LinkedIn Follow-Up Email Templates
These emails pick up where a LinkedIn touch left off: an accepted connection request, a like or comment on your post, a profile view, a post about a problem you solve, or an unanswered message. Pairing the channels pays off: Saleshandy found sequences that combined email and LinkedIn got 1.9 times the positive reply rate of email alone, yet 99% of sequences were email-only.
For people you've already touched on LinkedIn: a connection, a comment, a post, a profile view. The email picks up where LinkedIn left off.
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{{Purple}} fields are merge fields your sending tool can fill. [Amber] lines are the part you research and write for each person. That part is what gets the reply.
Download all 68 as a PDFLinkedIn + email
Email plus a LinkedIn request, same day
Day 1 of a sequence. Send a blank connection request the same day.
Subject: [their initiative] at {{companyName}}
Hi {{firstName}}, [A specific observation about {{companyName}}.] [The problem it usually creates.] [Peer company] [result] after [one-line approach]. Open to seeing how? {{senderName}} P.S. I've also sent you a connection request on LinkedIn, so the name will look familiar.
Why it works: 30 Minutes to President's Club recommends a blank connection request for the most acceptances and saving the pitch for email. Saleshandy found email plus LinkedIn got 1.9 times the positive reply rate of email alone, and Lavender says a P.S. nets 35% more replies. (39 words)
They accepted but never replied
Three to five days after they accepted your request and ignored your message.
Subject: we connected on LinkedIn
Hi {{firstName}}, Thanks for connecting on LinkedIn last week. I'd rather not pitch in a DM, so here's the email version. [One line on something specific about their work.] That usually comes with [the problem it points to]. [Similar company] [result]. Worth a look for {{companyName}}? {{senderName}}
Why it works: Morgan Ingram advises waiting several days after someone connects before pitching. Moving to email after a quiet LinkedIn thread gives the message a second, fair chance on the channel they may read more. (47 words)
They engaged with your post
When they liked or commented on one of your LinkedIn posts.
Subject: your comment on [topic]Or try: [topic], continued
Hi {{firstName}}, Thanks for [liking / commenting on] my post about [topic]. [If they commented: "Your point about X was spot on, because Y."] People who care about that are usually dealing with [the problem it points to]. Is that true at {{companyName}}? If so, I have [a resource or idea] that might help. Happy to send it. {{senderName}}
Why it works: Becc Holland ranks content a prospect engaged with as the second-strongest reason to reach out, after content they wrote. They've already shown interest in the topic, so the email continues a conversation instead of starting one. (59 words)
You commented on their post
A day or two after you left a thoughtful comment on their post.
Subject: more on your [topic] post
Hi {{firstName}}, I commented on your post about [topic], but a comment box isn't the place for the longer version. [Your fuller point in one or two lines, adding to what they said rather than praising it.] We see the same thing with [type of customer], and [what worked]. Open to comparing notes? {{senderName}}
Why it works: The comment makes your name familiar before the email lands. Josh Braun's rule for content-based emails applies: add to their point instead of buttering them up, then state your intention plainly. (54 words)
They posted about a problem you solve
When they post about a problem, goal or frustration your product addresses.
Subject: your post on [problem]
Hi {{firstName}}, Your post about [problem] stuck with me, especially [the specific line or number they shared]. [One line on why it happens, from what you've seen with similar teams.] We put together [a short guide or example] on how [peer] handled it. Want me to send it? Either way, thanks for posting it. {{senderName}}
Why it works: Becc Holland ranks self-authored content as the strongest premise; PersistIQ reports her team saw 90%+ response rates from senior executives with it. Quote a real line. Josh Braun warns that "loved your post!" followed by a hard pivot reads as fake. (55 words)
They viewed your profile
When someone who fits your ideal customer profile views your LinkedIn profile.
Subject: thanks for stopping by
Hi {{firstName}}, Noticed you stopped by my LinkedIn profile, so thanks for taking a look. I work with [type of team] on [problem], so I'm guessing [likely reason for the visit, e.g. "outbound is on your mind at {{companyName}}"]. Am I close? If it was something else, I'd still like to hear what brought you over. {{senderName}}
Why it works: LinkedIn's own sales blog suggests keeping profile-view messages light, along the lines of "what brought you over?", and only writing to people who fit your customer profile. A curious question reads as friendly, not like surveillance. (57 words)
Your LinkedIn message went unanswered
A week after a LinkedIn message or InMail got no reply.
Subject: [topic], by email instead
Hi {{firstName}}, I sent you a note on LinkedIn about [topic] last week. Plenty of people rarely check messages there, so I'm trying email. The short version: [the problem you noticed at {{companyName}}], and [the result a peer got]. Worth a conversation, or should I leave it? {{senderName}}
Why it works: Hunter's survey found 50.5% of decision makers prefer LinkedIn outreach and 25% prefer email, so some people answer on one channel and never the other. Sam Nelson's sequences rephrase the same custom lines across channels, as this does. (48 words)
Same LinkedIn group or event
When you're both in a LinkedIn group or attended the same LinkedIn event.
Subject: fellow [group name] member
Hi {{firstName}}, We're both in [LinkedIn group or event], and your [post, question or comment] there about [topic] caught my eye. [One line connecting it to a problem you solve.] We helped [similar company] [result]. Open to swapping notes sometime? {{senderName}}
Why it works: A shared community is a specific, real reason to write. Referencing something they said there keeps it from reading like a list pull. (41 words)
How to use the LinkedIn Follow-Up Email Templates
- 1
Pick the template
Each one says when to send it. Choose the one that matches what just happened with this prospect.
- 2
Fill in the gaps
Your sending tool fills the purple merge fields. Write the amber lines yourself for each person: that research is what earns the reply.
- 3
Copy and send
Copy the subject and body into your email or sending tool, read it once out loud, and send.
More cold email templates
The full set of 68 cold email templates has every situation on one page, with a six-step follow-up sequence and the research behind each rule. Or jump to another situation:
- First-Touch Cold Email Templates
- Trigger Event Email Templates
- Referral and Intro Email Templates
- Follow-Up Email Templates
- Breakup Email Templates
- Event and Meeting Follow-Up Templates
- Re-Engagement Email Templates
- Sales Reply Email Templates
- Cold Email Templates for Agencies
- Founder and Partnership Email Templates
Get all 68 templates as a PDF
One file to keep next to your sending tool: every template with its subject lines and when to send it, plus the six-step follow-up sequence.
Need the address first? The Email Permutator lists every likely format for a name, and the Company Email Pattern Finder works out the one a company uses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I send a note with my LinkedIn connection request?
It depends on the goal. Belkins found a note slightly lowered acceptance (25.31% against 27.56% without) but raised replies from 5.28% to 8.18%. 30 Minutes to President's Club sends the request blank and saves the pitch for email, which is how the same-day template here works.
How long should I wait to email after someone accepts my connection request?
A few days. Morgan Ingram advises against pitching right after someone connects. Thank them for connecting, then give one specific reason to talk.
Is it creepy to email someone who viewed my LinkedIn profile?
Not if you keep it light and only write to people who fit your customer profile. LinkedIn's own sales blog suggests something like "what brought you over?" rather than a pitch.
Do decision makers prefer LinkedIn or email?
In Hunter's 2026 survey, 50.5% of decision makers said they prefer LinkedIn outreach and 25% email. Using both reaches people on whichever channel they check.