A swipe file from 2 years of running a LinkedIn outbound agency.

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Quick intro about me

I’m Matt, currently growing **IbexAI.** We’re Harvard-backed and built a tool that monitors LinkedIn to find high-intent leads on autopilot.

—> Check it out here.

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Why this list exists

I used to run a LinkedIn outbound agency for two years. Across that time, my team and I sent something like 180,000 DMs on behalf of clients. Most of them got ignored. Some got polite no's. A small percentage got a real, engaged reply, the kind that turns into a conversation instead of a polite brush-off.

I kept a swipe file. Every time a DM got a positive reply, I logged the message. Just the opener that started it.

This doc is 50 of those openers, organized by industry.

A few notes before you dive in:

• These are openers, not full sequences. The first message is where 95% of outbound dies (in my experience at least). If you can get a reply, the rest is a normal sales conversation.
• The names and companies are anonymized, but the structures, signals, and language are exactly as sent.
• Don't copy them verbatim. They worked because they were specific. If you paste "Saw your post about pricing strategy" to 200 people, none of whom posted about pricing, you're back to spam.

How to read this doc

Every DM in here follows one of three structures:

1. Signal-based openers. Something the prospect did (posted, commented, changed jobs, engaged with a competitor) becomes the reason for reaching out. These convert highest because the timing is real.

2. Pattern-recognition openers. You name a problem you've seen across companies like theirs, in language they use internally. Works when you can't find a fresh signal but you know the persona cold.

3. Mutual-context openers. Shared connection, shared event, shared content, shared market. Lower ceiling than signal-based but more reliable when you have nothing else.

A few rules that hold across all 50:

• One ask per message. Never two. Never "thoughts on this AND open to a call AND can I send a deck."
• No pitch in the first DM. Ever. The job of message 1 is to get a reply, not to close.