How to build a LinkedIn outreach sequence

LinkedIn Automation guide, part 3 of 7: Build your sequence. Step 6 of 14. Previous: Find prospects with LinkedIn Search. Next: Use InMail in your sequence. See all steps.

A LinkedIn automation sequence in Snov.io is a campaign that runs LinkedIn actions for you, such as viewing profiles, liking posts, sending connection requests and messaging prospects.

This guide shows how to build one, what each action does, and where to track results.

Create a sequence of LinkedIn actions

LinkedIn actions explained

Daily limits for LinkedIn actions
Monitor LinkedIn automation statistics

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Before you start. To launch a LinkedIn sequence, make sure you have:

1) LinkedIn Automation activated. Learn more in the LinkedIn Automation FAQ.

2) A connected LinkedIn account. Connect it on the LinkedIn accounts page.

3) A prospect list with LinkedIn profile URLs.

Create a sequence of LinkedIn actions

Connect your LinkedIn account to Snov.io before you build the sequence.

Then open the campaign builder, choose a prospect list, and add LinkedIn steps one by one. You can mix LinkedIn steps with email steps in the same campaign.

Add LinkedIn actions

Click LinkedIn in the menu on the right, or click Add LinkedIn action under a step.

Then pick an action from the Select a LinkedIn action panel and click Save.

Select a LinkedIn action panel in the Snov.io campaign builder listing View profile, Like posts, Follow, Send connection request, Message, InMail and Endorse skills

Add delays between steps

A Delay step pauses the sequence before the next action.

Add one between LinkedIn steps so actions don't run back to back.

Click Delay next step under a step, then set the Waiting time in minutes, hours or days. The default is 1 day.

Set a delay panel in a Snov.io LinkedIn sequence with the waiting time set to 1 day

Start with warm-up actions (view, like, follow), then send a connection request, then message. For example:

1. View profile: the prospect sees you in their profile viewers.

2. Like posts or Follow: light engagement before you connect.

3. Send connection request with a short personal note.

4. Check if connected on LinkedIn: split the flow.

5. Message if connected, or InMail or an email if not.

Put a Delay step between each of these steps.

Example sequence flow

Here is a flow you can copy. Start with light engagement, then send the connection request, then split the flow by connection status.

  • Warm-up: View profile, then Delay 24 hours, then Like posts, then Follow, then Delay 2 days.
  • Connect: Send connection request, then Delay 2 days, then the Check if connected on LinkedIn condition.
  • Accepted: Message, then Delay 2 to 4 days, then a follow-up Message.
  • Not accepted: Email or InMail, then Delay 2 to 3 days, then a follow-up, then Delay 2 to 3 days, then a final follow-up.

A sequence without delays looks automated. Add a Delay step between every LinkedIn action or email.

Sort contacts by connection degree

LinkedIn treats 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree connections differently. You can collect contacts by connection degree upfront, or add a Connection degree condition to check each contact before the next step.

  • 1st degree: already connected. Send a Message directly, without a connection request.
  • 2nd degree: you share a mutual connection. Use it to personalize your connection request.
  • 3rd degree: no shared connections. Cold requests here can trigger LinkedIn spam filters. Warm them up first with View profile or Like posts, or use InMail for important contacts.

Set the campaign schedule

Choose a schedule in the Schedule section of the campaign settings. Pick a time zone based on your recipients' location and working hours. Snov.io performs LinkedIn actions only within the time you set. If you don't set a schedule, actions are spread through the day at a natural pace.

LinkedIn actions explained

Snov.io automates 7 LinkedIn actions: View profile, Like posts, Follow, Send connection request, Message, InMail and Endorse skills. It also has one LinkedIn condition, Check if connected on LinkedIn. Each one is added as a separate step in the campaign builder.

View profile

  • What it does: Opens the prospect's LinkedIn profile, so they may see you in their profile viewers.
  • Best use: As the first touch in the sequence.

Like posts

  • What it does: Likes 1 to 5 of the prospect's recent posts, in random order. If they have fewer posts, Snov.io likes as many as there are.
  • Best use: After View profile and before Follow or Send connection request.
  • Setting: Set Number of posts to like in the action.
  • Recommendation: Like 2 to 3 posts per prospect. It shows you spent some time on their profile.

Like posts action settings in Snov.io with the Number of posts to like field

note
The Likes limit counts prospects, not posts. With a daily Likes limit of 20, Snov.io runs Like posts for 20 prospects a day, whether it likes 1 or 5 posts each.

Follow

  • What it does: Follows the prospect, so you appear in their followers and see their updates.
  • Best use: After Like posts and before Send connection request.

Send connection request

  • What it does: Sends a connection request, with or without a note.
  • Best use: After 1 or 2 warm-up steps, such as View profile and Like posts.
  • Note length: Up to 200 characters. Use variables with fallbacks so the note always reads correctly.
  • Free LinkedIn accounts: Up to 5 requests with a note per month. After that, requests go out without a note.

Send connection request action in Snov.io with a personalized note and variables

Check if connected on LinkedIn (condition)

  • What it does: Checks whether the prospect is in your network or has accepted your request, and splits the flow into two branches.
  • Best use: After Send connection request. Send a Message to connections, and an InMail or email to the rest.
  • How to add: Add a Condition step and choose Check if connected on LinkedIn.
  • Tip: Send a Message to connections and an InMail or email to everyone else.

Check if connected on LinkedIn condition splitting a Snov.io sequence into connected and not connected branches

Message

  • What it does: Sends a LinkedIn message to a prospect you're connected with.
  • Best use: On the connected branch of the Check if connected condition.
  • Attachments: Up to 5 files per message, such as a pitch deck or one-pager.

InMail

  • What it does: Sends a message to people you're not connected with. Read more in this guide.
  • Best use: On the not-connected branch, when the prospect hasn't accepted your request.
  • Length: Subject up to 200 characters, message up to 1,700 characters. File attachments are supported.

InMail action editor in Snov.io with a subject line, variables, message body and attachment button

Endorse skills

  • What it does: Endorses 1 to 5 skills on the prospect's profile, starting with the most recently added skills.
  • Who it works for: 1st-degree connections only.
  • Best use: After the prospect accepts your request, as an extra touch before or between messages.
  • Setting: Set the number of skills to endorse in the action.

Endorse skills action settings in Snov.io with the number of skills to endorse

note
The Endorsements limit counts skills, not prospects. Endorsing 3 skills for one prospect uses 3 endorsements.

Daily limits for LinkedIn actions

Daily limits for each LinkedIn action are set per account in your LinkedIn account settings. Snov.io stops an action for the day once its limit is reached and continues the next day. For recommended values, see this guide: safe LinkedIn automation limits.

tip
Keep your account safe: start with low limits on a new account, raise them gradually, and keep Delay steps between actions.

Monitor LinkedIn automation statistics

To track results, open the campaign and go to the LinkedIn tab in its Statistics section.

It shows metrics for every LinkedIn action in the campaign.

For all campaigns at once, open the Reports dashboard. Read more in this guide.

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