After sending 2,500+ DMs, I discovered something crazy: messages under 50 words get 2.7x more replies.

Here's why it works and how to do it yourself.

The Problem with Long Messages

LinkedIn users have a 3.25-second attention span. If your message takes longer than 5 seconds to read, you've already lost them.

The 3-Part Formula That Works

Every high-converting DM has three pieces:

Part 1: Personal Hook (10-15 words) Look at their profile or recent post. Mention something specific. This proves you're not copy-pasting the same message to 500 people.

Part 2: Value Statement (20-25 words) What's in it for them? Focus on their win, not your product. Make it relevant to their role or industry.

Part 3: Easy Question (10-15 words) Ask something simple. Make it stupidly easy to respond with "yes" or "tell me more."

For Example (47 words total)

Hi [Name], noticed you're scaling [Company]'s sales team based on your recent post.

We've helped similar [Industry] companies reduce ramp time by 41% with our specialized onboarding system.

Would this be valuable for your new hires coming in Q2?

Why This Works

• Psychological Trigger: Shows you've done research (reciprocity principle)
• Curiosity Gap: Specific result (41%) creates interest
• Low-Barrier Question: Easy to respond with a simple "yes" or "tell me more"

Here's a real-world example from a customer that scored 55% Reply Rate

Hi {{firstName}}, thanks for the connection, I would like to do a quick call to show what I created for {{companyName}} to get sales appointments without advertising, when could we do it?

(32 words total)

The template is taken from Mattia Bizzoni’s campaign

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmfB1-wcEJs&t=429s&pp=ygUYbWF0dGlhIHNhdXJhdiBzYWxlc3JvYm90

Why This Works

• Uses personalization tokens - Shows it's not a mass blast message (even though it probably is)
• Starts polite - "Thanks for the connection" acknowledges the relationship step
• Creates curiosity - "What I created" makes people wonder what it is
• Company-specific mention - Using their company name makes it feel tailored
• Promises a benefit - "Get sales appointments without advertising" addresses a common pain point
• Low commitment ask - "Quick call" sounds less intimidating than "sales demo"
• Direct call-to-action - Asks for availability, making it easy to respond
• Implies social proof - Suggests you've done this for other companies
• Appeals to curiosity gap - Doesn't reveal everything, making them want to learn more

One last thing: keep your language simple. As Anton Titov (who gets 65% response rates) says: "Keep it simple, all our messaging is like sixth grade English... no polish, no complicated words."

Your prospect should understand everything in one read.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ECtMHazy-M&list=PLA4t24JzNORE7TmbAcCJfB1ac7ujl5o1-&index=26&t=260s&pp=iAQB