LinkedIn Acceptance and Reply Rate Calculator
Outreach has three numbers worth watching: how many requests get accepted, how many people reply, and how many replies become meetings. Enter your counts for one period and the calculator shows each rate and how many requests one meeting costs you.
Use numbers from the same period, such as the last 30 days · runs in your browser
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Measuring your outreach funnel
- 01
Choose one period
The last 30 days works well. Every number you enter should come from that same window.
- 02
Type in your counts
Requests sent, requests accepted, people you messaged, replies and meetings booked.
- 03
Look for the lowest rate
That is the step to fix first. It tells you whether the problem is the note, the first message or the ask.
The math behind each rate
| Rate | Formula | Worked example |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | accepted ÷ sent × 100 | 42 ÷ 100 × 100 = 42.0% |
| Reply rate | replied ÷ messaged × 100 | 9 ÷ 40 × 100 = 22.5% |
| Meeting rate | meetings ÷ replied × 100 | 3 ÷ 9 × 100 = 33.3% |
| Requests per meeting | sent ÷ meetings | 100 ÷ 3 = 33.3 |
Your lowest rate is the next experiment
Low acceptance usually means the wrong people or a weak connection note. Low replies point at the first message. Few meetings point at the ask. Change one of those, run another period, and compare with your own last result.
Tips that work
- Do use the same period and the same definitions every time you measure.
- Do change one thing per experiment, so you know what made the difference.
- Do write down what you changed next to each set of numbers.
- Don't send more requests to make up for a low acceptance rate.
- Don't judge a new note after a handful of requests.
- Don't compare your numbers with someone else's screenshot; their audience is not yours.
A worked example: where did the meetings go?
Take the numbers in the table above as an example. Out of 100 requests, 42 were accepted. You messaged 40 of those people, 9 replied and 3 agreed to a call. That is 33.3 requests for every meeting.
Which step is weakest? Acceptance at 42.0% and meetings at 33.3% of replies look fine next to a 22.5% reply rate. So the first message is where the funnel leaks. Rewriting the connection note would not help much here. Rewriting the opener would.
The point is not the specific numbers. It is that each step has its own fix, and the calculator stops you from changing the wrong one.
There is no universal good rate
Rates depend on who you contact, how warm the relationship is and what you ask for. A recruiter writing to engineers, a founder writing to former colleagues and a seller writing to cold prospects will see very different numbers. We do not publish benchmark figures we cannot back with our own data.
The useful comparison is with yourself. Did the new note raise acceptance compared with last month? Did a shorter first message lift replies? That is the question the calculator is built to answer.
If you leave "people you messaged" empty, the reply rate is based on accepted requests instead. That is a fair estimate when you message everyone who accepts.
What to change at each step
Acceptance: aim at people who have a real reason to know you, and write a note that mentions it. The Connection Message Generator gives you a few to start from. Replies: make the first message about them, not your offer, and end with a question that is easy to answer. Meetings: keep the ask small and concrete, like fifteen minutes on one topic.
Keep all of it manual and personal. Tools that send requests or messages automatically break LinkedIn's rules and tend to lower response rates anyway. Ours only help you write, plan and measure.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate LinkedIn acceptance rate?
Divide accepted requests by requests sent and multiply by 100. The calculator does it for you and rounds to one decimal.
What is a good acceptance rate?
It depends on your audience and how you reach out. Compare your own results over time rather than a general benchmark.
Where do I find these numbers?
Your sent invitations and connections lists on LinkedIn, plus your own notes or CRM for replies and meetings.
Should I count InMails?
Track InMail separately if you use it. It reaches people outside your network and behaves differently from a connection request.
Is my data stored?
No. The calculator runs in your browser and nothing is sent or saved.
How many requests should I send?
Fewer, better requests usually beat volume. Put the effort into who you pick and what the note says.
How long should I test a new connection note?
Long enough to send a meaningful number of requests to a similar audience. A few requests can swing wildly by chance, so give it a full period before deciding.
Key terms
- Pending invitations:
- A pending invitation is a LinkedIn connection request that has been sent but not yet accepted or ignored by the person who received it.
Keep measuring what works
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Connection Message Generator
Better notes, better acceptance.
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Sequence Builder
Plan the steps you measure.
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Engagement Rate Calculator
Measure your posts too.
- GUIDE
LinkedIn Connection Acceptance Rate Benchmarks
How to read your numbers.
More analytics tools and guides: LinkedIn Analytics: The Numbers Worth Tracking.
Last updated · Written and reviewed by the [Brand] team