The short answer
One or two sentences. LinkedIn's note box is short and people read it on a phone, between other things. The template field here allows up to 280 characters, and most good notes use well under that.
A note that fits in a glance gets read. A note that needs scrolling gets skimmed, and a skimmed note that mentions what you sell gets ignored.
Note or no note?
There is no rule. Plenty of people accept requests with no note at all, especially when your profile makes it obvious why you'd connect. A good note helps when the connection isn't obvious; a bad note hurts more than no note. Auto Connect gives you all three options: no note, your own template, or a note written by AI for each person.
What to put in it
- Who you are, in a few words. Not your title and company; what you do.
- One true thing about them: their role, their company, something in their headline.
- Why you'd like to be connected. Not what you'd like to sell them.
Leave out links, offers, prices, calendar invitations and compliments about how impressive their profile is. Those belong in a later message, if anywhere.
What an AI note does here
You write a blurb, one to three sentences about who you are and why you want to connect. For each person, the AI writes a short plain-text note from your blurb, their headline and company, and any notes you uploaded with them. It mentions one detail about them, uses no emoji and no exclamation marks, and is cut to fit. If the AI can't be reached, a plain fallback note goes out instead, greeting them by first name and saying you came across their profile.
It is still only as good as your blurb. A blurb that says what you sell produces notes that sell. A blurb that says who you want to talk to and why produces notes people answer.
Placeholders in templates
Templates can use {name}, {company} and {headline}. Check the lead list before a run: if someone has no company on file, {company} comes out blank, so write a template that still reads well without it, or run Profile Scraper first to fill the gaps.
Template or AI note?
A template suits a uniform list where you share one true thing with everyone on it: the same role, the same city, the same event. Write it once, use {name} and {company}, and every note has the same shape. An AI note suits a mixed list, where the one true thing differs from person to person: it reads each headline and company and picks the detail itself. The AI note is also the one to use when you haven't checked every lead's company field, because it works with whatever is there.
Whichever you pick, change it when the list changes. A note written for finance leads and sent to engineering managers is the fastest way to a low acceptance rate.
Two plain examples
Sample notes, not real ones:
Hi {name}, I work with finance teams on month-end reporting and noticed your role at {company}. Would be good to be connected.
Hi {name}, I'm hiring a backend engineer for a Pune team working in Go, and your profile stood out. Open to a short chat?
Both say who, one true thing, and why. Neither sells.
What not to do
- Don't pitch. The note earns a connection, not a meeting.
- Don't paste a link. It reads as spam, and it is.
- Don't write the same flattering line to everyone. People compare notes.
- Don't ask for anything. Not a call, not a reply, not a look at your deck.