Start With a Clear Networking Goal
Before you send a single request, decide what kind of network you are building. “More connections” is too vague. A useful LinkedIn network usually supports one of these goals:
- Finding a new role or changing industries
- Meeting peers in your function
- Building visibility with potential clients
- Learning from people a few steps ahead of you
- Staying connected with alumni, coworkers, or event contacts
This matters because your goal changes who you should contact and what you should say. If you are job searching, recruiters and hiring managers matter, but so do people currently doing the job you want. If you are building a client network, decision-makers matter, but so do operators who understand the problem you solve.
Make Your Profile Easy to Say Yes To
People often check your profile before accepting. They do not need a perfect resume, but they do need enough context to understand who you are.
Focus on four areas:
- Your headline: Say what you do or what you are working toward, not just your job title.
- Your photo: Use a clear, current image where your face is easy to see.
- Your About section: Explain your work, interests, and what kinds of conversations you welcome.
- Your recent activity: Comment on or share a few posts related to your field before you start sending requests.
A strong profile lowers friction. If your profile is empty, private, or confusing, even a thoughtful invitation can feel suspicious.
Choose Better People to Connect With
If you are wondering how to build LinkedIn connections, start by improving your targeting. The best prospects are not always the most famous people in your industry. They are people with enough overlap to see why the connection makes sense.
Good connection targets include:
- Former classmates, coworkers, clients, or vendors
- People you met at events, webinars, or communities
- People who work at companies you admire
- People in the role, industry, or geography you are exploring
- Second-degree connections with shared contacts
- People who recently posted about a topic you can respond to thoughtfully
Avoid sending requests to everyone with a senior title. A smaller network of people who remember you is more valuable than a large network of strangers who ignore you.
Send a Specific Connection Request
A good LinkedIn connection request is short, relevant, and low pressure. You do not need to pitch yourself. You need to show why the request is not random.
A simple structure works well:
- Context: Why you found them
- Relevance: What you have in common or what caught your attention
- Light ask: A request to connect, not a demand for time
Examples:
“Hi Maya, I saw your post about onboarding new customer success managers. I’m moving into CS enablement and found your point about shadowing calls useful. Would be glad to connect.”
“Hi Jordan, I noticed we both worked with healthcare SaaS teams. I’m trying to learn from people who have scaled implementation processes. Would be happy to connect.”
“Hi Priya, I attended your webinar on product-led sales last week. Your point about handoff timing stuck with me. Thanks for the session, and I’d like to stay connected here.”
Do Not Pitch in the First Message
The fastest way to weaken a new connection is to accept, then immediately send a sales pitch, job request, or calendar link. Even if your goal is business development or career networking, the first exchange should create trust.
After someone accepts, send a brief thank-you or continue the topic that made you connect:
“Thanks for connecting, Maya. Your onboarding post made me rethink how early new hires should listen to live calls. Do you find shadowing works better before or after product training?”
That message is specific, easy to answer, and connected to their expertise. It also starts a real conversation instead of making the other person feel like a lead in a sequence.
If starting conversations feels awkward, practice matters. Scroops can help you rehearse professional introductions, recruiter conversations, and networking follow-ups out loud before you use them in real life.
Build Visibility Before You Need Something
If you only appear when you need a favor, networking will feel harder than it should. A better approach is to become lightly visible over time.
You can do that without becoming a full-time content creator:
- Comment thoughtfully on 3–5 posts per week
- Share one useful lesson from your work every week or two
- Congratulate people on new roles or launches with specific notes
- Send articles or resources when they are genuinely relevant
- Follow up after events while the context is fresh
Good comments are not “Great post!” They add a detail, example, question, or respectful disagreement. Think of comments as small public conversations. The same principles apply as when you start a conversation with a stranger: give the other person something concrete to respond to.
Turn Connections Into Conversations
A connection is only the start. The relationship becomes useful when there is some exchange of context, ideas, or help.
After a few messages or public interactions, it is reasonable to ask for a short conversation. Keep the ask specific and easy to decline:
“I’m exploring customer success roles in cybersecurity SaaS and noticed you made a similar move from support. Would you be open to a 15-minute chat sometime this month? No worries if your schedule is full.”
This works because it names the topic, sets a small time commitment, and removes pressure. If they say yes, prepare three good questions. If they say no or do not respond, do not chase aggressively.
Use a Simple Weekly Networking System
If you want to know how to make more connections on LinkedIn, consistency beats bursts. Try this weekly rhythm:
- Monday: Identify 10 relevant people to follow or connect with
- Tuesday: Comment on 3 posts from people in your target network
- Wednesday: Send 5 personalized connection requests
- Thursday: Reply to messages and continue active threads
- Friday: Send 1–2 thoughtful follow-ups or meeting requests
That is enough to build momentum without turning LinkedIn into a second job. At five quality requests per week, you can send about 250 per year. If even 40% accept and 10% become meaningful conversations, that is a real network.
What to Say When You Have No Obvious Connection
Sometimes you want to connect with someone but have no shared employer, school, group, or friend. That is fine, but your message needs to carry more weight.
Use one of these angles:
- Reference a specific post, podcast, talk, or article
- Mention a shared professional problem
- Ask a narrow question about their path
- Explain why their work is relevant to something you are learning
Weak message:
“Hi, I’d like to add you to my professional network.”
Better message:
“Hi Elena, I’m learning how RevOps teams handle messy CRM handoffs. Your post about sales-to-CS ownership was one of the clearest examples I’ve seen. Would be glad to connect.”
The second message proves attention. That is the difference.
Keep the Relationship Alive
Most people make LinkedIn connections and then let them go cold. You do not need to message everyone every month, but you should maintain the relationships that matter.
Use lightweight touchpoints:
- React to career updates with a real sentence
- Share a relevant article with a short reason
- Check in after a launch, event, or job change
- Offer help when you can make a useful introduction
- Send a thank-you after advice changes your next step
Good networking is often just remembering context. If someone told you they were preparing for a product launch, ask how it went. If they introduced you to a hiring manager, tell them the result. These small loops build trust.
For live conversations, the challenge is often not the first message but what comes after. If you want help with that part, read how to keep a conversation going. If you are networking in a second language, improving your English speaking skills can also make LinkedIn calls and voice notes feel easier.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The biggest LinkedIn networking mistakes are usually simple:
- Sending blank connection requests to people with no context
- Asking for a job, referral, or meeting immediately
- Making the message about your needs only
- Over-automating outreach until it sounds generic
- Treating acceptance as permission to pitch
- Ignoring people after they help you
Automation can save time, but it can also damage your reputation if it sends irrelevant messages at scale. LinkedIn is still a social environment. People remember whether you sounded like a person.
A Better Definition of LinkedIn Networking
The best answer to “how do you make connections on LinkedIn?” is not just “send connection requests.” It is: become findable, choose relevant people, start with context, and follow up like a professional.
You do not need a huge audience. You need enough of the right people to recognize your name, understand what you do, and feel comfortable having a conversation. That kind of network is built one specific interaction at a time.
