6 tips for writing the perfect LinkedIn cold outreach message

Let's say you joined college a few months late into a semester. The cliques have already formed. What do you do? 

You have two choices. 

One, you can sit alone for weeks and wait for an extrovert to adopt you. Two, you can reach out to people you feel you'll best relate with. 

The latter is what you do in LinkedIn cold outreach. Basically, you send messages to people you've never met before but are interested in connecting with professionally. 

When done right, cold messaging can open doors for employment, lead generation, and more. Let's learn how to craft a LinkedIn cold message that will get you a response. 

What Is a LinkedIn Cold Message?

LinkedIn cold messaging means sending a message to someone on the platform with whom you have no prior connection. Why would you do that, though? 

• To network 
• Find job opportunities 
• Get more leads for your business 
• Connect with experts in your field 

It's like how people get to know each other on Twitter. But the difference is that LinkedIn is a professional networking platform, amassing close to a billion users. The connections you make here could be the missing link in your career or business goals. 

When to Send LinkedIn Cold Outreach Messages? 

There's no specific time and date to send cold messages on LinkedIn. It depends on your target audience, their time zone, and the nature of your message. 

For example, it's better to send a message during working hours if you're reaching out to someone in your time zone. Do the same with other time zones. 

As for the day, weekdays are generally better than weekends when it comes to professional connections. Avoid Mondays, though, since most people are trying to catch up with work at the start of the week. 

When should you turn to cold messaging on LinkedIn? When you have to: 

• Connect with high-quality prospects 
• Reach out to leads 
• Get new customers at minimal costs 
• Sell a product or service 
• Build brand awareness 

Before You Begin

Let's say you're a lawyer and want to reach out to some law firms like Winters & Yonker, P.A., for whom you want to work. Maybe you want to connect with the people at Curiel & Runion Personal Injury Lawyers. 

Either way, remember that the LinkedIn cold message is your first impression. You need it to be perfect. 

Get Your Profile on Point 

The first thing to remember is that you cannot send messages to people not connected with you on LinkedIn unless you have LinkedIn Premium or InMail credits. 

Sure, you can send a short 300-character message for free to request a connection. But that hardly ever works as people deny requests from strangers. 

Once you've got LinkedIn Premium or InMail credits, start polishing your profile. 

Taking the same example forward, let's say you're an SEO expert specializing in law firms. Mention in your profile that you've done SEO for lawyers for X years. 

Suppose The Patel Firm is one of your clients, and you've got a 300% growth in organic traffic in under six months. You'll want to highlight that, too. 

The key is making your profile so enticing that the recipient wants to reply. 

Build a Recipient Persona 

Whether you want to use LinkedIn cold outreach to build client relationships or get a job, you must create a persona for the people receiving your messages. 

For instance, in the above example, the recipient persona could be: 

Law firms with at least X lawyers, located in Y area, specializing in Z areas of law. 

Find Your Targets 

Now, use your recipient persona to find targets. Google will be helpful here. 

For instance, search for personal injury law firms in the Y area. Check which of those listed on the first couple of pages have at least X lawyers. 

Once you've found suitable targets, find the links to their LinkedIn profiles. 

Similarly, if you're using cold outreach for lead scoring, you can get AI involved. For instance, Flowrite can be used directly on Linkedin with a simple integration. The tool can then help you craft unique outreach messages and appropriate responses.

6 Tips to Ace a LinkedIn Cold Message 

We've covered the basics. Let's discuss some tips that will make your cold messages stand out. 

1. Look For Common Ground or Mutual Interests 

The cool thing about LinkedIn is that it gives you a ton of information about the other person. You can learn about their work history, job role, interests, educational background, and more. 

All this information helps you find common ground with your message recipients. 

So, your first action plan should be to scour their LinkedIn profile for mutual interests. Suppose you're a SaaS business, and one of your offerings is a QR code generator. 

You've narrowed down a list of people who might be interested in your product, such as marketing managers, e-commerce store owners, graphic designers, etc. 

To maximize your chances of getting a response, go through these potential recipients' LinkedIn pages. Check if they've talked about using QR codes for marketing purposes or have a keen interest in design. 

Maybe they're a kind of business that you're sure will benefit from using QR codes, such as an online bakery or retailer. Point this potential benefit out in your message. 

2. Personalize the Message 

No one wants to read a message that's pretty obviously written by ChatGPT because it starts with "Hi [First Name]." 

It's LinkedIn. You've got every information you could need to personalize a message. 

Why not use it? 

Instead of sending the same message in bulk, send individual messages. They tend to perform better. 

The first personalization tip is to use the recipient's name. That's the easy part. 

Next, use the information you gathered about them to include something interesting or relevant in your message. 

For example, "Hi Sarah, I noticed on your LinkedIn profile that you're a UX designer. Your business card doesn't seem to have a QR code that leads to your portfolio. 

Have you considered using a QR code for easy sharing of your work? Studies show that it can increase portfolio views by up to X%." 

Then, you introduce your QR generator and explain how Sarah can use it to make her UX design portfolio more accessible. 

AI-personalized content is also garnering a lot of attention these days. You can simply use an AI-powered tool like Flowrite to generate personalized messages. 

3. Keep It Clear and Concise 

Remember, the person you're contacting isn't your long-lost friend. They're most likely someone who has never heard of you or your company. 

So, respect their time and keep your message clear and concise. Shorter messages also have a higher response rate. 

Avoid using technical jargon or industry-specific language they may not be familiar with. Mention everything concisely. 

Don't go into long tales of how your product or service works. Instead, focus on the benefits and features specific to them. 

For instance, if your product automates lead generation, only focus on that. Don't dive into the technical aspects of AI or machine learning. 

Something like this would work: 

''By automating lead generation, our product can save you hours and help you reach your target audience more efficiently. We helped Company XYZ streamline its lead generation process and increase its sales by X%.* 

Add a link to the case study if they want to learn more. Don't go on about the details within the message. Keep it short and sweet. 

4. Offer Value 

Again, remember that the person you're reaching out to is most likely busy and receives numerous messages daily. 

Stand out by offering them something of value. It could be a valuable resource, an exclusive deal, or even some helpful advice related to their industry. 

Let's say your tool helped a business cut onboarding time from 15 to 6 hours. Let the recipient know how the tool can do the same for your business. 

Maybe you can offer them a discount or free trial to try it out themselves. It shows that you're genuinely interested in helping them and not just pushing a sale. 

5. Include a Reason to Reply

Add something in your message that would keep the conversation going. Perhaps add a question about the recipients' interests or experience at the end. 

You could ask something like, "Have you tried automating your lead generation before? If so, how did it work for you? * 

If you're contacting someone who's a specialist in their field, you can ask them something only an expert would know. 

6. Follow Up

After sending your initial message, give the recipient some time to respond. If you don't hear back after a week or two, send a friendly follow-up message. 

In this message, you can mention that you wanted to ensure they received your initial message and were interested in learning more. 

Don't bug them, though. 

If they still don't respond, it's best to move on and focus on other potential leads. 

However, if they respond and show interest, follow up promptly and keep the conversation going. 

Don't ghost them. 

Examples of LinkedIn Cold Outreach Messages That Get Responses 

Here are a few examples of LinkedIn cold outreach messages to inspire you. 

Lead Generation

Hi [Name], 

I saw on your website that [something specific about their business that makes your offering a good fit for their use case]. 

Is this something you're currently struggling with? Our product [unique selling point] can help you [specific benefit for their business]. Company [one of your past clients similar to them] saw a [specific result, e.g., X% increase in sales] after implementing our solution. 

Would you be interested in a quick call to discuss this further? Please feel free to pick a time from my scheduling link below. 

Best, [Your Name]

Networking

Hi [Name], 

I came across your profile and was impressed by your experience in [specific industry or skill]. As someone passionate about [related topic], I would love to connect and learn from your insights. 

If you have a few minutes to spare, it would be great to chat and exchange ideas. Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in. 

Best, [Your Name]

For Connections in Common 

Hi [Name], *

*I noticed that we have [mutual connection(s)] in common and thought it would be great to connect. I see that you are also [specific industry or skill] and have worked with [similar companies/clients]. *

*I would love to learn more about your experiences and possibly explore potential collaborations in the future. Feel free to reach out anytime for a virtual coffee chat. *

Best, [Your Name]

Takeaway 

Sending a cold outreach message doesn't have to be intimidating or impersonal. Just because it's cold outreach doesn't mean your message should be cold. 

Personalize it as much as you can. Offer value and end the message with a clear call to action. Don't be afraid to follow up if you don't get a response, but also respect the recipient's time and boundaries.