If you're tired of manually trawling LinkedIn for sales leads, collecting info in a spreadsheet, and copy-pasting the same messages over and over—you're in the right place. This guide is for people who want to automate the boring parts of LinkedIn lead generation, but don't want to spend weeks learning how to code. We'll use Bardeen, a browser automation tool, to set up simple workflows that save you real time.
No hype—just what works, what doesn't, and what to watch out for.
Why Automate LinkedIn Lead Generation?
Let's be honest: LinkedIn can be a goldmine, but finding and contacting leads by hand gets old fast. Automation helps you:
- Save hours every week.
- Reduce copy-paste errors.
- Keep your outreach consistent (no more “oops, forgot to follow up” moments).
- Focus on actual conversations, not grunt work.
But automation isn't magic. If you expect it to close deals for you, you'll be disappointed. What it can do is get your leads into one place, tee up your outreach, and keep you organized.
What Is Bardeen, and Why Use It for LinkedIn?
Bardeen is a Chrome extension that automates stuff you do in your browser—think of it as a digital robot assistant for your tabs. Unlike most clunky automation tools, Bardeen is built for non-coders. You can set up workflows (they call them "playbooks") that scrape data from LinkedIn, send it to your CRM, or fire off emails.
Why use Bardeen instead of other tools?
- It's free to start.
- No coding required—drag, drop, and go.
- Works directly in Chrome, so you can see what it's doing.
- It respects LinkedIn's limits better than shady bots.
But, it's not a silver bullet. Bardeen automates your browser, so you still need to have LinkedIn open, and it's not going to run 24/7 on a cloud server. If you want set-and-forget mass scraping, look elsewhere (and be prepared to get your account banned).
What You'll Need
Before we start, here's what you'll need:
- A LinkedIn account (duh).
- Google Chrome.
- The Bardeen Chrome extension (install it here).
- A Google Sheet or a CRM (optional, but recommended).
If you want to message leads automatically, you'll need a LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, or at least enough connection slots.
Step 1: Define Your Lead Criteria
Don't automate junk. Get clear about who you actually want to reach. Are you after:
- People in a certain industry?
- Specific job titles?
- Companies of a certain size?
- Only 2nd-degree connections?
Take two minutes to write this down. If your search is too broad, you'll waste time and annoy people. If it's too narrow, you won't get enough results.
Pro tip: Start with a LinkedIn search and tweak the filters until you see 100–500 results. That's a sweet spot for most outreach.
Step 2: Set Up Your LinkedIn Search
- Log into LinkedIn and run your filtered search.
- Save the URL of your search results page. You'll need this for Bardeen.
Things that actually matter:
- Sales Navigator searches give you more filters and more reliable results. If you're serious about lead gen, it's worth the price.
- Free LinkedIn accounts work, but you'll hit weekly search limits. Plan accordingly.
Step 3: Install and Set Up Bardeen
- If you haven't already, install the Bardeen extension from the Chrome Web Store.
- Pin it to your toolbar for easy access.
- Log in with Google or your email.
First-time user? Bardeen will walk you through a quick onboarding. It's not painful.
Step 4: Build a LinkedIn Scrape Workflow
This is where the magic happens. The idea is simple: Bardeen will visit your LinkedIn search results, grab info from each profile, and save it somewhere useful.
Option A: Use a Pre-Built Playbook
Bardeen has templates for scraping LinkedIn leads. Search for “LinkedIn” in the Playbooks gallery. Look for something like: - “Save LinkedIn people search results to Google Sheets” - “Add LinkedIn leads to Notion”
Click “Use this Playbook,” connect your Google account, and follow the prompts. In most cases, you’ll:
- Paste your LinkedIn search URL into the playbook.
- Select your Google Sheet (or Notion database).
- Hit “Run.”
Bardeen will start scraping the visible results, row by row.
Option B: Build Your Own Playbook
If you want more control (like scraping custom fields), you can build your own:
- Click the Bardeen icon > “Create Playbook.”
- Add the “Scrape LinkedIn search results” action.
- Add an action to “Create row in Google Sheets” or “Send via email.”
- Map the data fields (name, job title, company, LinkedIn URL, etc.).
- Save and run.
Heads up: Bardeen scrapes only the results loaded on your screen. For more, you’ll need to scroll/page down and re-run (or set it to auto-scroll).
Step 5: Avoid Getting Your LinkedIn Account Restricted
LinkedIn hates bots. Here’s how to avoid getting flagged:
- Only scrape a few dozen profiles per session. Hundreds at once = asking for trouble.
- Don’t run scrapers all day, every day.
- Mix in real browsing—don’t act like a robot.
- Never try to automate sending hundreds of connection requests/messages per day.
If you get warnings from LinkedIn, back off. It’s not worth losing your account.
Step 6: Set Up Outreach (the Smart Way)
Now you’ve got a list of leads. Here’s what you can automate (and what you shouldn’t):
What Works
- Personalized connection requests: Bardeen can help you send connection requests with a templated message, pulled from your Sheet.
- Reminders to follow up: Use Bardeen to create Google Calendar events or tasks for follow-ups.
What to Avoid
- Mass messaging: Automated bulk messages are a fast track to spam reports and bans.
- Blindly connecting with everyone: Quality beats quantity, every time.
How-To: Sending Connection Requests Automatically
- Use Bardeen’s “Send LinkedIn Connection Request” action.
- Connect it to your Sheet/Notion where leads are saved.
- Personalize the message—use variables like {first_name} to avoid looking like a bot.
- Limit requests to 10–20 per day.
Pro tip: Always add a real reason for connecting. “Saw you’re also in SaaS sales—thought it’d be good to connect” works better than “Hi, let’s connect.”
Step 7: Keep Your Data Organized
A big list of leads is useless if you can’t remember who’s who. Tips:
- Use a Google Sheet/Notion database with columns for name, company, LinkedIn URL, outreach date, and status.
- Update the status as you go (Contacted, Replied, Not Interested).
- Automate updating statuses with Bardeen, if you want, but don’t overdo it.
What Works, What Doesn't, and When to Stop
What works: - Scraping leads to a single list. - Automating some outreach, especially first-touch connection requests. - Small-batch, targeted workflows.
What doesn't: - Mass scraping thousands of profiles. LinkedIn will notice. - Copy-pasting the same pitch to everyone. People can smell automation a mile away. - Trying to automate actual conversations. That’s your job.
When to stop: If your LinkedIn activity starts feeling robotic, or you’re getting warnings, dial it back. It’s easier to recover from going too slow than from getting banned.
A Few Honest Pro Tips
- Don’t chase “hyper-personalization” with automation. It’s usually not worth it.
- The best automation is the stuff you forget is running because it just works.
- Iterate: Start with a basic workflow, see what saves you time, then add tweaks.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
You don’t need a complicated system to get more leads from LinkedIn. Start with one workflow—scrape leads, save them, and follow up. If it works, make small improvements. If you hit a wall, don’t force it.
Automation’s job is to help you do more real work, not to do all the work for you.
Now, go set up your workflow and get back to the stuff only you can do.