The success of your LinkedIn lead generation campaign is equivalent to the quality of your LinkedIn sales outreach messages.
The better your sales messages on LinkedIn, the more quality leads you can generate!
After helping hundreds of business owners generate leads, appointments, and clients using LinkedIn (and other social platforms), here are my best LinkedIn messages for your sales outreach. Keep reading to discover the 7 Best LinkedIn messages for your sales outreach.
Quick Summary
Using the right LinkedIn messages for your sales outreach strategy can mean day and night for your conversion rate.
If you’re short on time, the best LinkedIn messages are those where you:
- Don’t sell
- Provide value
- Build a relationship
The best way I’ve found to do this is by asking them to watch a video that explains how you can help them instead of pitching your services or going straight to a sales appointment.
My clients have reported that this strategy results in more leads and better quality leads.
Here’s a quick video that explains this process in more detail:
When done correctly, you’ll get responses like this:
Or this:
These are just a few of the thousands of positive replies I’ve had over the years with this LinkedIn strategy.
The point is that people are much happier to connect with you and watch a video that solves a big, painful problem than jump on a sales call if they don’t know, like, or trust you. Once they’ve watched the video, if they like what they hear, they can then schedule a call with you to learn more.
For more tips on generating high-quality leads with LinkedIn using this strategy, check out my free Masterclass training here.
In the rest of the article, you’ll find LinkedIn message templates you can use to do this.
Do LinkedIn message templates work for lead generation?
If by the template you mean a “one-size fits all” message template that comes across as generic or pushy, then no. If you are referring to a personalized message template that stands out as different, then yes!
After all, a message template is still a message.
As with any message, it must fit a context, speak to someone, and offer value. If your message doesn’t fit those criteria, template or not, it will not be effective at grabbing people’s interest (i.e., generating leads).
As mentioned in my free masterclass on generating dream leads, offering a video letter is highly effective for generating leads with LinkedIn! A video is easy to consume and comes across as personal and different.
What are the best LinkedIn message templates?
1. Connection requests
Once you have found your dream clients on LinkedIn, you will want to contact them immediately. To do this, you have to send a connection request.
LinkedIn allows you to send a LinkedIn connection request with a message along with it, allowing you to explain why you have sent a connection request.
For the connection message, you can use this:
[Hi [First Name], I’d like to show you a short video on [title of video which solves a problem]. If it’s of interest, let’s connect]
Pro Tip: If you are not already sending messages with your connection request, you have a huge growth potential here with your conversion rate.
2. Conversation starters
Not all leads are created equally. Some may require nurturing first, so you must take a more conversational approach to build rapport.
If done correctly, in the conversational approach, you will diagnose their problem and offer your solution (your free video) only after they reply that they have a problem.
It is worth mentioning that this LinkedIn outreach method will take a bit more time. However, it is an excellent social selling skill to learn – building rapport with your audience builds trust in your brand, especially if they are unaware of who you are.
If your lead requires more attention, or you think a conversational approach suits your brand more, you can use these:
“Hi [Name], I had a look at your profile and saw that you [mention something specific or ask a question to start a conversation].”
“Hi [Name], I always want to help those I connect with. What kind of clients would be good referrals for you?”
“Hi [Name], how is business [or something else relevant] going right now?”
“Hi [Name], I speak to many in [industry] who have [problem]. How have you been trying to solve this?”
The idea with this conversational approach is to find out if a video that explains how to solve a problem they have would be a good fit for them.
3. A connection request with more context
Some people may need more context before connecting with you to watch your video.
Sending a connection request with more context will also work best when you know more about the leads’ pain points!
For example, if you are a financial advisor looking for retirement leads and come across someone’s LinkedIn post about needing retirement advice, you could send this cold message highlighting their already expressed pain point(s):
Hi [Name], thanks for connecting. I’ve just recorded a quick video on [title of video], which shows you how to:
– Bullet point 1
– Bullet point 2
– Bullet point 3
Would you like to check it out?
Thanks
[Your Name]
4. A Follow-up
If someone does not reply to your LinkedIn cold message template, it doesn’t always mean they are not interested in what you offer!
As you know, we live in a time of distraction.
The likely scenario is that they have opened it on the go, made a mental note to check it out, and forgotten.
That is where the follow-up message comes into play. A follow-up message template keeps you at the forefront of your prospect’s mind and lets you know whether they forgot or are not interested.
If your target audience is large (there are a lot of potential clients you can choose from), I’d say, in most cases, it’s better to move on to the next person.
If you have a new blog post or YouTube video, you can share this video with LinkedIn connections that haven’t responded to your original request:
Hi [First Name], I just recorded a new video on [title of video] that I thought you might be interested in checking out: [link to video] – what do you think?
Or, if you see that they have since provided more information you can use, try this:
Hi [First Name], I just recorded a new video on [title of video].
The video explains:
– Benefit 1
– Benefit 2
– Benefit 3
Here’s the link to check it out: [link to video]
I’d love to get your thoughts and feedback on the video. What do you think? And are there any other questions you’d like me to answer in a future video?
Thanks
– [Your name]
5. An invitation to a webinar
You want to showcase your expertise and build trust to win over potential clients. Hosting a webinar is one of the most effective ways to do this!
A webinar’s unique selling point is direct interaction with potential customers.
When you throw direct interaction into the mix of offering value and showcasing your expertise, you create unbeatable conditions for building trust, all of which go a long way toward converting your potential clients into paying clients.
If you have a webinar to invite people to, here is what you can say:
Hi [First Name], I just wanted to let you know that I am hosting a webinar about [Topic] on [date and time].
The webinar will cover the following:
– Benefit 1
– Benefit 2
– Benefit 3
I think you’ll find it interesting. Here is the link if you want to learn more: [link to webinar]
See you there!
6. Content distribution
If you are looking to build a relationship with clients you have already connected with on your LinkedIn network, one of the best ways to establish rapport is to engage with their content.
There are two main benefits to this. Firstly, you show them that you are interested in what they say. Secondly, this allows you to share some of your content in return.
Provided your content is optimized with the right calls to action, this can help guide them toward key points in your sales funnel.
Here is what you can say in this case:
Hi [First Name], I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed your post on [topic]. Great post!
I particularly agreed with the following:
– Point 1
– Point 2
– Point 3
As you may know, I also talk about [Topic]. You should give [link to your content] a read and let me know your thoughts.
7. Fellow group members
A great way to break the ice with a cold message is to establish a mutual connection by bringing up a LinkedIn group you are both a part of.
If you are not already part of the same LinkedIn group, you can always seek to join LinkedIn groups that your potential customer may be in.
When you do this, your first message will come across as more genuine; That you’re looking to build a genuine connection and are not just trying to sell something to them immediately.
Here is what that would look like:
Hi [First Name], I wanted to reach out because I’m also in [group name].
I’d like to show you a short video on [title of the video, which solves a problem related to the group topic]. If it’s of interest, let’s connect!
Or, if they have posted their content in the group, such as blog posts, you can use:
Hi [First Name], I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed your post on [topic] that you posted in [group name].
I particularly agreed with:
– Point 1
– Point 2
– Point 3
I also talk about [Topic]. You should give [link to your content] a read and let me know your thoughts.
In Conclusion
Your first message to someone on LinkedIn is your first impression; it is important that, at this stage, you come across as genuine and get straight to the point.
However, this doesn’t mean writing every message individually. If you were to attempt that, you would burn out within a few days.
Instead, try and use these templates mentioned in this article in conjunction with a LinkedIn marketing automation platform for maximum results.
Watch my free masterclass here for more on optimizing your marketing strategy to reach your dream clients.
FAQS
Ashley Davis (or ‘Ash’ for short) is the CEO & Founder of Skyline Social. For over 15 years, Ash has been helping business owners get high-quality leads, appointments, and clients each month. He has extensive experience working with B2B & B2C industries in finance, insurance, marketing, sales and beyond. Learn more about the author here.