Copywriting Tips to Enhance Your LinkedIn Messages

If chosen properly, your words can have a real effect on LinkedIn!

Recent studies have shown that that more than one in four adults in the U.S. regularly use LinkedIn, and each day millions of messages are sent on the platform. Everything from business collaborations to tech demos are planned through the LinkedIn messenger. There is infinite potential to grow personally and professionally on the LinkedIn network, it’s merely a matter of who you know and what you have to say.

Of course, growing a solid base of connections on LinkedIn is a valuable tool in itself, but once you acquire connections, it takes further action to truly reap the rewards of the platform. You need to master the skill of reaching out effectively, and there’s much more to it than just a standard social media greeting.

Stumbling out the gate in your LinkedIn messaging can lead to a lukewarm response or even worse, none at all. It's worth taking the time to work on your writing style so you can make an impression that not only lasts but leads to meaningful action with your connections. Here are a few tips we recommend at Visium Resources.

1. Establish your hook early

It doesn’t matter if you are sending a sales pitch or simple outreach, any message should contain something of a hook to garner attention; and doing so right out of the gate is a must. If you fail to gain and hold a contact’s attention early, whatever you plan to follow up with is irrelevant.

Like the trailer to a must-see movie, you need to foster curiosity in your audience. Open-ended questions that speak to a specific need, or an insightful comment on a recent trend or statistic work just as well. These are proven methods in establishing a hook, pick one and play with the form until you feel like it’s ready for action. Once you have a few hook strategies in mind, then you can safely move forward and substantiate the conversation.

2. Introduce yourself (and provide real value)

Once you have someone’s attention on LinkedIn, it’s time to maximize the potential of the moment! This is when you?briefly?introduce yourself and share any relevant credentials that will support your capabilities as a professional. Inquire about their background and goals, and only then is it safe to move into the pitch section of the conversation.

Be sure to highlight how both sides can benefit from a conversation, and take care to not come across as too needy or pushy. Treat the exchange of messages as a conversation about an opportunity, not just a sales pitch of a product or service. LinkedIn is a business platform first and foremost so people are more open to these kinds of conversations, but you can stand out from the pack just by being realistic about your aims.

3. Adapt to your intended audience

Templates can be a wonderful tool to cut down on time spent, but they usually come across as spammy if they are relied on too heavily without any personalization. Make sure you are adding some customized elements to your messaging, it displays you took some time to craft it for your audience. Take the extra time to review the connection’s profile and see if you have an overlap in interests or background. These are opportunities to customize your copywriting message towards your audience, which will raise their overall chances of success. A comment or two that references this works wonders to give dimension to messages, and shakes off the spammy tone we all want to avoid.

4. Use urgency to your advantage

While you don’t want to come across as pushy, setting some parameters of time limits or urgency works wonders in terms of converting meaningful actions from messages. Fear of missing out is a powerful motivator in people, especially business-minded individuals who are always trying to stay one step ahead of competitors.

If you can prove that you provide solutions to a common problem, then all the right pieces are there for a mutually good fit. However, a sense of urgency can motivate action like nothing else. This common tactic forces a decision. This is good for both sides to decide if they want to proceed or pass on a project rather than waffle back and forth. However, be careful not to come across as too pushy, or you might spoil your contact on the opportunity.

5. Cut the fluff

LinkedIn is by definition social media, but most users aren’t using the platform to idly read irrelevant messages or purely for entertainment purposes. Dropping a lengthy message right after a connection is made is likely to overwhelm the recipient. Responding to each section demands time and attention, and if they don’t know you well yet, this could be seen as a risky investment. Make your messages short and impactful to start. If things go well, you can then escalate into longer and more detailed messages, but it’s important to understand pacing in terms of message copywriting.

Even when you are past the introductory phase, try to limit your language to the essential. Throw out all the weak modifiers like “very” or “really.” If an item needs a description, then make sure to add something with more nuance and meaning.

Of course, mastering your message writing skills isn’t likely to happen overnight but through steady practice and application over time. Once you have a strong grip on it though, it’s a skill that will bring value to yourself and your career like nothing else!

For more job search or staffing tips and tricks be sure to follow Visium Resources here on LinkedIn or on our website.