Let’s be honest your cold outreach isn’t cold anymore. It’s frozen. Nobody wants another copy-paste pitch in their inbox. And the “saw your profile, thought we could connect” trick? That’s not even cold anymore, it’s just dust.
Here’s what is working now and it’s way simpler than you think.
1. Cold Outreach Starts in the Feed, Not the Inbox
People reply to people they recognise, not strangers with Calendly links. If they’ve seen your face in their feed, read your stuff – maybe even laughed once – then they’re more likely to talk. If you’re only in the DMs, you’re already playing catch-up.
So show up. Be useful. Be a bit annoying (in a good way). Post content and comment on posts with a purpose. Don’t just throw out some promo for your business or drop a “great post” in someone’s comments.
Still overthinking what to post? Start with these 7 steps to writing your first LinkedIn post.
2. Commenting Before Messaging Makes Cold Outreach Warmer
You wouldn’t walk into a party, interrupt a conversation, and start selling. So, don’t do it on LinkedIn either.
Drop a comment but not some throwaway, generic comment like we’ve already said. Add to the chat, make yourself a valuable contribution to that conversation. Make yourself visible before you pop up in the inbox. By the time you DM, you’re not a stranger. You’re “that person who actually said something useful.” Big difference.
3. Cold Outreach That Works Is Ridiculously Specific
“Thought we could collaborate” is code for “I’m about to sell you something you don’t want.”
Stop being vague. Reference exactly why you’re reaching out and don’t make it all about you. Those lengthy posts that list all of your experience and what you have to offer? No one reads them. You’re lucky if you even get a polite, “No, thanks.”
Make it clear you’ve read something, noticed something, that you actually care. “Saw your post about hiring SDRs, curious if you’ve tried X yet?” Put their best interests, their wants, their pain at the centre of the conversation.
In fact, Gong’s research shows that personalized and concise emails drastically outperform vague, generic ones. The more specific and relevant you are, the better your chances of getting a reply.
It’s not cold anymore
You don’t need to be everyone’s mate. You just need to stop looking like a bot with a quota.
Show up in the feed. Show up in the comments.
And when you message? Make it real.
Cold outreach is dead. Conversations are what’s working now.