Short answer: Your acceptance rate is accepted invitations divided by invitations sent, and your reply rate is replies divided by messages sent. Large 2026 studies put the average acceptance rate between roughly 20% and 30%, and the average message reply rate around 10%, with wide differences by industry and by how each study counts. Compare your campaigns to each other first: a low acceptance rate points to your targeting or profile, a low reply rate to your message. Under 20% acceptance, fix the list before anything else; above 45%, you are well ahead of the published averages.
How do you calculate LinkedIn acceptance rate and reply rate?
| Metric | Formula | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | Invitations accepted ÷ invitations sent | Whether the right people find your profile worth connecting with |
| Reply rate | Prospects who replied ÷ prospects who received a message | Whether your message is relevant enough to answer |
| Positive reply rate | Interested replies ÷ prospects who received a message | Whether your offer matches a real need |
| Meeting rate | Meetings booked ÷ prospects contacted | Whether the whole sequence produces business |
Two practical points. First, only count invitations old enough to have been answered: invitations sent yesterday drag your acceptance rate down artificially. Second, check the denominator before you compare yourself to a benchmark, because studies do not all divide by the same thing.
What is a good LinkedIn acceptance rate in 2026?
Two large datasets published this year give a useful range:
- Expandi, May 2026: across 13,218,869 connection requests sent from 13,302 accounts between May 2025 and April 2026, the average acceptance rate was 28.5%. By industry it ranged from 17.5% (consumer electronics) to 40.1% (broadcast media).
- HeyReach, September 2026: across 96,051 campaigns over the previous 12 months, the median acceptance rate was 20.75%. It slipped slightly as campaigns got bigger, from 21.43% for campaigns of 50 to 100 requests to 19.35% for campaigns above 1,000.
So an acceptance rate in the twenties is ordinary, and anything clearly above 30% means your targeting and profile are working well. These are averages from automation tool users, not targets you are owed: a tightly targeted local campaign can do much better, a broad cold list much worse.
Where does your acceptance rate stand?
Use this grid to read your own number. The tiers are built on the published averages above (a median of 20.75% at HeyReach, an average of 28.5% at Expandi, industry averages from 17.5% to 40.1%); the reading and the advice are ours.
| Your acceptance rate | Where you stand | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 20% | Below the median of large studies | The list is too broad, or your profile does not tell people why to connect | Stop adding volume. Tighten the list and rewrite your headline first |
| 20 to 30% | In line with the published averages | The basics work, nothing stands out | Test a narrower segment or a profile change, one at a time |
| 30 to 45% | Above the averages | Your targeting and profile fit the segment | Keep the segment, work on the reply rate |
| 45 to 60% | Well above the averages | A warm or local target, a clear shared context | Protect it: do not widen the list just to send more |
| Over 60% | Exceptional | Often a small sample, or people who already know you | Check the volume behind the figure before drawing conclusions |
A high acceptance rate is not the end goal. If people accept and do not reply, the problem has simply moved to your first message.
What is a good LinkedIn reply rate?
Here the definitions matter even more:
| Study | Reply rate | Counted as |
|---|---|---|
| Expandi 2026 | 10.4% average | Replies ÷ outbound messages |
| Expandi 2026 | 3.0% average | Replies to the connection request itself |
| HeyReach 2026 | 22.22% median | Replies ÷ conversations started |
Industry differences are large: Expandi reports an 18.9% message reply rate in staffing and recruiting against 8.8% in computer software. HeyReach also found that 10.7% of campaigns with accepted connections received no reply at all, and concludes that most campaigns lose prospects after acceptance rather than before.
In practice: if around one in ten people you message answers, you are in line with the averages. Well above that, your message and targeting fit. Far below, rewrite the message before you send more.
What should you fix first, depending on the symptom?
Work down the funnel: fix the first broken step before touching the next one. Improving a message nobody sees because the list is wrong is wasted effort.
| Symptom | Fix first | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance under 20% | The list: tighten your ICP and prospect list, remove anyone off target | Your profile: a photo, a headline about the problem you solve, a short About section |
| Many invitations left pending | The targeting, since LinkedIn lists ignored invitations as a restriction trigger | Withdraw old invitations and slow down (see LinkedIn invitation limits) |
| Good acceptance, reply rate under about 10% | The first message: shorter, about them, one easy question (see our message templates) | Your follow-ups: each one must bring something new (see LinkedIn follow-up messages) |
| Replies, but mostly "no thanks" | The offer or the segment: you reach people, not the right ones | Qualify earlier, offer something smaller than a call |
| Positive replies, few meetings | Your answers: reply fast and personally | Propose two precise time slots instead of "let me know" |
| Results dropping over time | The list is exhausted, the best profiles are already contacted | Build a new segment instead of widening the old one |
Change one thing at a time. If you change the list and the message together, you will not know which one moved the numbers.
How long should you run a campaign before judging it?
Long enough for people to answer, and with enough volume that a handful of replies does not swing the percentage. Wait until most invitations in a batch have had several days to be accepted, and until enough people have received your first message to compare it fairly with another version. Judging after the first few days usually leads to rewriting a message that was fine.
How do you track these metrics in Sales Farmer?
Sales Farmer's campaign analytics show, for each campaign, the acceptance rate and the reply rate, along with each step of the workflow: invitations sent, invitations accepted, messages sent and the share of people who replied. Click a figure and you get the list of people behind it, those who accepted and those who replied, with a link to their LinkedIn profile. That turns a percentage into a to-do list: answer the replies, and look at who accepted but stayed silent to improve your next message.
Further reading
- LinkedIn automation limits in 2026
- How to define your ICP and build a LinkedIn prospect list
- LinkedIn prospecting message templates
- LinkedIn follow-up messages: timing and 12 templates
- 5 cheaper Waalaxy alternatives
- LinkedIn for real estate agents: prospecting playbook
- 15 LinkedIn message templates for real estate agents
FAQ
What is the average LinkedIn connection acceptance rate?
Recent large studies report an average around 28.5% (Expandi, 13.2 million requests) and a median around 20.75% (HeyReach, 96,051 campaigns). Results vary widely by industry and targeting.
What is a good reply rate for LinkedIn outreach?
Around 10% of messaged prospects replying is in line with Expandi's 2026 average. Studies that divide by conversations started rather than messages sent report higher figures, so always check the definition.
Why is my LinkedIn acceptance rate so low?
Usually because the list is too broad or your profile does not make clear why someone should connect. Narrow your target to people who match your ideal customer profile and make your headline about the problem you solve.
Does sending more invitations improve results?
Not on its own. HeyReach observed slightly lower acceptance on very large campaigns, and LinkedIn restricts accounts whose invitations are ignored or left pending. Better targeting usually beats more volume.
Should I count invitations that are still pending?
Exclude the most recent ones when you calculate your acceptance rate, since they have not had time to be answered. Keep an eye on the total number pending, which LinkedIn watches.
Is a 50% LinkedIn acceptance rate good?
Yes. It is well above the averages published in 2026 (28.5% at Expandi, a median of 20.75% at HeyReach). Keep the segment as it is and focus on turning those connections into replies.
What should I fix first when a campaign underperforms?
The first broken step of the funnel. Low acceptance means list or profile; good acceptance with few replies means the first message; replies without meetings means the offer or the way you answer.
Measure, then improve
You cannot fix a campaign you do not measure. Start your 14-day free trial of Sales Farmer to launch a campaign and see, from the first week, your acceptance rate, your reply rate and exactly who accepted or replied.
