The Best Practices for Outbound LinkedIn Outreach: How to Make a Great First Impression

If sending cold emails feels like yelling into the void and waiting for an echo, welcome to the club. But don’t worry—LinkedIn is here to save you from the soul-crushing silence. When done right, LinkedIn outreach is like walking into a networking event where people actually want to talk to you (shocking, I know). Let’s dive into the best practices that will help you go from ignored to inbox gold.

Optimize Your Profile First – Ensure You Make the Right Impression

Imagine you’re walking into a business event wearing pajama pants, a ketchup-stained hoodie, and last night’s bed hair. That’s what having an unoptimized LinkedIn profile feels like—it makes people back away slowly. Before reaching out, make sure your profile is polished and actually makes you look like someone worth responding to.

And don’t forget your headline! “Sales Rep at [Company]” is about as exciting as a plain rice cake. Instead, think about what makes you valuable to prospects—something like “Helping [Industry] Companies Book More Meetings with Zero Spammy Sales Tactics.” Show them why they should care.

A prospect who checks your profile should immediately see your value. With a professional headline, a clear summary of how you help clients, and social proof (recommendations or case studies), you make a first impression that will make them want to reply to your message. Studies show that profiles with complete information get significantly more views and engagement, which builds trust that can increase acceptance rates.

And if you have any success stories, those should be visible and easy to find on your profile. Showcasing your success stories helps convert profile visitors into leads with ease. Think about it: if they have already seen you succeeding in other work you do for different clients, that’s basically all they need to know to trust that you can do the same for them. In short, treat your profile as a landing page for your outreach – it should establish authority and include a call-to-action (e.g. “Let’s connect to chat about X”).

Laser-Focus Your Targeting – Know Who to Message and Be Specific

Throwing out connection requests to random people and hoping for the best is like fishing with a blindfold on. You might catch something, but it’s probably not what you were aiming for. Instead, use LinkedIn Sales Navigator or filters to build a targeted list of decision-makers who actually want what you offer.

Your LinkedIn Sales Navigator is the perfect place to start, or you can use filters to create a targeted list of decision-makers who fit your ideal customer profile, whether that’s by role, region, or even industry. Think quality over quantity. Would you rather send 1,000 messages and get 3 “who are you and why are you messaging me?” responses, or send 100 carefully targeted ones and land five warm leads? Be strategic—it’s about precision, not volume.

Ultimately, the more relevant your audience, the higher your conversion rates. It’s often much better to contact a few dozen well-qualified prospects than random people. Plus, precise targeting helps you personalize your messages more deeply so that you can address their pain points, impress them with how well you understand their concerns, and then offer a reasonable solution.

Companies that succeeded with LinkedIn outreach spent time upfront researching and identifying high-potential prospects. One of the biggest mistakes that companies make with their lead generation is targeting the wrong audience. However, if you’re clear upfront, you’ll know who you are talking to and who you want to talk to, so you can get meetings and conversions. 

Personalize Every Message – Play with the Pain Points

Look, we all know that “Hi {FirstName}, I saw you’re in {Industry}!” messages scream “I used an automation tool, and I barely tried.” If your message sounds like a robotic dating app opener, it’s going to be ignored because they’ll know you used a template. Instead, take 60 seconds to find a real conversation starter—mention their latest post, a mutual connection, or anything that proves you’re not just copy-pasting your way into their inbox.

Your messages should feel like a one-to-one, more than just a generic introduction to who you are and what you have to offer. According to LinkedIn research, sending even a single personalized sentence—that’s right, a single sentence—can actually increase response rates by up to 30%. That’s a sizeable increase in leads generated, and all because you took the time to look at their profile, see what they last posted, or connect with something that you know would capture their attention. You made the message personal, not salesy, and that gets results. 

If you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face at a networking event, don’t say it in a LinkedIn message. “Hey, I noticed we both like business growth” isn’t a conversation starter—it’s just awkward. Instead, go for something specific: “Loved your post about [topic]—totally agree on [point they made].” Now you sound like a real person. 

One of the best practices you can use is the “CCQ” method—comment, compliment, question. Start by commenting on the prospect’s work or profile, add a sincere compliment, and then ask a question or segue relevant to your pitch. This approach shows you’ve done your homework. Real data confirms the impact – personalized messages sent to leads have a 32% higher response rate than non-personalized ones. So, take the time to tailor each note; if you need to send dozens upon dozens, don’t be afraid to use merge fields or personalization tags via automation tools to ensure each message remains unique.

Keep It Short and Value-Focused – Bring the Energy! 

Nobody wants to read an essay in their LinkedIn inbox. If your message is longer than a grocery list, they’re already mentally moving on. Keep it short, sweet, and focused on them—not you. Instead of a five-paragraph introduction about how great your company is, try leading with an interesting stat, a quick insight, or a simple question. It’s best to only send a short initial connection note or message (2-3 sentences) that immediately provides value or piques interest. 

For instance, mention a quick insight or a result you’ve achieved for a similar client, rather than a long introduction about yourself. Whatever you choose to do, avoid coming across as “salesy” in the first message—it’s a turnoff for many potential leads. Instead of pitching your product outright, focus on the prospect’s pain points or ask a thoughtful question. 

After all, remember that you are there to start a conversation, not to close a deal in the first message. Many experts suggest using a conversational, friendly tone—you’re looking to connect, not deliver a formal sales email. One tip that has worked is to “follow up with humor” on LinkedIn. Showing some personality (when appropriate) can differentiate you from canned sales pitches. It will leave a great impression on those you talk to, even if they don’t become a lead. 

Use a Multi-Touch Sequence – Make Follow-Ups Less Boring

Most people don’t respond to the first message—not because they hate you, but because they’re busy (or they saw your message, got distracted by a Slack notification, and forgot). This is why follow-ups are crucial. The trick? Don’t just say, “Hey, just following up.” Nobody likes that. Instead, add something new—a resource, a quick insight, or even a lighthearted joke.

It often takes a few touchpoints to get a response, as people are busy or might miss the first note. Implement a sequence of gentle follow-ups after your initial connection request or message. For example, send a connection request on the first day with a brief note. Two days after that, and once they have connected, send a friendly thank you message and a quick question or insight. Don’t hard sell! 

By the time a week has passed, if they haven’t responded, you can send a follow-up message and share a relevant resource or testimonial. After two weeks, your third message could be asking for a call if the previous communications were received well. Above all else, focus on giving, not nagging, and you’ll be more likely to make follow-ups valuable for both you and the leads that you connect with. 

Ultimately, persistence does pay off in the long run! Sales data across channels shows that many deals are made after the 3rd or 4th contact. On LinkedIn, one study found you should aim for at least a 30% conversion from responses to booked meetings when you do outreach. That means if 10 people reply to you, try to get 3 of them on a call through polite persistence and scheduling. 

No matter what, always remain courteous and avoid spamming people. All you need are a few well-timed follow-ups, but sending daily messages is definitely not appreciated. Tools can help automate this cadence (more on that below), but make sure your sequence feels human.

Timing and Persistence: Make Your Communications Less Robotic

Would you call someone at 2 AM and expect them to answer? No? Then don’t send LinkedIn messages at weird hours either. People are most active during business hours—especially mid-week mornings. And if they engage with your content, that’s the perfect time to reach out (since they’re already thinking about you).

When you communicate with others on LinkedIn, be patient and consistent. It’s all a number’s game. And remember: outreach is a marathon, not a sprint. If only 5% of people respond, that’s normal. The goal isn’t to get every single person to reply—it’s to build a steady pipeline of conversations. So don’t stress over the non-replies. Move on, keep going, and focus on the ones who do engage.

What matters the most is that your leads are being nurtured properly. You want to convert replies into meetings, then meetings into lucrative deals. Take time to track your metrics, including your percentage of connection acceptance and percentage replied, as well as your percentage of meetings set. As time goes on, refine your messaging once you learn what resonates and what doesn’t with your target audience. 

Overcoming Common Objections to LinkedIn Outreach

Despite its benefits, you may have some objections about using LinkedIn for outbound sales. That’s normal, but there are many reasons why using LinkedIn outreach is still a critical step that shouldn’t be ignored. Here are a few common concerns and data to support why these objections are incorrect. 

“LinkedIn Outreach is Spammy and People Won’t Connect with Strangers.”

While it’s true prospects are wary of spam, many will connect if you show relevance and authenticity. In fact, campaign data shows 20% to 55% of prospects will accept a cold LinkedIn connection request when it’s personalized and you have some mutual context (like shared connections or groups). The key? Sending a custom note explaining why you want to connect. You want to show them that you care and you aren’t just looking to make the sale, even though that is a goal of yours. 

Also, LinkedIn’s culture is professional networking, so people expect to make new connections. As long as you aren’t coming off as a random spammer, lots of decision-makers are open to connecting to expand their network. Once connected, your subsequent messages land in their normal LinkedIn inbox, which typically yields higher reply rates than unsolicited InMails. The bottom line is that prospects will engage with cold outreach on LinkedIn if it’s targeted and personalized. It’s not “stranger danger” when you do your homework on the person.

“Nobody Responds to LinkedIn Messages Anymore—Everyone is Doing It.”

Yes, LinkedIn inboxes are busy, but it’s not like trying to talk to a celebrity in a mob of fans. If your message is relevant and personal, you’ll stand out like the one person offering free coffee at a networking event. As noted earlier, LinkedIn messages often see response rates in the 10–25% range on average. Even a conservative figure of ~13% for InMail is much higher than typical cold email response rates (~3-5%). So, while it seems like no one replies, that’s still over 1 in 10 people responding to your messages. If you send out 100 messages, that’s 10 new leads!

Additionally, many sales teams report LinkedIn outperforming email or phone in initial engagement. Also, not “everyone” is using LinkedIn outbound effectively. One stat says only 10% of marketers say they are actively investing in LinkedIn outreach, so there’s still plenty of room to stand out if you do it well. You just have to craft good messages, and you should have no issues. 

On the platform, the quality of replies is also notable: LinkedIn responses tend to be more substantive since they are professionals with a work mindset. If you’re encountering low response, it might be due to approach (e.g., poor targeting or impersonal messages) rather than the channel itself. By improving your messaging (e.g., personalizing, adding value), you can break through the noise. The proof is in the earlier examples – campaigns are routinely booking meetings via LinkedIn outreach when done right.

“LinkedIn Leads Don’t Convert to Real Opportunities or Revenue.”

That may be true for you in the past, but the research shares a different reality for many others. There’s strong evidence that LinkedIn-sourced leads convert well in B2B sales cycles. A whopping 65% of B2B companies have acquired a customer through LinkedIn. That means the leads you get on LinkedIn can and do turn into signed deals. 

Additionally, LinkedIn outreach tends to target upper-funnel stages (introductions and discovery meetings), but those meetings are necessary first steps before you secure any revenue. The fact that 4.8% of LinkedIn users who cold message book a meeting is actually quite encouraging. That’s roughly one meeting for every 20 messages sent. If half of those meetings progress to real sales opportunities (as indicated by 55% of replies becoming ongoing dialogues), and even a fraction close, the ROI adds up quite quickly! 

For instance, you may not know that Sales Navigator users often see 2x higher conversion rates on LinkedIn leads compared to other channels. Ultimately, if you are worried about conversions, don’t be. LinkedIn leads are high-quality and often more likely to convert because you reach the right stakeholders in a professional context. If you are having trouble, focus on showcasing social proof on LinkedIn (mutual connections, shared groups) because this builds trust faster, helping move deals along.