If you spend more time chasing replies than actually having real conversations, you're not alone. Sales, recruiting, or just expanding your network—whatever your reason, following up with people on LinkedIn is a grind. That's where Waalaxy comes in. Its “triggers” feature promises to automate your follow-ups so you can focus on the stuff that actually moves the needle. But before you set it and forget it, let’s make sure you know what works, what to skip, and how to avoid looking like a robot.
This guide is for anyone who wants to automate LinkedIn follow-ups without losing their mind—or their reputation. Whether you’re new to Waalaxy or you’ve poked around but haven’t set up triggers, you’ll leave with a step-by-step plan that actually works.
1. What Are Waalaxy Triggers, Really?
Triggers in Waalaxy are simple “if-this-then-that” rules for automating actions. For example: “If someone accepts my connection request, then send them this follow-up message three days later.”
What you can automate: - Sending follow-up messages after a connection is accepted - Adding people to new campaigns based on their actions - Tagging contacts for better organization - Moving leads between lists or stages
What you can’t automate (or shouldn’t): - Reading the room—triggers can’t tell if your last message landed well or if you’re being annoying - Custom, one-off replies (you’re still on your own for these) - Anything outside what LinkedIn’s API or your account limits allow (don’t try to brute-force it)
Pro tip: Triggers are helpful, but if you push too hard or get too spammy, you’ll annoy people (and maybe get your LinkedIn flagged).
2. Before You Start: What You Need
Before setting up your first trigger, make sure you have: - A Waalaxy account (obviously) - Chrome browser (Waalaxy is a Chrome extension) - A LinkedIn account in good standing (no recent bans or warnings) - A clear idea of your follow-up goal (what do you want people to do?)
Don’t skip this: If you’re just winging it, you’ll end up with messy data and confused leads. Know your goal, and keep your message short and relevant.
3. Step-by-Step: Setting Up Waalaxy Triggers
You’ll find triggers inside the Waalaxy dashboard. Here’s how to set one up for a basic “connection accepted → follow-up message” workflow.
Step 1: Create or Choose a Campaign
- Go to your Waalaxy dashboard.
- Click “Campaigns” and either create a new one or pick an existing campaign.
- Import your leads (from a LinkedIn search, Sales Navigator, or a CSV file). Clean your list—avoid duplicate invites.
Why this matters: Campaigns are where your triggers live. Don’t overcomplicate it—start with one goal per campaign.
Step 2: Find the Triggers Tab
- Inside your campaign, look for the “Triggers” section (usually in the left-side menu).
- Click “Add a trigger.”
Step 3: Set the Trigger Condition
- Choose your “event.” For follow-ups, you’ll want something like “Connection Request Accepted.”
- Other common events:
- Message replied
- Profile viewed
- Tag changed
Don’t overthink it: Stick to triggers that support your actual workflow. If you try to automate every tiny thing, you’ll just make a mess.
Step 4: Choose the Action
- Pick what happens when the trigger fires. Options include:
- Send a message
- Tag the contact
- Add to another campaign
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Move to a list
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For a follow-up, select “Send a message.” Write something short, non-salesy, and personal (use their first name token, but don’t get creepy).
Message tips: - Avoid walls of text. - Don’t pitch right away—start a real conversation. - Make it clear why you’re reaching out.
Step 5: Set the Timing
- Add a delay (e.g., “Send this message 2 days after the connection is accepted”).
- You can stack actions (tag, then message, then move to a new campaign).
Heads up: Too-short delays look robotic. Too long, and they’ll forget who you are. Two to four days is the Goldilocks zone.
Step 6: Activate and Test
- Double-check your trigger: event, action, delay, and message.
- Activate the trigger.
- Test it with a dummy account or a trusted colleague before rolling it out to real prospects.
Stuff to check: - Are your messages personalized? - Are delays working as expected? - Is anything firing twice or not at all?
4. Advanced Moves (But Only If You Need Them)
Once you’re comfortable with the basics, you can get fancier:
Multi-Step Workflows
- Set up a sequence: connection accepted → wait 2 days → send follow-up → wait 5 days → if no reply, send a reminder.
- You can add “if/then” logic, but keep it simple. Complexity = more ways for things to break.
Auto-Tagging and Segmentation
- Use triggers to tag people based on actions (“Interested,” “Needs Follow-Up,” etc.).
- Move people who reply to a “warm leads” list.
Cross-Campaign Moves
- Automatically add someone to a new campaign if they hit a certain stage.
- Useful for nurturing leads or keeping your main list clean.
Warning: More automation means more places for human error. Only add steps you actually need.
5. What Works (And What Doesn’t)
What Works
- Short, genuinely helpful follow-ups get more replies than generic “Just checking in…” spam.
- Personalization tokens (like first name) help, but don’t overdo it. “Saw you went to State U in 2002!” is just weird.
- Testing everything with a small group first. Catch mistakes before you blast hundreds of people.
What Doesn’t
- Over-automation. If your whole funnel is automated, expect to get ignored—or worse, reported.
- Immediate or frequent follow-ups. Nothing screams “automation” like a message 30 seconds after someone accepts.
- Copy-paste sales pitches. You’re not fooling anyone.
Ignore This
- People online claiming “100% reply rates.” Not real.
- Super-complex, multi-branch triggers—unless you have a big team and ironclad data hygiene.
- FOMO (“Do this or you’ll miss out!”) pressure to use every new automation feature.
6. Common Mistakes (And How to Dodge Them)
- Not testing triggers first. You’ll end up spamming people or messaging the wrong contact.
- Forgetting LinkedIn’s limits. Waalaxy helps, but if you send too many messages too fast, you’ll get rate-limited or flagged.
- Using the same follow-up for everyone. Slightly tweak your messages by segment or persona.
- Letting it run on autopilot forever. Check in weekly—stuff breaks, people change jobs, LinkedIn changes policies.
7. Keep It Simple (And Human)
Waalaxy triggers save time, but they’re not magic. Automate what makes sense, keep your messaging human, and don’t try to build a Rube Goldberg machine out of your outreach. Set up one or two triggers, see how they perform, and tweak from there.
Start small. Iterate. If you wouldn’t reply to your own message, change it. The goal isn’t to automate everything—it’s to create real conversations, minus the repetitive grunt work.