LinkedIn is undergoing some changes – some major and some minor. I recently became aware of a change that prevents you from personalizing your invitation message when you send it to multiple people at once. For example, if you upload your contacts from your email client and you find that some of them are already LinkedIn members, you can only send the default LinkedIn invitation message – which is pretty dry and boring.
My suggestion is that for now, you only send individual invitation requests that can be personalized. This will greatly enhance the odds that someone will connect to you. In addition, it will also help you being perceived as someone who is more effective (caring) networker.
LinkedIn responded to me that they are working on addressing this issue and that the ability of customizing multiple invitations will be back in the future.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Just send the invite out yourself. OK so you dont get the managment of it by LinkedIn to tell you if it is pending or closed but you can personalise it and it comes from your own email address.
Send yourself an invite to see what the link should be.
If you really wanted to the reporting then create your message in an email marketing tool and send it from there.
Jonnie,
While what you are saying is accurate, it takes away some of the convenience that LinkedIn used to offer. I refer to this feature in my LinkedIn Referral Success Program videos and people have written to me asking me where it went.
I hope they reinstate this feature.