Email vs LinkedIn Message: What’s More Effective for Outreach?

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The differences between email and LinkedIn message are obvious; it all depends on what you need in a particular situation. Many B2B sales professionals swear by the effectiveness of email whereas many others believe LinkedIn messages are best for outreach campaigns.

Should you use email or LinkedIn messages? 

Both channels have their strengths, drawbacks, and a place in your outreach strategy. 

Cold email outreach has been a staple in B2B sales for decades. It’s reliable, scalable, and measurable. On the other hand, LinkedIn messaging has gained serious traction over the past few years, especially as social selling has become more prominent. Neither channel is inherently better than the other. 

You should pick an outreach channel after evaluating cold email vs LinkedIn message against your goals, audience, and strategy. Remember, the wrong choice can result in lower responses and missed opportunities besides wasting your time.

We’ll examine LinkedIn message vs email, comparing them head-to-head and showing you which channel to use for your unique situation and audience. Plus, we’ll discuss how to combine cold email and LinkedIn messaging to achieve better results. 

Cold Email Outreach

Cold emails have been the backbone of B2B outreach for years. They’re scalable, direct, and allow for detailed communication. Plus, emails have a broader reach. 

However, creating a cold email outreach campaign takes more time and requires a structured approach. 

Subject Line: This is your hook. It determines whether the recipients open or ignore your email. Since you’re reaching out to someone who doesn’t know you, your subject line should be short, clear, and attention-grabbing.

Email Body: This is where you put your main message. The information in your email body should be relevant, personalized, and straight to the point. You have to clearly state what you want and why it matters to the recipient.

Follow-Ups: One email isn’t enough. Most prospects won’t reply to the first message, so you’ll have to follow up with a strategic sequence. 

There’s a lot more that goes behind the scenes to ensure your emails reach the inboxes of your target recipients and achieve your desired results.

1. Set Up a Separate Domain: Using your primary domain for cold outreach is risky. If too many emails bounce or get flagged as spam, your entire domain reputation could take a hit. As such, you’ll need to purchase a new domain specifically for email outreach;
2. Authenticate Your Emails: You must set up DMARC, SPF, and DKIM authentication. This shows email providers that you’re an authentic email sender, which helps improve deliverability;
3. Email Warm-Up: Sending a high volume of emails from a fresh domain can trigger spam filters. To prevent this, you’ll need to use an email warm-up tool. While this process can take a few weeks, it helps keep your messages out of the spam folder;
4. Track Your Metrics: If you’re not monitoring key metrics like open rates, reply rates, and conversion rates, you won’t know whether your campaign is successful. The best email outreach tools will provide these insights, helping you adjust and improve your campaign;

Pros of Cold Email

Cold email outreach provides several advantages, including:

1. Scalability: You can send thousands of emails with cold email software, making it ideal for large-scale outreach;
2. Detailed Information: Unlike LinkedIn messages, which are limited in length, cold emails let you explain your value proposition in detail;
3. Control: You’re not limited by connection requests or platform restrictions;
4. Personalization: A good email outreach software will let you tailor your messages using first names, company details, and past interactions;
5. Analytics: Email tools offer analytics like open rates, click-throughs, and replies. You can use these metrics to refine your strategy;
6. Formal tone: Email allows for a professional and structured message, which some prospects prefer;
7. Integration with CRMs: Many email tools sync with CRM systems, making follow-ups and lead tracking easier; 
8. Asynchronous communication: Since email is asynchronous, your prospects can respond when it suits them, reducing pressure on both sides;
9. Attachment-Friendly: You can add case studies, brochures, or calendars directly in the email body or as attachments.

Cons of Cold Email

The disadvantages of cold emails:

1. Spam filters: If your email lands in spam, it’s as good as invisible; 
2. Lower response rates: Many recipients ignore or delete cold emails without reading them. Your prospect gets dozens of cold emails daily. With countless messages vying for their attention, standing out is not easy;
3. No instant connection: Unlike LinkedIn, email doesn’t give you immediate insight into the recipient’s activity or interests, creating personalization issues;
4. Legal regulations: GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and other rules can limit your reach;
5. Longer warm-up time: Cold emails often take multiple follow-ups before getting a response;
6. Template fatigue: Overused email templates lead to lower engagement as prospects recognize them instantly;
7. Lower engagement: Email engagement tends to be lower because your prospect has no prior connection with you. On LinkedIn, they can easily check your profile to see who you are and what you do. 

LinkedIn Outreach

Is LinkedIn better than email for B2B outreach? 

LinkedIn outreach keeps everything within the platform, from finding prospects to building relationships. You can search for ideal prospects, send connection requests, start conversations, and engage all without leaving LinkedIn.

Since 96% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to share content, posting valuable insights can attract leads organically and build credibility. 

While cold email relies mainly on direct outreach, LinkedIn offers several ways to connect:

• Automated outreach: Use Dripify LinkedIn automation tool to automatically find prospects, send connection requests, scrape lists, and send messages;
• Inbound attraction: Post engaging content to showcase your expertise and draw leads in;
• Networking in groups: Join industry-specific LinkedIn groups to build connections;
• InMail outreach: Send direct messages to prospects outside your network, bypassing traditional inbox clutter.

With email, you’re usually pitching from the first message, and not everyone appreciates a cold sales pitch. LinkedIn, on the other hand, allows for a more organic approach. You can grow your audience, engage with prospects over time, and let them come to you when they’re ready.

Pros of LinkedIn Message

Like emails, LinkedIn messages provide several advantages, such as:

1. Higher open rates: People are more likely to open a LinkedIn message than a cold email because a message on the platform is tied to a professional identity; 
2. Warm Introductions: Sending a personalized connection request first adds a layer of familiarity before starting a conversation;
3. Personalization: You can reference recent posts, shared interests, or mutual connections to personalize your message and create engagement;
4. Social proof: When you send a message, prospects can check your profile, see mutual connections, and get a sense of your credibility;
5. Less competition: Email inboxes typically receive too many messages than LinkedIn inboxes. This means less competition, increasing the likelihood of your message being read and responded to;
6. Casual approach: LinkedIn messages feel less formal, making them great for starting conversations and building relationships;
7. LinkedIn Automation Tool: Automating connection requests and sending messages with third-party tools can save time and improve consistency;
8. Better targeting: You can find and narrow down prospects by job title, industry, location, and other factors, thanks to LinkedIn’s powerful built-in filters; 
9. Multimedia support: LinkedIn lets you include documents, images, and videos to make messages more engaging;
10. Less intrusive: LinkedIn users are accustomed to receiving connection requests and messages on the platform, so your outreach might not feel as much like an interruption;
11. Fast response: Because LinkedIn is a social network, responses tend to be faster; 
12. Guaranteed Inbox Placement: Unlike cold emails, which can get lost in spam filters or blocked entirely, LinkedIn messages land directly in your prospect’s inbox.

Cons of LinkedIn Message

LinkedIn messaging isn’t perfect and it has its own downsides, just like email. 

1. Limited reach: You can’t message someone unless you’re connected or use InMail, which costs money;
2. Platform restrictions: LinkedIn caps how many connection requests and messages you can send per week:
3. No analytics: Unlike email, LinkedIn doesn’t offer robust tracking for open and response rates;
4. Harder to scale: Mass messaging is limited, even with the best LinkedIn automation tools;
5. Risk of getting flagged: Sending too many outreach messages may result in account restrictions;
6. Shorter lifespan: LinkedIn messages get buried quickly, while recipients can save emails for later reference;
7. Time-consuming: Without automation, writing unique LinkedIn messages for each prospect can be time-consuming.

Cold Email vs LinkedIn Message: Which Is More Effective?

Which one is more effective: cold email or cold LinkedIn message? Both channels have their place in your outreach strategy. We suggest using them both to maximize your outreach and get more benefits.

Here are five reasons why one might outperform the other, depending on the situation:

1. Response Time and Audience Preference

LinkedIn tends to generate faster responses because it’s a real-time platform. People check their notifications frequently, and messages often prompt immediate action. Emails, on the other hand, have a lower response rate, but they reach a much wider audience.

It is a good idea to use cold email vs cold LinkedIn message depending on which platform your audience is more active on. Some industries and roles are more responsive to email, while others prefer LinkedIn. 

For example, executives might prefer email for its professionalism, while younger professionals might engage more on LinkedIn. Understanding where your audience spends can help you make an informed choice. 

2. Personalization

You can personalize emails with custom fields, such as tailored subject lines and detailed content. LinkedIn messages allow for real-time personalization based on profile information and recent activity. If personal connection matters, LinkedIn wins. 

So, the verdict is that LinkedIn is perfect for quick personalization and relevance whereas email wins for depth. 

3. Scalability and Control

Emails are easier to scale with cold email software, while scaling LinkedIn message outreach is challenging. However, with advanced Dripify drip campaign software for LinkedIn and email outreach, you can automate follow-ups and track performance. 

But remember that LinkedIn has stricter limits on automation, making it harder to execute large-scale campaigns.

If you need to send thousands of messages, consider using email. 

4. Longevity

When it comes to the longevity of LinkedIn message vs email, the latter sticks around for longer. The recipients can forward and reference emails for later. But LinkedIn messages get buried in inboxes and are harder to retrieve.

5. Compliance

Cold emails come with legal risks like GDPR and CAN-SPAM. LinkedIn messaging avoids these hurdles, making it a safer option in regulated industries.

6. Message Complexity

If your pitch requires a detailed explanation or visuals, email is the better choice. A LinkedIn message has a character limit and lacks certain functionality, making it harder to convey complex ideas. Emails allow you to attach files, embed links, and format your message for clarity.

7. Trust and Credibility

LinkedIn messages benefit from the platform’s professional context. When someone sees your profile and mutual connections, they’re more likely to trust you. Email, on the other hand, relies solely on your subject line and sender name to establish credibility.

How to Use Cold Email and LinkedIn Outreach Together

Combine email and LinkedIn outreach and it would be the best approach. This allows you to maximize your reach and increase your chances of engagement.

Start with LinkedIn to build rapport and credibility. Send a connection request with a personalized note referencing something specific about the prospect. Once they accept, follow up with a brief message to introduce yourself and start a conversation.

From there, you can transition to email. 

Use the relationship you’ve started on LinkedIn to create a more detailed and persuasive email. In your email, mention your LinkedIn interaction to remind them who you are. 

Also, you can reach out via email if they don’t respond on LinkedIn or vice versa. This multi-channel approach keeps you top-of-mind and increases the likelihood of a response.

Run A/B tests to see which channel works best for different industries and buyer personas.

Having said that, timing is everything. 

Don’t spam your prospects with messages across both platforms at once. Instead, space out your touchpoints strategically, alternating between LinkedIn and email to avoid overwhelming the recipients.  

Use Dripify Email and LinkedIn Automation Software

Use Dripify sales automation software to manage multiple outreach channels. Dripify email and LinkedIn automation software makes it really easy. Try a 7-day free trial now!

Dripify combines cold email and LinkedIn messaging into a single workflow. With its automation capabilities, you can send personalized emails and LinkedIn messages at scale without losing the human touch.

How Dripify Works?

Create drip campaigns that alternate between email and LinkedIn touchpoints. With AI hyper-personalized outreach software you can set up personalized outreach sequences, schedule follow-ups, and track performance, all from one dashboard. 

For example, in Dripify you can create the following automated sequence with blended LinkedIn messages and cold emails:

• Action 1: Send a personalized LinkedIn connection request to your prospect;
• Action 2: Send a LinkedIn message one day after the prospect accepts the connection request; 
• Action 3: Send a cold email two days after starting a conversation on LinkedIn.

Here’s another example of a workflow you can create in Dripify:

1. A prospect accepts your LinkedIn invite → Automatically send a follow-up message;
2. If they don’t reply in 3 days → Trigger a cold email with tailored information;
3. If they open the email but don’t respond → Send another LinkedIn message or a second cold email.

Dripify’s algorithms ensure your LinkedIn messages and emails stay compliant. Plus, it integrates seamlessly with your CRM, giving you a complete view of your outreach efforts.

Whether you’re running standalone email campaigns or combining channels, Dripify streamlines the process and saves you time.

Conclusion

Email or LinkedIn message: which should you choose?

Combine cold email and LinkedIn messaging to get the best results.

Each channel has its strengths and limitations, and the best strategy depends on your audience, goals, and resources. Email is great for scalability and tracking whereas LinkedIn is better for credibility, immediacy, and starting conversations.

Use LinkedIn to build relationships and email to nurture and convert them. Don’t forget about Dripify automation software. With Dripify you can automate and optimize your outreach on both channels from a single dashboard without sacrificing quality.