How We Achieved a 68% Acceptance Rate and 75% Response Rate on LinkedIn
Most people think cold email is the way to do outreach.
Truth is, cold emails get ignored. LinkedIn DMs, when done right, work way better. Especially when they come from a real face people can check out instead of a faceless company account.
That is exactly what we did for MeetMyMentor, a platform connecting mentors and mentees.
Step 1: Finding the Right Leads
Instead of going broad, we got specific. We scraped a competitor website and pulled a clean list of potential mentors, complete with names, roles, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and even languages they speak. Basically, we had a ready-made list of people who already fit the profile and cared about mentorship.
Step 2: Using the Founder’s Profile
We did not blast these people from a random account. We used the founder’s LinkedIn profile.
Why? Because people trust people, not logos. When you see a DM from a founder with a face, history, and credibility, you are far more likely to reply than if it is from “xyz@company.com.”
Step 3: DM Automation That Feels Personal
We set up a DM automation campaign, but it was not spammy. Each message was short, human, and to the point. Think more like “Hey, we are building a mentorship platform, saw your background, thought you would be perfect” than a long sales pitch.
The goal was simple: get replies, spark conversations, and build curiosity.
The Results
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 108 invites sent
- 68.4% acceptance rate
- 81 message replies
- 75% response rate
That is a very high response rate compared to cold email campaigns, where you are lucky to see 15 to 20 percent. And the kicker? This brought in a wave of new mentor signups within just a week.
Why This Worked
- The leads were pre-warmed (people already active in mentorship spaces)
- It came from a trusted profile (the founder, not a random SDR)
- The outreach was short, personal, and relevant
- LinkedIn is where these professionals already spend time, so we met them where they are
Key Takeaway
If you are building in edtech, B2B SaaS, or any space where trust matters, LinkedIn DM automation can be a game changer. Cold emails still have their place, but if your audience is active on LinkedIn, DMs hit differently.
For MeetMyMentor, this channel turned out to be the fastest way to get real traction with mentors. And the best part? Once the system is set up, it runs almost on autopilot.