How to Get Your LinkedIn Connection Request Accepted

Most people think networking on LinkedIn is about sending a connection request and then sending a DM. But nothing could be farther from the truth.

I have over 300 connections request that I haven’t accepted. And we are going to talk about why.

Let’s talk about what makes a person accept your connection request. But first, the sponsors of this article:

The First Step in Networking

The big mistake I believe people make when it comes to LinkedIn networking is that they position themselves as someone needing help.

Biggest mistake ever.

People are not on LinkedIn to help other people. No, everybody there is there for themselves. You have to make sure that you look like someone who has something on value to give.

The secret of getting your connection request accepted is looking like they have something to gain from associating with you.

If you don’t look like you are going to be of value to me, I will not accept your request. I know it sounds harsh but I also know that I have a 10k connections limit on LinkedIn.

The last thing I want is to have a top person in my industry send me a connections request and I don’t have the space to accept it. So, I am being very picky from now. And you should be too.

There are 5 things that make you look appealing on LinkedIn (for your connections request to be accepted):

1. Your employer (or employer brand)

2. Your industry & experience

3. Your office (or title, or position, and what it can do)

4. Your results or track record

5. Hook

Let’s go through examples with all 5 of them. And the purpose for this is to make you realize where you fit in. And probably edit that headline bio to make it more attractive. Your LinkedIn headline is the sole reason a stranger will accept your connection request (or would be intrigued enough to check your profile).

1. Employer Brand

If you have a well-known employer, use it in your headline. It must be the first thing. For example, if you are a designer at Apple, it must be the first thing on your headline – “Designer @ Apple”.

How do you know if your employer’s brand is big enough to do this? Very simple. The question is – are there constant conversations around your company without it being a PR effort? Would the average person care if your company was in the news?

In some cases, your employer is not that big for the world to care. But if they are big in a niche that you are focused on LinkedIn, you should mention it outright too. It gives you instant credibility.

If the people you are connecting with has to ask – “What company is that?” Then, it is not really a good fit to lead with it.

If you have left the big company you worked with, you can still use it. Maybe don’t lead with it. Just mention it later in the headline as “ex-LinkedIn” or “ex-Amazon”.

2. Industry Or Experience

This is something I use and lean into. The first thing on my LinkedIn headline says, “7+ years working remotely”. That is credibility for my niche.

Mentioning the number of years is good for mid-range years depending on what the experience is about. It shows you are experienced and at the same time not too old. If it is like 35+ years’ experience, you might want to avoid this. Yes, ageism is a thing.

Mentioning the number of years you have spent working in an industry or a thing is a great way to introduce yourself in a professional way.

Examples;

• 3+ years of LLM Research

• 2.5 years of AI prompting

• 14 years investigating politics as a journalist

3. Your Office

I only accept connection request from people who are involved one way or another in remote work. That’s because it is my niche. And that is often the people I send connection requests to.

However, in some cases, I accept other people where I can see a potential mutual benefit. For example, I accepted the connection request of a person whose position is “Loan Officer”.

My thinking is that the person can be useful to me in some way in the future and I can be the best client they’ve ever had. I can see something potentially working out.

Now, nothing may happen along those lines. But the idea that something may happen is all that is needed to be accepted.

If your office or title or position is strong like this, it should be the first thing on your headline. You want people to be able to see what they can do with you instantly. The possibility of needing you somewhere down the line is what makes them accept.

Examples;

• CEO of Bubblegum

• CMO of 77X Agency

• Chief of Staff to NBA champion

• General Manager @ Travel Global

4. Result Or Track Record

If your employer is not that big or you are working by yourself, then you can default to this style. Lead with your most shiny result or track record of achievement.

One mistake I see people make on LinkedIn is that they have a headline that says something like; “I help entrepreneurs 10X their sales in 90 days”.

That used to work. But now, too many people have abused it and most people consider it spammy. You accept a connection request from someone like that and then they hit you with a sales pitch next on DM. So, don’t do that.

Instead say something like;

• Generated $90m total in sales for 12 startups

• $0 - $5m ARR in 2 years

• Worked with Nike, Adidas, and Netflix

• 15 million impressions in 90 days

• 5 successful exits in 17 years

• $50 million in invested capital

5. Hook

If any of those 4 do not work for you, then you have to find your own hook. And the formula to doing this is simple.

First, identify the people you want to connect with. There has to be a general designation for them. If you don’t know the kinds of people you want to be connecting with, it will be hard to position yourself well.

For example, for me, I am building my network with people in the remote work space. And therefore, the first thing on my LinkedIn headline is “7+ years working remotely”. And that is kind of saying, “I am one of you” or “I am like you”. People are more likely to accept your connection request that way

Second is to position yourself as someone who has what they want (which is hard) or someone who is like them (which is easy). It is much easier for strangers to accept your connections request if they see you have something in common with them.

So, the idea for a hook is not “I can help you with xyz”. Instead, it is more like “I do xyz too”. Think about what you do every day, professionally speaking. And think about what can other people relate to about it.

Good examples;

• Planting trees in Mexico

• Brewing wine in Naples

• Advising the state of Texas

• Promoting Nordic culture in Canada

• Monetizing the hip-hop culture

• Making 100 cold calls per day

• Assisting an 8-figure entrepreneur

• Working with veterans

• Writing a fiction like Lord of the Rings

Conclusion

The secret of having people accept your connection request is to look like you will be useful to them. The idea that they might need you someday is what makes it compelling to accept your request.

As long as you position yourself below them or look like you have nothing in common with them, they will not accept your request.

Most of the people I have not accepted their request are programmers or web developers who are looking for jobs. I don’t have anything to offer them and they probably don’t have anything to offer me. My content is sometimes useful to them but that is pretty much it.

Never be under pressure to accept a connection request because someone is your friend. Don’t do it. I have friends that we are not connected on LinkedIn. My LinkedIn is strictly for business. It is wise to consider yours this way too.