When is the best time to connect with someone on LinkedIn? It’s all about proximity. The best 3 times are immediately after:
1. You meet them in-person.
Don’t give a key contact a chance to forget you.
For example, if you are at a conference, regardless of how late you get back each night from dinner or drinks at the hotel bar, open up LinkedIn, grab the stack of business cards you got that day, and send each one an invitation to connect. At the conference where I was a speaker 2 weeks ago, I used this strategy and got 16 acceptances to 16 invites.
2. They’ve engaged with your content.
They have shown an interest in what you have to say, but if they liked your content, they probably liked other content as well, so proximity again here is key. Within 3 days of their like/comment/share, send them an invitation to connect thanking them for their like/comment/share, tell them you would love to connect to share ideas/referrals/something back and forth.
Remember, it’s all about them, so make sure mention the value to them to connecting (without selling).
3. A mutual connection has given you a warm introduction. If this happens, send an invite within 2-3 days. Anything longer, and the person might forget who you are or why you reached out.