LinkedIn prospecting works best when you combine a tight process with clear, conversational text and low-friction offers (short video, checklist, portal access).
Lead with one sharp question, follow with value, and reserve humour or visuals for bubble-ups (low-pressure follow-ups). Measure replies, not just accepts, and stop after 3–4 unanswered DMs per contact.
Are you ready to level up your LinkedIn prospecting game? With sales rep insights, let’s get into our top tips and the process behind them.👇
Here’s a LinkedIn prospecting process with exact steps, techniques, and tools that have helped book meetings with enterprise clients.
The key to impactful LinkedIn prospecting is getting to know the person on your target account list. This means diving deep into their profile and identifying the details that can help you connect meaningfully.
Here’s what to focus on:
More pro tips:
Mine job postings. They’re gold for role responsibilities, tools in use, and pain points.
Scan for triggers like funding, new hires, or leadership posts that your execs could engage with.
Here’s a simple opener: send a connection request and a short note asking permission to share a voice note.
Why it works:
Respectful and low-friction.
Sets up a native voice or video follow-up (higher trust than links).
If this isn’t your style, there are plenty of other first-message frameworks to try:
Problem check: “Quick one; are customers asking for SOC 2/ISO 27001 this quarter?”
Roadmap probe: “Didn’t see [initiative] on your site. Is it on the FY25 roadmap or already covered?”
Offer-first: “I put together a 2-min walkthrough on how [customer] reduced review time by 30%. Want me to send it?”
💡 Check out LinkedIn message templates.
Pro tip: Read your message out loud before sending it. If you stumble or it feels stiff, trim it down. Some reps even draft via voice-to-text and then clean up.
After no response, maybe it’s time to shift tactics? We know an SDR at Cognism who sent a GIF of the comedy character Mr Bean checking his wristwatch impatiently—a humorous nudge about the wait.
The only reply was a laughing emoji.
Undeterred, the rep saw this as a positive sign. And told us:
“He replied with a laughing emoji, so I started sending GIFs daily.”
“After a while, he replied, saying, ‘Okay, you’ve earned 15 minutes of my time.’”
“Unless they go ‘please stop not interested’, keep following up because they will eventually answer.”
Persistence can pay off. But there are some guardrails when it comes to humour in outbound prospecting on LinkedIn:
Humour is a seasoning, not the main dish.
Keep it professional.
Save it for bubble-ups, not openers.
So what are the takeaways?
Most prospects don’t reply right away. That’s normal. Instead of spamming or giving up, use a bubble-up. A short, respectful follow-up that “floats” your message back to the top without pressure.
Why they work:
Short and human (think like two lines of text).
No guilt or passive-aggressive “bumping again!!!” vibes.
Give the prospect an easy out if timing’s wrong.
When to use:
2–4 days after your opener.
Once more, later in your cadence.
If two bubble-ups get nothing, it’s time to switch to another contact or channel.
Examples of bubble-ups you can use:
“Circling back in case this slipped — happy to close the loop if not a priority.”
“Wrong timing - okay if I check in from time-to-time?”
“Sharing the 2-min checklist I mentioned below - might save you time on SOC 2 prep.”
Voice note (15s): “Flagging the SOC 2 question - totally fine if it’s a ‘not now’.”
Humour: “Me waiting on FY25 roadmap 👀. Parking this till Q1?”
No-CTA bump: “FYI: peer team cut review time 30% with the checklist I sent below.”
👉 Think of bubble-ups as a gentle tap on the shoulder.
Cognism’s Browser Extension is the go-to tool for anyone serious about LinkedIn prospecting. It lets users gain data points such as business emails, phone-verified mobile numbers, co-workers, company intel, and intent signals.
Plus, reps can quickly import lots of contacts directly into tools like Salesforce or Outreach or enrich Sales Navigator lists.
Users can also use the extension to research prospects outside LinkedIn, e.g., while browsing corporate websites. This makes it a perfect SDR tool.
Here are a few other ways to find emails on LinkedIn.
When using LinkedIn for sales prospecting, having timely knowledge can set you miles ahead of the competition. Identifying companies that are actively seeking solutions or showing market interest is crucial.
This is where Cognism’s intent and signal data come into play. It gives you direct insights, pointing you towards businesses that show a genuine interest in making a purchase.
The value of a well-defined prospecting cadence can’t be overstated. Without it, your prospecting on LinkedIn will become scattered and ineffective.
Mapping out a structured approach and building cadences that include key channels, such as phone, email, LinkedIn, and video, increases the likelihood of your prospects responding.
More touchpoints mean you won’t be bombarding your prospects on LinkedIn; the idea is to make your approach as value-led as possible.
Example mini-cadences:
IT / Security Leader
RevOps / SDR Leader
Prospecting into enterprise accounts requires a multithreading approach. It means reaching out to different people in different departments.
You can use LinkedIn to engage prospects in different teams at once and help them see the value of your product before you initiate a demo.
Take your time to understand how people in different departments respond to things. For example, Legal might respond better to LinkedIn prospecting messages that mention compliance, while RevOps will probably be more interested in how your solution streamlines processes.
You may also find that different departments are based in other territories, which is not uncommon with enterprise orgs. To navigate that, you can just send LinkedIn messages at a convenient time for your prospect.
Try our international expansion zone if you’re breaking into a new market.
The more tailored your outreach on LinkedIn, the higher the likelihood of a positive response. It’s about merging the professional with the personal, striking a balance that grabs attention.
Here are some tips for personalised LinkedIn prospecting:
Remember, the goal is to make your prospect feel recognised and appreciated, not just another contact on a list.
Shared connections can open doors in unexpected ways. When you and a prospect have mutual acquaintances, it lays a foundation of trust.
Here are some suggestions to make the most of these connections:
Even the best LinkedIn outreach playbook isn’t “set and forget.” What works for one ICP, quarter, or persona may flop for another. Top-performing reps constantly test, track, and adapt.
How to apply it:
A/B test your openers: Compare a question-led message vs. an offer-first.
Track reply types, not just reply rates: Note positive, neutral, negative, and ignore. This shows whether to double down or pivot.
Experiment with CTAs: Try permission-based (“mind if I check in?”), offer-led (“want the checklist?”), and classic (“open to a quick call?”).
Refine with feedback: If a prospect says “not now,” ask when would be better, and log that for cadence tweaks.
Document learnings: Keep a living playbook (e.g. Notion, Google Doc) of what worked, for which persona, and when.
Native LinkedIn video (mobile-only): record directly in DMs with no extra clicks.
Voice notes: stand out, especially for bubble-ups.
GIFs & memes: use as pattern interrupt, never use as an opener.
AI video: getting better, but still feels inauthentic. It’s best for SMB/volume, not execs & hybrid hacks exist (record once, reuse), but use cautiously.
No. Leading with a pitch usually kills interest. Build context first, then earn the right to suggest a call.
Yes. With 900M+ users and advanced filters, it’s the #1 B2B network. Pair it with verified contact data and intent signals for real results.
Yes. Advanced search helps you target by role, size, industry, and mutuals.
AEs: 10–15 quality contacts/day. SDRs: more, but consistency > sprints.
Only as a last resort. Keep it short, ultra-specific, and offer-led.
Neither matters as much as being clear and human. Execs especially prefer shorter, to-the-point notes.
Winning on LinkedIn comes down to clarity, consistency, and creativity. Research deeply, send concise messages, and use bubble-ups to stay present without being pushy. Layer in humour, video, or offers to stand out, but always keep it human—the reps who do this book more meetings.