This guide explains how to warm up prospects through LinkedIn engagement before starting your outreach sequence.
Expected results
50%+ reply rates on outreach sequences (vs 5-10% industry average)
70% connection request acceptance rates (vs 30%-50% industry average)
~20% of prospects start conversations themselves (before your first DM)
More meaningful first conversations
☝️ We A/B tested this: We split 1,000 prospects into two groups. Standard cold outreach got 8-26% reply rates, while warmed-up prospects (comments first, then connection, then waiting period, then DM) got 51-57% reply rates. About 15-20% of warmed prospects messaged us first.
Complete timeline
Phase | Timing | Activities | Why it matters |
1. Warming up | 1-2 weeks before connecting | Comment thoughtfully on 2-3 posts | Creates familiarity |
2. Connection request | After warming up phase | Send a blank connection request | Feels natural after engagement |
3. Waiting period | 3 days - 4 weeks after acceptance | Continue commenting on their content | Builds trust |
4. Initial DM | After waiting period | Short, conversational opener | Feels like continuation, not cold outreach |
5. Sequence | Next 2-6 weeks | 3-4 value-adding follow up messages | Reinforces familiarity |
6. Manual closing | After positive response | Move conversation to manual closing | Maintains momentum |
7. Long-term nurture | For "not now" prospects | Monthly touchpoints via comments | Keeps you visible for future opportunities |
8. List cleanup | After sequence ends | Keep high-value prospects for nurture | Prevents list bloat |
The workflow
1. Prepare your prospect list
Start with a small batch of 50-100 prospects you plan to reach out to. Upload their LinkedIn URLs into a new list in Extrovert.
Name your list based on timing (e.g. "March Batch 1") - this helps track when to start outreach.
You might want to add other roles from target accounts - people read their team's posts. E.g. include senior executives (CEOs, CxOs) even if you don't plan to reach out to them directly
Focus on active LinkedIn users - use "Posted on LinkedIn" filter in Sales Navigator
What if my prospects don't post? Some prospects rarely post but are active readers. Use our "reach prospects who don't post" feature to stay visible by commenting on posts from people they follow. This works best for big accounts or smaller TAMs when you can afford to spend time on indirect activities to build awareness.
2. Make initial touchpoints
Goal: Comment on every prospect in your list. Sweet spot is 2 comments per prospect, but you can do 1 or go for more if it makes sense.
Keep the list small (50-100 prospects) - this makes it much easier to track and complete initial comments for everyone.
You can sort the feed by Prospect name. That way you will see several posts coming from each prospect and will be able to choose which ones you want to engage with
☝️ Pro tip: Turn on delayed posting (Campaign → Settings and sharing → Delay between comments) to space out your comments naturally over several days
3. Warm up stage (3 days to several weeks)
Keep commenting on prospects' posts. Use these filters to stay organized:
Desired frequency to make consistent weekly touchpoints
Prospect list to focus on specific list
Post category to focus on relevant content
Posts per prospect to control how many posts you see from each person (prevents prospects who post a lot from taking over your feed)
Sort by Latest to see newest posts first
Sweet spot is weekly touchpoints - this keeps you visible without being too pushy. Check engagement metrics for every prospect in the post card.
4. Send connection requests
After warming up period, start sending connection requests to engaged prospects.
5. Strategic delay (3 days - 4 weeks)
After prospects accept your connection, wait before sending your first message. This is the step most people skip, but it's crucial for success:
Creates space for them to message first (about 15-20% will because they know you from comments)
Makes this feel much less transactional
Allows the familiarity and trust to build with comments and content (doesn't happen overnight)
Allows your posts to start appearing in their feed - when they like your comment, the algorithm shows them more of your posts
Creates space for them to check out your profile naturally
☝️ TAM adjustments: Enterprise/Limited TAM should wait 4-6 weeks for deeper relationship building. Large TAM can wait 3-5 days. If you post content regularly, wait longer in both cases.
☝️ Pro tip: This is the hardest part because it feels counterintuitive to wait. Set yourself a firm rule - your patience will be rewarded.
6. Start outreach
For prospects who haven't messaged first:
Begin your outreach sequence
Keep commenting during the entire sequence
Whatever outreach sequence you use - 2 weeks or 2 months - keep commenting during this time. Your sequence and comments work together: prospects see your messages in DMs and your thoughtful engagement on their posts.
7. Move warm prospects to permanent lists
When prospects respond positively, move them to permanent lists in Extrovert. This is crucial for long-term relationship building. Create separate lists for:
Hot opportunities (weekly touchpoints)
Longer-term prospects (bi-weekly)
Current customers (monthly)
Partners & champions (as needed)
Each list gets its own engagement schedule. This way you can focus more time on hot opportunities while keeping other relationships warm.
8. Clean up completed batches
After your sequence ends (usually 30 days), clean up your prospects:
Just delete the initial list as a whole
Everybody who replied had been moved to a permanent list before
It's important to make room for new prospect batches
Combining it with manual or automated outreach
With manual outreach:
You can use Extrovert as your main prospecting tool:
Comment on prospect posts
Wait for them to engage back
When they like or reply to comments - send a personalized DM referencing their posts
Keep nurturing with comments during conversations
With outreach tools:
Complete warm up stage in Extrovert
Export the prospect list as CSV
Import to your sequence tool
Start your normal sequence, continue nurturing in parallel
Move everybody who replied to permanent lists
When the sequence ends, delete the initial list from Extrovert to clean up
☝️ Pro tip: Use webhooks to automatically push warmed prospects (after X comments) to your sequencer. Then use our API to delete prospects from Extrovert lists after your sequence ends.
Combine with posting for better results
Comments work even better when combined with your own content:
LinkedIn shows your posts to prospects who like your comments.
It's a perfect way to target your content to your prospects
Constant commenting makes it more likely that your posts will not fade out from your prospects' feeds
Some prospects can come back themselves weeks or months after the sequence has ended
Comments help you be top of mind, posts help you explain your narrative, and DMs are a final push. That way DMs + Comments + Posts amplify each other
Implementation checklist
Before you start:
Block 15-30 minutes daily for commenting (non-negotiable calendar appointment)
Start with just 50-100 prospects (don't go crazy)
Have realistic expectations (results show up in weeks 4-6)
Daily process:
Comment on 8-10 people each day (better than trying 30 and burning out)
Track what you're doing
Stick with it for 21+ days before judging results
Common pitfalls to avoid
"I don't have time" - this replaces other prospecting, not adds to it
"It's not working" - giving up before 4-6 weeks (too early)
"I can do more" - trying to warm 200 prospects at once (you'll burn out)
"This isn't my voice" - overthinking comments (just be normal)
"I missed a day" - all-or-nothing thinking (just pick up where you left off)
How to know it's working
Connection acceptance rates go up (should hit 60%+)
Some prospects message you first (without you DMing them)
Responses feel warmer and more engaged
Meetings are easier to book