100 cold LinkedIn DMs got a 10% reply rate, beating the 3-5% norm
A solo builder describes sending 100 cold DMs on to potential customers. The first five messages were generic and clearly copy-pasted , so obviously salesy that even the sender wouldn't have replied to them. After scrapping that approach, the sender started researching each recipient before messaging — checking what they had posted about and what they were working on — and adding one or two lines specific to that person.
Replies started coming in as a result. Out of 100 messages, 10% got a reply, and a mentor confirmed that 3-5% is considered a normal, solid for this kind of .
Key points
- 10% out of 100 cold DMs, versus a stated 3-5% industry norm
- Personalizing each message based on the recipient's posts and work drove the improvement
- Generic, copy-pasted-sounding messages got little response
- A few extra minutes of research per contact made a measurable difference