5 Musts When Connecting with Someone You Don’t Know on LinkedIn

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When used wisely LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for building your professional networks.

It’s a great way to connect with colleagues, school alumni, and other like-minded individuals, including people you don’t know.

There’s no magic trick to connecting with strangers on LinkedIn, but there are a few concepts to keep in mind when doing so.

Here are five things you must do when connecting with someone on LinkedIn that you’ve never met. Following these steps will make your approach more appealing. And it will help increase your spheres of influence!

  1. You must customize your invitation. Stand out in a sea of mediocrity. Do not use the generic “I’d like to connect with you on LinkedIn” message, this will not entice the reader at all. If you won’t take the time to put some thought into your invite, why should they think about accepting it?

  2. You must tell them who you are. Let them know about anything you have in common. Were you referred to them through a mutual contact? Do you both participate in the same LinkedIn group? Or do you both hold the same types of jobs? Then be sure to say that.

  3. You must indicate your reason for reaching out. What is your goal in connecting with this person? Do they work in your desired industry? Are they fellow alumni? Are you looking for a mentor? Let them know what piqued your interest in sending the invitation. If there’s no actual reason and you’re just connecting for the heck of it, then you’re really not utilizing LinkedIn correctly.

  4. You must extend your value proposition. How might this person benefit from being connected with you? Can you connect them with people in your network they’d find valuable? Are there job openings at your company they might be qualified for? Any details that would influence a yes decision to accept your invite is wise to include.

  5. You must make it concise. Get right to the point! You only have 300 characters to say what you need. So, dive right in, use the points from above, and you’re on your way to forming meaningful connections.

When approaching individuals you don’t know on LinkedIn, you want to create invitations that will get read—and get accepted.

You also want to make a good first impression. You need to tailor your message and make it enticing! Review it carefully before sending out to be sure it’s free of grammatical errors and typos.

However, don’t reach out to just anyone on LinkedIn and connect.

Your networks should consist of people you WANT to maintain relationships with and can potentially offer mutual benefits. Focus on the quality of your connections, not the quantity of contacts listed below your profile photo.

Do a bit of research on the person ahead of time to make sure they are someone you want to and should be connected with. Be wise as you extend your LinkedIn invitations. Consider the value and opportunities you could possibly provide each other.

Keep these five must-dos in mind when crafting your LinkedIn message to introduce yourself successfully. They will help you create foundations for meaningful relationships!

Focus on the quality of your connections, not the quantity of contacts listed below your profile photo.

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This article originally appeared on Quora.

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