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Prospecting, with the numbers written down

Experiments run with Scout, benchmarks that get updated, and the method behind each decision. Written by the person who builds it.

methodHow the numbers on this blog are measured

experiment · October 16, 2026 · 8 min read
How many LinkedIn connection requests per week does prospecting take? Between 17 and 53, never more than 20 a day, no restriction in five weeks
173 connection requests to strangers from one LinkedIn account in five weeks, September 15 to October 16, 2026: between 17 and 53 a week, never more than 20 in a day, a pending pile that never passed 59, every unanswered request withdrawn after 21 days, and no warning from LinkedIn. What a real campaign needs, and how to keep the pending pile small.
experiment · October 15, 2026 · 9 min read
Do LinkedIn follow-ups work? The first one brings back a third of the silent, the second one almost nobody
89 strangers accepted my connection request and got a first message; 41 replied to it. One follow-up to the 37 who had stayed silent brought 12 of them back. A second follow-up to 17 people brought one reply, and it was a no. What a follow-up adds, when to send it, and when silence is the answer.
experiment · October 14, 2026 · 9 min read
How much time does LinkedIn prospecting take per week? 287 decisions in four weeks, about half a minute each
Four weeks, 158 connection requests, 75 accepted, 47 replies, and every decision of mine stamped with its time: 287 decisions on 24 of 29 days, a median of 9 a day, in sessions of 3 or 4 decisions that take under two minutes. The arithmetic of the week, what the stamps do not see, and how to keep it that small.
benchmark · October 13, 2026 · 10 min read
LinkedIn cold outreach benchmark 2026: acceptance, reply and follow-up rates from one account, updated weekly
One account, 158 connection requests to strangers since September 15, 2026: 55% of the requests old enough to judge were accepted, against a platform average of 28.5%. Time to accept, time to reply, follow-up yield, decisions per day and the week-by-week table, refreshed every week with the method behind every number.
experiment · October 12, 2026 · 7 min read
Is it rude to cold message strangers on LinkedIn? I messaged 133: nobody got angry, 4 said no, 31 kept talking
133 connection requests to strangers from my own account, each with a note written from their profile. 72 accepted, 43 replied. Of the 43, 31 kept the conversation going, 5 asked what I wanted, 3 said the first message sounded automated, 3 declined politely, 1 asked not to be contacted, 0 were rude. What to say when they reply, and how many follow-ups before it is spam.
experiment · October 11, 2026 · 8 min read
Can you get customers on LinkedIn without an audience? One in five strangers I messaged wanted to talk
133 connection requests to strangers from a LinkedIn account with no audience: 72 accepted, 45 replied, 25 wanted to talk. What it takes, how long it takes, how much of your time, and when to blame the product.
experiment · October 8, 2026 · 4 min read
How long does a LinkedIn connection request take to be accepted? Half within a day, almost all within a week
51 of 102 cold connection requests were accepted. The median acceptance took 15 hours; 34 came within a day, 50 within a week, one later. When to stop waiting.
experiment · October 7, 2026 · 5 min read
Does posting on LinkedIn predict who replies? Recent posters accepted and replied two to three times more often
One week, 102 connection requests from my own account: 44 accepted, 26 replied, 17 interested. Split by one signal, recent posting, the rates double and triple.