Networking Outreach Message Templates

A quiet office desk set up for writing outreach messages

Networking outreach message templates give you the exact words for the six messages that turn a cold contact into a real conversation: the connection request, the cold ask, the warm introduction, the informational interview request, the follow-up after silence, and the thank-you that keeps the thread alive.

Why most outreach gets ignored

Most outreach fails for one reason: it asks for something before it gives anything. A message that opens with “I’m looking for opportunities” asks a stranger to do work on your behalf with no reason to. A message that opens with a specific observation about their work, and one specific question, gives them a reason to answer.

The second reason is length. A message that takes more than a few seconds to read gets deferred, and deferred messages never get answered. Every template below is built to be read in one glance on a phone.

The six messages, with templates

1. The connection request

The connection request is not the pitch. Its only job is to get accepted, so keep it to one line of context and one line of intent.

Template: “Hi [Name] — I’ve been following your work on [specific project or team]. I’m exploring [target role] and would value staying connected.”
Name the specific thing you noticed. A generic request reads as a mass invite.
Do not attach a resume, a job link, or a paragraph of background. That is the next message’s job.
If you share a mutual contact, say so in the first four words.

2. The cold ask

Once you are connected, the cold ask is where most people either over-explain or under-ask. Lead with why them, then make one small, specific request.

Template: “Thanks for connecting, [Name]. I’m working on [specific problem] and your [specific experience] is the closest thing I’ve found to it. Would you be open to a fifteen-minute call in the next couple of weeks?”
One request per message. Two questions in one message usually gets zero answers.
Give a time box. Fifteen minutes is easy to say yes to; “pick your brain” is not.
Offer an out: “If now is not a good time, no problem at all.” It raises the reply rate because it lowers the cost of saying no.

3. The warm introduction

A warm introduction is a favour you are asking of your contact, not of the target. Make it effortless for the person in the middle.

Template to your contact: “[Name] — you mentioned you know [Target]. I’m trying to learn about [topic]. Would you be comfortable introducing us? I’ve written a short blurb below you can forward as-is.”
Always write the forwardable blurb yourself. Never ask someone to compose an introduction on your behalf.
Keep the blurb to three sentences: who you are, what you are exploring, and the one question you want answered.
Thank the introducer after the conversation, not just before it.

4. The informational interview request

The informational interview is the highest-yield conversation in a search, and the request is where it is usually lost. Ask for a decision, not for wisdom.

Template: “I’m deciding between [path A] and [path B] in [field]. You’ve done both. Could I ask you three questions about how you chose?”
Three questions is a promise you can keep. “A quick chat” is a promise you cannot.
Send the three questions in advance if they say yes. It makes the call shorter and better.
Close every call with one ask for a name: “Is there anyone else you think I should talk to?”

5. The follow-up after silence

Silence is not a no. It is usually a full inbox. One short follow-up, sent at the right interval, recovers a surprising number of conversations.

Template: “Hi [Name] — following up on my note from last week. I know things get buried. Still happy to work around your schedule if a short call is possible.”
Wait about a week before the first follow-up, then stop after two.
Add one new piece of information in the second follow-up — a result, a link, a decision you made. A repeat of the first message reads as pressure.
Never open a follow-up with “just checking in.” It gives the reader nothing to respond to.

6. The thank-you and the keep-in-touch

The thank-you is the message that turns one conversation into a relationship, and almost everyone sends it too late and too vaguely.

Template: “Thanks for the time today, [Name]. The point about [specific thing they said] changed how I’m thinking about [decision]. I’ll follow up when I’ve acted on it.”
Send it the same day, while the detail is still specific.
Name the one thing you will do next. It gives them a reason to remember you.
Set a reminder to send a short update when you actually do it. That second message is what makes you a person rather than a contact.

The five-line rule

Every message above follows the same skeleton. If you write your own, keep these five lines in this order.

Line	What it does	Example
1. The specific	Proves you are writing to this person, not a list	“Your post on onboarding stuck with me.”
2. The context	Says who you are in one clause	“I’m a project lead moving into operations.”
3. The ask	One request, one time box	“Could I ask you three questions?”
4. The out	Lowers the cost of saying no	“If now is not a good time, no problem.”
5. The close	Ends the message cleanly	“Either way, thanks for reading.”

How to run this set in a real week

Six templates are worth nothing until one of them is in someone's inbox. Give the set one week, one message a day, and a reply you can point to by Friday.

Day	What you do	The signal to look for
Mon	Pick five people from your list and write the connection request for each.	Every request names something specific about that person.
Tue	Send the five connection requests, spaced across the day.	Five sent, none longer than two lines.
Wed	Send one cold ask to the person you most want to talk to.	The message carries one request and one time box.
Thu	Follow up with anyone who has gone quiet for a week.	The follow-up adds something new, not a repeat.
Fri	Send the thank-you for any conversation you had this week.	It names the one thing you will do next.

What good looks like

Every message names something specific about the person receiving it.
One request per message, with a time box attached.
Every message offers an easy way to say no.
Follow-ups stop at two.
Every conversation ends with a thank-you and a next step.

Where people get stuck

Stuck writing the first line. Open with what you noticed about their work, not with who you are. The introduction can wait until line two.

Stuck on the ask. Ask for a conversation, a perspective, or a name. A job request ends the thread; a question starts it.

Stuck after silence. One follow-up a week later, one more with something new, then stop. Silence is information, not a verdict.

Common mistakes

Leading with the ask. The first line should be about them, not about what you need.
Sending the same message to everyone. One specific detail beats a hundred polished generalities.
Attaching a resume to a first message. It turns a conversation into an application.
Following up more than twice. Two follow-ups is persistence; three is a pattern people remember for the wrong reason.
Writing a paragraph where a sentence would do. Long messages get deferred, and deferred messages get forgotten.
Asking for a job. Ask for a conversation, a perspective, or a name — the job conversation follows.

Where this fits

Templates are the last step, not the first. Build the list before you write the messages: the Networking List Worksheet gives you the five-step method for choosing who to contact and in what order. If your profile is the surface people check after they reply, run the LinkedIn Profile Optimization Checklist so the page they land on matches the message they just read. And if your outreach is going out but your applications are still silent, read How to Build a Networking List That Actually Gets Replies for the sequencing behind these messages.

A message is not a favour you are asking for. It is a small, specific offer of attention — and the people worth knowing answer those. Pick one template, send it to one person today, and let the thread do the rest. The Start Here guide has the full sequence if you want the whole search mapped out.

Quick answers

Short answers to the questions this piece gets asked most.

How long should a networking message be?
Short enough to read in one glance on a phone. Two or three sentences: what you noticed about their work, who you are in one clause, and one specific ask with a time box. If it needs scrolling, it gets deferred.

How many times should I follow up?
Twice. Wait about a week before the first follow-up, and make the second one carry something new - a result, a link, a decision you made. A third message stops reading as persistence and starts reading as pressure.

What if I do not know anyone in the field?
Start with the people you already know and ask each of them for one name. The informational interview request is the easiest message to send to a stranger, because it asks for a decision rather than a favour.

Should I attach my resume to a first message?
No. A resume turns a conversation into an application. Keep the first message to words, and let the resume follow once someone has agreed to talk.

Read next:How to Build a Networking List That Actually Gets Replies — The five-step log-and-rank system that turns vague outreach into replies.You've Sent 300 Applications. Why Haven't You Heard Back? — Why volume applications fail, and the targeting shift that fixes it.I Spent 10 Years in the Wrong Career. Here's How I Fixed It — A first-hand method for figuring out what you actually want to do next.

LaunchPath Careers by UFO Chaser® helps job seekers build a strategy-first job search. Learn more at LaunchPathCareers.com.

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