How to Message Multiple People on LinkedIn

Sending a message to one person on LinkedIn is easy, but figuring out how to contact multiple people at once requires a bit more navigation. Whether you're coordinating with a project team, inviting connections to an event, or sharing valuable content with a select group, knowing the right way to send a mass message can save you a lot of time. This guide will walk you through the different methods for messaging multiple people on LinkedIn and the best practices to follow so your message actually gets read.

Why Message Multiple People on LinkedIn?

Before jumping into the "how," it's helpful to understand the "why." Sending messages to several people at once isn’t about spamming your network, it's about strategic communication. People use this feature for a variety of legitimate, value-driven reasons.

Common scenarios include:

• Project Collaboration: Keeping a small team of colleagues or partners updated on a project’s progress in a single, shared conversation.
• Event Invitations: Inviting a curated list of contacts to a webinar, conference, or local meetup you’re hosting or attending.
• Sharing Resources: Sending a newly published article, case study, or insightful report to a group of peers in the same industry who might find it useful.
• Community Building: Reaching out to members of a shared professional group to kickstart a conversation or pose a thought-provoking question.
• Targeted Networking: Connecting with several individuals who share a similar role, company history, or educational background to build your professional network.

In all these cases, the goal is efficiency without sacrificing professionalism. Running these conversations through LinkedIn keeps your professional communication organized and separate from your email or other messaging apps.

Method 1: The Standard Group Message (Up to 50 People)

LinkedIn’s most straightforward method for contacting multiple people is its native group messaging feature. This function allows you to create a single conversation with up to 50 of your 1st-degree connections. Think of it as a group chat, perfect for collaborative or conversational topics where everyone benefits from seeing each other’s replies.

How to Send a Group Message

Sending a group message is simple and only takes a minute. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

1. Navigate to your Messaging page by clicking the icon in the top navigation bar.
2. Click the square "New Message" icon (it has a small pencil in it) at the top of the messaging panel.
3. In the "To:" field, start typing the names of the people you want to include. LinkedIn will suggest contacts as you type. You must be a 1st-degree connection to add someone.
4. Continue adding names until your group is complete. Remember, the maximum is 50 participants, including yourself.
5. Once you have added at least two people, you can give the conversation a title by clicking "Conversation name" (optional, but highly recommended for staying organized). For example, "Marketing Campaign Q3 Planning" or "Networking for SXSW Event."
6. Type your message in the composer box at the bottom. You can add attachments, emojis, and GIFs just like in a regular message.
7. Click Send.

Everyone in the conversation will see the message and be notified of any replies. It functions exactly like a group chat on any other messaging platform.

Pros and Cons of This Method

Pros:

• Fast and Easy: It's the quickest way to broadcast a single message to a group of connections.
• Collaborative: Everyone can see and reply to the message, which is ideal for discussions, brainstorming, or coordinating plans.
• Free: This feature is a standard part of every LinkedIn account, with no premium subscription required.

Cons:

• No Personalization: The message is the same for everyone, and recipients can see the full list of who else is in the chat. This lacks the personal touch needed for outreach or sales.
• Can Be Noisy: "Reply All" can lead to excessive notifications if the group is very active, which some participants may find annoying.
• 50-Person Limit: The cap of 50 people restricts its use for larger announcements or outreach campaigns.
• Feels Impersonal for Outreach: Adding someone to a group message for sales or recruiting purposes can come across as spammy and unprofessional. This method should almost exclusively be used with people you already know and trust.

Method 2: Message People Individually (The Manual Outreach Approach)

What if you want to send a similar message to multiple people, but you want it to arrive as a private, one-on-one conversation? This is the most common need for networking, sales, and recruiting. Unfortunately, LinkedIn doesn't offer a built-in "mail merge" function to do this automatically. It requires a manual approach: the classic copy, paste, and personalize technique.

While third-party automation tools exist to do this, they often violate LinkedIn's terms of service and can put your account at risk. The safest method is still the manual one, though it requires more effort.

How to Tackle Manual Outreach

This process is about creating a strong template and customizing it for each individual to make it feel genuine.

1. Craft a Reusable Message Template: Write a clear, concise, and value-focused message. Instead of a generic "Hello," create a structure with placeholders for personalization. For example:
   "Hi [Name], I saw your recent post about [Topic] and it really resonated. I just published a guide on a similar subject that I thought you might find interesting. Let me know what you think!"
2. Build Your Target List: Use LinkedIn's search filters to identify the people you want to contact. You can filter by job title, company, industry, location, and keywords. Once you have your results, open each profile in a new tab to streamline the process.
3. Copy, Paste, and Personalize: Go to the first profile on your list. Click the "Message" button. Paste your template into the text box.
4. IMPORTANT: Fill in the personalized details. Replace "[Name]" with their first name. Mention their specific company, a recent article they wrote, a shared connection, or a mutual LinkedIn Group. This is the most important step, skipping it will make your message feel like spam.
5. Send and Repeat: Once you've personalized it, send the message. Move to the next browser tab with the next profile and continue the process.

Pros and Cons of This Method

Pros:

• Highly Personal: The message arrives as a one-on-one conversation, giving you the space to build a real relationship.
• Better for Outreach: This is the professional standard for anything related to sales, recruiting, or networking with people you don't know well.
• Improved Response Rates: A message that shows you've done even 30 seconds of research on someone's profile is far more likely to get a reply than a generic blast.

Cons:

• Extremely Time-Consuming: This process is slow, especially if your list is long. It requires focus and dedication.
• Hard to Track: Without a spreadsheet or CRM, it can be difficult to keep track of who you've messaged, who has replied, and what follow-ups are needed.
• Risk of Errors: Manually copying and pasting can lead to embarrassing mistakes, like using the wrong name or mentioning the wrong company. Always double-check your message before hitting send.

Best Practices for Any Type of Mass Messaging on LinkedIn

Regardless of the method you choose, your success depends on your approach. Blasting out generic messages will hurt your reputation and yield poor results. Follow these best practices to ensure your communication is welcome and effective.

1. Lead with Value, Not an Ask

The golden rule of LinkedIn outreach is to give before you take. Never start a conversation with a stranger by asking for their time, a demo, or a job. Instead, offer them something of value. This could be a relevant article, a compliment on their recent work, an introduction to someone in your network, or an insightful industry stat. Frame your message around them, not you.

2. Personalization is Everything

Even when using a template, find a way to make each message unique. Generic salutations like "Hi there" are a red flag. At a minimum, use the person’s first name. For better results, reference something specific from their profile:

• "I saw you also worked at [Company]..."
• "Congrats on your recent promotion to [Job Title]!"
• "Your article on brand strategy was excellent, especially the point about..."

This shows you see them as an individual, not just another name on a list.

3. Keep It Short and Scannable

Everyone is busy. No one wants to read a wall of text in their LinkedIn inbox. Keep your message brief and to the point.

• Use short sentences and paragraphs.
• Break up ideas into bullet points if necessary.
• Have a clear call-to-action or question at the end.

A good rule of thumb is to keep your initial message under 100 words.

4. Respect LinkedIn's Platform Policies

LinkedIn has policies against spam and unsolicited messaging. Abusing the manual outreach method by sending hundreds of impersonal, identical messages a day will likely get your account restricted. Always focus on quality over quantity. If someone asks you not to contact them again, respect their wishes. Never add strangers to a group chat without their consent or a very good reason (e.g., they opted into a collaborative group).

Final Thoughts

Sending messages to multiple people on LinkedIn can save you valuable time, but it’s a tool that should be used with thought and care. For collaborative chats with known connections, the standard group message is a great solution. For any form of professional outreach, the manual copy-and-personalize method is superior, even if it takes more effort.

Following up on all the conversations you start on LinkedIn and across other social platforms can quickly become a challenge. This is exactly why we built Postbase. To help you manage those valuable interactions, we centralized all comments and DMs from all your accounts into one unified inbox. Instead of jumping between apps and worrying about missed messages, you can handle every conversation from a single, organized place.