The 5 best outreach templates you can use when prospecting on LinkedIn

There is no shortage of prospects out there on LinkedIn.

At last count there were more than 600 million members spanning 200+ countries.

Which means that no matter what you’re selling, who you’re selling it to, or where you’re hoping to sell it, you shouldn’t have trouble finding an inviting pool of leads to dive into.

The LinkedIn outreach mechanics

Outreach is pretty straightforward on LinkedIn.

Premium members can send outreach messages to anybody on the network. Those yet to join the club, however, must purchase InMail Credits or limit themselves to those they already have a prior connection with.

The LinkedIn outreach strategy

LinkedIn outreach is similar to outreach messages sent by email. So, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel here!

The ground rules are:

1. Keep the tone friendly
2. Find some common ground
3. Keep it short
4. Keep it personal

If you want a bit of scaffolding building up over this you can find the golden rules of prospecting here.

Let’s take a look at how our ground rules translate into five templates that you can drop when using LinkedIn for outreach.

The LinkedIn outreach templates

#1 In which a mutual connection is enlisted

Pointing out a mutual connection gives you the perfect icebreaker. It provides context to your request, establishes a bond, and helps you gain instant trust and authority.

[name], just a quick note to say ‘hi’.

I saw that we’re both connected with [mutual connection’s name], and wanted to reach out.

Seeing that you [are in the same industry as / went to the same school / share the same field of interest, etc.] as [mutual connection], I thought it might be useful for us to connect as well.

I was hoping to share some details about the work I’m doing with [name of company whose product you are pitching]. I think it will be of interest.

Best,

[your name]

#2 In which a common group is discovered

You will find that shared connections will actually go a lot further than you may at first have imagined.

However, not having a mutual connection is not exactly a showstopper: simply  look for other shared experiences you may have.

A great place to start – and one that you can expand to your heart’s content – is membership of the same LinkedIn group.

Hi [name],

Hope your *|WEEKDAY|* is going to plan.

Just a quick note by way of an introduction: I’m [your name] from [your company] and have been following the thread about [something they commented on in the group] in the [LinkedIn Group] group.

As we’re both members and interested in similar areas, I was hoping you may be open to hearing a couple of thoughts that may help you out with this.

Any interest in setting up a 10-minute call later this week?

Thanks!

[Your name]

#3 In which you ditch the pretence and go short and sweet

Shorter is often better when it comes to cold outreach: sometimes the less you say the more chance of a response you have.

The winning formula here is this: think of your opening message as being less about making a sale and more about making a connection.

And this connection is what will later lead to a sale.

Hi [name]

Hope you’re well!

I found your profile through [mutual connection / mutual group / mutual school] and was hoping we could connect.

Nothing super urgent – happy to touch base online or on the phone.

[Your name]

#4 In which you put your best pitch forward

Depending on the role or industry of the person you are contacting, it can sometimes be effective to just make that pitch.

Transparency can be very alluring, after all.

Bear in mind that you’re not likely to make the sale in this initial outreach message – but you may gain brownie points for being forthright.

Hi [name],

I’m working with [name of company whose product/service you’re pitching] and they’ve developed a [short description of product/service] that I think would fit in really well with what you’re doing at [lead’s company name].

There’s a couple of [industry of lead] case studies that look directly relevant for you.

Any interest in connecting to discuss?

Best,

[Your name]

#5 In which a little flattery gets you everywhere

Be nice.

It doesn’t hurt and it’s pretty much always appreciated.

When you show your appreciation for the work that someone does – or the comments/posts they make – they’re likely to respond favourably.

Hi [name],

Just wanted to drop a note of appreciation.

I’ve been following posts on LinkedIn about [something they have posted on] and what you said about [something recent they posted on] really rang some bells with me.

I’ve actually got some interesting examples of this that I’d like to share with you from my work in the [lead’s industry] space.

If you’re open to it, and have time for a 10-minute chat, I’d love to discuss. Is there a good time for a quick phone call later this week?

Best,

[Your name]

Your next steps

So, there you have five templates that can be flexibly used for LinkedIn outreach.

Keep an eye on those response rates and adjust accordingly.

And don’t forget to share your best templates with us – it’s only fair!