| name | linkedin-outreach |
| description | - Running a LinkedIn connection or prospecting campaign targeting decision-makers |
LinkedIn Outreach
When to activate
- Running a LinkedIn connection or prospecting campaign targeting decision-makers
- Scaling outreach to warm audiences without email addresses
- Building a B2B sales or partnerships pipeline using social selling
- Testing content-led demand generation with DM follow-ups
- Activating Sales Navigator to filter and prioritize high-intent prospects
When NOT to use
- Email is the primary channel and LinkedIn is a secondary validation tool (use email-first sequences instead)
- You don't have time to commit to the 48-72 hour engagement cadence (LinkedIn requires warmth; cold batching fails)
- Your product or service is not suitable for professional networking (B2C consumer goods, low-LTV offers)
- You are unable to create or actively engage with valuable content before launching outreach (content-led tactic requires real participation)
Instructions
1. Connection Request Formula: No Pitch, One Specific Hook
Core principle: A connection request is not a sales moment. It is a permission request. Prospects accept because they see a reason to know you, not because you showed them a benefit.
Structure:
- Personal note (10-20 words max)
- Exactly one specific reference: their post, your shared group, or mutual connection name
- No call-to-action, no LinkedIn value prop, no job description language
Examples of strong hooks:
- "Loved your post on [specific take/finding]. We're solving the same problem in [domain]."
- "I see we both follow [person] and care about [topic]. Worth connecting."
- "Your 2-part thread on [subject] changed how I think about [angle]. Let's connect."
What kills acceptance:
- "I see you work at [company]. Let's talk about [service]."
- "I'd love to learn more about your business and see how we can help."
- Anything mentioning a discount, demo, or meeting.
2. The 3-Step Warm-Up Cadence (7-10 Days)
This is the sequence that unlocks reply rates. Skip any step and you are back to cold outreach.
Step 1 — Engage Their Content (Days 1-3)
- Find a recent post they authored (LinkedIn algo favors creators).
- Write a 1-2 sentence comment that adds new information or asks a thoughtful question.
- Do NOT tag them or ask them to respond. Just signal intelligence.
Step 2 — Send Connection Request (Day 4-5)
- Use the hook formula above.
- Wait 24-48 hours after your comment so it doesn't look automated.
Step 3 — Send First Message (Day 3-4 After Accept)
- Do not message the instant they accept; wait 48-72 hours.
- Timing is behavioral signal: you're not desperate, you're intentional.
- Message structure is defined in section 3 below.
Why this works: You are already top-of-mind from your comment. You've shown domain knowledge. The delay demonstrates respect for their time. Acceptance is a yes; the message is the ask.
3. LinkedIn Message Structure: 50 Words, One Question, No Links
Length: 40-50 words. Anything longer drops reply rate by 40%.
Structure:
- Micro-personalization (1 line): reference something they said, did, or built.
- One relevant question (1-2 lines): about their work, challenge, or perspective. Not "How are you?"
- No links, no PDFs, no attachments in the first message.
- No CTA. No "let's hop on a call." No "I'd love to chat." Let them respond naturally.
Message template:
[Name], noticed your thread on [specific insight].
Quick q: [specific question about their domain/role/challenge]?
Real example:
Sarah, your post on customer retention vs. acquisition spend was refreshing.
Quick q: At [company], are you seeing unit economics improve faster with retention loops, or is CAC still your bottleneck?
What kills replies:
- "I've been following your content for a while..." (generic stalker energy)
- "I work at [company] selling [solution]..." (pitch in first message)
- Links to your site, case study, or demo video (screams sales)
- "Let me know if you're open to exploring this." (no specificity, no reason to respond)
4. Social Selling Index (SSI): Why 70+ Matters for InMail Deliverability
LinkedIn's algorithm uses SSI to rank sender credibility. InMail reach and acceptance rates are tied directly to your SSI.
What SSI measures (out of 100):
- Professional brand (25 points): Profile completeness, keyword relevance, recommendations
- Finding the right people (25 points): Meaningful connections, search filters used, quality engagement
- Engaging with insights (25 points): Comments on posts, thoughtful reactions, shares
- Establishing credibility (25 points): Endorsements, recommendations, profile credibility signals
Minimum threshold: 70+. Below 70, your InMails land in spam or are heavily deprioritized.
How to build SSI before a campaign (2-3 weeks):
- Post 1-2 times per week on your expertise.
- Comment meaningfully (not emoji-reacting) on 5-10 posts daily.
- Endorse 20-30 connections for skills aligned to your position.
- Get 2-3 recommendations refreshed (ask existing clients or colleagues).
- Complete your profile with a professional headline that includes keywords.
Maintenance during outreach: Your SSI will drop if you only message and don't engage. Spend 10 minutes daily on genuine engagement to keep SSI above 75.
5. Content-Led Outreach: Demand Generation via DM
The sequence:
Week 1-2: Publish valuable content
- 1-2 posts on a problem your ICP faces, with a unique angle (not commodity advice).
- Target high engagement: honest frameworks, unpopular opinions, data, or storytelling.
- Optimal length: 5-8 bullet points or a short narrative. Aim for 50+ comments.
Week 2-3: Identify engagers
- Scan comments. Note who wrote multi-word comments (signal of real interest, not bot activity).
- Pull a list of engagers' profiles.
- Cross-reference against your ICP filters (seniority, company size, function).
Week 3-4: Send warm DM
- Use the same 50-word message structure.
- Start with: "Saw your comment on my post about [topic]. Your take on [their comment] was spot-on."
- Ask a follow-up question tied to their comment.
- No pitch. No link to your offering.
Why it works: They engaged with your content before you reached out. They chose you first. Reply rates are 3-4x higher than cold outreach.
6. Sales Navigator Filters: The Exact Sequence That Works
Step 1: Base ICP Filters
- Location: Filter to geographic markets you serve (or have successful case studies in).
- Seniority: Director+ (or your ICP's role level). Exclude Interns, Coordinators.
- Company size: Headcount range tied to your product fit (e.g., 50-500 for SMB, 500-5000 for mid-market).
- Industry: If applicable. Leave blank if your product is cross-industry.
Step 2: Intent Signals (most important)
- Posted in last 30 days: Creates recent intent. Recent posters = active, engaged, top-of-feed.
- Engagement level: Filter to 2nd or 3rd-degree connections (warmer than 4th-degree).
- Keywords: Search for roles that include your buyer function (e.g., "VP Sales," "Sales Ops," "GTM").
Step 3: Exclude Noise
- Company size floor: Remove micro-companies if your ACV doesn't support small deals.
- Avoid job transitions: If someone just changed roles (< 3 months), they may still be onboarding.
Step 4: Export & Segment
- Export 100-150 profiles per week (not all at once).
- Segment by seniority + function for personalization (director-level demand gen reps vs. director-level marketing ops).
- Prioritize "Recently posted" — they're warm.
Realistic cadence: 20-30 outreaches per day (mix of messages to recent acceptances and new connection requests). Never batch blast; spread over 2-3 weeks.
7. Voice Note Tactic: 30-Second DM Audio for 2-3x Higher Reply Rates
When to use: After connection accept, instead of your first text message (or as a follow-up to a text message that got no reply).
Why voice works:
- Rare. Most outreach is text. Voice signals effort and authenticity.
- Tonality matters. They hear your confidence, not your pitch. Confidence builds trust.
- Harder to ignore than text (slight notification friction).
- 2-3x higher reply rate than text messages in B2B sales data (limited but consistent).
Structure (30 seconds, no more):
- First 5 seconds: Warm greeting, reference specific insight (post, role, company).
- Next 15 seconds: One focused problem or observation tied to their world.
- Last 10 seconds: One question. Keep it open-ended, not leading.
Script template (read this aloud; takes ~30 seconds):
"Hi [name], [your name] here. I saw your post on [specific topic] — loved your perspective on [angle].
I'm curious: at [company size/stage companies], are you seeing [specific challenge they likely face] get harder or easier to solve?
Would love your take. Talk soon."
How to record:
- Use LinkedIn's voice message feature (camera icon > audio).
- Do one take. Imperfections (slight pauses, natural cadence) = authenticity.
- Under 30 seconds. Test the duration in a draft first.
Follow-up if no reply (1 week later):
- Send a single-line text: "No pressure, but curious on your thoughts from the voice note. Let me know if I missed the mark."
- Offer an out gracefully.
Example
Scenario: You work for a mid-market PLG company selling a data platform to product ops leaders. Your ICP: Product Ops, Analytics Manager at B2B SaaS with 50-500 employees, and they're in growth phase. You want to run a 3-week LinkedIn campaign targeting 30 prospects.
Week 1: Setup and Content
Day 1-3: Build SSI
- Post once: "Why most companies measure DAU but optimize for CAU (customer acquisition unit). Here's why that misses the funnel's real bottleneck." (5-bullet thread, framework-driven).
- Engage: Comment on 5 posts from thought leaders in product and data. Write 2-3 sentence comments with added insight (no emojis, no "love this").
- Endorse: Add 20 connections for "Product Analytics," "Data Strategy," "Product Ops." Refresh 2 recommendations.
Day 4-7: Sales Navigator Setup
- Filter:
- Seniority: Director+, Manager level.
- Company size: 50-500 headcount.
- Industry: B2B SaaS.
- Posted in last 30 days.
- Avoid companies with < 10 employees.
- Export 30 profiles. Tag them by seniority (15 directors, 15 managers).
Week 2: Phase 1 — Engagement & Connection
Day 8-12: Engage Their Content
- For each of your 30 prospects, find a recent post (published in last 14 days).
- Comment with a 2-line insight. Example:
- Their post: "Struggling to get product ops buy-in for data governance."
- Your comment: "The gap is usually between what product ops needs (speed) and what data needs (structure). The teams talking past each other. What's your team optimizing for—data quality or velocity?"
Day 13-15: Send Connection Requests
- Wait 48 hours after your comment.
- Use this template: "[Name], loved your take on [their specific insight]. We're building in the same space—worth connecting."
- Personalize the "insight" — make it real to their post, not generic.
Week 2-3: Phase 2 — First Message After Accept
Day 3-4 after accept (roughly Day 16-20):
For acceptances who posted recently (textual message):
Sarah, your thread on building a single source of truth for product metrics resonated.
Quick q: are you finding that orgs prioritize metric standardization, or does every team still maintain their own version?
For your hottest 5 prospects (voice message instead):
- Script: "Hi Sarah, [your name] here. I read your post on metric standardization last week — really smart framing on the organizational debt angle. I'm curious: at your company size, are you dealing more with tool sprawl making it worse, or is the real issue teams not wanting to adopt a standard? Would love your take. Talk soon."
- Record, send.
Week 3: Phase 3 — Content-Led Warm Follow-Up
- Your Week 1 post performed well: 150+ comments.
- Scan for engaged commenters who fit your ICP.
- Identify 10-15 new prospects from commenters.
- Send warm DM: "Sarah, saw your comment on my post about [topic]—your point on [their specific comment] is exactly what we're seeing with our customers too. Quick q: [relevant question tied to their comment]?"
- No pitch. No link.
Week 3 Results (realistic):
- Connection accept rate: 35-45% (warm comments drive this).
- First message reply rate: 12-18% (voice messages 2-3x higher if you use them).
- Qualified conversations (not just replies): 3-5.
- Sales conversations started: 1-2 (enough to justify the 3-week effort).
Key numbers to track:
- SSI: Should stay 75+ throughout (if it drops, pause outreach and engage for a week).
- Comment-to-accept: Days 2-4 (should see accepts by Day 5-6).
- Accept-to-first-reply: Days 3-10 (longest conversion window).
- Voice vs. text reply rate: 2-3x gap (validate this for your ICP).
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