How to Share Your Availability in a LinkedIn Message (Templates)

Why LinkedIn scheduling is different from email

Email gives you subject lines and room for a longer list. LinkedIn does not — the composer is narrow and people skim on mobile. That changes what works:

1. Shorter lists win. Two to four windows beat six.
2. Context before times. One sentence on why you are writing, then the availability block.
3. No link-only messages. Lead with human context and pasteable times, even if you use a booking tool elsewhere.
4. Same-week energy when you can. Prefer windows within the next few business days unless they asked for a later week.
5. Agree here, invite elsewhere. After they pick, confirm in one line and send a normal calendar invite.

Formatting: how to list availability in an email. Channel cousins: Slack and Microsoft Teams.

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The LinkedIn availability format that gets replies

Every solid LinkedIn scheduling message has the same pieces. Skip any and you usually get silence or “let me check and get back to you.”

Use plain text. Soft line breaks that look fine in your draft often collapse on phones — put each day on its own line.

Pattern:

[One sentence of context + duration.]

A few windows on my side (all times [timezone]):
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]

Reply with a preference and I will send a calendar invite. If none work, send two that do.

Prefer ranges (10am–12pm) over single points (10:00am). Include the date, not just the weekday. Name the timezone once at the top of the list.

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LinkedIn message templates (copy and send)

Paste into the DM or InMail. Keep each day on its own line.

First outreach — you want a short call

Hi [Name] — enjoyed your post on [topic]. Would love 20 minutes to ask about [specific angle].

A few windows that work on my side (all times [timezone]):
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]

Reply with a preference and I will send a calendar invite. Totally fine if none of these work — send two that do.

Filled-in example:

Hi Priya — enjoyed your post on ops hiring loops. Would love 20 minutes to ask how you structure first-round screens.

A few windows that work on my side (all times EST):
Tue (11/11): 10am–12pm or 3–4pm
Wed (11/12): 9–11am
Thu (11/13): 1–3pm

Reply with a preference and I will send a calendar invite. Totally fine if none of these work — send two that do.

After they accept a coffee chat or intro

Thanks for being open to a quick chat — really appreciate it.

Happy to keep it to 20–30 minutes. Windows that work here (all times [timezone]):
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]

Pick whichever is easiest. Phone, Zoom, or Google Meet all work on my end.

They asked “when are you free?” in the DM

Sure — a few options for [duration] (all times [timezone]):
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]

Reply with a preference and I will send the invite. If none work, send two windows that do.

More reply patterns: how to reply when someone asks for availability.

Recruiter or hiring thread on LinkedIn

Thanks for reaching out about [role]. Happy to find [duration] for a screen.

Availability over the next two weeks (all times [timezone]):
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]

Any of these work on my side. Once you pick a slot, I will hold it for the invite.

Offer four to six windows across about two weeks when interviewers need to align. Full recruiter email patterns: how to send availability to a recruiter.

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How many times to offer (and what to skip)

Avoid on LinkedIn:

• Paragraph form (“I’m free Tuesday after 2 or Wednesday morning…”) — hard to scan in the DM UI.
• Screenshots of your week — often unreadable on mobile and can leak event titles.
• “I’m free anytime” — rarely true, and it pushes all the work back onto them.
• A booking link as the whole message — especially on cold outreach or when you are asking for their time.

If you are initiating the meeting rather than answering an ask, the same shortlist logic applies in email: how to propose meeting times.

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Booking links, InMail, and connection requests

Booking links. You can paste a Calendly-style URL into LinkedIn. Replies usually come faster when times sit in the message body — the other person does not leave the app. Save booking pages for high-volume inbound where self-serve scheduling is already expected. Broader context: share availability without a booking link.

InMail vs connection DM. Same format. Keep the list short and lead with why you are writing.

Connection note limits. Do not cram a full availability list into a connection request. Connect with one clear sentence, then send times in the follow-up DM.

Moving off LinkedIn. Once a time is picked, send the calendar invite from Google Calendar, Outlook, or Apple Calendar with the video link or dial plan.

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Pull free times from your real calendar

Offering a slot you are not free for wastes a round and looks careless. Before you send:

1. Check Google Calendar, Outlook / Microsoft 365, or Apple Calendar for the next few days (or the window they named).
2. Prefer ranges that survive a small conflict over fragile single points.
3. Copy the list as plain text — not a screenshot, and not a booking page unless that is already how you schedule together.

ShareAvailability reads those calendars with read-only access and copies a plain-text list of free times to your clipboard. There is no share link and no booking page — paste into the LinkedIn message, they pick, you send the invite. Product path: share availability in LinkedIn messages.

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After they pick (and cross-timezone notes)

Reply in the same LinkedIn thread within a few business hours. Restate the day, date, time, timezone, and duration in one line, then send the calendar invite. Soft language like “Thursday-ish works” is not a confirmation — see how to confirm a meeting.

For remote threads, label every list with a timezone. If you know their zone, show both on each line (9–10am PST / 12–1pm EST). Near daylight-saving switches, write both zones explicitly — full patterns in share availability across time zones. If they go quiet, wait three to four business days, then bump once with two fresh times.

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Common mistakes

• Dumping your whole week into a DM. Trim to two to four windows for most outreach.
• Opening with a booking link. Especially when you asked for their time, it flips the dynamic.
• Missing timezone or vague “sometime next week.” Give dated ranges with a zone, or you restart the thread.
• Confirming without an invite. Block the time the same day they pick.
• Cramming times into a connection request. Connect first; schedule in the follow-up DM.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I share my availability in a LinkedIn message?

Keep a one-line purpose, name the duration, list two to four free windows as Day (Date): time range with a timezone, and ask them to pick one. Plain text beats a vague paragraph or booking link for most outreach.

Should I send a Calendly link in a LinkedIn DM?

Only if that is already how you schedule together, or you handle high-volume inbound where self-serve booking is expected. For cold or warm networking, pasteable free times usually get faster replies.

How many time slots should I offer on LinkedIn?

Two or three for a first DM. Three or four after they already said yes. Four to six across about two weeks for recruiter or panel threads. Prefer ranges over single points.

Can I put availability in a LinkedIn connection request?

Usually no — the note is too short, and a list of times feels premature before they accept. Share availability in the first DM after they connect.

What if none of my LinkedIn times work?

Say so briefly, offer the soonest real windows you can honor, or ask them for two windows that do. Keep the same plain-text format. Do not invent optimistic times you will cancel.

Does ShareAvailability integrate with LinkedIn?

No LinkedIn integration is required. Generate a plain-text free-time list from your calendar, copy it to the clipboard, and paste it into the DM or InMail you are already writing.

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TL;DR

1. On LinkedIn, lead with one sentence of context, then a short plain-text availability list — not a booking link.
2. Format as Day (Date): time range, one day per line, with the timezone named once.
3. Offer two to four options for most DMs; ask them to pick one; include an escape hatch.
4. Confirm in one line and send the calendar invite the same day they choose.
5. Pull options from your real calendar with ShareAvailability so you copy plain-text free times — not a booking or share link — before you paste into LinkedIn.

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Related Guides

• Share availability for networking: etiquette and templates for informational interviews.
• How to reply when someone asks for availability: fuller reply templates when they ask “when are you free?”
• How to propose meeting times: when you are initiating the meeting, not answering an ask.
• Share availability in Slack: the same plain-text approach in workplace chat.

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ShareAvailability turns Google Calendar, Outlook / Microsoft 365, or Apple Calendar (public iCloud link) into a plain-text list of free times. Copy, paste into LinkedIn, send. Free. No booking or share link — only clipboard text for the message you are already writing.