Email vs LinkedIn Message

Cold email and LinkedIn messages are the top two methods B2B sales professionals use for outbound outreach. Both channels have their pros and cons, so deciding which one is best for your outreach strategy can be tricky.  

How do you decide between email vs LinkedIn message? 

Should you stick with the tried-and-true cold email, known for its wide reach and formal tone? Or is it a good idea to use LinkedIn messaging for a more personal and interactive experience? 

Making a choice between LinkedIn message vs email isn’t always clear-cut. 

Which of these channels is best for you depends on a range of factors that we’ll cover in this article. We’ll slice and dice cold email vs LinkedIn message, laying down their differences and covering their pros and cons.

Cold Email Outreach

Cold email outreach is when you send an unsolicited email to potential clients or customers. It is called cold email because the receiver doesn’t know you or hasn’t shown any interest in your product or service. This type of email holds importance in sales and marketing because it is scalable and flexible.

With cold emails, you can directly target individuals or companies to introduce your product or service. This method has stood the test of time in industries ranging from tech to retail.

For example, Gusto uses cold email outreach to promote its payroll and HR services. The company carefully identifies the common pain points of its target audience, such as payroll management, benefits administration, tax compliance, and employee onboarding. It then positions its tools as a solution to the specific challenges

Today, many companies use tools to automate the cold email outreach process, such as to increase efficiency and add personal touch. Automation also makes your campaigns more consistent, saves time, and expands your reach. 

That said, cold email isn’t without challenges. From spam filters to inbox overload, getting noticed can be tough. However, when done right, cold email can help you generate high-quality leads and grow your pipeline. 

Pros of Cold Email

Now, let’s have a look at the advantages of email outreach.

1. Wide Reach: Almost everyone today uses email, making it a universal method of communication. With billions of active email users worldwide, cold emails allow you to connect with prospects across industries, locations, and demographics.
2. Scalability: Emails are more scalable, meaning you can expand your campaign to reach more and more people. Also, you can use automation to send bulk yet personalized emails.
3. Customizable: Using dynamic fields and customizable templates, you can tailor messages to include specific names, roles, or pain points, helping your email identify more with each recipient.
4. Convenient: Unlike real-time communication, email doesn’t require an immediate response. Recipients can read and reply at their convenience, making it a low-pressure marketing channel.
5. Detailed Tracking: Email automation and marketing platforms provide valuable analytics about your outreach performance. You can use these metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates, to gauge and improve your campaign. 
6. Cost-Effective: Email outreach is relatively budget-friendly. You don’t have to make hefty investments in advertising or referral programs. With just an email list and a thoughtfully written message, you’re ready to research potential customers. 
7. Versatile Content: Emails support diverse content, from plain text to rich multimedia. You can include links to your website, attachments like PDFs, or even embed images and videos to make your message more engaging and informative.

Cons of Cold Email

Just like any other marketing channel, cold email comes with its fair share of drawbacks.

1. Spam Risks: Poorly written or overly generic emails are at risk of being flagged as spam. Ending up in a spam folder decreases the chances of your email being seen and also damages your sender reputation.
2. Low Response Rates: Cold emails have high rejection rates, with many recipients ignoring or deleting unsolicited messages. This makes it tough to achieve meaningful engagement, especially in competitive markets.
3. Reputation Risk: Sending excessive or irrelevant emails can harm your credibility. Prospects may perceive your outreach as spammy or intrusive, which can tarnish your brand image and make future communications less effective.
4. Legal Considerations: Laws like GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and others impose strict regulations on email marketing. Compliance requires opt-in permissions, unsubscribe options, and data privacy, adding complexity to your campaigns.
5. Time Investment: While automation helps you send bulk messages, writing personalized emails for specific targets or segments can still take time and effort. Without proper preparation, emails may lack the tailored touch they need to get noticed and responded to.
6. Limited Interactivity: Emails lack real-time communication features, such as instant feedback or interactive elements. This can make it harder to engage prospects and create a two-way conversation.

LinkedIn Outreach

LinkedIn outreach is the process of using LinkedIn to connect with and engage potential clients, partners, or prospects. This approach is great for building meaningful relationships with your leads. 

The messaging feature of the platform is at the core of a LinkedIn outreach campaign. 

After connecting with a prospect, you engage them through messages. In fact, LinkedIn messages are perfect for B2B sales since you have detailed profiles of your prospects available on the networking platform. You can use a prospect’s profile information to hyper-personalize your message and tailor your solutions to their needs and challenges. 

LinkedIn messages often feel more personal and less intrusive. 

Moreover, Octopus CRM and LinkedIn Sales Navigator make it easier to identify key decision-makers and understand their needs. And when you interact with your prospects’ posts, it can help prepare the ground for reaching out.  

While LinkedIn offers unique advantages, it also has limitations. Scalability and cost can be barriers, but for relationship building, it’s hard to beat. 

Advantages of LinkedIn Messages

Now, let’s discuss the specific benefits of LinkedIn messages:

1. Targeted Approach: LinkedIn comes with filtering options that allow you to find and connect with prospects based on specific criteria, such as job title, industry, location, and even company size. This level of targeting increases your chances of reaching the right prospects.  
2. Higher Engagement: LinkedIn messages have higher response rates than cold emails. Many users check their LinkedIn inbox regularly, making it easier for your message to be noticed. The platform’s professional context also means that the receivers of your messages are more likely to perceive your outreach as relevant. 
3. Profile Transparency: When your message lands in a LinkedIn user’s inbox, they can view your profile on the platform. This can help build credibility and trust. For example, they can see your experience, recommendations, and shared connections, making them more likely to engage with you if they feel your background aligns with their needs.
4. Personalized Feel: LinkedIn messages allow you to reference mutual connections, shared interests, or recent activities (such as a post or achievement) to add a more personal touch. This can make your outreach feel more authentic and help you build rapport with your prospects.
5. LinkedIn InMail: LinkedIn’s premium messaging tool, called InMail, lets you send direct messages to people outside your immediate network. This means you can expand your reach, meet new clients, and establish valuable partnerships outside your network. Check LinkedIn InMail vs Email article to understand which is better for your outreach.
6. Relationship-Based Outreach: LinkedIn outreach differs from cold email in that it is inherently relationship-driven. While cold email often involves reaching out to potential prospects without any prior connection, LinkedIn outreach uses the platform’s networking structure to create professional relationships that could lead to opportunities. 

Drawbacks of LinkedIn Messages

Now that you know the pros of LinkedIn message, let’s check out its downsides:

1. Limited Scalability: Unlike email, LinkedIn limits the number of messages you can send. Plus, you can’t send more than about 100 connection requests per week. These restrictions can keep you from scaling your outreach, especially when you want to reach a large audience.
2. Cost Barriers: To use certain features like InMail (which allows you to message people outside of your network), you need a premium LinkedIn account. InMail credits and subscription fees can quickly add up, making it a more expensive option compared to cold email, which often requires fewer resources.
3. Time-Intensive: Building genuine relationships on LinkedIn takes time. LinkedIn messages often require more back-and-forth communication to build trust and rapport. This extended process may not be ideal for time-sensitive outreach campaigns.
4. Platform Dependency: Since LinkedIn is a third-party platform, any changes to its policies, algorithms, or features could impact your strategy. If LinkedIn alters its messaging limits, premium account features, or even how messages are displayed, it may disrupt your outreach efforts, forcing you to adapt quickly.
5. Privacy Concerns: Some LinkedIn users are wary of unsolicited messages, especially if they feel their inbox is being flooded with cold outreach. Even though LinkedIn is a professional network, privacy concerns can still deter recipients from responding to messages.
6. Character Limits: LinkedIn messages come with stricter character limits compared to email, which can make it harder to communicate a detailed, well-thought-out message. With limited space, you must keep your outreach concise and to the point, which may not allow you to convey complex information or multiple offers in one message.

Cold Email vs LinkedIn Message: Which Is More Effective?

Based on the pros and cons of email vs LinkedIn message, let’s have a look into which of these options is more effective:

Scalability

Cold email is unmatched when it comes to scalability. It allows you to reach large audiences quickly. On the other hand, LinkedIn messaging works great for targeted, high-touch interactions. 

So, if volume is your priority, email is a clear winner here. However, if you’re looking to interact with a smaller, well-defined audience, LinkedIn’s messaging feature has you covered. 

Personalization

While both methods support personalization, LinkedIn gets a distinct edge in this department. 

The LinkedIn profiles of your prospects provide you with enough information to tailor your messages. For instance, you can personalize your message to their roles, achievements, and shared connections.

Emails, though customizable, often rely on broader data points, limiting their personal touch.

Response Rates

LinkedIn messages have higher response rates because it is a trusted, established professional networking platform. However, a well-written cold email can still achieve strong results, especially with engaging subject lines and content. 

Understanding your audience’s preferences can help you decide which channel will deliver a higher response rate.

Cost

Email campaigns are generally more affordable. LinkedIn outreach, particularly with premium features, is pretty expensive. 

Legal Considerations

Both channels require compliance with applicable regulations. Emails must adhere to GDPR and CAN-SPAM laws, while LinkedIn messages need to follow platform rules. 

Staying informed will help you avoid penalties. Ignoring these guidelines can result in reputational damage or even legal issues.

Relationship Building

LinkedIn is a clear winner when it comes to building strategic professional relationships that could lead to opportunities down the road.  

Emails are less personal yet they remain effective for initial outreach. Using both email and LinkedIn messages can help you maximize your reach, build stronger relationships, and increase your chances of success. 

How to Use Cold Email and LinkedIn Outreach Together

Combining cold email and LinkedIn outreach can broaden your reach and increase the likelihood of engaging your target audience. 

This layered approach will help build familiarity and trust. Prospects are more likely to respond when they see that you’re taking a thoughtful, multi-faceted approach rather than just relying on one channel.

A single touchpoint may not be enough to get a response, but multiple, well-timed touches across both platforms can keep the conversation going and improve your chances of moving prospects down the sales funnel.

Ultimately, this integrated outreach strategy lets you meet prospects where they are, be it on LinkedIn, in their email inboxes, or both. 

Here’s how to combine cold email and LinkedIn messaging to achieve better results:

Start with LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social platform, which means it thrives on interaction. 

So, before sending an email, you should first connect with your prospect on LinkedIn. After they accept your connection request, engage with their posts and other content. Leave reactions and thoughtful comments on their posts, or go a step ahead by sharing their content.

This approach will have them notice and remember you. Consistent engagement with their content will create familiarity and build rapport. 

Engaging on LinkedIn before following up via email makes your outreach feel less intrusive and more like a natural progression of a relationship. It’s a subtle yet great way to warm up your prospects, making them more likely to respond when you eventually send a LinkedIn message or an email.

Follow Up via Email

After you’ve warmed up a prospect on LinkedIn, follow up with an email. In doing so, always remember to reference your interaction on LinkedIn. 

For example, you could mention a LinkedIn post by the prospect you commented on or a recent achievement they posted on the platform. This creates a natural continuity in your messaging and increases your credibility instead of just looking like a cold outreach. 

Alternate Messaging

One of the challenges of outbound outreach is to keep your messages from feeling repetitive or formulaic. This is where alternating between email and LinkedIn messaging can jeep your communication varied and interactive. 

For instance, you might first engage with a LinkedIn message, then send an email a few days later, and then follow up on LinkedIn again. This approach prevents your outreach from becoming monotonous and increases the chances of catching the prospect’s attention across multiple touchpoints. 

Use Automation Tools

Even though automation tools are mostly associated with email outreach, they can be just as useful for LinkedIn. 

Using LinkedIn automation and email sequencing software, you can streamline follow-up tasks without sacrificing personalization. Automation allows you to send timely follow-ups, track opens and responses, and manage your outreach at scale.

Monitor Engagement

It is always best to keep an eye on key metrics of your email and LinkedIn outreach campaigns. 

Monitor things like response rates, open rates, click-through rates, and LinkedIn profile views. This way, you’ll know what’s working and what’s not and improve your outreach. 

For example, if you get high engagement on LinkedIn and low email response rates, you might consider refining your email content or adjusting the timing of your follow-ups. 

Use Drip Campaigns

Drip campaigns are a great way to maintain consistent touchpoints with your prospects. Combining email and LinkedIn allows you to create a seamless drip campaign that keeps your brand top of mind across both channels. 

For example, you could start with a LinkedIn connection request, and then follow up with a personalized email introducing yourself and your product or service. After that, you could send additional messages through both platforms to nurture the relationship over time.

Drip campaigns let you build a relationship gradually, providing value at each stage and moving prospects through the sales funnel without overwhelming them with too much at once.

Use Octopus CRM LinkedIn Automation Tool

Octopus CRM simplifies LinkedIn outreach through the automation of connection requests, profile visits, endorsements, message sequences, and follow-ups. 

For example, you can use Octopus CRM LinkedIn automation tool to automatically find your ideal prospect and send them a personalized connection request right away. The tool will then follow up with a tailored “thank you” message after they accept your request. It will then automatically endorse a few of their skills and gradually nurture these interactions into client relationships through strategic follow-ups.

Moreover, the Octopus CRM LinkedIn lead generation tool provides valuable insights into your campaigns. You can easily track key metrics such as profile views, search appearances, and your social selling index, all of which will help you improve your outreach.

Conclusion

Choosing between email and LinkedIn messages depends on your goals and situation. 

Email is ideal when it comes to scalability and cost-effectiveness, while LinkedIn is perfect for personalization and building trust. Combining both allows you to harness their strengths and achieve better outcomes. 

With Octopus CRM and a thoughtful strategy, you’ll connect with prospects more effectively and attain better outreach results on LinkedIn.