Getty Images
- Jen Glantz is an entrepreneur and founder of Bridesmaid for Hire.
- There’s an art to making connections through social media and networking sites.
- The most important tip: don’t ask for favors until you’ve developed a genuine relationship.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
As a solopreneur, I spend a lot of quality time on Linkedin. I enjoy making connections with people in my industry as well as other professionals doing interesting things with their career or businesses.
Whenever I make a new connection, I always send them a message so that the request to become their friend on the platform is more personal and doesn’t seem random.
The art of meeting people on social media has become the number one way I’ve made new friends during the pandemic, as well as business connections that have led to new mentors, partnerships, and even an increase in sales.
So after you connect with someone on Linkedin, what do you say to them and how do you say it? These are the scripts I use to build a genuine online relationship with someone.
Keep the first message concise
The first message you send to a person should be just a few sentences. The goal? For them to know you’re a real person (not spam) and that you’re glad to have virtually met them on the platform.
Begin the message with a quick hello:
Hi _____,
It’s nice to meet you! I look forward to learning more about you and hope we can continue to connect.
You can add on a sentence about anything you have in common (location, industry, mutual friends).
A quick intro: I’m _____(name) and I _____ (job, business, etc.). I connected with you because ____________.
Looking forward to following your adventure here.
Be sure to reach out with value
Over the next few weeks, find a reason to message the person again. This time, provide value. Compliment them on something they’ve done (a job promotion, a post they wrote on the platform, news about them or their company, etc.).
Here’s an example:
Hi ____,
It was great to see _____(news, promotion, post they wrote). I enjoyed learning about _______ and find it useful as I _____(add in a personal detail about you). I look forward to continuing to follow your adventure.
You can also share something with them that you think they would like (an article, podcast, book, conference, etc.).
Here’s an example:
Hi ______,
It’s been a pleasure following you on this platform. I was recently listening to this podcast episode about ____ and thought it might be something you enjoy because you often discuss ______ topic. Give it a listen if you’re interested! I look forward to continuing to stay up to date on your adventure.
Only make an ‘ask’ once there’s a relationship
If the person you’ve connected with has responded to previous messages and you’ve built a genuine relationship with them, it’s OK to take things to the next level with a specific ask from them, such as connecting in person or over the phone.
You can send a message like this:
Hi ___,
It’s been a pleasure chatting with you here over the past few months. If you’re interested, ______ (ex: let’s meet for coffee/jump on a 20-minute call).
I’d be interested in hearing more about ______ (your career journey, business,etc.) and sharing more about ______ (your career journey, business,etc.).
Even though connecting with someone on the internet might feel a little less personal than meeting in-person, you still want to treat the relationship with authenticity and not be in a rush to use it as personal gain or for personal value.
Ease into getting to know the person before asking for anything. That’s the true secret to LinkedIn connections and online networking.