10 Reasons Why You’re Not Getting Responses To Your LinkedIn Messages

LinkedIn is a powerful networking tool when leveraged in a strategic and thoughtful way. If you’re like me, you’ve probably sent tons of messages to connections on LinkendIn and often don’t get many responses.

Here are 10 reasons why you’re not getting responses to your LinkedIn messages and helpful tips and tricks to step up your LinkedIn message game.

1. You’re not grabbing their attention

Your message subject line and first sentence should be your hook. Professionals get many messages so your best way to get a response is to capture their attention right away. If you have something in common with the recruiter or person of interest, mention it right away: ex: being from the same alma mater.

If your first sentence is “Hello, my name is Whitney Derman” for example, that’s not that interesting- but a starter such as “ Hello, I’m Whitney, a fellow Rutgers Alum” might drive their interest more.

If you can’t find a commonality, try mentioning something interesting that you’ve done ensuring you stand out against the crowd- be memorable! If you know someone in common this might be a good place to mention it- however, make sure it is someone you actually know, otherwise it could easily turn into an awkward situation.

2. Your message is too long

If you want a response, your message should not stress the receiver out with a super lengthy block of text. Start with a hook, mention why you’re sending the message and conclude with a call to action, i.e. what do you want from this person. Being straightforward and keeping your messaging short and sweet makes you easy to understand and the less time your connections spend reading your message gives them more time to reply to you!

3. You’re talking about yourself too much

Yes, I know this advice seems counterproductive since you want to advertise yourself, but people are selfish, they love talking about themselves. If you see something on the other person’s profile that impresses you, compliment them on it! It makes them feel good about themselves which in turn makes it more likely they will respond to you. Also, ask how they are- like for real, human it human, make sure people are in a good place to chat with you before presuming it’s an open call. It's polite and it’ll make you look kinder which will help you get a response.

4. You’re only messaging once

Even if you send the perfect message there’s a good chance your message will still get buried in an inbox or sent to spam. I’d wait a week to hear from someone and if no response, send another message. You want to get their attention and this will show dedication.

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5. Your message sounds generic

Being professional is great and necessary, but add a personal touch to it! The best way to advertise yourself is to be yourself- make sure you seem like a person and not a bot. If you let your personality shine through, recruiters and other LinkedIn connections are more likely to want to contact you back. Also do not ever use a message template or send mass messages- customize with your personality and for who you’re writing to!

6. You’re sending a message out of work hours

Studies show LinkedIn messages sent on Saturdays get the lowest response rates. To be taken seriously, try not to send messages in the middle of the night or during weekends. Respect folks’ time off and you’ll look more favorable. If you’re wanting to connect with recruiters, chances are they use their work email and if it’s a weekend, your message will likely get buried in the inbox come Monday morning. Instead, trying sending your message at 10am or 11am Monday morning right after the recruiter has cleared out their inbox from the weekend so your message is right on top!

7. You’re not addressing the person by name

Yes, I know writing “ to whom may be concerned” is fun, but if you take time to find the name of the person you’re contacting it shows you care. If you don’t know their gender or pronouns, using their last name is fine- including someone’s first name is less offensive than misgendering someone.

8. You’re timid/ apologetic

When sending a cold LinkedIn message you need to seem confident. If not, you’ll come across as less able to do the job you want or may seem unreliable. Don’t apologize, just send the message. Your time is just as precious as theirs, recognize that.

9. You’re asking too many questions

If you request multiple things or ask multiple questions, people get stressed and probably won’t answer you. Know the one thing you’re looking for and make that obvious.

10. You’re not being reciprocal

People are more likely to answer you if you are helpful. The easiest way to do this is to share their content on social media. If they take notice they will be likely to want to help you back!

Parting Words…

People want to know you are a real person reaching out for a genuine reason. Communicate to the person you are reaching out to why they should care enough to reply to your message. Make it personal and genuine. Secondly, you need to be honest and direct with what you are asking of them. Are you looking for a resume review, a connection to a company or perhaps an information interview? Be specific with what you are asking and are expecting of the individual. Lastly, move the conversation offline sooner than later. People don’t want to languish in a back and forth text chat for days on it. Get in, make the ask and get on with it.

Related:

Meet The Writer!

Hello my name’s Whitney! I’m a professional and creative writer (blogging, news, screenplays, etc). I graduated with degrees in Political Science and Global Studies. My areas of focus are non-profits and human rights, but I love to write and help people in any way possible! I encourage you to check out my writing and connect with me on LinkedIn.

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