, not salesperson-to-target' constraint is the tone gate that separates messages that get accepted from ones that get reported. The 'engagement strategy: 3 ways to warm up the prospect before sending the request' addition is the move that materially lifts acceptance rates, and including it forces it into the workflow rather than treating it as optional.

When to reach for it

You're an SDR or AE running LinkedIn-led outbound and your acceptance rate has stalled.
You're a founder doing your own prospecting at low volume and need each message to count.
You're new to LinkedIn-based selling and want a structured approach that doesn't immediately read as spam.
You're using a tool (Sales Navigator, Apollo, Lemlist) that exports message templates and need ones designed for the platform's character limits.

How to customise it

The target persona drives reference quality. For 'Heads of People at Series A startups', references can be specific (their hiring posts, recent funding rounds); for 'CTOs at large enterprises', the references need to be more thoughtful since these prospects are pitched constantly. Specify the trigger events you'll actually use ('they posted about hiring', 'their company just raised'); the model otherwise picks generic ones. For non-English markets, run the prompt in the target language; LinkedIn outbound in French, Spanish, or German has different conventions and direct translation rarely works.

What good output looks like

Five message blocks: three connection-request variants (each under 300 characters), a Day 2 follow-up under 150 words, a Day 5 social-proof message under 100 words, a Day 8 meeting request under 80 words, a Day 15 break-up under 50 words. Plus a 3-step engagement strategy at the start. Word and character counts are usually right at or below the stated caps. The connection requests are the section most worth reading carefully; the others are extensions of whichever reference angle landed.

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