Sick of sending the same LinkedIn connection requests by hand every day? You’re not alone. If you want a straightforward way to automate this grunt work—without getting your LinkedIn account in hot water—this guide’s for you. I’ll walk you through how to set up daily, scheduled connection requests using Phantombuster, a tool made for automating social media outreach without much coding or fuss.
If you’re expecting a magic bullet that’ll flood you with leads overnight, you’re in the wrong place. But if you want a real-world setup that just works (and won’t get you banned), keep reading.
What You’ll Need (and What You Don’t)
Before we dive in, here’s what you actually need:
- A LinkedIn account (obviously)
- A Phantombuster account (you can start with a free trial, but for daily automation you’ll probably need a paid plan)
- A list of people you want to connect with (CSV, Google Sheet, or LinkedIn search URL)
- Some patience and common sense
Don’t buy into the hype: You don’t need expensive “growth hacking” courses or shady browser plugins. Phantombuster does most of the heavy lifting, but you still need to be smart about your approach if you want to avoid getting flagged.
Step 1: Prep Your LinkedIn Account
Before automating anything, make sure your LinkedIn account looks like a real person’s. LinkedIn hates bots and will crack down if you look sketchy.
- Use a real profile photo and fill out your profile details.
- Don’t send a hundred connection requests from a brand new account.
- Warm up your account by sending a handful of manual requests each day for a week or two.
Pro tip: If LinkedIn asks for a phone number or flags your account during setup, back off and go slower. Automation isn’t worth losing your account.
Step 2: Set Up Your Phantombuster Account
Go to Phantombuster and sign up. The free plan gives you a taste, but for daily scheduling you’ll likely need the Starter plan or higher. Pricing changes, so check their site for the latest.
- Once you’re in, verify your email and set up two-factor authentication if you want an extra layer of safety.
- No need to install anything—Phantombuster runs in the cloud.
Step 3: Pick the Right LinkedIn Phantom
Phantombuster calls its automation scripts “Phantoms.” For sending connection requests, you want the LinkedIn Network Booster Phantom.
- In the Phantombuster dashboard, search for “LinkedIn Network Booster.”
- Click on it and hit “Use this Phantom.”
Ignore the other LinkedIn Phantoms for now—some focus on scraping profiles or other tasks. The Network Booster is the one for connection requests.
Step 4: Connect Your LinkedIn Account to Phantombuster
This step is a little weird, but necessary. Phantombuster needs your LinkedIn session cookie to act on your behalf.
Here’s how:
- Open LinkedIn in your browser and log in.
- Right-click anywhere and choose “Inspect” or “Inspect Element” (this opens the developer tools).
- Go to the “Application” tab, then on the left, find “Cookies” under “Storage.”
- Click on the LinkedIn domain.
- Look for a cookie called
li_at—that’s your session cookie. - Copy the value (just the string, not the whole row).
Paste this into the Phantombuster Phantom setup when prompted. It lets Phantombuster act as you (for now). If you log out of LinkedIn or clear cookies, you’ll need to do this again.
Security warning: Don’t share this cookie with anyone. It’s essentially your LinkedIn password.
Step 5: Prepare Your List of Prospects
You need a list of people to connect with. There are three main ways:
- A LinkedIn search URL: Go to LinkedIn, search for your target audience (e.g., “HR managers in Chicago”), and copy the URL.
- A CSV file: Export a list of profile URLs from another tool or by hand.
- A Google Sheet: Same as above, just in a Sheet.
For most people, the LinkedIn search URL is easiest to start with.
Honest take: Don’t overthink this. Start small—maybe 50-100 people. You can always add more later. If your list is huge, you’re more likely to get flagged by LinkedIn’s anti-spam system.
Step 6: Configure the Phantom Settings
This is where most people mess up by getting too aggressive. Here’s what to do:
- Input source: Paste your search URL, CSV, or Google Sheet link.
- Number of connection requests per launch: Start with 10-20. You can increase this slowly over weeks, but never go past 50/day unless your account is very old and active.
- Custom message: Personalize your invite if you can. Even “Hi {firstName}, would love to connect!” is better than nothing.
- Launch frequency: Set to “Once per day” (Phantombuster lets you schedule by day/time).
- Advanced settings: Leave most of these alone unless you know what you’re doing. Track invites and avoid duplicates—yes. Anything else, skip for now.
Don’t fall for “max out your daily quota” advice—LinkedIn changes its limits often, and what works today could get your account restricted tomorrow.
Step 7: Schedule Your Automation
- In the Phantom settings under “Scheduling,” choose your time. Morning is generally best—looks more human.
- Make sure you don’t schedule multiple Phantoms that do LinkedIn actions at the same time. This can trip LinkedIn’s security.
Once you confirm the settings, save and launch. Phantombuster will run daily at your chosen time.
Pro tip: Check your Phantom logs after the first couple of days. If you see errors or warnings, back off and review your settings.
Step 8: Monitor Results and Adjust
Automation isn’t “set it and forget it.” Check in every few days.
- Watch for any LinkedIn warnings or “Are you automating?” messages. If you get them, pause for at least a week.
- Respond to acceptances with a quick follow-up message. Automation gets you in the door, but conversations still need a human touch.
- If you’re not seeing many accepts, tweak your message or refine your target list.
What works: - Small, consistent daily activity. - Personalized (or at least not obviously generic) messages. - Monitoring for any signs of trouble.
What doesn’t: - Blasting hundreds of invites all at once. - Ignoring warnings from Phantombuster or LinkedIn. - Using the same template as every other spammer.
What to Ignore (and What to Watch For)
- Ignore anyone promising “guaranteed leads” from automation. There’s no shortcut to real conversations.
- Don’t bother with browser extensions that claim to automate LinkedIn for free. They’re riskier than cloud tools like Phantombuster and more likely to get you banned.
- Don’t use automation with a brand new LinkedIn account. It’s the fastest way to get flagged.
But do pay attention to: - Phantombuster’s status emails and logs. - Any unusual activity or messages from LinkedIn (slow down if you see these). - Feedback from people you’re connecting with. If you get complaints, change your approach.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Go
Automation can save you hours, but it’s not magic. Start slow, don’t push your luck, and don’t expect instant results. The best approach is to automate just enough to free up your time, then improve your targeting and messaging as you go.
If you run into issues, dial it back and try again. LinkedIn and Phantombuster both evolve, so your process will too. Keep it simple, stay human, and you’ll avoid most of the headaches.
Now go automate the boring stuff—and spend more time on the parts that actually matter.