The "Draft It For Me" Rule: How to Get Recommendations

## The Friction of Asking We all want more LinkedIn recommendations, but asking feels awkward. Worse, when you do ask, people say "Sure!" and then forget for six months. **The reason:** They don't know what to write. You just gave them a homework assignment. Writing about someone else is hard. Even people who like you will procrastinate because the blank page is intimidating. ## The Strategy: Reduce the Friction Don't ask: "Can you write me a recommendation?" Instead, say: ```copy I'm updating my profile and would love a few words from you. To make it easy, I drafted a few lines below based on our work on Project X. Feel free to edit or just copy/paste. ``` Then provide 2-3 sentences they can use immediately. ## Why This Works **Zero Effort:** They can click "Submit" in 30 seconds. No writing required. **Control:** You get to write the narrative. If you want to be known for "Strategy," write a strategic quote. **High Success Rate:** Acceptance rates jump from 20% to 90% when a draft is provided. ## The Golden Rule Always offer to reciprocate. "Happy to return the favour if you'd like one too." This turns an ask into an exchange. It feels balanced rather than extractive. ## Sample Script Here's a message you can adapt: > "Hi [Name], I'm refreshing my LinkedIn profile and remembered how much I valued working with you on [Project]. Would you be open to leaving a short recommendation? To save you time, I've drafted something below—feel free to edit or use as-is. Happy to return the favour." Then include your draft quote. Keep it under three sentences. --- *For more on career positioning, explore our [Career Strategy](/career-strategy) insights.*