LinkedIn Prospecting Messages: How to Write Them and Useful Examples
Updated: Mar 15, 2022
Connecting with buyers is tough. Connecting with buyers as of 2022 is even tougher.
Luckily, LinkedIn makes things a bit easier by bringing you closer to prospects through the lens of B2B social engagement. This, combined with its high reach, is a veritable goldmine for effective personalization and killer response rates for those prepared to put the effort in.
We know how prospecting and creating the right sales message can be tricky, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. We want you to succeed, so we gathered a few insights and LinkedIn prospecting message examples to help you out in your outreach efforts. #sharingiscaring
The Perfect LinkedIn Prospecting Message. But is it?
Is there such a thing as a unicorn in the LinkedIn messaging world? According to Hubspot, yes and it has the following core elements:
Salutation with prospect’s first name. It provides a certain degree of familiarity. A title followed by a last name might be too formal for a LinkedIn message and not ideal to break the ice.
Identification. Makes your prospects’ work easier and lets them concentrate on the actual content of the message.
Common ground. Finding commonalities between you and your prospects is a good way to break the ice and make the conversation flow more naturally. Sharing something you both share early on can boost your credibility and encourage them to read what you have to communicate.
Meaningful observation. This is a prospect-focused remark based on your research. It can be about something the prospect posted/commented on, a case study published by the prospect’s company, or any other information you find relevant.
Resource offer. Based on the observation you did before, this is where you can offer something productive and relevant that may help your prospect evolve. It can include a wide variety of resources such as the link to another similar post, a reading recommendation, or a video by an expert.
Question. It’s the perfect conversation starter. A pertinent question should address a need or problem that your prospect might be experiencing.
Interest. Should also be buyer-centric. Showing that you’re curious in hearing their take on the question you’ve raised before is a good way to get the prospect involved in the conversation.
Request. The perfect LinkedIn message should end with a call to action. As a sales rep, you need to define the next steps and lead the conversation to where you want it to go - meeting? quick call? email exchange? - it’s up to you.
All of these eight elements are pertinent in a connection request message and the structure is spot on, but doesn’t it sound a bit extensive? Practically, let’s see how it comes together.
Hello [Prospect’s first name],
My name is [your name] and I work for [company]. We're both [commonality], and I saw your [observation] and thought it was really compelling.
It reminded me of [resource offer].
[Relevant question about a certain need or problem ]? I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Can we set up [next steps]?
Best,
[Your Name]
This would be a great example of an InMail message, which is part of LinkedIn’s paid Premium service. However, it’s worth remembering that the ‘regular’ LinkedIn only allows 300 character messages for connection requests which is why we advise you to use this real estate wisely and strive to be more efficient with your opener. Stay tuned to know how…The excitement!!!
How to Write Effective LinkedIn Prospecting Messages?
Do your research
A good prospecting strategy always comes after defining your Ideal Customer Profile, ICP, so make sure you’ve thought about this before starting.
In B2B sales, your ICP acts as a compass to help you determine the people who matter most for your business, which means it allows you to be sure that you’re reaching out to the right people. Read more on how to define your ideal customer profile.
So you have your ICP, you’ve looked for a matching profile on LinkedIn and you found a great prospect. What to do next?
Take notes! Lots of notes!
Head to your prospect’s profile page and take note of any useful information. Read their “About” section, go through their professional experience and academic background, and maybe have a look at the skills and endorsements. Look for things that you have in common or that you value as a professional. Write them down!
You should then move to their feed. Read through what your prospect has published recently, engage with it, and maybe even leave a comment (a meaningful one though). A prospect’s LinkedIn feed is one of the best sources of information you can use to write kickass LinkedIn prospecting messages.
Ok, all this seems very straightforward, but what if the prospect has privacy issues and doesn’t like to share a lot on social media? It’s legit.
Well, in these cases where a prospect’s profile doesn't have the juicy info you’re looking for, move to the company’s LinkedIn page or website. Look for their latest achievements and core values. Everyone enjoys being acknowledged and a company’s ethos is usually always relatable.
You might also want to check out other free resources like Crunchbase and review websites while foraging for company information.
Why do all this? Why is researching information on your prospects so important? It’ll provide you with valuable insights that you can use to personalize your messages. Stats say that 72% of consumers say they only engage with personalized messaging, that’s why.
The research is probably the most important part of the whole messaging process and the one that takes the longest to achieve. If you’d like to know how you can make this process quicker click on the button below.
Structure and personalize your message
You’ve gathered all the information you could on the prospect. It’s time to compile it, shape it, and get the personalization on. In a nutshell, we recommend three essential steps:
Introduce yourself – you should start by introducing yourself. Let your prospects know who you are and what company you work for. You must give information to receive information.
Connect on common ground or complement their work – you should then show you’ve done your research and personalize your message. Studies reveal a 46% increase in message response rate when there’s a shared interest, skill, or industry group, so if you have any, make sure to mention it. In the absence of similarities between you, choose to send a message with a complimentary tone or praising a specific post/comment, but don’t overdo it, it’s easy to spot shameless flattery.
Make your intentions clear – outline the purpose of your connection request. Whether you want to expand your network or introduce your business, being clear about what you intend to get out of the connection is a good way to set the right expectations.
The final result should be a short and empathetic message with a clear call to action. ‘Oh but I want an example!’, you got it! For practical reasons, let’s say Joseph is the prospect, and Julia from OneShot the SDR working her magic.
Connection Request Message Example
Hi Joseph,
I’m Julia from OneShot and I found your post on prospecting in 2022 really insightful, very useful info on personalization too. I’ve been following [prospect company’s name] work and I’d like to introduce you to OneShot’s hyper-personalized world. Shall we have a quick chat?
Have a great day!
Julia, SDR at OneShot
Following up and follow-up message examples
After that first message, you can apply some of Hubspot’s suggestions we mentioned earlier. Offer resources, raise questions, and even make further observations, there’s no character limitation, but don’t pretend you're Hemingway alright?
Buyers have more things to do, and so do you…
Here are a few follow up message on LinkedIn examples divided according to the previous interaction:
New connections that didn’t respond
Goal: to drive the prospect to engage in the conversation.
Hi Joseph,
I recently visited {Company’s name} website and watched your webinar on LinkedIn Prospecting, it was spot on! OneShot also believes in the power of personalization in the sales process, I’d love to share some ideas with you and show you how we do it.
Let me know. Have a great day!
Best,
Julia
Warm Leads who need a push
Goal: to push the lead to actually follow the next steps that were previously agreed upon.
Hi Joseph,
I was listening to a talk on AI and its role in the B2B industry, and it reminded me of our last conversation. Here’s a great article I found on the matter [link]. I’d love to discuss it with you. Are you still up for a quick chat? Let me know how your calendar is this week.
Have a great day,
Julia
Cold leads recovering from hypothermia
Goal: to engage with the lead in a meaningful way so she or he can remember you when needed.
Hi Joseph,
Read your latest post on cold calling and I couldn’t agree more. I personally still struggle with it sometimes… Thank you for sharing!
Best,
Julia
Other Useful Examples of LinkedIn Prospecting Messages
Promotions and content posting are perfect cheeky excuses to reach out to your prospects and get the conversation flowing. Here are some examples of how you can do it.
Congratulations Message
Hey Joseph,
Just wanted to reach out and congratulate you on [their recent accomplishment].
I look forward to seeing you revolutionize [their field].
Best,
Julia
Complimentary Message
Hi Joseph,
I wanted to let you know that I read your [piece of content] on [subject] and was really impressed by how insightful it was.
I was particularly struck by [reference to a specific point in the content]. I was wondering if you had any thoughts about [open and relevant question considering the matter]
Have a good one,
Julia
Offering Resources
Hey Joseph,
I read your [piece of content] about [subject] and was struck by how insightful it was.
I read something on the matter as well, here’s the link, and please let me know what you think: [link to another piece of content relevant to the conversation]
Have a nice day,
Julia
Want to know how to successfully approach prospects and conduct follow-ups? Click here to find out!