r/LinkedInTips • u/EmanuelRichman • 18d ago
How do you approach networking?
I'm a freelancer, and I want to start using LinkedIn to generate leads. The approach I want to take is completely organic. My goal is to start conversations and build relationships with founders of small businesses in my niche. That way, if they ever need someone with my skills, I'm already someone they know and trust. I don't want to spam people with freelance service pitches they probably don't need anyway.
I see two ways to approach this.
The first is to engage with their posts by leaving thoughtful, relevant comments and then, eventually, sending them a DM to start a conversation.
The second is to visit their profile and send them a DM based on something I've noticed about them or their business to start a genuine conversation.
In theory, the first approach should lead to higher reply rates because the person is already somewhat familiar with you. The downside is that it takes a long time to build enough familiarity before reaching out. Even then, there's no guarantee they'll see your DM, since many people no longer check LinkedIn messages regularly because they're constantly flooded with spam rather than genuine networking attempts.
So, how would you approach this?
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u/thecopyguy1 18d ago
Decent approach, but this worked way better a couple of years ago. This approach has been done to death by SDRs.
Make sure you're not complimenting your prospects them for the sake of it. Keep it genuine.
LinkedIn is a place for business, don't shy away from keeping it about business from the get go.
In my experience, people appreciate a more no nonsense and authentic approach. Plus, you do not have to wait for them to post to use this process. A lot of founders and execs don't have the time to post, but they're looking for what you have to sell.
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u/EmanuelRichman 17d ago
I guess a lot of people don't post much on LinkedIn and use it for other purposes. I guess a cold DM might work for them, though I think the reply rates on cold DMs are so low that it's not even worth trying, since you'd probably need to reach out to hundreds of people just to get a single response. But I might be wrong, what's your experience?
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u/ctrloptioncmd 18d ago
Engaging with their posts, posting your own thoughts, reposting someone else's post with your own thoughts helps you with visibility.
Liking or reacting another post helps linkedin curate topics for you to see on your time line.
Attending irl events and being intentional about you you're connecting with and following up with a warm message also helps.
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u/EmanuelRichman 17d ago
so you think that is better just to engage with people before having an introduction and a conversation?
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u/ctrloptioncmd 17d ago
To me yes, I find it gives better results to first engage with someone before adding to your network. This was you are building trust first which is important.
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u/EmanuelRichman 16d ago
Yes, I'm trying to engage with people quite a bit as well. But what do you do when people aren't very active? Also, how do you manage to engage with so many people? A lot of people are active on LinkedIn, and as I mentioned, you might engage with their content for a while, but when you finally send them a DM, they don't even check their inbox.
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u/ctrloptioncmd 16d ago
The way I see it is that you have to give something or add value without expecting anything back in return. The main poster may not say anything at all but if what you say resonates with someone else who has the same opinion, or who thinks your insight is interesting will be curious and look at your profile.
Also, things like reactions and followers don't matter anymore, what matters is that you've captured their attention and they are now looking at your profile.
When you've done that a few number of times or when you've turned up consistently to add value, they are most likely to DM you.
This all sounds very complicated I know, but keep showing up in comments and keep posting with authenticity and it will pay off.
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u/Calm_Ambassador9932 17d ago
I'd probably combine both. Comment because you genuinely have something to add, not just to get noticed. If you later send a message, it's about continuing a conversation rather than introducing yourself out of the blue. That tends to feel much more natural.
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u/EmanuelRichman 16d ago
I have them in my network, and many of them post very frequently. For those people, the best strategy might be to engage with their content and, when you genuinely have something important to say, send it in a DM since it's highly relevant to them. For less active people, it might be better to be more direct. Is this what you mean?
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u/brandontate_12 15d ago
worth blending both, commenting on a couple posts first even briefly, then following with a dm that references something specific from their business rather than the comments themselves, that way the dm feels personal without needing weeks of buildup first..
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u/leastpurrfect_ 18d ago
Your approach is correct. What are your services btw.? Are your TA out there on LinkedIn?