If you’re a salesperson, business owner, recruiter, or job seeker, the right LinkedIn connections can be the difference between closing your next deal, landing your dream role, or hiring top talent.
But here’s the catch: it’s not just about adding more people; it’s about building meaningful connections.
After all, LinkedIn was designed to advance careers and create real professional relationships, not to be a place for spammy, salesy outreach.
So, if you’re wondering how to get more connections on LinkedIn, keep reading.
As a LinkedIn lead generation agency, we’ve gathered proven tips and strategies over the years to help you expand your network with meaningful connections in 4 easy steps.
(If you need help with your LinkedIn outreach, hop on a free 15-minute strategy session with the CEO of SalesBread, Jack Reamer. SalesBread is a boutique b2b lead generation agency, where clients know they can expect 1 lead per day.)
Step 1: Update your LinkedIn profile
Let’s be honest…
When someone gets a connection request from you, the first thing they’ll do is check out your LinkedIn profile.
If your profile looks unprofessional, vague, or just reads as a resume, chances are they won’t hit “accept.”
That’s why it’s crucial to treat your profile less like a résumé and more like a personal sales page; One that clearly shows who you are, what you do, and why connecting with you adds value.
How do you do this?
Well, think of your LinkedIn profile as your professional handshake online. The moment when people decide whether they want to engage with you or keep scrolling.
To make it work for you, here are a few things you can do:
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Write a strong headline – Don’t just list your job title. Use your headline to highlight who you help and the value you bring (e.g., “Helping B2B companies book more sales meetings through LinkedIn”).
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Have a clear, engaging About section – Focus on your story, your expertise, and how you help others. Make it conversational, not a copy-paste of your résumé.
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Use a professional photo and banner – A clear, approachable headshot and a banner that reflects your industry or services go a long way in building trust.
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Show your results – Under experience, highlight achievements and outcomes rather than simply listing responsibilities. You can add specific posts that you’re proud of to your featured section.
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Add social proof – Recommendations, endorsements, and featured posts demonstrate credibility and make you stand out.
You should also ensure that your contact details are easy to find. This will help prospects reach out to you with ease.
Watch the podcast below for expert tips on how to get more connections on LinkedIn.
Step 2: Start Small – Reach out to low-hanging fruit
You probably already have a small network of connections at your fingertips to begin with;
Whether it’s…
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Friends
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Colleagues
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Ex-colleagues.
Think of people that you have had conversations with outside of LinkedIn, because the chances are, they already have a LinkedIn profile.
We actually had a client who had fewer than 100 connections on LinkedIn, so what we did was run a mini campaign to connect with people in the same city, with the same job title.
Granted, you probably won’t be selling to these people, but that doesn’t matter.
The whole goal of step one is to start small.
Once you have exhausted “same city, same job title, friends, and colleagues,” we recommend going after connections in the same state or region with the same job title as you.
Connecting with people this way is non-threatening, and we generally see that these people will view you as a peer and be happy to connect with you.
You can expect beyond 50% connection acceptance rates at this level. If you do this exercise, you will probably be able to at least reach 100 connections.
Connecting with bot invites
You might also notice a few bot invites. These will look like spammy generic invites, but this might also boost your connections initially, even if it’s low value.
You can always go back and trim your connections once you have the right number of connections.
This article is just how to land your first 500 – 1000 connections on LinkedIn, then you can start to trim for valuable accounts.
Step 3: Go after connections in the industry you would like to sell to
In step 3, you care less about an easy connection, but more about going after the right connection in the right industry. (This can apply to recruiters, too, and not just salespeople.)
Let’s face it, you want to go after valuable connections because there’s no point in having thousands of connections who are totally out of your market.
So here are some easy ways to do this:
Join industry-specific LinkedIn groups
This is an easy way to find more potential connections to add to your professional network who are valuable to you. So join a LinkedIn group that makes sense for you to be part of.
Once you join the group and get accepted, it’s easy to get high acceptance rates when you reach out to prospects and say:
“Hi {{name}}, I saw you on the {{group’s name}} on LinkedIn, it seems like we already know some of the same people, let’s connect.”
Another option is to also post on your LinkedIn feed, in these groups, and then connect with everyone who comments on your post.
This is non-threatening, if you’re good at starting conversations this way. This will also help you get your foot in the door to start a sales conversation in the future.
PRO TIP: Many of the prospects in these LinkedIn groups might end up being part of your 2nd-degree network.
It’s a wise idea to connect with those in your second-degree network because they have already connected with someone like you in the past. Therefore, the chances of them connecting with you will be greater.
As your second-degree network grows, your life is going to get easier, and it will be easier to connect with more people.
Engage, share, and like posts
Commenting and engaging with posts on LinkedIn is one of the simplest ways to grow your network and attract the right industry connections.
When you leave thoughtful comments, your profile becomes visible not only to the original poster but also to their entire audience, giving you exposure to people you wouldn’t reach otherwise.
It also positions you as someone knowledgeable in your field, since insightful engagement demonstrates credibility far more than a simple “Great post!” ever could.
Over time, this builds authority, sparks natural conversations, and makes your connection requests feel more authentic and welcome.
Plus, LinkedIn’s algorithm rewards consistent interaction by boosting the visibility of your own content, keeping you top of mind with your existing network while attracting new, relevant connections.
Go after all kinds of job titles, but in the right industry
At this stage, you can also target different types of job titles, as long as they are in the correct industry. An industry that will be profitable for you.
Chances are, an office manager in the San Francisco tech space will probably be connected to a whole lot of people who you would want to reach out to.
In step 3, you’re just trying to infiltrate the industry you would like to sell to.
Step 4: Make LinkedIn connections with your dream prospects
At this stage, you should have 400 – 500 first-degree connections if you applied the above steps. Now you’re ready to target people that you would like to sell to later. (This also applies to job seekers and recruiters. Follow the same steps.)
It’s also important not to sell to these connections immediately. If you try to sell in a connection request, you’re going to shoot yourself in the foot. People don’t want to get pitched to.
Build a list of the accounts you would like to do business with
When you think of your dream accounts, there should be a couple of thousands of them, hopefully.
Next, you want to look at your second degree connections at those companies, that start to have the right department, keyword, job title.
So now, everyone who accepts your connection request message sees that you have some shared connections, because of your second degree, AND they are someone that you would like to do business with.
Other Tips & Tricks for Success
Get a LinkedIn Sales Navigator account
LinkedIn Sales Navigator will allow you to send more connection requests, and you can use certain filters to help you send out requests to people who are actively using LinkedIn.
So if you don’t have a LinkedIn Sales Navigator account, we suggest you get one.
By using LinkedIn Sales Nav find the people you would like to reach out to and make sure that you select the recently posted filter.
This is an easy way to remove people who aren’t active on LinkedIn. You can also then use your second-degree filter to reach out to prospects, like we mentioned above.
Scrape post engagements
Many campaigns of late are scraping post engagements.
If you see a competitor or an influencer posting about a topic you solve, or they mention something that is relevant to your product, you can use lead generation tools, like Expandi, to extract the individuals who liked that specific post.
This will help you reach out to people who are interested in the problem you solve.
Be cautious when connecting with Open Networks on LinkedIn (LIONs)
Many other people who are writing about this same topic are going to tell you to connect with those who have a LinkedIn open network.
Basically, if someone has an open profile, it means that they are willing to connect with anyone.
You can do this, but do so with caution. Here’s why:
Sending messages to LinkedIn Open Networkers might grow your numbers fast, but it kills the quality of your network. These people accept anyone, which means your mutual connections look random, not relevant.
That hurts credibility, confuses LinkedIn’s algorithm, and puts your content in front of the wrong audience.
Instead of chasing vanity metrics, focus on building a targeted network of decision-makers who actually match your ideal customer profile.
That’s what drives replies, calls, and deals.
Send personalized connection requests
You might also want to try sending personalized connection requests. At SalesBread, we have received a 45 % Connection request acceptance rate since 2019.
And part of our high connection acceptance rate is because we personalize each message that goes out to our prospects.
So, once you have a dream list of prospects, take a look at their LinkedIn profiles and find something very specific to mention about them in your message.
This could either be a:
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Compliment
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Commonality
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Question
For example, if you noticed that they were recently featured on a podcast, you could listen to the podcast and find something to compliment them on.
Or, if they offered valuable insights in a post, you could ask them a question about their viewpoint.
This will help you build valuable connections and show your prospects that you aren’t just a bot or spammy salesperson.
Here are some connection request examples:
1. Hey {{Name}}, since we’re both working in {{commercial real estate}} here in {{San Diego}}, I’d like to invite you to share my network here on LI.
2. {{Name}}, I’m looking to connect with like-minded professionals who are on the {{revenue-generating}} side of things. Let’s connect?
3. Hi {{Name}}, I’m looking to expand my network with fellow business owners in the {{HR Tech}} industry. Looking forward to learning more about what you do and see if there’s any way we can support each other.
4. Hi {{Name}}, LinkedIn showed me your profile multiple times now, so I checked what you do. I really like your {{sales posts}} and would like to connect with you here.
5. Hey {{Name}} I hope your week is off to a great start, since we both work in the {{HR/Employee Experience}} field together, are you open to connecting? {{My background is in employee retention, happy to share insights anytime.}}
Pace your outreach – Don’t send too many connection requests at once
Remember to also pace your outreach. You can’t send too many connection requests at once.
LinkedIn does have connection request limits, and if you overdo it, you could end up in LinkedIn jail (Ie, get your LinkedIn account restricted.)
To be on the safe side, especially if you are new to LinkedIn outreach, we suggest starting off by sending between 20-25 connection requests per day and not more; especially if you have a new account. You could also send 30 mobile connections, which means a total of 50 per day.
Post frequently on LinkedIn
One of the joys of social media is that when people repeatedly see you, they start assuming you’re an expert on a topic, especially if you offer valuable insights, actionable tips, and next-level advice.
When you share valuable insights, personal stories, or industry updates on a regular basis, you stay visible in your network’s feed and begin to build trust and recognition.
Consistency signals that you’re active and approachable, which encourages others to reach out and connect.
The more you post, the more opportunities people have to engage with your content, and those interactions often turn into invitations to connect.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good number of LinkedIn connections?
A “good” number of LinkedIn connections really depends on your goals. For sales and lead generation, we’ve found that quality matters more than quantity.
That said, aiming for at least 500–1,000 targeted connections gives you enough reach to consistently get replies and start real conversations without wasting time on irrelevant contacts.
How many connection requests can you send on LinkedIn per day?
LinkedIn limits connection requests to about 100 per week (roughly 15–20 per day).
Going beyond that can risk account restrictions. But as we mentioned above, if you’re new to LinkedIn, try aiming for 20-25 connections per day with 30 mobile connections.
How long does it take to reach 500+ connections on LinkedIn?
If you’re consistent, you can hit 500+ connections in as little as 6–8 weeks.
The key is momentum; send requests every day and engage with your network so your profile stays visible.
Why is having 500+ LinkedIn connections is important?
Crossing the 500+ mark is a credibility milestone. Profiles with fewer than 500 connections often look new or less active, while those above that threshold signal trust, authority, and reach.
For sales, recruiting, or job hunting, that perception matters; people are more likely to respond to you if they see you’re well-connected.
Plus, more connections mean more views, more engagement, and more chances to book calls.
Final thoughts
Building a strong LinkedIn network isn’t about chasing numbers, but rather it’s about consistency, quality, and visibility.
By sending the right amount of personalized requests, posting valuable content, and steadily growing past the 500+ mark, you help others on the platform see you as approachable.
For anyone using LinkedIn to generate leads, recruit, or grow their career, a thoughtful, consistent approach is what turns connections into real opportunities.
(If you need any lead generation advice, hop on a call with the founder of SalesBread below. SalesBread is a LinkedIn lead generation agency where clients know they can expect one lead per day.)
