A good warm outbound message is short, is about the prospect's business rather than about how you found them, includes one specific detail that shows you looked, and ends with an easy question. Don't mention that they viewed your profile or liked your post; use that interaction to decide who and when to message, not what to say.
Five rules.
Don't narrate the signal. "Saw you viewed my profile" turns curiosity into discomfort.
One true, specific thing. Something about their company, their role or something they wrote. Not flattery.
Their problem, not your product. Mention what you do in half a sentence, or not at all.
Short enough to read on a phone. Three or four lines.
End with a question they'd enjoy answering. Not "15 minutes this week?"
Profile viewer.
Before
Hi Daniel! Thanks for checking out my profile. I'm the founder of Acme, we help B2B companies book more meetings with AI. Would you be open to a quick 15-minute call this week?
After
Hi Daniel, noticed Fernway just opened a second sales pod for the UK. Are the new reps prospecting from scratch, or are you handing them accounts that already know the brand? Curious how you're splitting it.
Why it works: he's curious about you already. The message rewards that with a question about his world, not a pitch.
Post engager.
Before
Hey Maria, thanks for liking my post about reply rates! Since you're interested in this topic, I'd love to show you how our platform can help.
After
Hi Maria, you run outbound for three clients at once at Brightline, if I've read that right. When one client's reply rate dips, do you change the list first or the copy? Every agency I talk to has a different answer.
Why it works: the post told you the topic is on her mind. The message continues that thought for her specifically.
Competitor engager.
Before
Hi Tom, I saw you commented on [Competitor]'s post. We're a better alternative to them, with more features at a lower price. Want to see a demo?
After
Hi Tom, saw you're hiring two SDRs at Ledgerly. Are they going to be living in LinkedIn or email? We've found the teams that pick one channel first ramp a lot faster, happy to share what we've seen.
Why it works: never mention the competitor. He's interested in the problem; meet him there.
Website visitor.
Before
Hi Aisha, our tracking shows someone from your company visited our pricing page yesterday. Can I help answer any questions?
After
Hi Aisha, congrats on the Series A at Plotline. Usually the first thing that breaks after a raise is pipeline coverage for the new quota. Is outbound something you're building in-house, or looking to bring someone in for?
Why it works: nobody wants to learn they were tracked. Use the visit to decide to write now, then write about her moment.
Follow-ups.
One or two, a few days apart, and each one adds something: a short example, a number, a relevant resource. "Just bumping this" adds nothing and teaches them to skip your name. The full follow-up guide.
One more thought, Daniel: the UK teams we've seen ramp fastest gave new reps a warm list (people already engaging with the brand) for their first month, before going cold. Happy to send the breakdown if useful.
Write fewer, better.
The temptation with a warm list is to send the same message to all of it. Resist. The whole advantage of warm outbound is that it feels like a person noticed. A template with a merge field throws that away. (Our templates are shapes to adapt, not scripts.) If you can't write fifty good messages a day by hand, cut to twenty, or use a tool that researches each person and drafts in your voice, and keep the final say.
Valley does exactly that: it researches each person and drafts the message in your voice, and you approve what goes out.
Your orbit, worked every day
Someone viewed your profile today. Did anyone write to them?
Connect your LinkedIn account and Valley shows you who's already in your orbit, with a message ready for each.
