LinkedIn Automation Guide

This guide covers how to set up and use LinkedIn automation for sales prospecting, including profile views, connection requests, messages, and integration with outreach sequences.

Overview

Girard's LinkedIn automation enables:

• Profile Views - Warm up prospects by viewing their profiles
• Connection Requests - Send personalized connection requests
• Direct Messages - Message connections with personalization
• InMail - Reach non-connections (Sales Navigator)
• Sequence Integration - Include LinkedIn steps in multi-channel sequences
• Rate Limiting - Stay within LinkedIn's limits
• Queue Management - Priority-based action scheduling

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Before using LinkedIn automation:

1. LinkedIn Account - Active LinkedIn account
2. Sales Navigator - Recommended for full features
3. Chrome Extension - Install our LinkedIn helper extension
4. Session Capture - Authenticate via the extension

Setting Up Your Account

1. Navigate to Outreach > LinkedIn Accounts
2. Click Add Account
3. Install the Chrome extension if not already installed
4. Open LinkedIn in Chrome
5. Click the extension icon
6. Select "Capture Session"
7. Your account will appear in the dashboard

Account Settings

Configure your account settings:

linkedin_account:
  name: "Sales Team Account"
  owner: "john@company.com"

  daily_limits:
    profile_views: 100
    connection_requests: 25
    messages: 50
    inmails: 20

  schedule:
    active_hours: ["09:00", "17:00"]
    timezone: "America/New_York"
    days: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]  # Mon-Fri

  safety:
    min_delay_seconds: 30
    max_delay_seconds: 120
    randomize_delays: true
    respect_rate_limits: true

LinkedIn Actions

Profile Views

View profiles to create a notification and warm up prospects:

action:
  type: LINKEDIN_VIEW
  profile_url: "https://linkedin.com/in/johndoe"
  account_id: "acc_123"

Best Practices:

• View profiles before sending connections
• Creates curiosity and increases connection acceptance
• 1-3 day delay between view and connect

Connection Requests

Send personalized connection requests:

action:
  type: LINKEDIN_CONNECT
  profile_url: "https://linkedin.com/in/johndoe"
  account_id: "acc_123"
  note: |
    Hi {{firstName}},

    I saw your post about {{topic}} and would love to connect.
    I work with companies in {{industry}} on similar challenges.

    Looking forward to connecting!

Note Limits:

• Character limit: 300
• Keep notes concise and personalized
• Reference something specific (post, mutual connection, company news)

Direct Messages

Message existing connections:

action:
  type: LINKEDIN_MESSAGE
  profile_url: "https://linkedin.com/in/johndoe"
  account_id: "acc_123"
  message: |
    Hi {{firstName}},

    Thanks for connecting! I noticed {{company}} is
    {{trigger_event}}.

    Would you be open to a quick chat about how we're
    helping similar companies with {{solution}}?

    Best,
    {{senderName}}

InMail (Sales Navigator)

Reach non-connections with InMail:

action:
  type: LINKEDIN_INMAIL
  profile_url: "https://linkedin.com/in/johndoe"
  account_id: "acc_123"
  subject: "Quick question about {{company}}"
  message: |
    Hi {{firstName}},

    I hope this message finds you well...

InMail Best Practices:

• Subject line is crucial (keep under 50 chars)
• More formal than connection messages
• Include clear value proposition
• Request specific, low-commitment action

Post Engagement

Engage with prospect posts:

# Like a post
action:
  type: LINKEDIN_LIKE
  post_url: "https://linkedin.com/posts/..."
  account_id: "acc_123"

# Comment on a post
action:
  type: LINKEDIN_COMMENT
  post_url: "https://linkedin.com/posts/..."
  account_id: "acc_123"
  comment: "Great insights! {{personalized_comment}}"

Sequence Integration

Adding LinkedIn Steps

Include LinkedIn actions in outreach sequences:

sequence:
  name: "Enterprise Outreach"
  steps:
    - day: 0
      type: LINKEDIN_VIEW
      description: "View profile"

    - day: 1
      type: EMAIL
      subject: "{{firstName}}, quick question about {{company}}"
      body: "..."

    - day: 2
      type: LINKEDIN_CONNECT
      note: "Hi {{firstName}}, I just sent you an email about..."

    - day: 4
      type: EMAIL
      subject: "Re: Quick question about {{company}}"
      body: "Following up..."

    - day: 5
      condition: "linkedin_connected"
      type: LINKEDIN_MESSAGE
      message: "Thanks for connecting! I wanted to follow up..."

    - day: 7
      type: CALL
      script: "Enterprise discovery call"

Conditional LinkedIn Steps

Execute steps based on LinkedIn status:

- day: 5
  type: CONDITION
  condition: "contact.linkedinConnected == true"
  then:
    - type: LINKEDIN_MESSAGE
      message: "..."
  else:
    - type: EMAIL
      subject: "..."
      body: "..."

Rate Limiting

Default Limits

Girard enforces safe defaults:

Action	Daily Limit	Hourly Limit
Profile Views	100	20
Connection Requests	25	5
Messages	50	10
InMails	20	5
Comments	30	5

Custom Limits

Configure custom limits per account:

rate_limits:
  daily:
    profile_views: 80
    connections: 20
    messages: 40
  hourly:
    profile_views: 15
    connections: 4
    messages: 8
  consecutive_max: 5
  min_delay_seconds: 45

Warmup Period

For new accounts, gradually increase limits:

warmup:
  enabled: true
  duration_days: 14
  start_percentage: 20  # Start at 20% of limits
  increment_per_day: 6  # Increase by 6% daily

Queue Management

Action Queue

All LinkedIn actions are queued for execution:

queue_status:
  pending: 45
  processing: 1
  completed_today: 32
  failed_today: 2
  next_action_at: "2026-02-08T14:30:00Z"

Priority Levels

Set action priorities:

Priority	Description	Use Case
urgent	Execute immediately	Time-sensitive follow-ups
high	Top of queue	Hot leads
normal	Standard processing	Regular sequences
low	When queue is empty	Bulk operations

Retry Logic

Failed actions are automatically retried:

retry:
  max_attempts: 3
  backoff: exponential
  initial_delay: 300  # 5 minutes
  max_delay: 3600     # 1 hour

Personalization

Available Variables

Use these variables in messages:

Variable	Description
{{firstName}}	First name
{{lastName}}	Last name
{{company}}	Company name
{{title}}	Job title
{{industry}}	Industry
{{location}}	Location
{{mutualConnections}}	Mutual connection names
{{recentPost}}	Recent post topic
{{companyNews}}	Recent company news

AI Personalization

Enable AI-powered personalization:

personalization:
  enabled: true
  model: claude-sonnet-4

  instructions: |
    Research the prospect's profile and recent activity.
    Reference something specific and relevant.
    Keep the tone professional but conversational.
    Avoid generic openings like "I came across your profile."

  fields:
    - opening_line
    - relevant_insight
    - value_prop

Analytics

Performance Metrics

Track LinkedIn performance:

Metric	Description
Connection Rate	% of requests accepted
Reply Rate	% of messages replied
View-to-Connect	Conversion from view
Message Opens	LinkedIn read receipts
Profile Views Received	Views from prospects

Reporting

linkedin_report:
  period: "last_30_days"
  account: "acc_123"

  metrics:
    views_sent: 450
    connections_sent: 120
    connections_accepted: 72
    connection_rate: 60%
    messages_sent: 95
    messages_replied: 28
    reply_rate: 29.5%

Safety & Compliance

LinkedIn Terms

Stay compliant with LinkedIn's terms:

• No automation tools - Use session-based access
• Reasonable limits - Stay within daily limits
• No spam - Personalize all outreach
• Opt-out respect - Honor unsubscribe requests

Account Protection

Protect your LinkedIn account:

1. Gradual scaling - Use warmup periods
2. Randomized delays - Vary timing between actions
3. Working hours only - Operate during business hours
4. Profile completeness - Maintain complete profile
5. Engagement - Mix outreach with genuine engagement

Warning Signs

Watch for these indicators:

• Temporary restrictions from LinkedIn
• Unusual captcha prompts
• Connection request limits
• Profile view limits

If you see warnings, pause automation for 24-48 hours.

Troubleshooting

Session Expired

If your session expires:

1. Open LinkedIn in Chrome
2. Log in manually
3. Click extension icon
4. Select "Capture Session"
5. Verify in Girard dashboard

Action Failures

Common failure reasons:

Error	Cause	Solution
session_expired	Session token invalid	Recapture session
profile_not_found	Invalid profile URL	Verify URL
rate_limited	LinkedIn limit hit	Wait 24 hours
connection_exists	Already connected	Skip action
message_blocked	Messaging restricted	Check settings

Connection Request Pending

If connections stay pending:

• Target may have restricted connection requests
• Review and improve your note
• Ensure profile is complete
• Consider alternative approach (InMail, email)

Best Practices Summary

1. View before connect - Always view profiles first
2. Personalize everything - Generic messages fail
3. Respect limits - Stay within safe thresholds
4. Mix channels - Combine with email and phone
5. Engage genuinely - Like and comment on posts
6. Track results - Monitor and optimize
7. Stay compliant - Follow LinkedIn's terms

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