LinkedIn Voice Messages: How & Why to Send Them

Sometimes, a standard LinkedIn message lacks a personal edge. Prospects might have a waterfall of mundane messages filling up their inboxes — ones that make them feel like another name on a list. So if you want to add a little oomph to your outreach, you might want to consider sending a LinkedIn voice message instead.

Here, we'll go over the steps you need to follow to send a voice message on LinkedIn, go over the bases your message should cover, and see a sample LinkedIn voice message that incorporates the process's best practices. Let's jump in.

1. Tap the messaging icon in the top right corner of the LinkedIn mobile app.

2. Select the user you want to voice message.

3. Select the record button toward the bottom right of the screen.

4. Give LinkedIn microphone access if you haven't already.

5. Hold down the blue microphone icon while recording your message.

6. Stop holding the icon to finish recording.

You'll have the option to discard or re-record the message once you finish.

7. Press "Send" or "Cancel."

Now that you have the "nuts and bolts" of sending a LinkedIn voice message, let's take a look at how to craft an effective one.

What goes into an ideal LinkedIn voice message?

1. Thorough Background Research

As with any kind of prospect outreach, you need to have a picture of who you're talking to before you send them a LinkedIn voice message. You never want to come off as the stereotypical callous, impersonal salesperson — sending generic message after generic message to a list of leads. Understand who your prospect is, what their business does, and some other tidbits that can inform a more thoughtfully tailored voice message.

2. A Quick Personal Appeal

Voice messages are more personal than their text-based counterparts, so in most cases, you'll send one in response to some sort of event — an accomplishment or milestone your prospect recently achieved.

Make a quick reference to whatever prompted the message — a little personal appeal that lets your prospect know you're keeping up with them can go a long way.

3. A Cursory Value Proposition

Why are you sending this message in the first place? What can you offer your prospect? If you want your voice message to go anywhere, you need to give your prospect a reason to respond. Try to quickly but convincingly frame a compelling value proposition. Intrigue them enough to want to learn more.

4. Clear Next Steps

Give concrete instructions for how they should proceed if they're interested in what you have to say. In most cases, giving a phone number, saying your email, or telling them to message you on LinkedIn should suffice.

LinkedIn Voice Message Example

"Hey Sunny, I just saw about your recent promotion and wanted to say congratulations! Definitely well-deserved, and I know you're going to kill it at the director level. I just wanted to touch base about your current conversational intelligence resources.

Our solution has helped business development teams — like the one you're about to manage — double their call conversion rates. If you're interested in having a quick chat, call me at 555-555-5555 or message me on LinkedIn. Thanks, and congratulations again!"

LinkedIn voice messages offer a unique, often effective way to shake up your prospect outreach — so if you're interested in a quick, compelling, personal way to connect with potential customers, try sending a few of your own.