LinkedIn Prospecting Strategies: Complete Guide to High-Converting Connection Requests
This probably goes against everything you've been told about "adding value" and "standing out”, but if you're actually planning to sell something through LinkedIn, the worst thing you can do is write a personalized connection request message.
After analyzing thousands of connection requests sent through Botdog, we’ve found that blank connection requests get 80% higher acceptance rates than connection requests with a note attached.
This is because blank requests create curiosity. They force prospects to click on your profile to see who's asking to connect rather than judging you based on a (very short) message. That profile visit is your real opportunity to make a first impression.
But there’s something else that separates the most successful salespeople from the rest - segmented prospecting - using a different strategy for “hot” prospects vs. “warm” ones. In this guide, we’ll walk you through two prospecting strategies that work well for these different segments.
Why blank connection requests work better.
When someone receives a blank connection request, their natural reaction is curiosity: "Who is this person? Why do they want to connect with me?"
This drives them to your profile, where they'll see:
- Your optimized headline
- Your professional banner
- Your recent posts (full of value)
- Your experience and recommendations
When people feel like they’ve done their research and come to their own conclusion that they’d like you in their network, the relationship starts on a level playing field. Instead of feeling like they’re in a salesperson/prospect dynamic, they feel like they’re simply networking.
In some cases, adding a note makes sense to provide context behind your connection request. If you feel that it’s necessary, keep it brief and natural. Don’t pitch anything or force connection points, just simply give context. EG: “Hi [Name], we're both in the [specific group/event] community. Would love to connect!”.
Don’t send connection requests without an optimized profile.
When prospects click through to research you, they need to see:
1/ A headline that positions you as a solution
Instead of: "Sales Manager at ABC Company", try: "Helping SaaS startups close 40% more deals through automated LinkedIn outreach".
2/ A banner that reinforces your value
Your banner should immediately communicate what you do, who you help, and what results you deliver. Bonus points if it uses colors that catch the eye!
3/ Recent, valuable content
Your last 3-5 posts should showcase your expertise and provide value to your ICP. If your last post was 6 months ago about your vacation, fix that first.
4/ A targeted About section
Your About section should tell a story that resonates with your ICP. Think about what someone reading your bio wants to know. Share your product or business’s journey, highlight key achievements, and talk about what drives you.
How to strategically segment prospects.
Before you start sending connection requests, consider segmenting your prospects into two groups based on buying signals and urgency. This isn't about one being "better" or “more likely to convert” than the other - they just require different approaches. You can split your prospecting between these two strategies in whichever way you like. We’ve found it useful to alternate between one week focused on short-term prospects and one week focused on long-term.
Group 1: High-intent prospects -> Path 1 (short-term)
These prospects match your ICP (ideal customer profile) AND show clear buying signals:
- Recently changed jobs (new role, new challenges to solve)
- Posted about problems your solution directly addresses
- Engaged with your competitors' content or posts
- Mentioned specific pain points in their LinkedIn activity
- Company showing growth signals (hiring, funding, expansion)
One easy way to find Group 1 prospects is by targeting people who engage with your competitors' content. With Botdog, you can create a list of who liked or commented on your competitors’ posts and set up a campaign to send them a connection request and message sequence in less than 3 minutes.
Another easy way to identify Group 1 prospects is to use the 50+ Sales Navigator filters as strategically as possible. For example, you could build a list of people who fit your ICP in terms of job title, seniority, and location, and have also changed jobs in the last 90 days. This often indicates that they’re evaluating new solutions and/or trying to fix any problems they’ve inherited with a fresh budget. Asking them about their new role is also a great conversation starter.
Group 2: Relationship-building prospects -> Path 2 (long-term)
These prospects are a strong ICP match but aren't showing immediate buying signals:
- Could be in early-stage research or evaluation mode
- Stable in their current role/situation
- Active on LinkedIn but not posting about relevant challenges
We’ll delve into the long-term strategy in more detail in the next section, but it’s important to note that Group 2 prospects are much more likely to convert if they’re active on LinkedIn. If they’re engaging and commenting on other people’s posts, great. If they’re creating their own content, even better. On Sales Navigator, you can filter by people who have “posted on LinkedIn” in the last 30 days to easily build lists of active users within your ICP.
Path 1: Short-term prospecting strategy
Remember, this strategy can be used on Group 1 prospects who show clear buying signals and need quick conversion. You can adjust the timeline based on your average sales cycle - the goal is for this strategy to wrap things up on the faster side.
Day 1 - Send a blank connection request.
Day 3 - Send a highly personalized (but human) message addressing their specific buying signal.
“Hi Sarah,
Congrats on the move to Company! They’ve been on my radar for a while - really love their mission and values.
Your post about hiring SDRs without lead and pipeline quality dropping really resonated - I must’ve met 100+ sales leaders who’ve struggled to find that balance. I’ve heard it takes a lot of time (and a lot of patience 😂).
We’ve been helping SaaS companies like Company support SDRs by adding 200+ qualified prospects to their CRM every month. This means their AEs can focus on closing, which massively increases customer quality and retention. We recently worked with a similar-sized company and boosted their LinkedIn response rates by 340% in their first 90 days.
Worth a chat about how this might work for Company?”
Day 7 - Follow-up with a case study or relevant testimonial.
“Hi Sarah,
Hope the SDR hiring is going well!
Just wrapped up a catch-up call with a Head of Sales who was in a similar spot to you 6 months ago. They were skeptical about automation at first (totally get it), but their 3 SDRs were spending 15+ hours/week on manual LinkedIn outreach, which wasn’t sustainable.
Now, that same team reaches 5x more prospects in half the time, and their response rates actually went up because the messaging became more consistent.
(As a bonus, they’ve also increased SDR retention rate as they’re much happier spending more time having actual conversations instead of copy-pasting connection requests!)
Thought you might find that interesting given what you're building at Company 🙂”
Day 14 - Direct meeting request or demo offer.
“Hi Sarah,
Been thinking a lot about the SDR scaling challenge at Company.
I'd love to show you exactly how that company I mentioned before set up their system. It's pretty straightforward, but seeing the actual workflow and results usually makes everything click.
Would you be up for a quick 15-minute screen share this week? I can walk you through:
- How they structured their LinkedIn campaigns by role/seniority
- The message templates that got them to 340% response rates
- How their SDRs manage the pipeline without getting overwhelmed
No pressure if now's not the right time, but happy to show you what's working if you're curious.”
Path 2: Long-term prospecting strategy
This strategy can be used on Group 2 prospects who aren’t showing immediate buying signals but are worth nurturing for future opportunities. Keep in mind that this one’s a slow burner, but it’ll pay off in the long run - the goal is to be patient and build a relationship that puts you top-of-mind when their situation changes.
- Send a blank connection request
- Wait for acceptance - don't message immediately
- Engage with their content strategically
The goal is to establish familiarity without acting like a stalker. Like their posts (not every single one!!!), leave comments if you have something valuable to add, and contribute to comment threads they’ve started on other people’s posts. Start to build recognition through consistent, light engagement.
- Build familiarity over the following weeks/months
- Find natural conversation starters
Once you’ve established familiarity (perhaps they’ve started engaging with your content or replying to your comments, too), send them a message about your shared interests (no pitch yet!).
"Hey Sarah, seems weird that we haven’t messaged before when we’ve had so much back and forth in the comments section haha. Saw your comment on [Person's] post about [topic] and wanted to message you as you made an excellent point about [specific insight]. Do you think that [ask relevant question]?”
- Let them ask YOU about your business/product
Once the conversation has been flowing for a while, start to ask questions that shift the conversation towards their role. For example, you could ask “btw, how are things going at X?” or “heard really good things about X - what kind of things are you guys working on at the moment?”.
The goal is for your prospect to (eventually) ask you a similar question in return. When they ask “how are things going with you?” or “what are you working on?”, you can naturally mention your business/product without it feeling like a sales pitch.
From there, you can play it by ear and discuss potential collaboration opportunities when it feels natural. Even if they’re not interested, remember that you’ve already built a solid relationship with them. Don’t disappear or stop engaging once you’ve heard them say no. Instead, keep in touch, keep nurturing, and you might even get a referral or two.
How to write LinkedIn messages that actually convert.
Every first message you send to a prospect is technically a cold message. But some cold messages feel much warmer than others. A message tends to feel “warm” if:
- They're already in your network
- You've been engaging with their posts
- They've commented on your content
- You've built some recognition through previous interactions
Once you’ve made the situation a bit warmer, do your best to follow these 7 rules in every LinkedIn message you send.
1. Write like you talk
Don't use corporate jargon or content that sounds like AI. Read your message out loud before sending it. If it doesn't sound like something that would actually come out of your mouth, rewrite it.
❌ "I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to reach out regarding a revolutionary solution that could optimize your business processes…."
✅ "Hey Sarah, loved your post about remote team challenges. We've been wrestling with similar issues…."
2. Focus on building rapport, not selling
Especially for Group 2 prospects, always show genuine interest in starting a conversation. Don't pitch or try to sell immediately. Relationships built over time yield better results and longer customer retention.
3. Send messages during their working hours
If someone's inbox is full of messages every day, they'll appreciate that you're not buzzing their phone at 10pm. Plus, they’re more likely to reply if you message them while they’re online.
4. Keep messages short
If you write more than 2 paragraphs, you're probably saying too much. Most people scan messages quickly, so make yours easy to digest.
5. Only talk about one thing
Don't make multiple requests or ask several questions in one message. One message = one topic or one question.
6. Use soft CTAs
✅ "Would you be open to sharing more about that?"
✅ "Would you be interested in learning more?"
❌ "Can we schedule a call this week?"
7. Match their timing
This is basic human psychology. If they reply within 30 minutes, you can respond within 30 minutes. If they take 2-3 days to reply, wait a similar timeframe before following up. This creates the feeling that you're both equally busy professionals making time for each other.
How to scale your segmented prospecting strategy
The manual version of this strategy works, but it doesn't really scale. That's where tools like Botdog become helpful. Some people find that by automating their short-term strategy, they can focus more of their time and energy on nurturing their long-term prospects.
What you can safely automate with Botdog:
- Sending connection requests at optimal times
- Maxing out your connection requests every week
- Sending a follow-up message sequence to new connections
- Tracking response rates
- Managing multiple campaigns simultaneously
- Withdrawing unsuccessful requests to keep your account clean
What you should never automate:
- Message responses
- Content engagement and comments
The goal is to automate the mechanics while preserving the human elements that close deals.
Where to go from here…
- Audit your LinkedIn profile for conversion optimization
- Define your ICP segments for high-intent vs relationship-building prospects
- Create message templates for each strategy
- Set up tracking systems to measure performance
- Start with manual testing before scaling with automation
Want to automate your prospecting strategy while maintaining the human touch that closes deals? ➡️ Try Botdog’s 7-day free trial and set up your first campaign in under 3 minutes!
