How to Get Clients on LinkedIn: Insider Secrets & Strategies

With over a billion users on LinkedIn in 2025, it’s easy to get lost in the noise.

If you’re not using the platform effectively to find leads, you could be missing out on your ideal clients, while your competitors win the business instead.

After more than a decade of helping clients close deals using nothing but LinkedIn and email, we’ve developed a proven system for consistently generating high-quality leads.

We will share our industry secrets with you in this easy-to-follow step-by-step guide, and we know that if you implement it, you can expect the following metrics:

• 45 % Connection request acceptance rate

• 19.98% Reply Rate to LinkedIn Messages

This strategy will help you land your dream clients by using just LinkedIn.

(If you need help with a more specific tailored approach, hop on a free 15-minute strategy session with the CEO of SalesBread, Jack Reamer. SalesBread is a B2B lead generation agency that uses ultra-refined list building and personalization to get our clients 1 lead per day.)

Why LinkedIn Is a Goldmine for Finding Ideal Clients

LinkedIn isn’t just another social network…

It’s the world’s largest professional platform, with over a billion users in 2025.

This includes CEOs, decision-makers, consultants, and buyers in nearly every industry all over the world.

People are on LinkedIn to expand their careers.

They are there to network, learn, and do business, making it one of the few spaces where sales outreach is expected.

But you have to do this right. If you come across as a spammy salesperson, you’re not going to be successful in getting potential clients to engage with you.

So use LinkedIn in the way it was intended. Be social and NOT salesy; This will help you stand out from every other marketer on the platform.

Here’s what makes LinkedIn a game-changer for finding clients:

• Direct access to decision-makers: Skip the gatekeepers and connect directly with the people who can say “yes.”

• Precise targeting: Use filters to narrow down by job title, industry, company size, and more, so you’re only talking to your ideal clients.

• Built-in credibility: A strong profile, endorsements, and consistent content build trust before you even reach out.

• Free organic visibility: You can reach thousands of potential clients without spending a cent on ads.

• Engaged audience: Users are in a business mindset, open to partnerships, services, and solutions.

And here’s the kicker:

While cold emails convert at just 1–5% and cold calls often even less, LinkedIn allows for warmer, more personalized interactions that build relationships first, often leading to higher response rates, more qualified leads, and faster sales cycles.

If you’re not leveraging LinkedIn for lead generation, you’re missing one of the most effective (and underused) client acquisition channels out there.

Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile to attract the right prospects

If you’re doing any kind of lead generation on LinkedIn, you need to know that your profile isn’t just a digital resume; it’s a landing page.

And if it’s not converting visitors into replies or booked calls, you’re leaving money on the table.

Here are 10 tips to turn your LinkedIn profile into a lead generation machine:

1. Write a Headline That Speaks to Your Ideal Client

Skip the generic job titles like “CEO at X Company.”

Instead, use your headline to clearly state who you help and what result you deliver.

Good Example:
“Helping DTC brands cut CX ticket volume by 40% with AI support solutions.”

This communicates value and relevance to your target audience.

2. Use a Professional Profile Photo That Builds Trust

People buy from people. A high-quality, professional headshot creates credibility and makes your outreach feel more human.

So, smile, look approachable, and remember no group photos or selfies.

3. Add a Custom Banner With a Clear CTA

Your banner is prime real estate. Use it to highlight:

• Your unique value proposition

• A bold testimonial

• A simple call-to-action (like “DM me to see results”)

You can also use tools like Canva to make this easy, even if you’re not a designer.

4. Optimize Your LinkedIn “About” Section for Conversions

Your About section should follow this structure:

1. Hook: Who you help and how

2. Proof: Quick wins, stats, or case studies

3. Story: Why you do what you do

4. CTA: What to do next (e.g., message you, book a call, check your site)

Example:
“I help growth-stage SaaS teams book 5–20 qualified demos/month using cold LinkedIn outreach. If you’re tired of low reply rates and want a system that works, send me a DM.”

5. Add Lead Magnets and Content to the “Featured” Section

LinkedIn gives you a Featured section for a reason.

Use it to link directly to:

• Case studies

• Landing pages

• Lead magnets

• Calendly booking links

• High-performing posts

6. Build Social Proof with Recommendations and Endorsements

Social proof matters.

Ask your current customers to leave you recommendations.

This adds instant trust when a prospect checks you out after seeing your message.

7. Add a CTA

Your profile should guide visitors toward action.

Don’t be afraid to say:

• “DM me ‘leads’ for a free outbound teardown.”

• “Visit [your site] to see client wins.”

• “Let’s connect if you’re scaling B2B pipeline.”

Make it easy for them to take the next step.

Figure Out Your Ideal Client Profile (ICP)

If you have been reading the SalesBread blog, you will know that in order to go after clients on LinkedIn, you need to have a super refined lead list.

To do this, we suggest looking at WHO has purchased your product or services over the last 6 months, and then build lookalike lists of accounts to go after.

Ask yourself:

What patterns are you seeing between your current buyers?

Here’s an example:

Let’s say you’re offering an AI-powered customer support platform for e-commerce businesses.

Instead of chasing every online store out there, you need to dig deeper and get specific.

Start by asking:

• What type of e-commerce businesses have already signed up? (Are they fashion retailers, DTC wellness brands, pet supply stores, or electronics shops?)

• What’s their revenue range? (Are you serving $1M/year Shopify stores, or fast-scaling brands doing $10M+ in annual sales?)

• What platforms are they using? (Are most of your customers on Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, or a custom tech stack?)

• What kind of support volume do they handle? (Are they fielding 50 tickets a day or managing a large support team handling thousands of inquiries per week?)

• Where are these companies based? (Are they mainly in North America, English-speaking markets, or do they operate across Europe and Asia too?)

• Who makes the purchase decision? (Is it typically the Head of Customer Experience, a COO, or a technical founder?)

Once you spot these patterns, you can build lead lists that mirror your ideal customer, brands that already look like the ones who love your product.

To go after your ideal clients on LinkedIn, it’s your job to build a list carefully so that you’re reaching out to decision makers who are most likely to respond to your outreach messages and give you a “yes”.

If you’re asking if this is where you refine your ICP and are making sure if they are the right industry, market size etc, then yes…

But this is only half of it.

What you need to do further is take this group of potential clients that you can serve, who have the budget to buy from you, and add one or 2 more additional filters for the best results.

Here’s a quick example that everyone can follow:

There’s a client we have worked with, and one of their most successful ways that they use LinkedIn to find clients is that they use the “school” filter.

They will then find alumni from the same college they went to and refine one more step by making sure they have a relevant job title. (They are selling to tech roles.)

The next step was to take that list and, let’s say, there were 500 potential clients on the list with the right job titles, they would then send them a LinkedIn outreach message and say:

“Hey, good to connect with another alumnus from {{school name}}. Just being direct, I’d love to get to work with {{company name}}. We are doing {{service}}. What do you think the best path to start exploring this further would be?”

Before they tried this campaign, they were reaching out to everyone with similar job titles and getting nowhere. But when they started to slice their LinkedIn Sales Navigator results like this, they noticed that people were happy to engage because they were hitting on a much hotter list.

So your job, if you want to get clients on LinkedIn, is to think through this lens.

Ask yourself: How can you further refine your lists to go after people who are already on some level of a connection with you, so that you can stack the deck more and more in your favor?

Use LinkedIn Advanced Search & Boolean Filters to find clients on LinkedIn

If you’re trying to find high-quality leads on LinkedIn, relying on the basic search bar just won’t cut it.

That’s where LinkedIn’s Advanced Search filters come in.

These filters allow you to narrow down your audience.

With Advanced Search, you can target leads by:

• Job title

• Industry

• Location

• Company size

• Past and current companies

  … and more.

For example, if you sell B2B software to mid-market SaaS companies, you can use these filters to find only VP-level or C-level contacts at companies with 51–200 employees in the United States.

But the real magic happens when you combine these filters with Boolean search operators. Boolean search lets you layer in specific keywords and exclusions, so instead of searching for “marketing,” you can use a string like:

(“head of marketing” OR “VP of marketing”) AND SaaS AND (“B2B” OR “business to business”) NOT “intern”

Using LinkedIn this way isn’t just about making a list; it’s about building a list that actually converts.

That’s why agencies like SalesBread spend the time using these filters, because better targeting means fewer wasted messages, higher response rates, and ultimately, more booked calls for our clients.

Write Ultra Personalized Outreach Messages

When most people hear “personalization,” they think it’s about adding {First Name} to a message and calling it a day.

But at SalesBread, we know that real personalization goes way deeper, and it’s one of the reasons our cold LinkedIn outreach consistently gets 30–40% reply rates.

Because when a prospect reads your message and it actually feels like it was written just for them, they engage naturally.

Stand out by showing that you did your homework.

We use a method called CCQ to help us write our connection request messages.

We will either find something to compliment a prospect on, mention a commonality, or ask them a question.

At SalesBread, we research each prospect on our list and find something specific just for them to add to our messages.

When you do this, you stand out from every other salesperson.

Here are some examples:

“Hey {First Name}, really liked your post on {Topic}, especially the part about {Specific Insight}. Would love to connect and swap notes on {Shared Interest}.”

“Hi {First Name}, saw you’re leading {Job Title} at {Company}. I work with folks in similar roles to help solve {Relevant Pain Point}. Thought it’d make sense to connect.”

“Hey {First Name}, noticed {Company} recently {hired 10+ new SDRs / raised a funding round / launched X}. Congrats! Thought it might be worth connecting, always interesting to meet others scaling fast.”

“Hi {First Name}, saw we both {attended X school / worked in Y industry / follow Z influencer}. Always enjoy connecting with folks in the same space.”

Does this work?

Here are some replies that we have recently gotten.

Engage Authentically: Comment, Share & Join Groups

Engagement will help you stay on the top of mind of prospects. If you are commenting on their posts and engaging with them authentically, they will remember you.

You can do this by commenting on your ideal prospects’ posts. Not generic fluff like “Great share!” but real insights that add to the conversation.

It shows you’re sharp, aware, and engaged, which is more than most of their inbox ever sees.

Next, share valuable content from others.

Tag relevant voices. Offer your take. Show your expertise, too.

And don’t underestimate LinkedIn groups. Especially niche, active ones. You don’t need to spam people, just show up with useful insights.

Answer questions. Be helpful. That familiarity leads to easier connections and, eventually, warmer conversations.

This isn’t about becoming an influencer. It’s about becoming visible to the exact people you want to talk to before the pitch ever lands.

Publish Valuable Content Regularly

Think of your LinkedIn profile as a mini-landing page. Now think of your posts as retargeting ads for free.

Publishing content isn’t about chasing likes; it’s about giving your ICP a reason to trust you.

Mix it up:

• Short posts that call out specific pain points you solve

• Screenshots of real conversations or outreach results

• Quick video breakdowns of strategies that work

• Repurposed case study wins or behind-the-scenes looks

Use relevant hashtags sparingly (2–4 per post is plenty), especially ones your buyers might follow.

The goal is consistency, not fame. One good post a week that hits your audience’s pain points is all it takes to start building a profile that does some selling for you.

Follow Up & Nurture Relationships

Most people connect, pitch once, and then disappear.

Big mistake.

The money’s in the follow-up, but only if it’s done right. You don’t want to come across as a pushy salesperson, so the cadence has to be just right.

But besides that, you need to offer them value. You can do this by doing the following:

• Share a short audit or teardown you made just for them

• Send a relevant article or case study

• Offer a free guide tied to the problem you solve

• Ask a thoughtful question to reopen the conversation

This keeps the door open without feeling pushy. And it positions you as helpful, not salesy.

Be sure to use the Fibonacci sequence as well when following up.

The Fibonacci Sequence is the series of numbers:

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, …

The next number is found by adding up the two numbers before it:

The 2 is found by adding the two numbers before it (1+1),

The 3 is found by adding the two numbers before it (1+2),

The 5 is (2+3),

and so on!

You can start your outreach methods by sending your LinkedIn messages or InMails quite close together.

So you would send a message on day 1, day 2, day 3, and then on day 5, 8, 13, and so on.

This helps in the sense that initially, you have many messages in your sales funnel that are frequent, but then they slow down over time.

This allows you to expand your campaign over some time so that you might just reach out to them at the right time, and get a yes from your sales leads.

Use LinkedIn Features & Tools

Turn on Creator Mode to Showcase Your Value

When someone checks out your profile after a cold message (and they will), Creator Mode helps position you as someone worth listening to.

Here’s how:

• You can add up to 5 hashtags to show what you post about (e.g., #b2bsales, #leadgen, #outbound)

• It moves your Featured section and Activity to the top of your profile. This will help prospects see your best posts and content first.

• You get access to LinkedIn Live, Newsletters, and the Follow button for long-term audience growth

Save Time with Saved Searches + Alerts

Want to know when new prospects match your ideal customer profile?

Use LinkedIn’s Saved Search feature to filter by:

• Title (e.g., “Head of Growth”)

• Location (e.g., U.S., UK, or APAC)

• Company size (11–50, 51–200, etc.)

• Industry (SaaS, eCommerce, logistics, etc.)

You’ll get alerts when new profiles pop up, so your pipeline never runs dry.

Upgrade to LinkedIn Sales Navigator (If You’re Serious)

Yes, it’s worth it.

Sales Navigator gives you the filters you actually need to build lead lists, like:

• Account-level filters (company headcount, funding status, hiring growth, etc.)

• Spotting “Buying Signals” (recent job changes, company growth, etc.)

• Advanced Boolean search to stack titles like:
  (“VP of Sales” OR “Sales Director”) AND SaaS NOT “consultant”.

At SalesBread, every client campaign starts with one full week of list building using Sales Nav + our internal process, which includes using third-party data providers and analyzing your current buyers. 

Use LinkedIn Events, Newsletters & Lives to get clients with LinkedIn

Host a live webinar, start a niche newsletter, or invite prospects to an event that solves a problem they care about. It’s a great excuse to start a conversation and deliver value before asking for time.

Example:

• “Hey {First Name}, hosting a short live next week: ‘How to 3x LinkedIn reply rates without personalization bloat’. Thought it might be useful, want the link?”

This feels like a helpful invite, not a hard pitch. And it builds trust before the sales convo begins.

FAQ Section

How Often Should I Post Content on LinkedIn to Attract Clients?

To consistently attract potential customers, aim to be active on LinkedIn at least 3–5 times per week. Think of it like showing up to a networking event; if you’re only there once a month, no one remembers you.

Mix up your content strategy:

• Share useful tips or frameworks from recent client projects

• Publish a weekly LinkedIn post breaking down wins or common mistakes in your niche

• Repurpose case studies into carousels, videos, or a quick “aha moment” thread

This is an effective strategy for building visibility, especially if you’re trying to land first clients.

You can also leverage LinkedIn company pages and create a LinkedIn showcase page for specific services, like outbound campaigns or recruiting solutions, to position your brand.

And don’t forget: social media is a two-way street. Engage with others’ content, reply to comments, and request recommendations from happy clients to build social proof and a strong network.

Can I Send Cold Messages to People I’m Not Connected With?

Yes, you can send cold messages using LinkedIn InMail (via Premium or Sales Navigator), or even manually if profiles are open.

But just because you can send messages, doesn’t mean you should blast generic pitches.

Instead:

• Personalize your outreach

• Mention relevant introductions, mutual contacts, or shared challenges

• Offer something useful up front, like a short teardown or a valuable article

Pro tip: Avoid relying too heavily on LinkedIn automation. The platform is cracking down on it, and most canned messages get ignored anyway.

Are LinkedIn Groups Still Effective for Lead Generation?

Yes, but only if you approach them the right way.

Targeted niche groups can still be goldmines for finding potential customers and lead recommendations.

Here’s how to make them work:

• Join active groups where your buyers actually hang out

• Drop in with useful tips, not self-promotion

• Use group discussions as soft warm-ups before sending connection requests

When done right, LinkedIn Groups can serve as introductions into micro-communities where people already trust each other, which makes starting a sales conversation much easier.

Should I Invest in LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator?

If you’re serious about recruiting clients or growing your agency, Sales Navigator is absolutely worth it.

You get:

• Deep filters to find your exact ICP

• Alerts when leads change jobs or companies

• Saved searches so you never miss new matches

• The ability to send InMail to people you’re not connected with

• Rich insights about prospects’ activity and company growth

For anyone doing cold outreach, it’s an essential step.

Looking for a LinkedIn lead generation agency to help?

If you’ve tried posting, messaging, tweaking your profile, and even dabbling in LinkedIn automation, but still aren’t landing consistent conversations with potential customers, it might be time to get some extra help.

At SalesBread, we don’t just “generate leads.”

We help you land real, qualified sales calls with decision-makers who match your best buyers.

So if you’re ready to skip the learning curve and work with a team that’s booked thousands of meetings for clients in many different niches… (From SaaS to Healthcare)

Hop on a free 15-minute strategy session below.