# How long should a LinkedIn cold message be?
> Aim for two or three short sentences, roughly 150 to 300 characters, with one ask. LinkedIn will let you write 8,000 characters. Nobody wants that from a stranger.
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A first-degree DM can be up to about 8,000 characters. That limit is for real conversations, not for the first cold note. InMail bodies are much shorter, often cited around 1,900 to 2,000 characters, with a short subject. Write the first touch as if it were a text, not a landing page.

Operator datasets disagree on the exact peak. Expandi's 2026 outreach report put a lot of replies in the 150 to 200 character band for sequence steps. Other message studies like the 200 to 300 band. Both agree that 500-plus characters on a first touch get ignored. Stay in the two-sentence range and you are in the overlap.

One reason to reply is enough: a trigger, a question, or a useful observation. Two reasons in one block make the reader hunt for the point. Put the product name in the second or third message, not in the first, unless they asked.

After they reply, length can grow. A thread that is already alive can hold a paragraph, a link, or a booking window. That is not cold anymore.

Mobile is the formatting test. If your message needs a scroll on a phone before the question appears, cut it. The question should be visible without effort.

## Related

- [How long should a LinkedIn connection note be?](https://omentir.com/help/how-long-should-a-linkedin-connection-note-be.md)
- [What is a good LinkedIn message reply rate?](https://omentir.com/help/what-is-a-good-linkedin-reply-rate.md)
- [How many LinkedIn follow-up messages should I send?](https://omentir.com/help/how-many-linkedin-follow-up-messages-should-i-send.md)

## Frequently asked questions

**Should follow-ups be even shorter?**

Yes. A follow-up can be one sentence plus a new fact or a breakup line. Re-pasting the original novel is how you get muted.

**Do voice notes change the length rule?**

Voice notes are for people you already know well enough that a voice from a stranger is not creepy. Most cold outbound should stay text. If you use voice, keep it under 30 seconds and still have a point.

**What about C-suite?**

Shorter, not longer. Executives do not need your series A story. One business observation and a yes/no question.

**Can I send a carousel of screenshots?**

Not in the first message. Attachments and multi-bubble dumps look like a campaign. Earn the right.

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