Ever spent hours sending LinkedIn connection requests and follow-ups, only to wonder if there’s a better way? You’re not alone. Whether you’re in sales, recruiting, or just hustling for new business, automating the boring parts of LinkedIn outreach can save your sanity. This guide is for folks who want clear, honest steps to get campaigns rolling—without drowning in fluff or hype.
We’ll walk through exactly how to set up automated LinkedIn outreach with Heyreach, what actually works, and where you should skip the bells and whistles. If you want to get results and not just “more activity,” you’re in the right place.
Step 1: Understand What Heyreach Can (and Can’t) Do
Before you dive in, it’s worth getting real about what Heyreach is: a tool for automating LinkedIn connection requests, follow-ups, and simple campaigns. It won’t write perfect messages for you, scrape emails, or magically make people care. But it can save you a ton of manual work, keep things organized, and help you avoid LinkedIn’s spam triggers—if you set it up right.
What works: - Automating routine outreach and follow-ups - Personalizing messages at scale (to a point) - Managing multiple LinkedIn accounts (good for agencies/teams)
What doesn’t: - Sending hundreds of messages a day without risk (LinkedIn’s watching) - Replacing real relationship-building - Turning cold leads into warm ones just by volume
If you’re hoping for a magic bullet, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want real, repeatable workflows, keep reading.
Step 2: Get Your LinkedIn and Heyreach Accounts Ready
You’ll need a LinkedIn account that’s in good standing—no bans, no recent warnings. Heyreach connects to your LinkedIn profile and sends messages through it, so if your profile is sketchy or brand new, you’re asking for trouble.
What you need: - A LinkedIn account with a real photo, bio, and some activity. Don’t use burner accounts. - A Heyreach account (start with a trial if you’re not ready to commit).
Pro tip:
If you’re handling outreach for multiple clients or brands, Heyreach lets you manage several LinkedIn accounts. But don’t go wild—each account needs to look legit and have some LinkedIn history.
Step 3: Connect LinkedIn to Heyreach (Safely)
Now, link your LinkedIn account to Heyreach. This usually means logging in through Heyreach’s dashboard and authorizing access. It’s straightforward, but there are a few things to watch out for:
- Don’t use public Wi-Fi. LinkedIn flags weird login locations.
- Stick to your usual browser and device. Drastic changes can trigger security checks.
- Enable 2FA on LinkedIn. It’s a pain, but it’s safer.
Heyreach uses browser emulation to act like a human user, not a bot. It’s not foolproof, but it’s safer than browser plugins or sketchy scraping tools.
Step 4: Build a Targeted Lead List
Here’s where most people get lazy and blast out messages to anyone with a pulse. Don’t do that. The tighter your list, the better your results (and the lower the risk of annoying people).
Ways to build your list: - Use LinkedIn’s built-in search and filters (industry, role, location, etc.) - Export searches from LinkedIn Sales Navigator (if you have it) - Upload a CSV to Heyreach (just make sure you’re not breaking LinkedIn’s terms)
Pro tip:
Quality beats quantity every time. A list of 200 real prospects is better than 2,000 randoms. You want your messages to sound like you actually know who they are.
Step 5: Craft Outreach Messages That Don’t Suck
This is the part everyone messes up. Automated doesn’t mean robotic. Heyreach lets you add variables (like first name, company, etc.), but the message itself matters more.
What works: - Keep it short and specific. Nobody reads a wall of text from a stranger. - Mention something relevant to them (“I saw you post about X” or “We’re both in Y group”). - Don’t pitch in the first message—aim for a reply, not a sale.
What doesn’t: - Generic “I’d love to connect with like-minded professionals.” - Overusing automation tags (“Hi {firstName}, I see you work at {companyName}”)—it screams ‘bot’. - Long-winded intros or fake flattery.
Example connection request:
Hi {firstName},
Saw your work at {companyName}—impressive stuff. Would love to connect.
Example first follow-up:
Thanks for connecting, {firstName}.
Quick question—are you open to chatting about {relevant topic}? If not, no worries.
You get the idea: be real, be brief, and don’t try too hard.
Step 6: Set Up Your Campaign in Heyreach
Now the fun part—actually building the campaign.
- Go to Campaigns in Heyreach’s dashboard and click "Create New."
- Choose your list. Import your CSV, connect to Sales Navigator, or use a saved search.
- Write your message sequence. Most folks do:
- Connection request
- 1st follow-up (after they connect)
- 2nd follow-up (a few days later, optional)
- Set delays and limits.
- Don’t send more than 30-50 connection requests per day. LinkedIn will notice if you go nuts.
- Space out follow-ups by a few days. Heyreach lets you tweak this.
- Personalization tags: Use them sparingly, and preview your messages to make sure they don’t look weird.
What to skip:
Don’t bother with “hyper-personalization” for a cold outbound list. It rarely pays off, and Heyreach’s personalization is best for basics like names and companies.
Step 7: Warm Up Your Account (Seriously)
If you’re new to LinkedIn outreach or haven’t been very active, don’t start blasting hundreds of messages on day one. LinkedIn tracks your activity and flags sudden spikes.
How to warm up: - Start with 10-20 invites per day for the first week. - Slowly ramp up by 5-10 per week, maxing out at 50/day unless you’re a seasoned networker. - Mix in real activity: like, comment, and post on LinkedIn from your account.
Skip this step and you risk getting restricted or banned. Not worth it.
Step 8: Launch, Monitor, and Adjust
Once your campaign is ready, hit launch. But don’t just set it and forget it.
Monitor daily for: - Connection acceptance rates (20-40% is typical—lower means your targeting or message needs work) - Response rates (track who replies and who ignores you) - LinkedIn warnings or restrictions (pause your campaign if you see these)
Pro tip:
If your acceptance rate drops below 20%, stop and revisit your list and message. You’re probably targeting the wrong people or coming across as spammy.
Step 9: Handle Replies Like a Human
Heyreach can automate first touches, but don’t try to automate real conversations. When someone replies, take over manually. People can spot canned responses a mile away.
What works: - Respond quickly and personally - Answer questions directly—skip the scripts - If they’re not interested, thank them and move on
Don’t:
- Argue with uninterested prospects
- Push for a call if they’re clearly not interested
- Send “bump” messages unless you know them
Step 10: Track Results and Iterate
Most campaigns don’t crush it right out of the gate. That’s normal. Track your numbers, learn what works, and make small changes.
- Review weekly: How many connections accepted? How many replied? What’s your main bottleneck?
- Tweak: Adjust your message, targeting, or timing based on what you see.
- Don’t get discouraged: Even with automation, this is still a numbers game.
Final Thoughts
Automating LinkedIn outreach with Heyreach can save you hours and make your workflow a lot smoother—if you do it thoughtfully. Focus on real conversations, avoid shortcuts that get you flagged, and make small tweaks as you go. Keep it simple, stay consistent, and you’ll see results. Don’t let the promise of “scale” distract you from the basics that actually work.
Ready to get started? Go slow, be real, and let the automation handle the grunt work—not the relationship.