If you’ve ever sent a batch of LinkedIn messages and cringed at how generic they sounded, you’re not alone. Personalization is the difference between getting ignored and actually starting real conversations. But who has time to write 50 custom intros a day? This guide is for anyone trying to scale up LinkedIn outreach—recruiters, founders, sales folks—without sounding like a robot. We’ll walk through how to use Meetalfred templates to personalize messages automatically, what’s worth your time, and where most people mess it up.
Why bother personalizing LinkedIn messages?
Let’s be blunt: most LinkedIn messages are awful. They’re either copy-pasted, painfully generic, or way too long. People can smell automation a mile away. If your message reads like it could go to anyone, it’ll get ignored.
But if you add just enough personalization—someone’s name, a relevant detail, a short question—you stand out. You don’t need to write a novel. You just need to sound like a real human who did a little homework.
What is Meetalfred, and how does it help?
Meetalfred is a LinkedIn automation tool that lets you schedule messages, connection requests, and follow-ups. The big draw here is templates: you write a message once, add placeholders (like {first_name}), and Meetalfred fills in the blanks for each person.
This saves a ton of time, but it can also backfire if your templates are lazy. Done right, you get the best of both worlds—speed and some genuine personalization.
Step 1: Clean up your LinkedIn list (don’t skip this)
Before you even touch Meetalfred, make sure your list is solid. Garbage in, garbage out.
- Export or build your prospect list. Use LinkedIn search, Sales Navigator, or scrape a CSV (be careful with LinkedIn’s rules).
- Check your data. Make sure fields like first name, company, and job title are accurate. If someone’s “First Name” is “Dr. John,” your message will look weird.
- Segment your list. Don’t lump founders, recruiters, and engineers together. The more targeted your list, the less generic your template has to be.
Pro tip: If you’re sending messages to hundreds of people, spot-check a few entries in your list. One weird data point can make your whole campaign look spammy.
Step 2: Create Meetalfred templates that don’t sound like templates
This is where most people blow it. Meetalfred lets you use dynamic fields (like {first_name}, {company}, {job_title}), but if your message is just “Hi {first_name}, I see you work at {company},” it’ll get ignored.
How to write a template that passes the sniff test:
- Keep it short. 2-4 sentences is enough.
- Use one or two dynamic fields max. Too many and it starts to sound robotic.
- Add a real question or comment. Something specific to their role or company.
- Avoid clichés. “Hope you’re well!” is a dead giveaway you don’t know this person.
Example of a lazy template:
Hi {first_name}, I came across your profile and wanted to connect.
Nobody will answer that.
Example of a better template:
Hi {first_name}, saw you’re leading {job_title} at {company}. Curious—what’s been your biggest challenge in the last year?
This gives you a dynamic field, a tailored comment, and an open-ended question. It’s not Shakespeare, but it’s a lot better.
Pro tip: Write your template, then read it out loud. If you’d roll your eyes getting that message, rewrite it.
Step 3: Set up your campaign in Meetalfred
Now the mechanics. Here’s how to actually get this running:
- Upload your list to Meetalfred.
- Go to the campaign dashboard, hit “Import,” and map your CSV fields to Meetalfred’s placeholders ({first_name}, {company}, etc.).
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Double-check mapping. If your “First Name” column gets mapped to “Company,” your outreach will look like a mess.
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Create your message sequence.
- Start with your connection request. Keep it as short as possible—LinkedIn limits you to 300 characters.
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Plan your follow-ups. You can set delays (e.g., 3 days after no reply, send a polite check-in). Don’t overdo it; 1-2 follow-ups max.
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Plug in your template.
- Use curly braces for dynamic fields: “Hi {first_name}, saw you’re at {company}.”
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Meetalfred will show a preview for each recipient. Spot-check these for anything weird (like “Hi Dr. John Smith,” or “Hi null”).
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Schedule and launch.
- Set your daily limits. Don’t blast out 100 messages at once; LinkedIn will notice. 20-40 a day is safer.
- Hit “Start.” Track responses in Meetalfred or your CRM.
Pro tip: Schedule your messages to go out during business hours in your recipient’s timezone. Weekend or 3am messages look lazy.
Step 4: Handle replies like a human
Automation gets your foot in the door, but you need to take over when someone responds.
- Turn off automation for replied leads. Meetalfred can pause further messages when someone replies. Make sure this is enabled.
- Reply quickly, and personally. People can tell if you’re copy-pasting even after they respond.
- Update your list. Remove people who aren’t interested. Don’t keep pinging them.
What to ignore: Resist the urge to send long sales pitches in your first message or follow-up. Nobody likes being sold to by a stranger.
Step 5: Test, tweak, and don’t set-and-forget
Even good templates get stale. LinkedIn changes its algorithms, people get immune to certain phrases, and what worked last month might flop now.
- A/B test your templates. Try two versions and see which gets more replies.
- Monitor response rates. If nobody’s answering, your message is probably too generic or too pushy.
- Refresh your lists. Don’t keep hammering the same people with new campaigns.
Pro tip: Ask a friend or colleague to read your message as if they were a cold prospect. Their honest feedback is gold.
What actually works—and what doesn’t
Works: - Short, relevant, slightly personalized messages - Asking simple, open-ended questions - Clean data and good segmentation
Doesn’t work: - Overly generic templates (“Hope you’re well!”) - Messages that look like mass spam - Ignoring replies or sending more than 2 follow-ups
Ignore: Fancy “AI” copywriting tools that promise to personalize everything for you. They usually just stuff in more dynamic fields and call it a day. If your opener sounds fake, it probably is.
Keep it simple, and keep iterating
You don’t need a fancy system or a library of 50 templates. One or two tight, genuinely personalized templates, a clean list, and a bit of patience will get you further than any magic software. Start small, see what’s working, and tweak as you go. Most people quit too early or get lazy. If you’re willing to put in a little extra effort, you’ll stand out—and get actual replies.
That’s it. Don’t overthink it. Set up your Meetalfred templates, keep it human, and keep improving.