LinkedIn DM and Comment Templates for Sales Prospecting

Getting results from your LinkedIn outreach today requires two things:

1. Credible posts and genuine engagement in your space to help you stand out (aka, social selling)
2. Solid outreach frameworks that play on this pre-established credibility

Below, we provide a structured guide with various LinkedIn DM templates and use cases based on the proven outbound sequence used by our founding BDR, Ryan Patel, who increased his LinkedIn reply rate from 5%-21.6% in less than three months.

Warm Up Your Opportunities First

Part of building trust involves participating in the community you're trying to sell to. Engaging with prospects before making a direct approach helps in establishing credibility and familiarity.

1. Send a blank connection request on day one. You don't need to send a message — prospects deal with enough spam already
2. Start liking and commenting on their posts. No AI-generated comments. Authenticity is key, and prospects can easily spot generic or insincere comments, which will hurt your credibility.
3. Send Helpful Content: Share valuable resources or insights based on the questions they're asking publicly. Focus on being helpful rather than pitching your product right away.

Comment Templates for Warming Up Opportunities

Company Events and Job Changes

Engage with prospects by showing interest in their launch events and initiatives. This demonstrates awareness and genuine interest in their activities, fostering a positive connection.

Use Case:

• Comment on posts announcing new product launches, services, or events.
• Engage with prospects who are sharing updates about their team’s activities and initiatives.

Example Comment:

Launch events like this are an interesting idea! Seems like a great play if the team can execute it properly & collaborate.

Deep Dive Discussions

Participate in discussions that delve into specific topics within your industry. This shows your expertise and thought leadership, making you a valuable connection for prospects.

Use Case:

• Engage with posts that explore industry trends, challenges, and strategies.
• Comment on articles, studies, or detailed posts that analyze specific aspects of your field.

Example Comment:

Seems like a really interesting deep dive on sales psychology. One area I'm interested in is what metric business development teams should be comped on to align best with AEs. Some do SQLs, some do SQOs, some do revenue. Ideally, Biz Dev should be as close to revenue as possible IMO (past a certain stage) but have heard horror stories about arguments over what's an opp and what isn't with vague qualification criteria.

Agree/Disagree and Expand

Build on comments made by others to add value and share your perspective. This shows that you’re actively participating in the conversation and have valuable insights to offer.

Use Case:

• Respond to posts where industry peers or influencers have shared their thoughts.
• Add value to existing discussions by sharing your experiences and insights.

Example Comment:

Agree with Maria. We've definitely seen people gravitate towards our self-serve trial. Especially for deals in the sales cycle. People want to try your product before spending $20k+.

Product Feedback and Experiences

Provide constructive feedback and share your experiences with similar products or services. This not only adds value to the conversation but also positions you as a user with practical insights.

Use Case:

• Engage with posts where users are discussing products, tools, or services they have implemented.
• Share your feedback and experiences to contribute to the discussion and help them out.

Example Comment:

We implemented a similar tool last quarter and have seen great results. The key for us was making sure our team received proper training for all the features.

Sharing a Helpful Resource

Where applicable, share resources that may help your prospect.

Use Case

This could be applicable to job changes, new hires, new additions to their tech stack, and if they openly complain about a common issue they might face.

Example Comment:

Congrats Melissa! Looks like you already hired an AE. This podcast with Dreamdata's Sales Leader on self-sourcing pipe with social selling might be helpful for them.

LinkedIn DM Templates and Use Cases

After a week of engaging with their posts, you can now reach out.

Make an Observation + Ask a Question

Building credibility by making a specific observation about a prospect’s business can dramatically increase the chances of getting a response. This method shows that you have done your research and are genuinely interested in their work.

Use Cases: First touch, Follow-up

Example DM:

Hi [Name],

I've been following how your team handles [specific process]. I'm curious about your approach and would love to understand more about how it works.

Best,
Ryan

Highlight Specific Triggers

Highlight specific triggers and offer a solution along with social proof. This step is effective after showing initial interest and engagement with their content.

(Voice notes and personalized videos work wonders here.)

Use Cases: First Touch

Examples:

Hey [Name], shooting you this note because I noticed [specific trigger].

I talk to [role] all the time and they share [common problem].

Not sure if this is something you’ve considered but we helped [customer] see [result] by [solution/action].

Would you be open to learning more about how it works?

Let me know. Thanks.

Hey Tarana, shooting you this note because I noticed you recently joined the team at Rokt and hired Pearl to lead content.

I talk to VPs of Marketing all the time and they share new content hires create more content, but it's tough to understand what’s driving pipeline & what isn't.

Not sure if this is something you’ve considered but we helped Close’s new content leader drive more pipeline from organic by seeing a trail of account level content touch points from first interaction to closed-won so she could focus on creating more of what was actually working.

Would you be open to learning more about how it works?

Let me know. Thanks.

Hey [Name], I noticed your recent announcement on [specific update or achievement].

As I frequently speak with [prospect's role], one challenge they often mention is [related problem].

We recently helped [another customer] achieve [specific result] by [specific action or solution].

I'd love to share more on how we could potentially help you achieve similar outcomes. Interested in a quick chat?

Best, [Your Name]

Prioritize Listening and Understanding

Prioritizing listening and understanding the person's current processes helps identify areas where your solution can add value without immediately pitching your product. This shows empathy and a genuine interest in their business.

Use Cases: First touch, Follow-up

Example DM:

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I've been following how your team handles [specific process]. I'm curious about your approach and would love to understand more about how it works.

Best,
Ryan

Highlight Common Problems

Highlighting potential issues faced by the prospect, mentioning how you talk to lots of people facing the same problem, creates a sense of relatability and urgency. It shows that you understand their challenges and have experience in solving similar issues.

Use Cases: Follow-up

Example:

Typically, strategies like yours face X difficulties — I've seen it with a company like Y. Are you experiencing this?

Best,
Ryan

Suggesting a Meeting After Identifying Problems

Introducing the possibility of chatting further only after identifying agreed-upon problems helps build trust and sets the stage for a productive conversation. It ensures that the meeting will be relevant and valuable to the prospect.

Use Cases: Follow-up

Example 1:

I've got some other ideas for when it comes to solving X — want to set up a meeting so we can chat about it further?

Best,
Ryan

Example 2:

Maybe you could show me how you tackled this?

Best,
Ryan

The Break-Up: Asking for For Feedback

If there’s no response seven days after your initial outreach, send a brief follow-up message. Offer the opportunity to reconnect at another time and ask for feedback on your previous message.

Use Cases: Follow-up

[Name] - any feedback on my voice note?

Or let me know if it’s better to reach out to [direct report]. Saw he/she handles [function].

Best,
Ryan

We also have an extensive guide on effective LinkedIn post templates for sales teams, if you want to check it out.

Being Genuinely Helpful is Key to Success

Staying consistent with helpful resources is key to social selling success. Use these DM templates and strategies to enhance your LinkedIn outreach, build meaningful connections, and ultimately drive more sales.

Remember, tools like Letterdrop can help automate your social selling efforts, saving you time and boosting your results. Reach out to us to learn more about how we can support your social selling journey.