If your LinkedIn outreach feels like shouting into the void, you're not alone. It’s crowded, people are wary of spam, and most connection requests get ignored. This guide is for sales folks and founders who want to use tools like Humanlinker to reach the right people—and actually get a response—without turning into a robot.
Let’s get honest about what works, what’s a waste of time, and how to use Humanlinker to make your outreach feel a little more, well, human.
Why Most LinkedIn Outreach Fails
Before diving into tools and tricks, let’s call out the obvious: most LinkedIn messages suck. Here’s why:
- It’s all about the sender, not the recipient.
- It’s copy-paste. You can smell it a mile away.
- No context, no reason to reply.
- Too long, too soon, too much.
Tools can help, but they can’t fix a bad approach. If you’re just looking for a way to blast more generic messages, save your money.
Step 1: Get Your LinkedIn House in Order
Before you start sending anything, make sure you’re not sabotaging yourself. People will click your profile before they reply—if they reply at all.
Quick checklist: - Profile photo: Clear, friendly, not a vacation pic. - Headline: Not “Growth Ninja.” Just say what you do and who you help. - About section: Two paragraphs, max. What problem do you solve? Who for? - Recent activity: If your last post was in 2019, consider commenting on a few relevant posts before you start outreach.
Pro tip: People reply to people, not logos. Skip company pages for outreach unless you’re doing ads.
Step 2: Build a Real Target List (Don’t Rely on Automation Alone)
The temptation: let automation tools scrape everyone with a certain job title. The reality: you end up contacting people who will never buy from you.
What works: - Start with a small, focused list. If you can’t describe your ideal buyer in one sentence, you’re not ready. - Use LinkedIn’s filters (location, industry, seniority, company size) to get specific. - Look for “triggers”—recent job changes, company funding rounds, new product launches. These people are more likely to be open to new ideas.
Humanlinker can help: It pulls in data points that make finding triggers and insights easier, so you’re not flying blind.
Step 3: Personalize (But Don’t Overdo It)
You’ve heard “personalization” so many times it’s lost all meaning. Here’s the real talk:
- First name and company isn’t enough. Everyone does that.
- Do some light stalking. What did they post or comment on? Any mutual connections?
- Mention something specific (but not creepy). “Saw your comment on X’s post about remote sales—curious how your team’s handling it?” beats “I see we have mutual interests.”
How Humanlinker helps:
It surfaces recent posts, interests, and even personality clues right inside LinkedIn. That means you can add a line or two that shows you did your homework, without spending hours.
What to skip:
Don’t fake interest or force flattery. People can tell.
Step 4: Write Messages People Want to Read
Here’s the harsh truth: nobody wants your pitch in their first message. Think of it like meeting someone at a conference—you don’t lead with your pricing sheet.
Keep it short.
Aim for 2-3 sentences.
Make it about them.
“Noticed you’re growing your sales team—curious how you’re handling onboarding?”
Don’t attach a calendar link immediately.
It feels presumptuous. If you wouldn’t do it in person, don’t do it here.
A simple framework:
Hi [Name],
Saw [specific thing about them or their company].
Curious how you’re thinking about [problem you help solve].
If you’re open to chat, happy to share ideas—no pressure.
Humanlinker workflow:
- Use the Chrome extension to pull up insights as you write.
- Copy over a recent post or company update to reference.
- Save your best openers as templates, but always tweak.
What to ignore:
- Anyone pushing “icebreaker” lines that feel forced or unnatural.
- Templates that feel like Mad Libs.
Step 5: Timing and Follow-Up (Without Being Annoying)
Most replies come after the second or third nudge, not the first message. The key? Don’t be a pest.
Best practices: - Wait 3-5 days between messages. - Keep follow-ups lighter and shorter than your original message. - Reference your earlier message, but don’t guilt-trip them.
Example follow-up:
Hey [Name], just bumping this up in case it got buried.
Still curious about [relevant topic].
No worries if now’s not the right time.
What Humanlinker can do:
- Track who’s responded and who hasn’t.
- Suggest new angles for your follow-up based on their recent activity.
- Set reminders so you don’t forget (or overdo) follow-ups.
What to skip:
- Automated sequences that send four messages in a week. It’s a fast track to getting blocked.
- Guilt trips like “I guess you’re not interested.” Just… don’t.
Step 6: Keep Track—But Don’t Overcomplicate
If you’re only reaching out to 20-50 people a week, you don’t need a CRM that looks like a flight control system.
Simple options: - Use Humanlinker’s tracking dashboard. - Or, a spreadsheet with columns: Name, Company, Date Messaged, Response, Notes.
Why it matters:
You’ll want to remember who replied, who ignored you, and who asked to be followed up with later. That’s it.
Step 7: Measure, Adjust, and Don’t Fall for Vanity Metrics
Most “outreach hacks” online are just noise. What matters:
- Reply rate: Are people actually responding?
- Quality of replies: Are they relevant, or just “not interested”?
- Meetings booked: This is your real outcome.
What not to obsess over: - Connection acceptance rates. Some people accept everyone, some never accept anyone. - How many messages you send. More isn’t better—better is better.
How Humanlinker helps:
It shows open rates, reply rates, and lets you tweak templates. But it won’t fix a bad message or a bad list.
Honest Take: What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
Works: - Real research (even 60 seconds per person). - Short, relevant messages. - Respectful, spaced-out follow-ups.
Doesn’t work: - Mass-blasting generic messages. - Over-relying on AI to “personalize” at scale. It’s usually obvious. - Pushing the meeting link too soon.
Ignore: - Anyone who says “just use this secret template.” - Outreach “hacks” that promise 70% reply rates. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Be Human
LinkedIn outreach isn’t magic, and no tool (not even Humanlinker) will save you from a bad approach. Start small, keep your messages real, and tweak as you go. You’ll get ignored sometimes—everyone does. The goal isn’t to automate everything; it’s to make connecting with real people a little easier and a lot less painful.
Focus on quality over quantity, treat people like people, and you’ll stand out in the best way possible.