Haveo · How to follow up after meeting someone at a networking event
The LinkedIn message after you meet someone
Always add a note, and put where you met in the first six words. "We met at the Leeds meetup on Thursday — you were talking about the warehouse migration." A blank request makes them work out who you are, and most people will not bother.
Send it the same night
This is the one message that is better sent immediately. They are still on their phone and they still remember the room.
Waiting until the morning is fine. Waiting a week means you are relying on them recognizing a name with no context.
Get Haveo free on the App Store →
Three versions
- Normal. "Good to meet you at [event] tonight — enjoyed the bit about [thing]. Sending a connection so I can follow what you are working on."
- You barely spoke. "We only said hello at [event], but I saw you are working on [thing] — worth connecting properly."
- You want something. Connect first with a plain note, then ask in a separate message a few days later. Doing both at once is what makes people decline.
Get Haveo free on the App Store →
Do not pitch in the connection note
The note is for being recognized, not for selling. A request that arrives as a pitch gets declined, and a decline is much harder to recover from than silence.
The ask works far better once they have accepted and you have been visible for a week.
Get Haveo free on the App Store →
Email beats LinkedIn when you have both
If they gave you a card or an address, use it. LinkedIn requests sit unread for weeks more often than email does, and there is no way to tell from your side.
Get Haveo free on the App Store →
Rehearse it before you walk in.
Haveo builds your intro, lets you practice out loud with an AI coach, and keeps your notes one tap away in the room. Free on iPhone and iPad.
Download Haveo — free