How to warm up cold LinkedIn prospects before your first message
The difference between a 5% response rate and a 40% response rate often has nothing to do with your message. It’s about whether the prospect recognizes your name when your message lands in their inbox.
Cold outreach is hard because you’re asking someone to invest time in a total stranger. Warm outreach works because you’ve already established some level of familiarity and credibility.
This guide shows you exactly how to warm up prospects before your first direct message—transforming cold targets into warm conversations.
Why Warming Matters
The Psychology of Familiarity
There’s a well-documented psychological phenomenon called the “mere exposure effect.” Simply put, people develop preferences for things they encounter repeatedly. The more someone sees your name, the more familiar and trustworthy you become—even before any direct interaction.
When you message a cold prospect, you’re competing with:
- Every other salesperson in their inbox
- Their assumption that you want something from them
- The cognitive load of evaluating a stranger
When you message a warmed prospect, you have:
- Name recognition from previous touchpoints
- Demonstrated value through your engagement
- A foundation of positive impressions
The Numbers
Our research shows dramatic differences in response rates:
| Prospect Type | Average Response Rate |
|---|---|
| Completely cold | 5-10% |
| Profile viewed (1-2 times) | 12-18% |
| Engaged with content (3-5 times) | 25-35% |
| Multiple touchpoints (5+ over 2 weeks) | 40-50% |
A 2-week warming period can 4x your response rate. That’s not a marginal improvement—it’s a game changer.
The Warming Playbook
Week 1: Establishing Presence
Day 1-2: Profile View
Start by viewing their profile. This sends a notification that creates first exposure. LinkedIn shows them your name, headline, and photo.
Pro tips:
- View from your real account (not private mode)
- Look at their full profile (not just the preview)
- Note what content they’ve posted recently for later reference
Day 3-4: First Content Engagement
Find a recent post from your prospect and engage meaningfully.
If they’ve posted recently:
- Like the post first (small signal)
- Come back later with a thoughtful comment
- Make your comment add genuine value
If they haven’t posted:
- Like 2-3 of their older posts
- Comment on one that relates to your expertise
- Engage with comments they’ve left on others’ posts
Day 5-7: Continued Visibility
Keep appearing in their notifications:
- Like another post
- Reply to their comments on other posts
- View their profile again (they’ll notice the repeat visit)
By end of week 1, they’ve seen your name 4-6 times. You’re no longer a stranger.
Week 2: Deepening Connection
Day 8-9: Substantive Comment
Leave a more substantial comment on their content—something that demonstrates your expertise and adds to the conversation.
Examples:
- Share a relevant statistic or research finding
- Offer a complementary perspective
- Ask a thoughtful question that extends the discussion
- Share a brief, relevant experience
Day 10-11: Engage With Their Network
Engage with content they’ve interacted with. When you comment on posts they’ve also commented on, you’re creating additional touchpoints in their peripheral vision.
Day 12-14: Pre-Connection Positioning
If they post again, engage quickly and substantively. You want to be a familiar, welcome presence by now.
Consider also:
- Sharing one of their posts (with your perspective added)
- Mentioning them in a relevant post of your own
- Responding to their stories if they use that feature
The Connection Request
After 2 weeks of warming, send a connection request that references your engagement:
Template: “Hi [Name], I’ve enjoyed your recent posts on [topic]—especially your point about [specific insight]. I’m also passionate about [related area] and would love to connect. Looking forward to learning from your perspective.”
This doesn’t feel like a cold request because it isn’t one. You’ve been engaging authentically for two weeks.
The First Message
Wait 2-3 days after they accept your connection before messaging. When you do:
Don’t: Immediately pitch your product or ask for a meeting
Do: Continue the conversation in a natural way
Example: “Thanks for connecting! I’ve been following your content on [topic] and wanted to share something you might find useful. [Relevant article, insight, or resource]. Curious how this relates to what you’re seeing at [Company]?”
Notice: No pitch. Just continued value-add. The sales conversation comes later, after more relationship building.
Advanced Warming Techniques
Strategic Content Creation
Create content that your target prospects will find valuable. When they engage with your posts, you’re warming without any extra effort.
Tactics:
- Write about challenges specific to their industry
- Share insights relevant to their role
- Post questions that invite their expertise
- Create content that addresses problems you can solve
Mutual Connection Strategy
Identify mutual connections who could provide warm introductions or at least add credibility.
Before outreach:
- Note shared connections in your message
- Consider asking for an introduction if the mutual connection is close
- Engage with content where your mutual connection and target both participate
Event-Based Warming
Look for natural triggers to accelerate warming:
Promotion or job change: Congratulate them genuinely. This is a perfect excuse for positive first contact.
Company news: When their company announces something notable, comment on related posts or share the news with your perspective.
Industry events: If they’re speaking at or attending a conference, engage with related content before, during, and after.
Group Engagement
If your prospect is active in LinkedIn groups:
- Join the same groups
- Provide valuable answers to questions
- Engage with their contributions
- Build a reputation they’ll notice
Warming at Scale
Individual warming is powerful but time-consuming. Here’s how to warm multiple prospects efficiently.
Batch Your Activities
Dedicate specific time blocks to warming activities:
- 15 minutes each morning for profile views
- 20 minutes midday for content engagement
- 10 minutes end of day for follow-up interactions
Prioritize by Potential Value
Not every prospect deserves full 2-week warming:
- Tier 1 (major opportunities): Full warming playbook
- Tier 2 (solid opportunities): 1-week abbreviated warming
- Tier 3 (opportunistic): Quick warm (few touchpoints) before outreach
Track Your Warming Activities
Maintain visibility on where each prospect is in your warming sequence:
- Touchpoints completed
- Content engaged with
- Profile views exchanged
- Time until next action
Without tracking, you’ll lose prospects in the middle of warming or reach out prematurely.
Leverage Automation Thoughtfully
Some warming activities can be automated:
- Scheduling profile views
- Organizing content for engagement
- Tracking touchpoint progress
But keep the human elements human:
- Thoughtful comments should always be personalized
- Messages must be genuine
- Any content you share should be curated, not random
Common Mistakes
Moving Too Fast
The temptation to compress warming into a few days is strong. Resist it.
Compressed warming looks like stalking. Spread activities over 1-2 weeks for natural-feeling familiarity building.
Generic Engagement
“Great post!” doesn’t warm anyone. Every touchpoint should feel intentional and valuable.
If you wouldn’t say it in a real conversation, don’t comment it.
Over-Engagement
There’s a line between “building familiarity” and “being creepy.” If you’re engaging with every single post they make, every day, you’ve crossed it.
Aim for 1-2 touchpoints every 2-3 days during your warming period.
Skipping Directly to Pitch
Some salespeople warm prospects only to immediately pitch in their first message. This wastes the goodwill you’ve built.
Continue providing value in your first 1-2 messages. Let the relationship develop naturally.
Measuring Warming Effectiveness
Track these metrics to optimize your warming process:
Connection acceptance rate: Warmed prospects should accept at 50-70% vs. 20-30% for cold requests.
Response rate to first message: Aim for 35-50% with proper warming.
Time to first meeting: Warmed prospects should convert faster once conversation starts.
Pipeline quality: Do warmed prospects stay in pipeline longer and convert at higher rates?
The Patience Payoff
Warming prospects requires patience in an impatient profession. You’re spending 2 weeks before sending a single message—weeks where competitors are blasting out cold emails.
But here’s the reality: Those competitors are getting 5% response rates and burning through target lists. You’re building relationships that convert at 10x the rate.
In the time it takes them to get 5 responses from 100 cold messages, you’ll get 40 responses from 100 warmed messages—and those 40 will be far more receptive to continuing the conversation.
The math is clear. The discipline is hard. But the results speak for themselves.
Warmr automates the tracking and organization of prospect warming, helping you manage multiple warming sequences simultaneously. Know exactly where each prospect is and what touchpoint comes next. Start warming more effectively with Warmr