LinkedIn’s mobile app doesn’t make it easy to personalize invitations

Since Martin and I started using LinkedIn we’ve understood the importance of sending a personalized invitation when connecting on LinkedIn. It’s uncanny how many people still send that stupid canned invite of “I’d like to add you to my network.” And ever since the mobile app was launched on iOS and later on Android, the “cans” have accelerated and people still hate them.

So, why aren’t you sending personalized invitations using LinkedIn’s mobile app? It’s likely that you just didn’t know it was possible. I’ve even heard LinkedIn “experts” say it’s not possible. When you look at this screenshot below from my LinkedIn Android Mobile App you can see how it’s you’re encouraged to tap on the “Plus” button to send the invite to connect. If LinkedIn wanted to slow the networking process, like they have since 2003, they would replace this button and make you view the profile.

LinkedIn Help walks you through how to send a personalized invitation to connect using both iOS and Android. Here’s how:

Sending personalized invitations on Android:

1. Go to the profile of the member you wish to connect with.

2. Tap either Menu (3 vertical dots) or the More. Location varies depending on device.

3. Tap Customize Invite.

4. Write your message and tap Send.

Sending personalized invitations on iOS6 and above:

1. Go to the profile of the member you wish to connect with.

2. To the right of the search box, tap More.

3. Tap Customize Invite.

4. Write your message and tap Send.

The step people miss on mobile is viewing the person’s profile. Personally, I think it’s weird to get an invite to connect from someone that has never viewed my LinkedIn profile. Usually, those connection requests contain LinkedIn’s pre-populated message. So take a look at these screenshots I grabbed off my LG G3 of the menu you will see when you tap in the top right corner of the profile:

As a best practice, social sellers should send personalized invitations to connect using LinkedIn’s web and mobile apps. Doing so will set the foundation for a trusting relationship and help those you’re connecting with to remember why they need to connect with you.

Remember that you cannot include email addresses, phone numbers or URLs in your invites to connect. LinkedIn will prevent those messages from being sent. So keep the message simple by reminding them how you met in person or how you engaged online. There are limits to how many characters you can use in your invitation. If you are sending an invite to someone you don’t have an email address for you are limited to 300 characters. If you do have their email address, the limit is raised to 2000 characters. Still, no one wants to get a 2000 character message on LinkedIn, let alone typing one out on a smartphone.

Did this post help? Let me know in the comments below!