Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Why warm outreach works better than cold outreach
- The difference between warm and cold outreach
- Where to find warm prospects on LinkedIn
- Step 1: Finding the right prospects
- 1. Profile views
- 2. Engagement on recent posts
- 3. Recent followers
- Prioritizing outreach: Warmest to least warm
- Step 2: Recording prospects in a pipeline
- Choosing the right tool
- Why tracking matters (without stating the obvious)
- Step 3: Defining an outreach question that works (with examples and screenshots!)
- The structure of a good qualifying question
- Examples of effective outreach questions (with real-life screenshots)
- Why this works better than generic outreach
- Step 4: Sending the first message
- What the first message should accomplish
- Writing a personalized compliment (the first part of your message)
- So, where to find something to compliment:
- Guidelines for writing a good compliment
- Examples of good compliments:
- Putting it all together
- Template for the first message:
- Example message:
- Avoiding common mistakes
- Step 5: Handling responses and moving them toward a call
- If they signal “it’s not great” (Path 1)
- How to respond:
- Example response:
- If they signal things are “going great” (Path 2)
- How to respond:
- Example response:
- If they throw me a ‘curve ball’… (less common, but not uncommon)
- If they don’t respond
- How to follow up:
- Moving the conversation to a call
- How to offer a call:
- Example call invite:
- Managing responses in my pipeline
- (Let’s recap!) Best practices for warm LinkedIn outreach
- 1. Approach outreach with curiosity, not salesmanship
- 2. Personalize every message
- 3. Keep messages short and easy to read
- 4. Follow up without being annoying
- 5. Focus on booking calls, not selling in DMs
- 6. Ask close-ended questions to make it easy to reply
- 7. Track every conversation to avoid missed opportunities
- 8. Be a real person, not a boring corporate robot
- Final thoughts
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Takeaways
In this article, you’ll learn how to:
- Find warm prospects already engaging with you, no scraping lists or cold messaging required.
- Track and manage outreach in a simple pipeline so no conversations slip through the cracks.
- Create LinkedIn messages that actually get responses using a proven structure.
- Handle different types of replies and naturally guide the conversation toward a call.
- Follow up the right way to increase response rates without being annoying.
- Use best practices for ongoing success and turn LinkedIn into a steady source of leads.
Reading time: 15 minutes
Introduction
Most outreach on LinkedIn fails.
Messages go unread. Conversations don’t start. And even when someone does respond, it’s usually a ‘polite’ brush-off (rather than someone showing interest).
I've been there. In 2024, I spent five weeks firing messages into the void and got absolutely nowhere.
The problem isn’t LinkedIn. It’s how most people are using it.
Too many GTM teams treat LinkedIn like an email list, sending generic, templated messages to anyone who fits their ICP (ideal customer).
It worked, once upon a time. But not anymore
Here’s what I’ve learned (the hard way):
LinkedIn isn’t an email inbox. It’s a social platform, and people expect something real, and more authentic - everyone is beyond saturation point with ‘cold pitches’.
The good news? There’s a better way.
Warm outreach.
The kind of warm outreach that gets us 5-10 conversations everyday, and 2-3 high tickets sales calls every week.
It’s the same process that got one our clients 105 sales calls in just 6 weeks.
This is an email he wrote referring us to an associate ↓
Instead of reaching out to people who don’t know you, you focus on the people who have ‘already shown interest’, people who have engaged with your content, viewed your profile, or followed you.
These are the people most likely to respond, start a real conversation, and ultimately book a call, sign up or subscribe to your offer.
In this guide, I’ll break down a structured, repeatable process to:
- Find the right prospects without scraping lists or relying on outbound automation (though I’ll touch on that too)
- Start personalized conversations that actually lead to calls or signups
- Qualify leads without making them feel like they’re being interrogated
- Book more sales calls without sounding ‘salesy’, pushy, or desperate
If you’ve been struggling to turn LinkedIn conversations into booked meetings, I’ve spend a while testing, troubleshooting and falling flat on my face so that you can learn from my mistakes.
I hope this single article can save your team hours of wasted time, so that your efforts start giving you a measurable ROI.
Let’s get into it.
Why warm outreach works better than cold outreach
Most LinkedIn outreach fails because it’s cold and impersonal.
People are bombarded with copy-pasted connection requests and sales pitches disguised as friendly introductions. They’ve learned to ignore all messages that feel even remotely scripted.
Cold outreach forces you to convince people to talk to you - that’s hard. Warm outreach does the opposite, it leverages existing engagement to start conversations with people who already know who you are - that’s much easier.
The difference between warm and cold outreach
Cold outreach:
- Sending messages to people who have never heard of you
- Relying on generic templates that could be sent to anyone
- Getting ignored over 95% of the time
Warm outreach:
- Messaging people who have already engaged with you in some way
- Making every message personal and relevant
- Getting a much higher response rate because they recognize your name
Where to find warm prospects on LinkedIn
We’ll get into this in more detail shortly, but your best leads are ‘already interacting with you’, you just need to know where to look.
At a top level, here’s where to find them:
- Profile views – These people took the time to check you out. They saw your content or searched for you directly. Either way, they already have some level of interest. (This is largely the result of optimizing your headline - more on that soon).
- Likes and comments on recent posts – If someone is engaging with your content, they’re aware of you and your expertise. That makes them a natural person to start a conversation with.
- Recent followers – When someone follows you, it means they find your content valuable. Even if they haven’t engaged yet, they’re paying attention.
We’ll revisit this again later, but I always start with profile views first. These are the warmest prospects because they actively looked me up. Then, I move to engagement on my content, and finally, I check my recent followers.
Instead of wasting time on completely cold prospects, I focus on people who are already somewhere in my orbit. That alone makes responses more likely.
Here’s how:
Step 1: Finding the right prospects
Remember, the goal here isn’t to build a massive list of 1M+ ‘ideal prospects’. Believe me, it’s just as effective as doing this:
“Surely one went in!?”
As it relates to prospecting, “Surely we’ll get one sales call… surely!?”
No. You won’t.
It doesn’t work. You’ll never get leads this way. At least not anymore.
If you’ve tried the spray and pray approach before, you and the team don’t need reminding of the frustration you felt. And if you’re thinking of trying it, I’m about to save you hours of headache (and heartache).
The goal is to identify a focused group of high-quality prospects, people who are already aware of me and are most likely to engage in a conversation.
These are the three primary sources:
1. Profile views
The best place to start is with people who have viewed your LinkedIn profile. If someone took the time to check out my profile, there’s already some level of curiosity.
In my case, they might have seen my content, saw a comment I made somewhere, heard my name mentioned, or searched for a solution I provide.
To find them:
- Go to “My Network” on LinkedIn.
- Click “Who’s viewed your profile.”
- Scroll through and take note of anyone who matches your ideal client profile (ICP).
How to qualify profile viewers:
- Do they match the industry, job title, or company size I typically work with?
- Are they decision-makers or influencers in the buying process?
- Have they engaged with my content before?
- And so on… (based on however you qualify your ICP)
If the answer to any of these is ‘yes’, they go on my prospect list (we use HubSpot), and then I prospect them.
2. Engagement on recent posts
If someone has liked or commented on my LinkedIn post, that means they’ve already engaged with my ideas. That’s a strong signal they might be open to a conversation.
To find them:
- Open my latest posts.
- Click on the reactions (likes, claps, etc.) and scroll through the list.
- Check the comments to see who’s actively discussing the topic.
- Identify who fits my ICP.
How to qualify people who engage with my content:
- Is their comment thoughtful, or are they just leaving generic engagement?
- Have they engaged with my content more than once?
- Do they fit my ICP based on their profile?
People who comment are usually more engaged than people who only like a post. So I prioritize them first, before those who just liked my content.
3. Recent followers
When someone follows me, they’re signalling interest in my content or what I do, and have shown they want more (they want me in their feed). Even if they haven’t engaged yet, they’re paying attention.
N.B. Nearly all booked calls come from LinkedIn's "silent" users. These people quietly read and watch content but never engage, they simply follow. In fact, some of my ‘lowest performing’ posts (low impression count) brought in the highest ticket leads.
To find them:
- Go to “My Network.”
- Click on “Followers.”
- Scroll through the list and check profiles to see who fits my ICP.
Since these people already made the choice to follow me, they’re much warmer than a completely cold lead.
How to qualify new followers:
- Did they follow me after a specific post?
- Do they match my ICP in terms of industry, role, company size, and so on?
- Have they followed similar people in my space?
As I mentioned, even if a follower hasn’t engaged yet, they’re still a good candidate for outreach. Sometimes, they’re just passive consumers of content, and a direct message is what gets the conversation started.
Prioritizing outreach: Warmest to least warm
Not all warm leads are created equal. Some are hotter than others, and it makes sense to prioritize them in the right order.
I break my outreach into three levels:
- Hottest prospects: Profile viewers
- Warm prospects: People who engaged with my content (commenters first, then likes)
- Lukewarm prospects: Recent followers who haven’t engaged yet
I always start with the hottest prospects first before moving down the list. This increases my chances of quick wins and keeps my pipeline filled with high-quality conversations.
Before moving on to the next step, I aim to gather at least 20-30 high-quality prospects to prospect that week. This gives me enough volume to work with without overwhelming myself.
(And yes, there are ways we automate this process - we’ll get to that)
Next step: Now that I have my list, it’s time to record and track everything.
Step 2: Recording prospects in a pipeline
Once I’ve identified my prospects, the next step is tracking them properly. Keeping my outreach organized prevents leads from slipping through the cracks, helps me stay consistent, and makes follow-ups much easier.
A scattered outreach process leads to missed opportunities. Without a system in place, it’s easy to lose track of conversations, forget who I’ve already messaged, or fail to follow up at the right time.
Choosing the right tool
I use HubSpot for tracking my LinkedIn outreach, but any CRM, Notion database or spreadsheet will work. The important thing is having a simple way to:
- Record prospects before reaching out
- Track who I’ve messaged and when
- Update their status based on their response
The tool itself doesn’t matter as much as the process of staying organized.
You can download our free Notion pipeline template, if it’s helpful.
Why tracking matters (without stating the obvious)
LinkedIn is messy.
The interface is actually quite clunky compared to most other platforms.
So keeping a clear pipeline ensures that any efforts across multiple open tabs don't get lost. There’s nothing worse than realizing you haven't responded to a lead and missed a potential sale.
I’m not telling you to suck eggs - this is, I’m sure, very familiar given your expertise and line of work.
But without a pipeline, outreach on LinkedIn quickly becomes a guessing game - it’s not quite the same as managing cold emailing in Apollo.io and prospects deal stages updating automatically.
For me, conversations get lost in my inbox, follow-ups get forgotten, and the bottom line? I end up just wasting time, needlessly.
By recording and tracking everything, I:
- Always know exactly who I’ve reached out to and when
- Can follow up strategically instead of randomly
- Have a clear view of my progress and response rates
I know this seems obvious, but have witnessed it even in high-performing GTM teams.
With my pipeline set up, I’m ready to start creating my first outreach message.
Step 3: Defining an outreach question that works (with examples and screenshots!)
Now we get to the part you've been waiting for.
Here’s the formula we’ve used to get as high as a 50% response rate. Here’s a screenshot from from analytics tools we use. This is a typical week, give or take ↓
(Of course, these results depend on having key elements in place: like a compelling offer, well-defined target audience, authoritative content, and so on)
Most LinkedIn outreach fails because it’s either too aggressive, too ‘salesy’ or too vague.
Some messages jump straight into a pitch, which turns people off immediately. Others are so open-ended that they give the prospect no reason to respond.
A good outreach message needs to do two things:
- Make it easy for the prospect to reply – The simpler the question, the better.
- Lead naturally to a sales conversation – Without making the prospect feel like they’re being sold to.
The best way to achieve both is to ask a qualifying question that uncovers a pain point.
The structure of a good qualifying question
N.B. this step (step 3) will only work if it’s paired with everything in step 4 - so keep reading. A good qualifying question is only half the fight.
Now I use a simple formula for my outreach question:
“How’s [goal] progressing - is it going well / proving fruitful?”
This question works because:
- It’s easy to answer – It’s a yes/no question, which removes friction.
- It quickly reveals if they have a problem – If things aren’t going well, they’ll tell me.
- It naturally leads to a follow-up conversation – I can continue the discussion based on their response.
Examples of effective outreach questions (with real-life screenshots)
The specific goal I reference depends on what I help clients with. Here are a few examples:
- If I help companies with lead generation:
“How’s LinkedIn lead-gen going - is it going well / proving fruitful?”
- If I help sales teams improve their outbound efforts:
“How’s outbound sales going for you and the team this quarter - you been seeing great results?”
- If I help executives with leadership coaching:
“How’s team performance been lately for you as [title] - are they smashing it?”
- If I work in AI and automation
“Mind me asking how AI has been impacting you and the team / is it proving fruitful / been easy to implement?”
The goal is to ask a question that makes the prospect think, “Actually, things could be better…”
If they have a problem, they’ll likely mention it.
If they’re doing well, I can pivot the conversation by asking about their next goal (which I’ll cover in the messaging step).
Here’s the one I typically use:
Why this works better than generic outreach
Most outreach messages either:
- Go straight into a pitch (“We help companies generate more leads. Our company is [very prestigious], and we’ve helped [all these clients]. Let me know if you’re interested.”)
- Are too broad to spark a conversation (“How’s business going?”)
A good outreach question sits in the middle, specific enough to be relevant, but open enough to encourage a reply.
Once I’ve defined my outreach question, I’m ready to create my ‘icebreaker’.
Step 4: Sending the first message
Now that I have my list of prospects and a strong qualifying question, it’s time to create the first message / aka. ‘icebreaker’. This is where a lot of outreach goes wrong.
The goal isn’t to sell or pitch immediately. It’s to start a genuine conversation that can lead to a booked call.
What the first message should accomplish
The first message needs to do two things:
- Break the ice with a personalized compliment – this shows the message isn’t copy-pasted and makes the prospect more likely to engage.
- Ask the qualifying question (which we covered in the previous step) – this moves the conversation toward discovering a potential pain point or challenge.
Writing a personalized compliment (the first part of your message)
A personalized compliment makes the message feel genuine and shows that I’ve put thought into reaching out. It should be specific, short, and relevant to the prospect.
Why?
Without this personal touch, you're violating a fundamental, age-old rule that most sales professionals have completely forgotten about.
I think it was best put by Earl Nighting from ‘Lead the Field’. And I quote…
“Have you ever stopped to think of this: Every human being on earth is the most important human being on earth, as far as he or she is concerned. You may never get anyone to admit it, but it’s a fact. There’s nothing in the world that men, women, and children want and need more than the feeling that they’re important, that they’re seen, validated, needed and respected. They will give their love, their affection, their respect, and their business to the person who fills this need… ”
In recent years, quotas, data and balance sheets have taken precedence over some core fundamentals in most sales and marketing.
By forgetting the basics, teams have become distracted and now rely on gimmicks to win attention - and we’ve all been on the receiving ends of those.
That's why the majority fail to cut through the noise.
So, where to find something to compliment:
- Recent content – If they’ve posted something interesting, highlight it.
- Their profile – Look at their About section, experience, or any awards/achievements.
- Their product or service – If they have strong offer, cool features or great branding, mention it.
- Common ground – If I see something we share in common (e.g., industry experience, mutual interests), I’ll reference that.
In my honest opinion, these aren't the best ice-breakers I've written (I'd say they're pretty average), but you can see that simply acknowledging prospects triggers a completely different response, when done right.
Guidelines for writing a good compliment
- Be specific – Instead of “I liked your post,” say, “I loved your take on [specific topic].” If it can be copied and pasted for anyone, it’s likely going to have less impact.
- Keep it short – A couple of lines are enough. Long compliments can feel forced. I tend to stick to a rule of max 2. lines for both my ice-breaker compliment and qualifying question.
- Make it relevant – Compliment them on something they likely care about (e.g., a founder will care deeply about their product, not their favorite TV show). Always relate it to professional topics that matter most to their role as CEO, VP of Marketing, etc.
- Avoid being overly formal – This should feel conversational, not like a corporate email. Use simple language, no jargon or clunky corporate speak. ‘8th grade-level English’ will get much better results (… works great as a ChatGPT prompt too).
Examples of good compliments:
🚫 Bad example:
“Hey [Name], nice profile!”
✅ Good example:
“Hey [Name], I enjoyed your recent post on scaling teams. I think we all wish we'd learned the "hiring slow and firing fast" principle sooner :)”
🚫 Bad example:
“Hey [Name], great job on your branding.”
✅ Good example:
“Hey [Name], the branding on your site it killer. Just watched your video on [provide specific reference]. Congrats :)”
Putting it all together
Now that I have my compliment and qualifying question, I combine them into a simple, conversational message.
Template for the first message:
“Hey [Name] - [compliment] :)How’s [goal] going? Is it going well?”
Example message:
This message feels natural, opens the conversation, and leads the prospect toward discussing a potential challenge or goal.
When you’re new to warm outreach, it always involves a bit of trial and error, and sometimes leading with a compliment alone is enough to open the conversation:
Avoiding common mistakes
- Don’t make the message too long – The prospect should be able to read it at a glance.
- Don’t jump straight into a pitch – This feels pushy and turns people off.
- Don’t use overly formal language – LinkedIn is a social platform, so the tone should be conversational.
- Don’t send generic compliments – If the message feels copy-pasted, they’ll know, and it’ll likely be ignored.
With my first message sent, the next step is knowing how to handle different types of responses.
Step 5: Handling responses and moving them toward a call
Once I send the first message, the real work begins.
Outreach isn’t just about sending DMs, it’s about managing responses and guiding the conversation toward a call. This is where most people either get stuck or come across as too pushy.
I break responses into two categories:
- They have a problem (ideal response) – Move toward a call.
- They don’t have a problem (or they say things are “going well”) – Dig deeper and shift the conversation.
How I respond depends on what they say, but the goal remains the same: keep the conversation moving and get them on a call.
Here’s a top shot of what the workflow looks like:
If they signal “it’s not great” (Path 1)
This is the best-case scenario. If someone says they’re struggling with their goal, they’re opening the door for a deeper conversation.
How to respond:
- Acknowledge what they said – This makes the conversation feel natural instead of transactional.
- Offer a call to help them solve the problem – Keep it low-pressure and framed as a conversation, not a pitch.
Example response:
Acknowledge: “I hear you Mohsin :) LinkedIn can be incredibly adbundant, but has quite a few moving parts, so to speak. Ask for call: Wondering if I can help fill your pipeline - is it worth us jumping on for 20 mins and I can show you a proven system we use for clients?
If they signal things are “going great” (Path 2)
Not every prospect will immediately admit to a problem. Some might say things are fine, even if there’s room for improvement.
Instead of ending the conversation (like the majority do), I shift the focus to their next goal.
How to respond:
- Acknowledge what they said – This keeps the conversation natural.
- Ask about their next goal – Give them multiple options to make it easier to answer.
Example response:
This works because it gently nudges them toward thinking about areas where they could improve. If they share a goal that aligns with what I help with, I can transition to a call.
The angle here is that “I’m helping them hit that goal faster”.
If they throw me a ‘curve ball’… (less common, but not uncommon)
In the case above, it was a perfect fit (right timing, ideal customer profile, etc.). However, there will be times when prospects raise objections, or are on to you - and will simply ask you to "pitch it."
In the following example, I was asked exactly that after my outreach question. Dimitris didn’t answer the outreach question, but instead came back with: “What’s your offer?”
In this example, I’m still using the formula:
- Acknowledge what they said – This keeps the conversation natural.
- Ask a question – Give them multiple options, or to make it easier to answer.
As a general rule of thumb, if you end any message with a statement instead than a question, 9 times out of 10 - the conversation dies. Always round off your replies with a question that keeps the conversation moving towards the call.
(Imagine you’re a doctor ‘diagnosing the patient’. You ask questions to uncover pain so that you can provide the appropriate solution or followup question).
Remember, people love to talk about their problems, and they appreciate you being a listening ear.
You'll find that you'll be reusing many of the talking points, as most conversations will be slight variations of the same thing.
If they don’t respond
Sometimes, a prospect will read the message and not reply. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re uninterested, people are busy, and messages get buried. Despite us living in a golden era, most of us have never been so time-poor.
I follow up once or twice before closing the conversation.
How to follow up:
- First follow-up (2–3 days later):
“Hey [Name], just bringing this to the top of your inbox, would love to hear your thoughts.”
- Second follow-up (if needed, 5–7 days later):
“Hey [Name], totally get that things get busy. If now’s not the right time, no worries, just let me know.”
Better still? Try sending a voice note. I cannot emphasize enough how important follow-ups are. People are busy, and chances are they simply haven't gotten around to responding yet.
If they still don’t reply after that, I move on and update their status in my pipeline.
Moving the conversation to a call
Once a prospect has shared a problem or a goal, the final step is booking a call.
How to offer a call:
- Make it low-pressure – It should feel like a conversation, not a commitment.
- Give a clear next step – Instead of “Let me know if you’re interested,” I ask if they’re open to a quick call.
Example call invite:
If they agree, I send them a link to book a time.
If they say no, I keep the relationship warm for future opportunities. (There’s literally no harm sending “Wishing you all the very best for the coming weeks. Bye for now.”)
We also teach our clients proven techniques (if you don't already use them) that create urgency, scarcity, and motivate prospects to take action, without being pushy.
Managing responses in my pipeline
After each response, I update my Notion pipeline to reflect the next step:
✅ If they book a call → Change their status to “Meeting Booked.”
⏳ If they’re interested but not ready yet → Change their status to “Future Follow-Up.”
❌ If they aren’t interested or don’t respond → Change their status to “Not Interested.”
And so on.
This ensures I always know where each conversation stands and never lose track of potential opportunities.
(Let’s recap!) Best practices for warm LinkedIn outreach
Warm outreach works best when it’s consistent, personalized, and structured. But even with the right process in place, if you begin defying some of these basic rules, it can lower response rates and make conversations feel forced.
To keep my outreach as effective as possible, I follow these best practices.
1. Approach outreach with curiosity, not salesmanship
People ignore salesy messages because they feel like a pitch, not a conversation - it makes them feel insignificant (remember the Earl Nightingale quote above). Instead of acting like I already have the perfect solution for them, I take a curious approach.
🚫 Wrong: “I’m confident I can help you get more leads.”
✅ Better: “I’d be curious to see if I can help, worth a quick chat?”
This small shift makes a big difference.
It removes pressure from the prospect and makes them more open to talking.
2. Personalize every message
People can tell when a message is copy-pasted. If it looks like I’m sending the same thing to 100 people, they’ll ignore it.
I try to make sure every message has:
- A specific compliment about their content, profile, or work
- A relevant question tied to their industry or challenges
- A natural tone that doesn’t feel robotic
🚫 Wrong: “Hey [Name], love your profile. How’s business going?”
✅ Better: “Hey [Name], I saw your post about [specific topic], really liked your perspective. Nice job :) How’s [specific goal] going for you - are things progressing well?”
3. Keep messages short and easy to read
If a message is too long, it won’t get read. I aim to keep my first message 2-3 short sentences. The goal is to start a conversation, not explain everything in one go.
🚫 Wrong:
“Hey [Name], I saw your profile and wanted to connect / build me network / have nothing else to say. I run a consultancy that helps companies generate leads through LinkedIn - me, me, oh wait, more me! We work with [company type] to create a repeatable system for booking calls. Let me know if you’d be open to chatting to buy our stuff.”
✅ Better:
“Hey [Name], [short compliment they’d care about]. Congrats :)
How’s [goal] progressing - Is it going well?”
Simple messages get more replies.
4. Follow up without being annoying
People get busy, and LinkedIn messages get buried. Just because someone doesn’t respond right away doesn’t mean they aren’t interested. A well-timed follow-up can double response rates.
Here’s my follow-up approach:
- Follow-up #1 (2–3 days later):
“Hey [Name], just bringing this to the top of your inbox, would love to hear your thoughts.”
- Follow-up #2 (if needed, 5–7 days later):
“Hey [Name], totally get that things get busy. If now’s not the right time, no worries, just let me know.”
Experiment with different followups to see what lands best for your ICP.
If they still don’t respond, I move on and update their status in my pipeline. Don’t be annoying. Sometimes they come back to you, but never when you rub them up the wrong way. Hard sells and pushy salesmanship doesn’t work in 2025.
5. Focus on booking calls, not selling in DMs
DMs aren’t the place to pitch or close deals. My only goal is to start a conversation that leads to a call.
🚫 Wrong: “We help companies improve lead-gen. Want to see how we can help you?”
✅ Better: “I’d love to learn more about what you’re working on and see if I can help. Want to set up a quick call this week?”
By keeping it low-pressure, it makes it easier for prospects to say yes. There are times, however, when asking “Want to see how I can help you?” can work. But a simple principle I follow is to share examples from your existing clients.
For instance, you might say "Yeah, a lot of our clients were experiencing that issue too. Would you be interested in learning the process we use to help them achieve [goal]?"
It takes the emphasis away from selling and makes it more about education, sharing insights, etc.
6. Ask close-ended questions to make it easy to reply
If I ask an open-ended question, people are less likely to respond because it takes more effort. Instead, I ask yes/no questions to make it simple.
🚫 Wrong: “How’s LinkedIn working for you?”
✅ Better: “Is LinkedIn lead-gen going well for you?”
Close-ended questions make it easier for people to reply quickly, which keeps the conversation flowing.
7. Track every conversation to avoid missed opportunities
The best outreach strategy in the world won’t work if I don’t track my progress. Keeping an organized pipeline prevents me from:
- Forgetting to follow up
- Losing track of warm prospects
Every time I send a message or get a response, I update my CRM pipeline to reflect the next step.
8. Be a real person, not a boring corporate robot
People want to connect with humans, not sales reps — we’re hard wired social creatures in desperate need for validation. Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves, or enlightened.
The more natural my messages feel, the better my results.
I keep my tone conversational by:
- Dropping the corporate jargon (“synergy,” “solutions,” “cutting-edge”, or anything that sounds like AI)
- Writing like I talk, short, direct, and conversational
- Injecting some personality if it makes sense (e.g., a light joke or friendly tone)
🚫 Wrong:
“Hi [Name], I wanted to reach out regarding your organization’s sales pipeline efficiency and discuss potential synergies that could drive growth.”
✅ Better:
“Hey [Name], well done on the recent round. Exciting (and busy) times ahead for you and the team no doubt. Huge milestone. Congrats :)
How’s your outbound process working for you right now?”
When my messages feel natural, prospects respond naturally.
Final thoughts
Warm outreach on LinkedIn is one of the most effective ways to book more sales calls.
Instead of blasting cold messages to strangers, I focus on people who are already engaging with me, making conversations easier and response rates higher.
The biggest concern people have with this is that it’s “not fast enough”, but having been round and round for months on end, you’ll save a lot of time on cold prospecting that feels fast, but produces no results.
Here’s the full process at a glance:
- Find the right prospects – Profile viewers, content engagers, and recent followers.
- Track every outreach attempt – Keep a simple Notion or CRM pipeline.
- Create the right message – Personalized compliment + qualifying question.
- Handle responses properly – Guide the conversation toward a call.
- Follow best practices – Stay consistent, track results, and refine the approach.
This isn’t about mass messaging or hoping to get lucky.
Cliché ALERT: It’s about starting real conversations that lead to real business opportunities.
When implemented correctly, this approach generating an average 5-10 natural conversations a day and 2-3 high-quality sales calls per week for clients, without feeling forced.
Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you:
- I can handle your LinkedIn for you: You’re busy. I get it. That’s why we take LinkedIn off your plate entirely. From creating content to managing outreach, we drive visibility, build authority, and fill your pipeline with qualified opportunities, so you can focus on growing your business. Here’s my Calendly.
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