LinkedIn Outreach

PhantomBuster's LinkedIn Outreach Flow handles the full sequence, sending connection requests with personalized messages and automatically following up when your request is accepted. Safe, compliant, and ready to run in minutes.

Check out the Tutorial for step-by-step setup.

Note: Follow-up messages are only sent if the receiver has not answered your previous messages. This keeps your outreach natural and respectful.

What you give / What you get

You bring your LinkedIn profile list and session cookie. PhantomBuster delivers structured, actionable outreach data you can track and follow up on.

In short, you bring the profiles. PhantomBuster handles the connection request, intro message, and up to three follow-up messages, all while respecting LinkedIn's limits.

What you can automate with LinkedIn Outreach

Here's what PhantomBuster's LinkedIn Outreach Automation can do automatically for you:

• Send connection requests to leads from a Profile List or Sales Navigator search

• Include personalized intro messages with each connection request

• Automatically send up to three follow-up messages after your connection request is accepted

• Track message delivery status to identify which prospects engaged and which didn't reply

• Respect LinkedIn's rate limits by running on a schedule that keeps your account safe

• Export all data to Google Sheets, HubSpot, or your CRM for campaign tracking

Perfect for sales reps automating LinkedIn prospecting, follow-up sequences, and lead qualification at scale.

How teams use PhantomBuster's LinkedIn Outreach Automation

Sales reps use the LinkedIn Outreach Automation to accelerate prospecting, personalize at scale, and automate follow-up sequences without losing the human touch.

• Warm outreach to engaged prospects: Connect with people who liked or commented on your posts or your competitor's posts, then follow up with personalized sequences.

• Event and webinar follow-up: Connect with attendees or LinkedIn group members after events, then send a series of follow-up messages to nurture the relationship.

• Job-change intent outreach: Reach out to prospects who recently changed roles or companies, using Sales Navigator signals to target buying windows.

• Competitor engagement monitoring: Track who engages with competitor content, connect with them, and introduce your solution with tailored follow-ups.

• Community growth and partnerships: Identify LinkedIn group members or industry influencers, connect with personalized intros, and nurture partnerships over time.

Workflow Ideas to Get You Started

PhantomBuster Automations become more effective when combined into Workflows. Here are proven sequences that help sales reps turn LinkedIn connections into conversations.

Try it free to start building your own.

Workflow Example: Warm up leads before sending connection requests

LinkedIn Profile Visitor → LinkedIn Auto Follow → LinkedIn Activity Extractor → LinkedIn Auto Liker → LinkedIn Outreach

Why this works

Building familiarity before sending connection requests improves acceptance rates from 10% to 50%. Prospects who recognize your name are far more likely to accept and reply.

Who it's for

SDRs and AEs running personalized outreach campaigns to decision-makers.

How to build it

1. Use LinkedIn Profile Visitor to appear in their "Who's Viewed Your Profile" list.

2. Chain LinkedIn Auto Follow to add another touchpoint in their notifications.

3. Extract recent posts with LinkedIn Activity Extractor to find engagement opportunities.

4. Use LinkedIn Auto Liker to like a few of their recent posts, showing genuine interest.

5. Finally, send personalized connection requests and follow-ups with LinkedIn Outreach.

Outcome

Higher acceptance rates, warmer conversations, and prospects who are already familiar with your name before you reach out.

See full playbook →

Workflow Example: Convert competitor post engagers into pipeline

LinkedIn Activity Extractor → LinkedIn Post Likers Export → LinkedIn Post Commenters Export → LinkedIn Outreach

Why this works

People engaging with competitor content are already interested in your industry. They're showing buying intent, making them far more likely to respond than cold prospects.

Who it's for

Sales teams targeting warm, high-intent leads who are already familiar with your solution category.

How to build it

1. Use LinkedIn Activity Extractor to find recent posts from key competitors.

2. Extract likers with LinkedIn Post Likers Export and commenters with LinkedIn Post Commenters Export.

3. Combine both lists into one targeted prospect list in your leads database.

4. Launch LinkedIn Outreach with personalized connection requests referencing their engagement.

Outcome

A steady flow of warm leads who are already thinking about your industry, ready for personalized outreach.

See full playbook →

Workflow Example: Target LinkedIn group members with personalized outreach

LinkedIn Group Members Export → Filter by ICP in leads database → LinkedIn Outreach

Why this works

LinkedIn groups bring together professionals discussing topics relevant to your industry. Members are already engaged and easier to reach than cold prospects.

Who it's for

Sales reps and BDRs targeting niche communities where their ICP gathers.

How to build it

1. Find a relevant LinkedIn group where your ICP is active and copy the group URL.

2. Use LinkedIn Group Members Export to extract the members' list.

3. Filter the list in your leads database by job title, company, or keywords to pinpoint your ICP.

4. Launch LinkedIn Outreach with personalized connection requests and up to three follow-up messages.

Outcome

Targeted outreach to prospects who are already engaged in your industry, leading to higher acceptance and reply rates.

See full playbook →

Understanding LinkedIn limitations

LinkedIn implements different limitations for different users and may be running AB tests on certain features. Some users may be limited to only 200 characters in their invitation messages, instead of the previous 300 characters. We recommend testing your character limitations manually in LinkedIn before setting up the Automation.

LinkedIn is also limiting the number of connection requests that can be sent with a message. Some users are limited to only 5 connection requests with a message per month. Users with LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator accounts have higher limits than free LinkedIn users.

Take note: While this automation accepts up to 5,000 profiles, we recommend keeping your lists closer to 3,000 for faster runs and better replies. Learn more about LinkedIn's 2025 limits and how to scale safely.

What's the difference between the LinkedIn Outreach Flow and other LinkedIn Flows?

The LinkedIn Outreach Flow combines the abilities of the LinkedIn Search to Lead Connection and the LinkedIn Search to Lead Outreach Flows. The LinkedIn Outreach Flow combines connection requests (with or without an introduction) and follow-up messaging in one flow. There's no need to separate these moments into two different Flows anymore.

Our legacy LinkedIn Flows do either one or the other:

• The LinkedIn Search to Lead Connection Flow sends a connection request but cannot add follow-up messages

• The LinkedIn Search to Lead Outreach Flow sends a connection request with a message and mandatory follow-up messages

Note: We will slowly be phasing out the LinkedIn Search to Lead Connection and LinkedIn to Lead Outreach Flows in favor of the LinkedIn Outreach Flow. If you're using one of the other two in your current automations, we recommend you start migrating your campaigns into the new Flow.

How many slots will be used by this Flow?

The LinkedIn Outreach Flow uses two slots on your Dashboard. Flows are combinations of Phantoms. In this case, a connection request and message outreach, which is why the Flow uses more than one slot. Learn more about PhantomBuster pricing and slot allocation.

Best practices

Get the most out of this Automation while staying safe and compliant with LinkedIn's evolving limits.

• Test your character limits first: Some users are limited to 200 characters in invitation messages, while others still have 300 characters. Test manually in LinkedIn before launching your campaign.

• Respect monthly message limits: Some users are limited to only 5 connection requests with a message per month. Users with LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator accounts have higher limits than free LinkedIn users.

• Keep your lists under 3,000 profiles: While this automation accepts up to 5,000 profiles, we recommend keeping your lists closer to 3,000 for faster runs and better replies.

• Only send follow-ups when there's no reply: Follow-up messages are only sent if the receiver has not answered your previous messages. This keeps your outreach respectful and compliant.

• Use personalized messages: Avoid generic templates. Personalize intro and follow-up messages to increase response rates and reduce the risk of being flagged as spam.

• Run on a safe schedule: Set your Automation to run daily or every few days to stay within LinkedIn's rate limits.

  Learn more about LinkedIn's 2025 limits.

Why should I use PhantomBuster to automate my LinkedIn Outreach?

We know there are many tools out there to automate your LinkedIn outreach. However, we believe there are a few reasons why using PhantomBuster for both gathering leads and creating your outbound campaign is beneficial.

Keep all your outreach in one place

By using only one tool, it's easier for you to have an overview of how much you're automating on LinkedIn, and there's less risk that your account accidentally hits any rate limits. PhantomBuster automates your own account, which means that whatever you ask the Phantom to do, it does as if done manually. This means that when you send a connection request, the Phantom visits the profile of the user you're connecting to, and they're notified of you having seen their profile.

Run a campaign on autopilot

All this happens automatically and emulates the way a real user would interact with LinkedIn. With PhantomBuster, you get a fully automated outreach campaign without having to think about all the details. Check out this guide on how to automate your LinkedIn outreach using this Flow for more inspiration.

Frequently asked questions

Here are the most common questions about using LinkedIn Outreach, from setup and compliance to data quality and comparisons.

How do I get started with LinkedIn Outreach?

Start by connecting your LinkedIn account using your session cookie, then upload a list of LinkedIn profile URLs. Follow the step-by-step tutorial to configure your intro message and up to three follow-up messages, then set your Automation to run on a safe schedule.

What's the difference between LinkedIn Outreach Flow and the legacy flows?

The LinkedIn Outreach Flow combines connection requests (with or without an introduction) and follow-up messaging in one flow. The legacy LinkedIn Search to Lead Connection Flow only sends connection requests, and the LinkedIn Search to Lead Outreach Flow requires mandatory follow-ups and starts from a search URL instead of a profile URL. We recommend migrating to the new Flow for more flexibility.

How many follow-up messages can I send?

You can send up to three follow-up messages after your connection request is accepted. Follow-up messages are only sent if the receiver has not answered your previous messages, keeping your outreach respectful and compliant.

Will this work if my LinkedIn account has sending limits?

Yes, but you need to respect LinkedIn's limits. Some users are limited to only 5 connection requests with a message per month, and some are limited to 200 characters in invitation messages instead of 300 characters. Users with LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator accounts have higher limits than free LinkedIn users. Learn more about LinkedIn's 2025 limits and how to scale safely.

How many profiles can I process at once?

This automation accepts up to 5,000 profiles, but we recommend keeping your lists closer to 3,000 for faster runs and better replies. This also helps you stay within LinkedIn's rate limits and reduces the risk of account restrictions.

Does LinkedIn Outreach respect my account's safety limits?

Yes. PhantomBuster automates your own account, which means the Automation operates within LinkedIn's rate limits and emulates the way a real user would interact. To stay compliant, set your Automation to run on a safe schedule and avoid sending too many connection requests in a short period. Learn how to avoid LinkedIn automation warnings.

How does this compare to database tools?

Unlike static databases, LinkedIn Outreach pulls fresh, live data directly from LinkedIn profiles and automates the entire connection and follow-up sequence. You're not just getting a list of emails, you're building real relationships on LinkedIn with personalized outreach. See how PhantomBuster pricing compares to database subscriptions.

Can I chain LinkedIn Outreach with other automations?

Yes. You can combine LinkedIn Outreach with other PhantomBuster Automations to build full prospecting workflows. For example, use LinkedIn Search Export to build your lead list, then feed it into LinkedIn Outreach to start conversations. Explore Playbooks like warming up leads before outreach for more ideas.

How many Dashboard slots does this use?

The LinkedIn Outreach Flow uses two slots on your Dashboard because it combines connection requests and message outreach in one flow. Learn more about PhantomBuster pricing and slot allocation.

What happens if my prospect replies to my first message?

If your prospect replies to any message in the sequence, PhantomBuster automatically stops sending follow-ups to that person. Follow-up messages are only sent if the receiver has not answered your previous messages, keeping your outreach natural and respectful.

Ready to try it?

Start automating your LinkedIn outreach today. Try the LinkedIn Outreach Flow free, no setup or coding required. Get started with the Tutorial.