Free tools/Free recruiter tool
LinkedIn connection message checker: score your note or InMail
Paste a LinkedIn connection note, InMail or message and get a score out of 100, the problems in order of cost and the template phrases to change, checked against LinkedIn's character limits. Free, runs in your browser.
- $0to use
- Nosignup
What it does
Score a connection note or InMail against LinkedIn's limits, template phrases, pushy asks and missing details.
Why it matters: free LinkedIn accounts get only a few personalised connection notes a month, each capped at 200 characters, and an InMail costs a credit. A note that opens with “I came across your profile” and ends with “let me know if you’re interested” wastes both. This checker flags the habits that make a message read like a mass send, before you hit send.
Check your LinkedIn message
Pick the message type, paste your note or InMail and check it. You get a score, the problems in order of how much they cost you, and the phrases to change highlighted in your text.
The check runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere. Emoji and styled letters count as 2 characters, as they do in most LinkedIn boxes. The score is a guide built from common reply killers, not a promise of replies.
What are LinkedIn’s message character limits?
| Message | Limit | Aim for |
|---|---|---|
| Connection note, free account | 200 characters, a few notes a month | 150 to 200 |
| Connection note, Premium | 300 characters on most accounts; some show 200 | About 200 |
| InMail subject | 200 characters | Under 60, key words first |
| InMail body | 1,900 characters | Short enough to read on one phone screen |
| Message to a connection | 8,000 characters | Short enough to read on one phone screen |
Limits as of October 2026, from LinkedIn character limits and SalesRobot’s limits list. LinkedIn changes them from time to time, so the editor’s own counter has the final say. Emoji and styled letters count as two characters in most LinkedIn boxes, and the checker counts them the same way.
What does the checker look for?
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Length against the limit | An over limit note cannot be sent; a long InMail is hard to read on a phone |
| Template phrases | “I came across your profile” and “I have a role” tell the reader it went to hundreds of people |
| Hype words | “Exciting opportunity” and “leading firm” say nothing about the role |
| Pushy or vague asks | “Are you open to new opportunities?” is easy to ignore |
| Job scam signals | Telegram, WhatsApp, gift cards and “no experience needed” look like job scams and cap the score |
| Unfilled merge fields | {{first_name}} is the fastest way to look like a bot |
| Links in a note | Strangers rarely click and it reads as spam |
| First name and a real detail | Their name plus one thing they did, such as a post or a move, shows the message was written for them |
| Pay for candidates | Several US states require pay ranges in job ads, and candidates ask for it anyway |
| One clear question | The reader should know exactly how to answer |
What does a good LinkedIn connection message look like?
Name, one real detail, the role or reason in plain words, one easy question. Each of these fits a free 200 character note.
| Situation | Example note |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Hi Priya, your post on cutting checkout latency at Stripe was sharp. I’m hiring a staff engineer for a Series B payments team in Atlanta. Worth a 10 minute chat next week? |
| Hiring manager | Hi Marcus, saw you joined Cox Automotive to build out the data team. I place analytics engineers in Atlanta and have two strong ones free now. Open to a quick look? |
| After an event | Hi Dana, your talk on nurse retention at SHRM stuck with me. I recruit ICU nurses in Georgia and would like to stay in touch. Happy to connect? |
| Referral ask | Hi Leo, you led platform at Mailchimp, so you know the Atlanta SRE crowd. I’m filling a staff SRE role. Anyone you’d point me to? |
Frequently asked questions
Does a high score guarantee a reply?
No. The score counts common reply killers. Who you message, when and why matters more. Use it to catch mistakes, not to predict results.
Should I add a note to every connection request?
On a free account you only get a few notes a month, and the exact number varies by account, so save them for the people who matter most and send the rest without a note. Premium removes that cap.
Can I check an email with this?
Use the cold email spam checker for email. It checks spam filter triggers, links and merge tags that matter in an inbox rather than on LinkedIn.
Is my message stored?
Only on your own device. The check runs in your browser and nothing is sent to Work Insiders.
Next steps: find the right people with the Sales Navigator search builder, get message ideas from our candidate outreach prompts, compare LinkedIn outreach tools, or browse all our free tools.
Free newsletter
Get the Work Insiders weekly
One email a week: the recruiting and HR tech news that mattered, the tools we just added to the directory, and one practical guide. No spam, and you can unsubscribe in one click.