If you’ve ever tried to send hundreds of “personalized” outreach messages, you know the drill: it’s either soul-crushing copy-paste or you’re stuck with spammy, generic stuff that gets ignored. This guide is for people who want to get smart about personal outreach—using tools like Waalaxy—without sacrificing what actually works: sounding human.
Below, I’ll lay out a practical, no-fluff process for personalizing outreach at scale with Waalaxy. You’ll get the how-to, plus some real talk on what’s worth your time and what’s not.
Step 1: Get Your Target List Right (Seriously, Don’t Skip This)
Most people rush into automation and think magic will happen. It won’t. If you dump a random list into any tool, you’ll get garbage results—no matter how clever your messages are.
What to do: - Build a highly focused list using LinkedIn filters (industry, role, geography, company size, etc.). - Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator if you can swing it—it’s miles better for targeting. - Export only people who actually fit your ideal customer profile. Quality > quantity.
Pro tip: Don’t buy scraped lists. They’re full of junk, bots, and people who’ll never reply.
Step 2: Set Up Waalaxy and Sync Your LinkedIn
Waalaxy is a LinkedIn outreach automation tool. It helps you send connection requests and follow-ups without manual drudgery. But don’t expect miracles—no tool can fix a weak offer or a bad list.
To get started: - Install the Waalaxy Chrome extension and create an account. - Connect your LinkedIn profile. Waalaxy will guide you through permissions. - Import your leads from LinkedIn searches directly into Waalaxy’s dashboard.
Heads up: LinkedIn limits how many invites you can send per week. Waalaxy follows these limits, but don’t get greedy.
Step 3: Write Templates That Don’t Sound Like Templates
Here’s where most people mess up. They blast the same “Hi {FirstName}, I see we’re both in {Industry}!” message to everyone. It feels fake, and people can smell it a mile away.
How to do better: - Draft 2–3 message templates per campaign, not just one. - Use merge fields (like {FirstName}, {Company}, {JobTitle}) sparingly. If every line is a variable, your messages look robotic. - Leave room for real details—a sentence about their company or recent activity is gold.
Example (bad):
Hi {FirstName}, I noticed you work at {Company}. Let’s connect!
Example (better):
Hey {FirstName}, saw your post about {RecentTopic}—really interesting take. Curious how you’re tackling {RelevantChallenge} at {Company}.
You can’t add infinite personalization at scale, but you can sound like you at least did five seconds of research.
Pro tip: Save your best personalization for the first follow-up, not the initial connect.
Step 4: Use Variables and Custom Fields (But Don’t Overdo It)
Waalaxy lets you use variables (merge tags) to auto-insert details from your list. But more isn’t always better—if you try to personalize every word, your message will read like a form letter.
What actually works: - Stick to 2–3 variables max per message. - Use custom fields for something actually personal—like a recent post, shared connection, or event. - If you can’t find anything real to say, don’t fake it.
Ignore: Fancy “AI personalization” that promises to research each lead. It’s usually generic fluff and can get details wrong.
Step 5: Build Your Outreach Sequence
Don’t just send one message and hope for the best. People are busy, and most won’t respond the first time. Waalaxy lets you set up sequences—a series of connection requests and follow-ups.
Simple sequence that works: 1. Connect with a short, relevant note (not a pitch). 2. Wait 3–5 days. 3. Send a follow-up—reference something specific, and ask a simple question. 4. Wait another week. 5. Final message—polite, low-pressure. Leave the door open.
Avoid: - Sending more than 2–3 follow-ups. After that, you’re just annoying. - Making every message longer than a tweet. - Hard-selling or pushing meetings right away.
Pro tip: The best follow-ups are actually shorter and more casual than the first message.
Step 6: Test, Review, and Tweak (Don’t “Set and Forget”)
Here’s the unsexy truth: Your first campaign probably won’t work that well. No tool or template nails it on the first try.
What to do: - Send a small batch (25–50 people) first. - Track connection rates, reply rates, and positive replies (not just any reply). - Tweak your templates based on real responses. If everyone ignores you, change it up.
Be skeptical: If you see a “30% reply rate!” claim in some Waalaxy review, take it with a grain of salt. What matters is what actually works for your audience.
Step 7: Handle Replies Like a Human
Automation only gets you so far. The moment someone replies, you need to take over. Don’t try to automate the conversation—it comes off as fake and you’ll burn bridges.
Tips: - Reply personally, as fast as you can. - Drop the script. Be direct and helpful. - If someone’s not interested, thank them and move on.
Ignore: Tools that promise to “auto-respond” to replies. That’s how you end up in screenshot threads on LinkedIn.
What Works—and What’s a Waste of Time
What’s worth doing: - Spending real time on your list and your first message. - Testing different approaches, not just blasting the same note. - Keeping things short. No one reads a wall of text.
What to skip: - Over-automating—people can tell. - Buying leads or scraping emails. - Chasing “AI personalization” that’s all buzzwords and no substance.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Be Weird
You don’t need magic software or a 10-step funnel. Use Waalaxy to save yourself the manual labor, but keep your outreach honest and straightforward. Focus on quality, sound like a real person, and tweak your process as you go.
If you’re not getting replies, don’t just send more messages—change what you’re saying or who you’re saying it to. Simple, not easy. But that’s what actually works.
Now go write something you’d actually want to receive.