# Warm outbound templates, *by where they came from.* Twelve templates for the ten places warm leads come from. Each has a connection note, a first message and one follow-up. They are skeletons, not mail merges: every bracket is a piece of research you still have to do. **The short answer:** Warm outbound templates are message frameworks matched to how a prospect found you: profile viewer, post engager, website visitor, competitor engager and so on. A good one has a short connection note or none, a first message about the prospect's business with one specific detail and an easy question, and a single follow-up that adds something new. ## The source decides what you are allowed to say. Every template below follows the same rules. The signal picks who you write to and when. The message is about them. The one thing that changes by source is whether the interaction itself can be mentioned, and that depends on whether it was public. | Source | Can you mention it? | Send within | | --- | --- | --- | | Profile viewer | A light, vague nod at most. Never "thanks for viewing" | 1-3 days | | Post liker | The topic, not the like | 2-4 days | | Post commenter | Yes. Their comment is public words | Hours to 2 days | | Company page follower | Lightly. Following is a deliberate act | 1-2 weeks | | Website visitor | Never | 1-2 days | | Competitor post engager | Never name the competitor | 2-4 days | | Creator audience | Only a public comment, never the follow | Days, not weeks | | Past champion, new job | Yes. Public, and you know them | Their first month | | Event attendee | Yes. The event is shared context | Within the week | | Newsletter subscriber | Yes. They opted in | While they're still opening | Connection notes stay well under LinkedIn's limit of about 300 characters. "No note" is a real option, and often the better one: a blank request from someone they just noticed gets accepted on curiosity, while a note invites them to judge a pitch before they've met you. ## Profile viewers want to know who you are, not what you sell. ### 1. Profile viewer: the straight pivot *Connection note:* > No note. *First message:* > Thanks for connecting, [name]. Saw [company] is [specific recent thing, e.g. hiring its first two AEs]. Are they going to build their own pipeline, or inherit accounts from you? Curious how teams your size split it. *Follow-up:* > One pattern with [first AE hires]: the ones who start on people already engaging with the brand tend to ramp faster than the ones handed a cold database. Happy to send how I'd set that up for [company], no call needed. ### 2. Profile viewer: the light nod *Connection note:* > Hi [name], looks like we crossed paths on here this week. I work with [role] at [type of company]. Glad to connect. *First message:* > Quick one, since you run [team] at [company]: when [specific problem, e.g. a rep's pipeline runs dry mid-quarter], what's the fix today, more activity or better lists? Everyone answers it differently. *Follow-up:* > If it helps, here's the short version of what I've seen work for [similar company type]: [one concrete idea in one sentence]. No pitch attached, it's yours either way. Why it works: the acknowledgment is one vague clause, then the message is entirely about them. "Thanks for checking out my profile" leads with the signal and underperforms. ## Post engagers already told you the topic. ### 3. Post liker *Connection note:* > Hi [name], I write about [topic] most weeks and you run [function] at [company], so it felt like a sensible connection. *First message:* > Thanks, [name]. At [company], is [specific sub-problem of the topic] something you've solved, or still open? I ask because [one-line reason tied to their situation]. *Follow-up:* > I wrote up the longer version of that [topic] idea with [a worked example / a checklist]. Want me to send it? Why it works: a like is the weakest engagement signal. Use what it tells you, the topic, and leave the like itself out. ### 4. Post commenter who agreed *Connection note:* > Hi [name], your point on my [topic] post about [their point, paraphrased] was a good one. Would be good to keep the thread going here. *First message:* > Your comment about [their point] stuck with me. How does that play out at [company]? For example, [specific question applying their point to their business]. *Follow-up:* > Following up with something concrete: [a resource / an example / a counterpoint someone else made]. Curious whether it matches what you're seeing at [company]. ### 5. Post commenter who asked a question *Connection note:* > Hi [name], your question on my post deserved a longer answer than a comment. Mind if I send it here? *First message:* > Here's the longer answer: [two or three sentences that actually answer it]. Does that fit how [company] is set up, or is your situation different? *Follow-up:* > Had another thought on your question: [new angle]. If it's easier, I can show you how [team like theirs] handles it. Why it works: a public question is the warmest thing on LinkedIn short of a demo request. Answer it fully before asking for anything, and do it within hours. ## Followers and visitors need a reason that isn't the follow or the visit. ### 6. Company page follower *Connection note:* > Hi [name], noticed you follow [your company] here, thanks. You run [function] at [company], so I wanted to put a face to the page. *First message:* > Out of curiosity, what put [problem area] on your radar at [company]? I ask people who follow us because the answers shape what we write about. *Follow-up:* > The question followers ask us most is [common question]. Short answer: [one line]. Happy to go deeper on how it would apply to [company]. ### 7. Website visitor *Connection note:* > No note. *First message:* > Thanks for connecting, [name]. Saw [company] [public fact: just raised / launched X / is hiring Y]. Usually [the problem you solve] is the first thing that gets hard after that. Building it in-house, or bringing someone in? *Follow-up:* > A short example in case it's relevant: [similar company] [what they changed] and [result, in words]. Happy to walk through how it would map to [company]. Why it works: never narrate tracking. "Our tracking shows you visited our pricing page" turns interest into discomfort. Use the visit to decide to write now, then write about their moment. **A plain note on privacy.** Identifying individual people from website visits is sensitive under GDPR in the EU and UK and under similar laws elsewhere. Company-level identification is the more common and more defensible version. If you sell into Europe, check with whoever owns privacy at your company before you message individuals off a site visit. This is not legal advice. ## Borrowed orbits are interested in the problem, not in you. ### 8. Competitor post engager *Connection note:* > Hi [name], I spend most of my week on [problem] with [type of team]. You run [function] at [company], so it seemed worth connecting. *First message:* > Curious how [company] handles [specific problem] today. [One specific observation about their business.] Is it working, or a known headache? *Follow-up:* > One pattern from teams like yours: [insight]. If you're comparing options, happy to share the questions I'd ask any vendor in this space, us included. Why it works: never name the competitor or the post. They have no loyalty yet, and mentioning it starts a comparison you didn't need. ### 9. Creator audience (they commented on a creator's post) *Connection note:* > Hi [name], saw your comment on [creator]'s post about [topic]. Good point on [their point]. Glad to connect. *First message:* > [Creator]'s point about [topic] got me thinking about teams like [company]. Does [specific implication] hold for you, or does it break at your size? *Follow-up:* > Here's the piece I mentioned on [topic] for [their role]: [one-line summary]. Want it? If they only follow the creator, drop the reference and use template 8 instead. A public comment can be quoted. A follow can't. ## Shared history is the warmest context there is. ### 10. Past champion who changed jobs *Connection note:* > Usually none needed, you're already connected. If not: "[Name], saw the move to [new company]. Congrats. Would be good to stay connected." *First message:* > Congrats on [new role] at [new company]. How's the first month? Curious what you inherited on the [problem area] side, and whether it looks anything like [old company]. *Follow-up:* > No rush, but if [problem] is on your list for the first quarter, I'd be glad to show you what's changed since we worked together. Rooting for you either way. Why it works: the job change is public and they already trust you. Most teams never track it. ### 11. Event attendee *Connection note:* > Hi [name], we were both at [event] last week. [Session] was the best part for me. Worth connecting. *First message:* > What was your takeaway from [event]? Mine was [one honest opinion]. Is [session topic] something [company] is working on now, or more of a someday? *Follow-up:* > A few people asked me about [topic] after [event], so I wrote up [resource]. Want a copy? ### 12. Newsletter subscriber (email) *Subject line:* > [Name], quick question about [company] *First message:* > Hi [name], you signed up for [newsletter] a while back, thanks. I write it, and I like knowing who reads it. What made you subscribe: [problem A], [problem B], or something else? One word is plenty. *Follow-up:* > In case it's useful: the issue people in [their role] reply to most is the one on [topic]. Here it is: [link]. Happy to answer anything it doesn't cover. ## A template is a starting point, and the research is the message. ### Fill every bracket with something true. If you can't find a real, specific detail about their company or their public posts, the lead isn't ready, or isn't a fit. Skip them rather than send a merge field. ### Rewrite the question for their role. A founder, a head of sales and an agency owner have different problems. Ask the one this person would enjoy answering. ### Read it on your phone. Three or four lines. If it scrolls, cut it. ### Say it in your own voice. Read it out loud. If it sounds like a template, the recipient will hear that too. ### Send one follow-up, then stop. Each follow-up adds something new. [The follow-up rules](https://warmoutbound.site/follow-up/) cover when to send a second and when to let go. ### Should I use the same warm outbound template for every lead? Use the same structure, never the same message. The advantage of warm outbound is that it feels like a person noticed. A message that could have gone to anyone throws that away. ### Should I add a note to my LinkedIn connection request? Often not. For profile viewers and website visitors, a blank request usually works better. Add a note when you have shared public context to point at: their comment, an event, a job change. ### How long should a warm outbound message be? Short enough to read on a phone without scrolling: three or four lines, one specific detail, one question. Next: [how to follow up without bumping](https://warmoutbound.site/follow-up/), or [the rules behind these templates](https://warmoutbound.site/messages/). --- Source: https://warmoutbound.site/templates/ Written by Zayd Ali, Founder & CEO of Valley (https://www.linkedin.com/in/zayd-syed-ali-4201101a9/). Published by Valley (https://joinvalley.co/?utm_source=warmoutbound). Last updated 2026-10-27.