How to Write a LinkedIn Recommendation People Will Read

A good LinkedIn recommendation is one of the kindest things you can do for someone's career, and it takes about as long as making a cup of tea. I read a lot of profiles when I'm vetting freelancers and partners, and the recommendations are often the first thing I scroll to. The specific, warm ones stick in my mind. The vague ones blur together.

So this guide does two jobs. First, the clicks: where the Recommend button lives on a computer and in the app, and how to answer when someone asks you for one. Then the writing: a simple structure I use, what to leave out, and what happens once you press Send.

Where to find Recommend on LinkedIn from a computer

LinkedIn's help centre says you can recommend your 1st-degree connections, so you'll need to be connected to the person first.

1. Open the connection's LinkedIn profile.
2. Click More in their introduction section, near their name and headline.
3. Select Recommend.
4. In the pop-up, choose your Relationship to them and their Position at the time.
5. Click Next, write your recommendation in the message box and click Send.

The Position at the time field matters. It ties your words to a specific role, so pick the job they held when you worked together, not necessarily their current one.

Writing a LinkedIn recommendation in the mobile app

1. Go to the connection's profile in the LinkedIn app.
2. Tap More in the introduction section.
3. Tap Recommend. This opens a page asking how you know them.
4. Pick the relationship and their position at the time from the dropdowns, then tap Next.
5. Write your recommendation and tap Send.

I'd draft anything longer than a couple of lines in a notes app first. Typing on a small screen makes it easy to miss a typo, and you'll want this to read cleanly.

Answering when someone asks you for a LinkedIn recommendation

Requests arrive as a message in your LinkedIn inbox, usually titled Write [their name] a recommendation.

• On a computer, open Messaging, select that message, click the link inside it, then click Write recommendation. If you'd rather not, click Ignore.
• In the app, tap the Messaging icon, tap the link in the request, then tap Recommend on the Requests Received screen. To decline, tap Delete.

The person asking has usually filled in your relationship already, and LinkedIn's help says they can't change it once the request is sent. Check it's accurate before you write. If it isn't, it's fine to message them and suggest they send a fresh request.

A simple structure for a LinkedIn recommendation that gets read

Here's the shape I come back to every time. It keeps things short and specific, which is what people browsing a profile want.

1. Context: how you know them, in one sentence. For example, "I worked with Sam for two years when she ran our customer support team."
2. Strength: the one thing they're best at. Pick a single quality rather than listing six.
3. Proof: a short, real example of that strength in action. What did they do, and what changed because of it?
4. Character: a line about what they're like to work with, such as calm under pressure or generous with their time.
5. Endorsement: a clear closing line, like "I'd hire Sam again in a heartbeat."

Your first sentence carries the most weight, because busy readers skim. Lead with the strongest thing you can honestly say, and keep the whole thing to a short paragraph or two.

What to leave out of a LinkedIn recommendation

A recommendation is public, and it stays attached to both your profiles. A few things I'd always avoid:

• Confidential details about clients, projects or results that your employer wouldn't want shared.
• Personal information, such as health, family matters or anything they told you privately.
• Claims you can't stand behind. Only recommend work you saw first-hand.
• Generic praise that could describe anyone, such as hard-working team player. Swap it for something only true of this person.
• Backhanded compliments. Even a light "once they found their feet" can read badly to a hiring manager.

If you're writing for a freelancer or supplier, think about who'll read it: their next client. A note about how they handled a tight deadline or a tricky brief tells that reader far more than a list of adjectives.

What happens after you send a LinkedIn recommendation

Sending it doesn't put it on their profile automatically. According to LinkedIn's help centre, the person chooses whether to display it.

Their choice	What LinkedIn says happens
Add to profile	It shows on their profile and an update goes to their network
Ask for revision	They can request changes from the More menu
Dismiss recommendation	It's removed, and a dismissed recommendation can't be retrieved
Hide later	Either of you can hide a recommendation after it's accepted

Recommendations you've written appear under the Given link in the Recommendations section of your own profile. LinkedIn shows them in chronological order, and they can't currently be reordered, so you can't pin a favourite above the rest.

Editing or deleting a LinkedIn recommendation you've written

Changed jobs, spotted a typo, or fallen out with the person? LinkedIn says you can edit or delete a recommendation you've sent at any time. Open the Recommendations section on your profile, go to Given, and use the options next to the one you want to change. If someone asks you to revise it, you'll get a message with their request.

Why LinkedIn recommendations matter for small businesses and freelancers

For job seekers, recommendations back up a CV. For business owners and freelancers, they do something more useful: they're social proof sitting right on the profile a prospect checks before replying to you. I've written about why people treat LinkedIn as a reliable source for business research, and recommendations are a big part of that trust.

Giving them also helps you. Every recommendation you write appears on your profile too, which shows the kind of people you work with and how you talk about them. If you're trying to build a steady flow of enquiries from LinkedIn, my guide to boosting your LinkedIn marketing results pairs well with a habit of writing a recommendation whenever someone does great work for you.

If the Recommend option is missing on LinkedIn

• You're not connected. Recommend only appears for your 1st-degree connections, so send a connection request first.
• You're on the wrong menu. Look under More in the introduction section of their profile, not on a post or in Messaging.
• Your app is out of date. Menus vary by app version, so update LinkedIn and check again.

If you've done all three and still can't see it, LinkedIn's help centre is the place to raise it.

For the rest of the series, see the LinkedIn Help: 28 Guides to Profile Views, Impressions, Algorithm and Account Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I write a recommendation on LinkedIn?

Open your connection's profile, click More in the introduction section, select Recommend, choose your relationship and their position at the time, click Next, then write your recommendation and click Send.

Can I recommend someone I'm not connected to on LinkedIn?

No. LinkedIn's help centre says you can recommend your 1st-degree connections, so you'll need to connect with them first.

How long should a LinkedIn recommendation be?

LinkedIn doesn't set a recommended length in its help pages. I'd aim for a short paragraph or two that covers how you know them, one strength and a real example.

Will my recommendation show up straight away?

Not automatically. The person chooses whether to add it to their profile, ask for a revision or dismiss it.

Can I change a LinkedIn recommendation after sending it?

Yes. LinkedIn says you can edit or delete a recommendation you've sent at any time from the Given tab in your Recommendations section.