Why can you be polite even with short sentences?

LINE is determined more by “ease of reading” and “ease of replying” than by the amount of text. If your request is too long, people are more likely to stop reading halfway through. That’s why we extract only the essential information and keep the respectful language brief.

On this page, we’ll turn the approach of polite, short messages that improve reply rates into an immediately usable format.

Copy-Paste “Request Template” Design Blueprint

First, we’ll cover the common structure used across all templates. LINE messages are most likely to get a response when sent in the following order.

  1. 1

    First: Requirements (Coffee chat request)

    Starting with “Could you spare a moment?” is polite and your intent comes across right away.

  2. 2

    In one line (connect to the other person’s values and area of interest)

    Briefly mentioning your common ground or shared interests creates a reason for them to reply.

  3. 3

    Keep it to 2 options (to reduce the effort of replying)

    If you write “either ◯ day or ◯ day,” the other person just needs to choose.

  4. 4

    Time and Location (Clear the Confusion)

    Whether online or in person, we clearly state the time required and your preferences (or our suggestions).

  5. 5

    Closing (short but respectful + an easy reply)

    Phrases like “How does this sound for your schedule?” encourage the recipient to take action in the final line.

Mid-level: Polite and brief “Japanese” request template

First, here’s an example you can use as-is. Depending on your situation, please replace only the part inside [ ].

Template (Japanese)
[お名前]様

急なご連絡失礼いたします。［共通点／関心領域］の件でお話を伺えればと思い、コーヒーチャットのお願いでご連絡しました。

もし可能でしたら、［第1候補（日時）］か［第2候補（日時）］のどちらかで30分ほどいかがでしょうか。
オンラインでも問題ございません。
ご都合の良い方を教えていただけますと幸いです。よろしくお願いいたします。

Ways to Avoid Low Reply Rates

  • Please note that the details of the request can only be understood once you read it all the way through (with the requirements stated at the beginning).
  • No candidates available, or it’s troublesome to respond when there are 3 or more (basically up to 2).
  • "What will you be talking about?" is unclear (connect your area of interest in one phrase)

First follow-up when you don’t receive a reply

If there’s been no response a few days after the message was sent, I check in briefly using non-intrusive wording. Adding a long message here increases the other person’s burden.

Follow
[お名前]様
お世話になっております。先ほどのコーヒーチャットの件、ご都合はいかがでしょうか。
お忙しいところ恐れ入りますが、難しければタイミングの合う別日でも問題ございません。
ご返信いただけますと幸いです。よろしくお願いいたします。

Pre-send checklist (10 seconds)

The requirement is in the first two lines.
Reasons: 1 line, Respect is brief
Up to 2 options are available.
Estimated time and format (online available)
Finally, end with “Does that suit your convenience?”