Integrating the world’s largest professional social network into your marketing strategy is an excellent way to find and qualify new prospects. LinkedIn automates your tasks and personalizes your communications. This powerful tool, known for its massive résumé database, can greatly simplify both recruiting and commercial prospecting — especially in B2B.
But how do you generate qualified leads on this platform? How do you target the right clients and deliver impactful messages? In this practical guide, we share our top strategies to help you succeed with LinkedIn prospecting and improve your commercial performance. Let’s begin!
An article summary
LinkedIn prospecting consists of using the world’s largest professional social network to identify, qualify, and convert B2B prospects through precise targeting and personalized communication.
As the preferred platform of decision-makers, LinkedIn offers high engagement rates, advanced tools like Sales Navigator, and an ideal environment for social selling.
- Optimizing your profile as a professional storefront boosts credibility and conversions.
- Precise targeting through advanced filters and B2B personas helps identify the most qualified prospects.
- Publishing expert content increases visibility and naturally attracts the right opportunities.
- Short, personalized, value-driven messages significantly increase response rates.
- Tools like Leadin, Waalaxy, or Sales Navigator simplify automation and performance tracking.
Why use LinkedIn for your commercial prospecting?
While many social networks dominate the mass market, LinkedIn is the unrivaled leader in the professional segment. This positioning is what drove Microsoft to acquire the platform for $26.2 billion in 2016. Today, LinkedIn has more than 850 million users worldwide.
Interestingly, 77% of LinkedIn users live outside the United States: 211 million in EMEA, 224 million in Asia-Pacific, and 124 million in Latin America.
▶️ An unmissable pool of prospects for any commercial activity!
The preferred social network for B2B decision-makers
While email remains an essential marketing and sales channel, many companies prefer to focus their efforts on LinkedIn prospecting. According to an IDC study, 75% of B2B buyers and 84% of senior executives use LinkedIn to make purchasing decisions.
Higher engagement rates than emailing
More than 40% of French LinkedIn users log in daily. Professionals often check LinkedIn right after their inbox. LinkedIn InMails have an open rate 166% higher than email, especially in cold outreach.
An ultra-targeted search engine with Sales Navigator
LinkedIn’s biggest strength is its advanced targeting. Tools like Sales Navigator offer precise filters (industry, job title, company size, keywords…) to refine your lead lists and send personalized messages.
Before prospecting on LinkedIn: fundamentals you should not ignore
LinkedIn has become a must-have platform for commercial activities. It now covers every stage of the buying journey — from generating qualified leads to customer retention.
At Leadin, we have generated over 10,000 leads for our clients, representing more than €12 million in revenue. Want to improve your B2B prospecting? Here are the essentials you must master.
Optimize your LinkedIn profile like a landing page
Your personal profile and company page are your storefront. Never begin prospecting before optimizing them fully.
Polish your photo, banner, and headline
Golden rule: visuals matter.
- The brain processes visual information up to 60,000× faster than text.
- You remember 80% of what you see, 20% of what you read, and 10% of what you hear.
- Visual content generates up to 94% more clicks than text content.
Choose a professional profile photo and a clear, engaging headline. Your banner should ideally be 1536 × 768 px. If needed, use Canva to create it.
Create a clear summary focused on client benefits
The “About” section is often neglected — yet it’s the first thing visitors read. Use it to present who you are, what you do, and the value you bring. End with a clear CTA (website, newsletter, contact form…)
Highlight your content and social proof
Showcase key posts, achievements, and products. This reinforces your expertise and credibility.
Showcase your experience with concrete results
Add measurable results whenever possible: ROI, team growth, revenue increase… It strengthens trust and authority.
Strategically grow your network
Networking requires consistency and relevance. Avoid adding random people — LinkedIn limits weekly invitations. Focus on qualified, active users and position yourself as a helpful expert.
Publish high-value content
A strong content strategy helps you:
- Increase your visibility
- Boost your organic reach
- Showcase your expertise
Share varied content: text, visuals, videos, links. Interactions amplify your reach across second-degree networks.
Participate in groups, but only share high-value content. Repurpose your blog posts into “snackable” LinkedIn content if needed.
How to properly target your prospects on LinkedIn
Before prospecting, create a plan of action: Who is your target? Which companies? Which roles? What value can you deliver?
- Create detailed B2B personas
- Use advanced LinkedIn search filters
- Leverage groups, events, and comments
- Prioritize leads using behavioral scoring
How to write an effective LinkedIn prospecting message
Follow these four steps to create powerful outreach messages.
Start with a personalized icebreaker
Show you’ve researched the person — it captures attention instantly.
Ask a qualifying question
Use an open question to categorize prospects based on whether they feel the problem you solve.
Highlight your value, not your product
Explain why you asked the question, share social proof, and show you’ve helped others with the same challenge.
Encourage a response with a clear CTA
Invite them to respond, without trying to sell directly.
Ready-to-use LinkedIn message templates
Message to a member of the same group
Hi (name),
“I noticed we are in the same group. Your post about (topic) resonated with me. I’d love to discuss it further — by the way, here’s a question I’ve been thinking about…”
Message to someone who commented on a post
“Hi (name), hope you’re well! I saw your comment on _____. You seem interested in the topic — happy to chat whenever you’d like.”
Message to someone with a mutual connection
“Hi (name), I see you’re interested in _______. I follow your friend’s posts — what did you think of the last one?”
Message after an event or webinar
“Hi (name), I noticed we had similar interests during last week’s event. Did you see this post about _____?”
Message to follow up with a former client
“Hi (name), I’ve been keeping an eye on your updates. Congrats on (…)!”
Message to a competitor
“Hi (name), I saw we’re in the same field. You clearly know more than I do — let’s talk about what sets us apart.”
Message to LinkedIn suggestions
Hi (name), I noticed we share common interests — worth connecting to see what comes out of it 🙂
Message for a B2B partnership
“Hi (name), our industries are different but complementary. Interested in exploring synergies?”
Message to someone who visited your profile
“Hey (name), I saw you checked my profile — did something specific catch your attention?”
Message to grow your local network
“Hi (name), I’m running a survey in (region). Would love your input!”
Common LinkedIn prospecting mistakes to avoid
- Sending mass invitations
- Writing generic or overly long messages
- Lack of clarity in your offer
- Too many follow-ups without value
- Spelling and grammar mistakes
- No clear CTA
Action plan: a typical week of LinkedIn prospecting
- Monday: optimize your profile and targeting
- Tuesday: identify 30 new leads
- Wednesday: send personalized invitations
- Thursday: follow up and publish expert content
- Friday: analyze and optimize your results
Essential LinkedIn prospecting tools
- Leadin — multichannel LinkedIn + email prospecting
- Waalaxy — simple automation
- PhantomBuster — technical/growth automation
- Sales Navigator — ultra-targeted search
Combine automation with human touch to build strong, scalable prospecting strategies.
LinkedIn prospecting: what to remember
With 850 million members and advanced features, LinkedIn has become “the place to B2B.”
Use its tools to find, convert, and retain clients through smart automation and personalized messaging.
Looking for LinkedIn prospecting techniques? Want advice on email and social selling? Try the Leadin demo and boost your performance!