How to create an effective cold messaging strategy for Instagram and LinkedIn?

I hate sending cold DMs. There. I said it.

I can’t be the only one who hates sales or reaching out to people.

You’ve probably sent out more than 300 cold DMs but you barely got 10 replies.

Why do you think your response rate is so low?

When I began freelancing, sales was not my forte. So, sending cold DMs felt overwhelming. I know now that I can’t skip that part. Freelancing lets you put on different hats - which includes sales.

Then, I began to wonder about the number of random DMs I receive on my social media accounts. Most of them were relevant - either about my posts or enquiries about my services. But, there is more - clutter under the 'Requests' section. There, I observed the number of sales messages I had left without responding.

Usually, these messages look generic and as if they were sent in bulk. They don’t mention my name nor was the message personalised to fit my needs. It was basically trash mail.

That’s when I began wondering the number of times my cold DMs ended up in the trash just because I couldn’t put in another 2 mins to personalise the message.

Looking back at those messages cleared me up with one thing:

You can’t just send the same message to everyone and expect a reply. There is no one-size-fits-all cold outreach template that you can use without having a solid outreach strategy in the first place.

You’ve got to remember that social media is full of people after all. They expect to talk to real people and have real conversations instead of messages that look like they came out of a bot. (I’m sure many use bots to automate these cold messages as well, which I don’t recommend)

So, how can we slide in our dream prospect’s DM without seeming too salesy? I’ll tell you.

Stop Pitching Right Away

You’ve probably done this before. You find your list of prospects - through hashtags, locations, or common groups and you send a very generic and extremely long message that’s carrying too much weight on its shoulders. This message typically had a very short introduction, highlighting the problems or pain points of your ideal reader, a solution you might provide and a CTA.

This is what you were taught by the brightest minds in copywriting. I can assure you that these points work well for marketing or Ad copy. But, when it comes to direct messaging people or businesses on Instagram or LinkedIn, these strategies are not going to work.

So, stop sending a whole page of the pitch the first chance you get. That must not be your first conversation with your potential client. I’m telling you this so you don’t end up in the deep dark of their message box.

Instead of trying to impress them with your pitch, focus on getting them to respond to you. The most important priority must be building trust and reliability.

Once you have spotted your prospect, go through their content and probably engage with a few of their posts. If you are patient enough, keep engaging for a few days until they can trust you and familiarise themselves with you and your content. Once you've acquainted with them, that becomes the perfect time to send them a DM.

How to Send a Cold Message?

Like I’ve already told you, you can’t start pitching right away. Just begin a simple conversation and gradually build on it. Technically, it isn't a cold message because you have already warmed up the market.

Some of the openings could be like this.

Hey Nivi,

I came across your content on {…}. How long have you been doing that?

Hey Nivi,

Your recent post on {…} resonated with me so much. I thought I should reach out to you to talk more about it…

Pro Tip: Start with a compliment. Nobody can ignore a compliment.

Make sure these openings are relevant to them. Going through their recent posts and activity can give you an overall idea.

There are high chances that your messages might still end up in the Requests section, particularly when that person is not following you. So, there are chances of the message getting lost. But, the good part is it won’t be ignored once it falls under their eyes.

Now, that you have their attention, build the conversation. Ask relevant questions and drive the conversation naturally into the solution you might be offering. If you feel a positive response from their side, ask them if they want to hear more on this.

If they say yes, that’s your moment to start the real pitch.

What’s Next?

The next step is to put forth value and benefits that are the best fit for your prospect. You can take cues from your previous conversations. Further, invite them to catch up on a brief call to discuss more on the problems they are facing and the exact solutions you might provide.

Provide them with a link to your calendar or offer 2-3 options for them to select. Once they have scheduled a call, don’t forget to acknowledge it and thank them for taking the first step. Also, follow up with a reminder email a few hours before the scheduled meeting.

Coming to your pitching time - This will be the opportunity for you to go in deep with your offer. You can get to be all salesy but be careful not to overpower the conversation. It’s very important that you listen and take notes of what they are talking about.

There you have it… a simple yet effective way to get started with cold messaging.

Takeaways

We’ve already talked about how Instagram has become progressively more business-friendly with all the new business and analytics tools it has been introducing. You can check out the previous post on starting your business on Instagram

Contrary to what LinkedIn or Instagram was started for, they are very effective and almost mandatory to be a part of your marketing strategy, specifically client acquisition.

In this article, we’ve covered the effective ways of creating the perfect cold messaging strategy. But let me remind you, this is only the tip of the iceberg. The real struggle is narrowing down your target audience.

We will be talking more about creating the perfect outreach strategy for you in the blogs coming up.