So you’re running LinkedIn outreach campaigns, and you want to know: is any of this actually working? If you’re tired of guessing (or squinting at spreadsheets), you’re in the right place. This guide is for anyone using LinkedIn for lead generation, sales, or networking—especially if you’re using a tool like Expandi and want to make sense of the numbers.
Tools are great, but dashboards can be overwhelming. Here’s how to cut through the noise, track what matters, and actually improve your results.
Step 1: Know What You’re Really Trying to Measure
Before you open any dashboard, get clear on why you’re tracking things in the first place. More data isn’t always better. Here’s what actually matters for LinkedIn outreach:
- Reply rate: Are people answering you?
- Connection acceptance rate: Are people accepting your requests?
- Positive vs. negative replies: Are you getting genuine interest or just polite no-thank-yous?
- Booked meetings or demos: Are you moving past the DMs?
- Campaign-level performance: Which messages or campaigns are driving real results?
Ignore “vanity metrics” like profile views or “how many people clicked your link” if they don’t actually lead to conversations or sales.
Pro tip: Pick one or two numbers that matter to you (e.g., reply rate and meetings booked) and focus on those. Don’t drown in graphs.
Step 2: Set Up Your Outreach Campaigns in Expandi
If you’re not already using Expandi, it’s a LinkedIn automation tool that lets you run outreach campaigns at scale (without getting your account banned—if you don’t go overboard). Setting up good campaigns is half the battle for tracking:
- Organize by campaign: Group your messages by target audience, offer, or approach so you can compare apples to apples.
- Personalize your messages: Generic outreach gets ignored, and so do your analytics.
- Tag your campaigns: Use clear names so you can tell what’s what later. “Q3 SaaS CEOs” beats “Test 7.”
Don’t run 10 different campaigns at once if you can’t keep track. Start small.
Step 3: Find and Understand the Expandi Analytics Dashboard
Once your campaigns are running, head to Expandi’s analytics dashboard. Here’s what you’ll see (and what’s actually worth caring about):
The Key Metrics
- Invitations sent: The number of connection requests you sent.
- Connections accepted: How many people said yes.
- Messages sent: Obvious, but helpful for volume.
- Replies received: This is the big one—how many started a conversation.
- Positive replies: These are replies that indicate interest (Expandi tries to auto-detect this, but it’s not perfect).
- Unsubscribes/negatives: People asking you to stop, or just saying no.
You’ll also see charts and breakdowns by campaign, date, and sometimes even by message step.
What to Ignore
- Profile views: Unless you’re running a “view profile” campaign, this is mostly noise.
- Clicks: If you’re not sending links, ignore it.
Pro tip: Automation tools can misclassify replies. Always double-check a sample of your “positive” and “negative” replies to see if the dashboard matches reality.
Step 4: Analyze Your Outreach Results—Without Fooling Yourself
Here’s how to actually use the data, not just stare at it:
1. Look for Patterns, Not Outliers
Don’t get obsessed with one super-successful message. Instead, look for trends over a week or more. Is your reply rate going up or down? Are certain audiences more responsive?
2. Compare Campaigns Side-by-Side
Expandi’s dashboard lets you compare campaigns. Use this to see which target audience or message approach is working best. If one campaign is lagging, dig in—maybe your offer doesn’t resonate, or your message sounds spammy.
3. Track the Full Funnel
It’s easy to get excited about a high reply rate—until you realize no one actually booked a call. Follow the chain: - Connection accepts → Replies → Positive replies → Booked meetings
If you’re losing people at one stage, focus your fixes there.
4. Don’t Chase Volume for the Sake of Volume
It’s tempting to crank up the number of messages sent. But LinkedIn’s algorithm is getting pickier, and quality always beats quantity. If your reply rate drops when you scale up, dial it back.
Step 5: Make Small, Measurable Changes
Now that you know what’s working (and what isn’t), here’s how to actually improve:
- Test one variable at a time: Change your message, your target audience, or your follow-up timing—but not all three at once.
- Wait for enough data: Give it a few days or at least 50+ messages before judging a result. One good or bad day doesn’t mean much.
- Double down on what works: If a certain message or audience is crushing it, push more resources there.
- Stop what’s not working: Don’t keep campaigns alive out of stubbornness. Kill your darlings.
Pro tip: Keep a simple spreadsheet or notes on what you change and when. Most dashboards don’t track your experiments for you.
Step 6: Avoid Common Analytics Mistakes
You’ll save yourself a ton of time (and heartache) if you watch out for these classic blunders:
- Mistaking activity for progress: Just because you sent a lot of messages doesn’t mean you’re succeeding.
- Trusting the tool blindly: Automation can mislabel replies, or miss nuance. Spot-check your data.
- Ignoring negative signals: Unsubscribes and “please stop” messages are a sign you need to tweak your approach.
- Overcomplicating things: If your dashboard looks like an airplane cockpit, you’re probably not focusing on what moves the needle.
Step 7: Reporting and Sharing Results
If you need to show results to a boss or a client, keep it simple:
- Highlight the metrics that matter (e.g., positive replies, meetings booked).
- Show trends over time, not just one-day snapshots.
- Add context: “We tried X, then switched to Y, and saw Z happen.”
Don’t overpromise—LinkedIn outreach isn’t magic, and results will vary depending on your industry, offer, and audience.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
You don’t need to be a data scientist to get value from Expandi’s analytics. Focus on the basics: Are people responding? Is interest going up or down? Make small changes, see what happens, and don’t get distracted by shiny charts.
LinkedIn outreach is about conversations, not dashboards. Use the numbers to guide you, but trust your gut—and keep it human.