Warm outreach means engaging with prospects through comments before reaching out. Comment 2-3 times, send connection requests, then DM and follow up, all from Extrovert. By the time you message them, you're already a familiar face. This dramatically improves response rates.
Expected results
2-5x reply rates compared to cold outreach
60%+ connection request acceptance
~20% of prospects message you first
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 | What you set | Why it matters |
1. Warming up | 1-2 weeks before connecting | Warm up target on the Outreach tab, 2 comments on their own posts | Creates familiarity |
2. Connection request | When the warm-up target is met | Connection requests on the Outreach tab | Feels natural after engagement |
3. Waiting period | 3 days - 4 weeks after acceptance | Wait before suggesting the first DM, 3 days by default | Builds trust |
4. Initial DM | After the wait | Nothing to set. The conversation turns up in DMs, Recommended tab | Feels like continuation, not cold outreach |
5. Sequence | Next 2-6 weeks | The follow-up ladder and the follow-up limit, 3 follow-ups at 3, 7 and 14 days | Reinforces familiarity |
6. Manual closing | After positive response | Move conversation to manual closing | Maintains momentum |
7. Long-term nurture | For "not now" prospects | A separate campaign with a slower rhythm | Keeps you visible for future opportunities |
The workflow
1. Prepare your prospect list
Start with a small batch of 50-100 prospects you plan to reach out to. Upload their profile 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 professionals - use recent-post activity filter in Sales Navigator
Leave out people you're already connected with and actively talking to - they don't need warming - and anyone outside your ICP. A warm-outreach batch is for cold prospects you actually intend to reach.
Create the campaign and pick the Warm outreach preset, then go through the numbers below on the Outreach and Commenting tabs. On a campaign you configure manually, warm up, connection requests and DMs all start switched off.
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. If someone gives you nothing to comment on at all, warm-up ends by itself after 30 days without a post from them and outreach carries on.
2. Warm up with comments
Two or three comments before you connect is the target, and Extrovert counts them for you. On the campaign's Outreach tab, turn on Warm up and set how many comments should come first. Only comments that actually published count. This creates familiarity so they recognize your name when you reach out.
Set these once on the Commenting tab:
Commenting pace per prospect - hides a prospect's other posts for a few days after you comment on one, so your comments land 2-3 days apart instead of all at once. Off until you turn it on, 3 days when you do.
Feed sorting strategy - choose Finish warm-up first and the feed brings up prospects who still need comments before anyone else. It stays greyed out until Warm up is on with a comment target. Spread evenly is the alternative, it shares your attention across the whole list instead of chasing the newest post.
Extra delay for back-to-back comments - puts hours between comments that would otherwise publish one after another for the same person, 24 hours by default. See Extra delay for back-to-back comments.
Limit posts per prospect - already on, keeping the newest 3 posts per person, so heavy posters cannot take over your feed. Nothing to do here.
In a campaign's feed you can narrow to one prospect list with the selector next to the campaign name, which is useful for staying on the current batch. Take care with the Filters button beside it: it opens the campaign's saved commenting settings, so anything you change there stays changed for every session.
If you run more than one campaign, work from Main Feed. It gathers everything waiting for your approval across campaigns, each campaign keeps its own sorting inside the mix, and you can give the warm outreach campaign High priority while a batch is running.
3. Send connection requests
Extrovert can send the connection request for you once the warm-up is done. Open the campaign's Outreach tab, turn on Connection requests, and use Warm up above it to set how many comments should come first. Two comments on their own posts is the usual target.
Warm-up also finishes on its own if a prospect stops giving you anything to comment on. That happens after 30 days without a post from them, or at the Warm-up time limit you set, 30 days by default and 90 at most. Either way the request still goes out.
The request carries no note, so there is nothing to write. Blank connection requests work best after engagement anyway - prospects recognize you from your comments and are much more likely to accept.
Learn more about automatic connection requests and about every setting on the Outreach page.
4. 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
In Extrovert this is the Wait before suggesting the first DM setting under First outreach, 3 days by default.
☝️ 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.
5. Start outreach
For prospects who haven't messaged first, Extrovert suggests DMs automatically. Turn on Direct messages on the campaign's Outreach tab and set two things:
First outreach: how long to wait after the connection is accepted before the first DM is suggested
Follow-ups: how many follow-ups to send if the prospect stays quiet, and how long to wait before each one. A good warm-outreach ladder is 3 follow-ups at 3, 7 and 14 days
Turn on Follow up sooner after a relevant post. It is off until you switch it on. When the prospect shares something you could genuinely open with, the next follow-up becomes due in about half the remaining time.
Conversations that are due appear in the Recommended tab of the DMs page in the left sidebar. Review the draft, improve it if needed, and send. Nothing sends without your approval.
Unlike sequences that end after 2-4 weeks, the loop keeps going. A reply resets the count and starts a fresh run, so a prospect who says "not now" and goes quiet comes back to you months later without you keeping a list.
Keep commenting during the entire process. Your DMs and comments work together: prospects see your messages and your thoughtful engagement on their posts.
6. Split outreach and nurture
Outreach and nurture need different rhythms, and rhythm is a campaign setting. Pace, sorting and follow-up timing all live on the campaign, so keep the two in separate campaigns.
Your warm outreach campaign (the batch you built in step 1):
A temporary batch of cold prospects
High-frequency touchpoints, comments every few days
Goal: warm up → connect → get a response
Ends by itself at the follow-up limit
Your nurture campaign (permanent, for responders):
Long-term relationships you maintain indefinitely
Lower frequency touchpoints (weekly to monthly)
Goal: stay visible until they're ready to buy or expand
Follow-up limit set to No limit, so it never runs out
When prospects respond, move them across. Typical cadences:
Hot opportunities - weekly touchpoints (active deals)
"Not now" prospects - bi-weekly to monthly (timing isn't right yet)
Customers - monthly (retention and expansion)
Partners - as needed
How to move prospects: open the prospect card and use the list dropdown, or bulk-move from the Prospects page. The list is what puts someone into the right campaign. A list on its own does not change pace, sorting or follow-up timing, so a different rhythm needs a different campaign.
7. How long to run a batch
The timing depends on your market:
SMB/transactional sales - 2-4 weeks, then rotate
Mid-market - 4-8 weeks
Enterprise/long sales cycles - 8-12+ weeks
There is no cleanup ritual at the end. A reply resets the follow-up sequence on its own, the follow-up limit ends the chase when nobody answers, and Change pace or stop after several comments on the Commenting tab takes a prospect out of your feed once you have commented enough times. Nothing is deleted, and you can bring any of it back by changing the setting.
Move responders into your nurture campaign as the responses come in, and start the next batch when you are ready.
What about non-responders? Let them go. Don't keep them forever hoping they'll respond - that wastes your time. If they didn't respond after your outreach cycle, they're either not interested or the timing is wrong. You can always re-add them to a future batch in 6-12 months.
☝️ Pro tip: Name your batch lists with dates (e.g., "Dec 2025 Batch 1") so you always know which cohort someone came from.
Three approaches to outreach
Choose the approach that fits your workflow:
Option 1: Use Extrovert end-to-end
Extrovert handles everything: comments → connection requests → DMs → follow-ups.
How it works:
Comment on prospect posts to warm them up
Send connection requests automatically once the warm-up target is met
Get AI-suggested DMs after connection and for every follow-up on your ladder
Review, edit if needed, send - nothing goes out without you
Keep commenting throughout the entire process
Pros:
One tool for everything - simpler workflow
Loops, not sequences - a reply resets the run instead of ending it
Signal-based DMs - references their recent posts automatically
Full control - you approve every message
Cons:
Requires Business plan or higher for DMs
Learning curve if you're used to sequencers
Best for: Teams who want a unified workflow and value signal-based outreach over fixed sequences.
Option 2: Warm up in Extrovert, then use sequencer
Use Extrovert for warming up, then hand off to your existing sequencer for DMs.
How it works:
Comment on prospects in Extrovert to warm them up
Send connection requests automatically
Export connected prospects via CSV or webhooks
Import to your sequencer and run your normal sequence
Keep commenting in Extrovert during the sequence
Move responders to your nurture campaign when the sequence is done
Pros:
Keep your existing sequencer workflow
Works on Light plan (no DM feature needed)
Best of both worlds - warmup + proven sequence
Cons:
Two tools to manage
Fixed sequence ends - no signal-based follow-ups
Manual handoff or webhook setup required
Best for: Teams with established sequencer workflows who want to add warmup without changing their DM process.
Option 3: Run sequencer first, then nurture responders in Extrovert
Start with your sequencer for cold outreach, then use Extrovert to nurture only those who responded.
How it works:
Run your normal cold outreach sequence
Import responders and warm leads into Extrovert
Use Extrovert for ongoing nurturing - comments + DMs
Keep relationships warm until they're ready to buy
Pros:
Focus Extrovert effort on highest-value prospects
Sequencer handles volume, Extrovert handles relationships
Lower Extrovert prospect count (cost-effective)
Cons:
No warmup benefit on initial outreach
Lower reply rates on cold sequence
Manual import of responders
Best for: High-volume outreach teams who want to add relationship nurturing for qualified leads without warming up every prospect.
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)
Work from Main Feed and pace yourself with the daily target counter
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