The #1 LinkedIn Prospecting Mistake Reps Keep Making

& the simple framework to fix it today

👋 Welcome to a 🔒 paid edition 🔒 of my weekly newsletter Outbound Kitche. Each week I dive into reader questions about scaling outbound and making it your #1 growth engine. For more: Podcast | Launching Outbound | Scaling Outbound | Deep Dives

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The biggest mistake I see on LinkedIn for prospecting:

Reps treat LinkedIn like a CV (seed-stage to Big SaaS).

Prospects click your profile before replying. In ~30 seconds they see “SDR/AE at X,” assume a pitch (or don’t even know what that means), and ignore your connection.

You're losing opportunities before the conversation starts.

If you or your team prospect on LinkedIn, fix these six pieces to turn your profile into a conversion asset and lift accepts + replies:

1. Profile Picture

2. Banner

3. Headline

4. About

5. Featured Section

6. Experience

How to optimize your LinkedIn profile for prospecting

Step 0: Customer Intelligence (Do This First)

Before touching your profile, run this prompt to understand your buyers:

Act as a world-class market research analyst with 10+ years of experience in B2B customer analysis.

**Your Task:** Analyze 
-[YOUR COMPANY WEBSITE URL] 
-[YOUR COMPANY CASE STUDY PAGE URL]
-[YOUR COMPANY G2 URL]
to uncover the deepest customer insights that will fuel high-converting outbound campaigns.

**Research Framework:**

**1. SOLUTION IMPACT ANALYSIS:**
- What specific business problems does [YOUR COMPANY] solve?
- What measurable ROI/impact do their customers achieve? (Look for case studies, testimonials, reviews)
- What happens if prospects DON'T solve these problems?
- What alternatives are prospects using today?

**2. CUSTOMER SUCCESS PATTERNS:**
- Analyze 5-10 customer testimonials/case studies for common themes
- What words do customers use to describe their pain points?
- What business metrics improved after using [YOUR COMPANY]?
- What was the "last straw" moment that made them buy?

**3. COMPETITIVE POSITIONING:**
- How does [YOUR COMPANY] differentiate from competitors?
- What unique value do they provide?
- What do G2/Capterra reviews reveal about strengths/weaknesses?

**Output Format:**
1. **Core Pain Points** (ranked by intensity 1-10)
2. **Customer Impact Metrics** (specific numbers/percentages)
3. **Differentiation Hooks** (what makes them unique)
4. **Customer Language** (exact phrases prospects use)

**Research Sources:** Company website, case studies, reviews, LinkedIn posts, industry reports, G2, Reddit.

Use these insights for every section below.

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1: Profile Picture

The Standard:

• 400×400 minimum

• Face fills 80% of frame

• Clean background in brand color

• Professional headshot, slight smile

Here are a few great examples:

A rep at Ramp

A rep at Pocus

The team at Wiza

Use Canva's background remover + add brand color background.

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2: Cover photo

The Formula:

• Value proposition: what you offer, who it’s for, the key benefit, and how it’s different

• Social proof: customers, number of users, business results

• Call to action: the next logical step you want profile visitors to take

• Branding: Colors, logo, etc.

Here's the prompt to create the copy of your cover: