When Steven Brady jumped on our webinar, I knew he had something special. He built a system that runs like a machine — combining HeyReach, Trigify, and Clay in a way that even surprised us.
This isn't some theoretical growth hack or “here’s what could work” kind of thing. Steven actually built this, ran it, and brought in real money.
The best part? You don’t need a huge team or a massive ad budget to replicate this. Just a smart process, a few solid tools, and the right mindset.
Let’s break it down.
The real pain behind cold outreach for SDRs
At first, it's easy. You’re reaching out to decision-makers you’ve handpicked through manual LinkedIn search.
But as your pipeline starts growing, the task becomes overwhelming. You’re not just trying to hit a quota anymore. You’re trying to scale a whole system of LinkedIn lead generation that works.
And that was one of the key challenges Steven pointed out during our webinar — how tough it is to scale without losing quality.
There’s only so much personal touch you can add when you're sending 100, 200, or 500 connection requests per day. But even when you try LinkedIn automation tools, it’s tricky. Tools that promise efficiency often make your outreach messages feel robotic, cold, and impersonal.
The result?
Your prospect ghosted you, and you're trying to figure out where things went sideways in your sales outreach.
And these are just a few of the challenges. Once you scratch the surface, you’ll see a lot of SDRs struggle with things like… 👇
1. Declining response rates
I remember back in the early days of LinkedIn prospecting. Salespeople were pulling in solid reply rates, like 10 to 15% from their cold outreach campaigns. But over time, as more folks started using the same playbook, those numbers dropped off.
Now, many sales teams are lucky to get 5-7% responses, and the volume of LinkedIn outreach messages required to keep results steady has significantly increased.
2. Technical complexity
To keep outreach campaigns running smoothly, sales reps also need to mess with all the technical stuff such as juggling multiple LinkedIn accounts and inboxes.
On top of that, they need to get good at different tools (e.g. Outreach or Salesloft). But even then, there’s no guarantee of better results with how crowded the space is getting.
3. Ineffective list building
SDRs often end up targeting broad groups (like VP of Sales at SaaS companies) without fully understanding how to engage them.
In the end, they find themselves at the mercy of outdated or poorly segmented lists.
4. Lack of resources for automation
Automation can definitely save time, but SDRs, especially in smaller companies or bootstrapped startups, just don’t have the resources or budget to set up and manage automated LinkedIn outreach campaigns properly.
And even if they do have the tools, many still lack the know-how or experience to get the most out of them, which leads to disappointing results.
5. Finding the right influencers
SDRs also waste way too much time chasing the “perfect” influencer, only to end up with a list of people who either don’t match their ICP (or have a big following but no real influence).
Tools can help with advanced search and filter through the social media clutter. You can sort by industry, job title, location, follower count, engagement rate, and the type of content they post.
But at the end of the day, even if you pick the right people, if your message isn’t good, all that effort will be pointless.
The stack behind outreach that gets replies (ft. HeyReach, Trigify & Clay)
Yeah, the number of all these challenges is pretty huge, but this is where things get exciting. You can overcome them by automating processes.
And no, automation doesn’t have to equal impersonality – I’m going to show you that in the following examples.
But first, I want to take you through the ultimate guide to building an outreach strategy that works:
Identify your target audience
There’s no point in sending outreach to someone who would never benefit from your service. Take the time to build a clean list of high-quality leads.
Not the sexiest step, but it’s the one that makes everything else work.
So, who are your ideal customer prospects? What companies or roles are most likely to be interested in your product?
This is where Trigify comes into play. It monitors LinkedIn for social signals – likes, comments, and conversations. When someone comments or engages, Trigify picks that up in real time and flags them as a potential lead.
So instead of guessing who to reach out to, you get a fresh list of leads who are already talking about the things you care about.
Once those leads are identified, Trigify pushes them into Clay which helps you organize and keep track of your leads.
At the moment you’ve identified who you’re reaching out to, you can start crafting your cold messages with the right context in mind.
Craft personalized messages that feel authentic
Here’s where you use HeyReach. You’ll automate the sending of LinkedIn connection requests and follow-up messages. You have 2 options – choose pre-made templates to make things easier or start from the scratch.
And here’s how to scale your outreach with HeyReach while keeping it sharp and relevant:
- Rotate team members’ LinkedIn accounts in campaigns to expand your reach.
- Personalize message templates: mention recent posts, shared connections, LinkedIn groups, or events.
- Automate follow-ups without losing context or relevance.
Let’s break it down even further 👇
Set up LinkedIn sender rotation first
HeyReach lets you rotate multiple LinkedIn accounts so you’re not stuck with platform limits. Instead of being capped, you scale based on how many accounts you connect.
Setup’s easy:
- Log in to HeyReach.
- Head to “LinkedIn Accounts” and click “Connect Account.”
- Log in using your LinkedIn credentials or keep it connected with 2FA.
Now your LinkedIn profile becomes a Sender. Do the same for teammates or invite them directly.
Next, configure limits: how many actions you want each account to take per day. HeyReach automatically splits these across campaigns without going over the max.
Note: LinkedIn limits vary depending on your plan (LinkedIn Premium, Recruiter, Free etc.) and Social Selling Index.
Upload leads & assign senders
On the dashboard, go to the “Leads” tab and click “Add Leads.” You can import from:
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator account (recommended)
- CSV file
- A supported third-party platform
Once uploaded, name your list, drop in the Sales Navigator URL, and assign which Sender accounts will work that campaign. That’s it. Potential leads are good to go.
Build your cold outreach sequence
Now comes the fun part: crafting a sequence that doesn’t sound like every other spammy pitch.
Start simple:
- View their profile
- Like a post
- Follow them
- Send a connection request
(All spaced out over a few days.)
Then, write your first LinkedIn message. You can send it as a direct message or InMail.
HeyReach swaps out variables automatically, so you don’t have to do it manually. Once that’s done, your campaign’s ready to roll.
The main goal? Make your prospects feel like you took a moment to understand them and/or their pain points.
You’re not selling here, you're just offering value and starting a conversation.
Set up follow-ups that don’t feel pushy
People get busy and don’t always respond immediately. That’s where Trigify shows its magic again, helping you track interactions and metrics in real time and send follow ups based on that.
But follow-ups need to be smart and relevant. You don’t want to just send a “Hey, I noticed you didn’t respond!” message.
Instead, reference something you’ve learned about them since your first outreach. Rely on Trigify data for it.
From 0 to replies: One solid step at a time
Okay, now that we have the effective LinkedIn outreach strategy down, let’s get a bit more practical.
Here’s an example of how a typical outreach sequence might look when you’re using HeyReach, Trigify, and Clay.
Step 1: Spot people already engaging
Start with Trigify. It keeps an eye on LinkedIn activity around specific thought leaders.
Basically, it helps you find people already tuned into your space.
Step 2: Narrow it down with Clay
Once those leads are coming in, send them to Clay. Clay enriches each profile with details like company size, location, and industry.
From there, you can filter out the ones who don’t fit your ICP. Only the best matches move forward.
Step 3: Start the conversation with HeyReach
Next, you use HeyReach to send out personalized connection requests. Since you’ve already qualified the leads, you’re not just blasting messages, you’re reaching out with intent now.
Example:
“Hey [Name], I loved your recent post on [topic]. It really resonated with me, and I think we might have some pretty common interests. Let’s connect? :)”
Step 4: Follow up after they accept
After the connection is accepted, it’s time to warm up even more. Use info from Clay to reference mutual interests, shared groups, or anything relevant from their profile.
Example:
“Hey [Name], appreciate you connecting! I saw you’re into [topic], always cool to meet folks in the same space.”
Step 5: Give it a nudge if it’s quiet
If they don’t reply, don’t sweat it. Just follow up a few days later with something light that shows you’ve been paying attention.
Example:
“Hey [Name], totally get that things get busy these days, just wanted to circle back real quick. Saw something on [topic] that reminded me of your post. Would be fun to hear your take if you're ever up for a quick chat. No rush at all, whenever you’re free.”
Step 6: React when they engage
If someone likes your post or drops a comment, Trigify flags it so you can respond right away while it’s still fresh.
Example:
“Hey [Name], noticed you liked my post on [topic] – appreciate it! I’m guessing we probably geek out on the same stuff. Would be cool to swap ideas if you're up for it.”
Step 7: Take It to a call
If the back-and-forth is going well, go ahead and suggest a quick call. Keep it easy, low-stakes.
Example:
“Awesome to hear from you, [Name]! Would be cool to hop on a quick call and see how we could help out at [company]. What’s your schedule looking like?”
Why this strategy works and how to make it yours?
Success comes down to personalization, timing, and smart follow-ups.
You can’t just fire off a bunch of generic messages and expect good results. You’ve got to make each outreach feel like you actually care about the prospect and what they do.
Another big part of it is being flexible. Use data from tools like Trigify to tweak your approach. If something works for one lead, stick with it.
If certain industries respond better to certain topics, adjust your messaging. That’s how you fine-tune your outreach for better results over time.
And whatever you do, don’t fall into the trap of being too repetitive. Don’t follow up just to follow up – use the info you’ve got to send relevant, thoughtful messages. Stay on point and don’t overwhelm prospects with endless messages.
Wrapping it up
I’ll say it once again: automation isn’t the problem. It’s the way most people use it.
If you use LinkedIn + automation combo the smart way, you can indeed automate and scale your outreach without turning into a soulless robot.
The right tools will handle the volume but still make sure your prospects don’t feel like they’re being spammed.
Still haven’t found the right automation to simplify your team’s workflows? Let's fix that. Schedule a 1-on-1 strategic call, and we’ll help you find the right solution.
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