My LinkedIn connection strategy completely flopped last month

I sent out 50 generic invites to local marketing managers and only got 3 replies. I switched to mentioning a specific project from their company profile and my response rate jumped to 20%. What's your go-to method for making a connection here in Atlanta actually stick?

4 comments

4 Comments

karenc201mo ago

Your experience matches mine. Generic invites get ignored here in Atlanta. I always check their recent posts or articles before connecting. Mentioning something they actually wrote shows you did the work. That first message should be about them, not you. It opens the door for a real chat about common ground.

angela7287d agoMost Upvoted

Ask if you follow up on those project mentions - do you drop a quick question about their work or just hope they reply first?

david1341mo ago

That jump from 3 to 20 replies is the whole game. Karenc20 is right, it's like remembering a regular's drink order versus just asking what they want. People notice the extra step.

tessap971mo ago

So you mention their work first, but what do you actually say to turn that first reply into a longer chat? I find that part tricky.