Why personal outreach on LinkedIn is winning in 2026

A lot has changed in the marketing world over the last few years, particularly in this post-COVID era and with the rise of AI.

Once, your competition might have been local. Now, with remote and hybrid working here to stay, small businesses often find themselves competing worldwide.

Then we bring AI (artificial intelligence) into the mix, which has taken marketing to a whole new level.

Inadvertently, AI has given us an opportunity to build relationships in a way that was once almost certainly frowned upon. We're talking about personal outreach – or, as some may call it, cold messaging.

In a world where we can no longer tell if a post was written by a human, or whether a headshot looks remotely like the real person portrayed in it, it's more important than ever to build trust with people before they buy from you.

It was always important, of course. But now, at a time when no-one can tell what's real and what isn't, building trust has become essential.

Cutting through the noise

Social media still seems to dominate marketing.

Some small business owners get wrapped up in the idea that they should be:

• posting every single day, at this time and that

• producing photos solely using the rule of thirds

• using call to actions that are sure to engage the audience

Truthfully, though, the social platforms you're using probably aren't where you'll find your ideal clients.

Most of the time, getting leads through social channels is unlikely, and social media alone isn't enough to cut through the noise that's out there.

Every business is seemingly doing and saying the same thing, anxiously hoping for a result. Some might even achieve what they're looking for. But what if you don't?

Focusing solely on social media to build relationships is like appearing on Married At First Sight. You might end up with a spouse as planned, but is it the right relationship to be getting into?

What you really ought to be doing is focusing on building relationships. And you can do that through personal outreach in a way that's truly authentic.

The outreach mindset that stops it feeling sleazy

We've all received those cold messages in our LinkedIn inbox, haven't we?

The obvious copy-and-pastes that say something like "Hey Lisa, want 80 to 100 new leads in your inbox by next week"?

I mean, really? Who actually falls for that? There's no foreplay behind it, just straight in for the kill. It's cold, it's salesy, it's icky.

So, how do you do it the right way? Well, there's a strategy behind it.

It requires playing the long game, not blanket-pasting the same message to 100 people and crossing your fingers while you hope for the best.

It's the same as networking. The follow-up is more important than what happened at the event itself.

You should always follow up with people you meet networking. And, when you do, you can just cut straight to the chase and invite them to a virtual or in-person coffee.

Remember, the goal isn't necessarily to land this person as a client.

It's about building connections with people who'll remember you when it matters. When it's time to refer you to someone in their network.

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A simple, step-by-step personal outreach process on LinkedIn

Here's how to do your personal outreach on LinkedIn:

Step 1: Identify your ideal client in your local area

Why local? Because it's easier to build a relationship with someone with whom you have something in common. And your local area gives you something to talk about.

Step 2: Send a connection request

Add a note saying something like, "Hey. I'm [name] and, like you, I run a business in [local town]. It would be great to connect"!

Step 3: Add this person to a tracker

Mine is inside my More Than A CRM system, where I track connection requests, acceptances and conversations in a Kanban-style board.

You can use Trello, your own CRM system or a spreadsheet for this.

Step 4: Wait a few days to see if they accept your request

If they do, move them to your "accepted" stage on your tracker and then send them a "thank you for accepting my connection request" message.

Step 5: Wait one week and send a follow-up message

You might say something like "Hey, I was walking by your offices last week and loved your signage, it looks great!"

Obviously, that only works if they have a physical premises. If they don't, or you're not sure, you might say something like:

"Do you run your business in town or are you based somewhere else?

"I run my business from home and love being able to pop in to [local town] when I want to take a break from my computer. Do you have any recommendations for a place that does good coffee"?

Step 6: Start to build a rapport

Hopefully, they respond and you can start to build rapport, a relationship.

A conversation that could never have been generated from "Hey, I can get you 80 to 100 leads…".

The conversation needs to flow organically from here. If your last message didn't get a response, message them again to highlight something they might find useful, such as a local event or a LinkedIn group you're part of.

As the conversation unfolds, you want to reach a point at which you can invite them for a coffee to learn more about them, and them about you.

Step 7: Track it all on your tracker

See, I told you it was the long game. But it makes sense, right? What relationship doesn't take time to build?

Once you've exhausted your ideal clients locally, you can start to go broader, using a similar approach.

For example, if I wanted to attract clients in Dubai, I might say "Hey, I see you're in Dubai. I'm so jealous! I spent some time in Dubai a few years ago and loved it. What's it like to live there"?

You must be creative and, as much as you can, show genuine interest.

You can recreate the same sort of strategy on Instagram, except you don't have to stick with local ideal clients first.

Instead, you monitor the person's posts and replace those messages in which you'd have mentioned their office or a local event with "I loved your post about…"

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What you should never do with personal outreach

Persistence is important, but there's a fine line between being persistent and being pushy.

If someone isn't responding, it's fine to check in with a polite reminder that you sent them a message and you want to know if they received it.

But what you can't do is constantly bombard them to get their attention. If you do, the game is over. You've instantly lost their trust because now they won't believe you were being genuine in the first place.

If someone declines your invitation for a coffee, that's OK. Tell them no worries, you absolutely understand and move on.

If they're a dream client, however, it doesn't mean you have to dismiss them completely.

Start a separate tracker, either through your CRM or a spreadsheet, and make a point of commenting on their posts every so often or dropping them a DM (direct message) to say something kind about an article they wrote or a post that inspired you.

Staying front and centre of mind is what's important here. Keeping that relationship nurtured, watering it just like you would a gorgeous rose bush.

When the time is right, when that client is looking for a service you offer, they'll want to pick someone they trust. And guess what? Now they trust you.

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