How to 6X Your Reply Rates on LinkedIn by Commenting on Posts

Boost LinkedIn reply rates by 6X using strategic comments. Learn how to warm up leads, build trust, and turn engagement into conversions—step by step.

Richard F. Purcell

4/15/20255 min read

If your outreach campaigns are falling flat, the problem isn’t generating leads—it’s nurturing them.

“The lowest hanging fruit is mid-funnel, not top of funnel.”
— Andy Mewborn, via webinar with Adam Robinson

At MoxieGTM, we see this all the time: companies nail lead generation, but their lead nurturing strategy fails to move prospects forward.

An early-stage SaaS company we worked with generated 100+ positive or neutral responses in 6 months—messages like:

  • “Not a priority right now.”

  • “Check back in 6 months.”

  • “Send me some info.”

  • Or even requested meetings that never materialized.

Only about 3% of buyers are in-market at any given time. If your sales team focuses only on these, you're missing the other 97% who need consistent nurturing until they’re ready to buy.

Why Commenting on LinkedIn Works for Lead Nurturing

We interviewed Todd Busler, CEO of Champify. His reps nurture relationships across multiple channels—including thoughtful LinkedIn comments—long before the pitch ever lands in someone’s inbox.

Here’s how to stay top of mind:

  • Add leads to your newsletter

  • Send occasional offers or gifts

  • Invite to virtual or local events

  • Make strategic introductions

  • Ask for product feedback

  • Turn them into referral partners

  • Comment regularly on their LinkedIn posts

Let’s focus on the last one—because it's the easiest to start and can 6X your reply rates, based on real data.

The 6X LinkedIn Outreach Experiment

Oleg Sobolev, founder of Extrovert, ran a test:
Can consistently commenting on a prospect’s LinkedIn posts boost outreach reply rates?

The setup:

  • 1,000 prospects

  • Identical messaging and sequences

  • Split into two groups:

    • Group A: cold outreach only

    • Group B: warmed with LinkedIn comments first

Results:

  • Cold outreach: ~8% average reply rate

  • Comment-warmed outreach: 51% reply rate

By segment:

  • CEOs & Founders: 8.2% → 51.4%

  • Agency Owners: 11.1% → 53.8%

  • Sales Leaders: 26.9% → 57.1%

💡 That's a 6X improvement in some cases.

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Step-by-Step: How to Use LinkedIn Comments to Nurture Leads

Here’s a repeatable process to build warm prospect relationships through thoughtful LinkedIn engagement:

1. Build Your Prospect List

  • Target 100–200 leads at a time

  • Gather LinkedIn URLs and upload to a tool like Extrovert

  • Prioritize active users (filter by “Posted on LinkedIn” in Sales Navigator)

  • Include decision-makers and influencers (e.g., CEOs, CxOs, VPs)

💡 Tip: Use a tool like Dunbar by MoxieGTM to identify warm mid-funnel leads.

2. Make Initial Comment Touchpoints

  • Leave 1–2 insightful comments per prospect

  • Choose posts with meaningful engagement potential (don’t just drop “Great post!”)

  • Sort your feed by individual prospects to see their recent activity

  • Use “delayed posting” to space your comments naturally across several days

3. Warm-Up Phase (Lasts 3–14+ Days)

  • Maintain a weekly cadence of thoughtful comments

  • Monitor:

    • Last comment time for consistency

    • Post categories for relevance

    • Engagement metrics for traction

This keeps you visible without overwhelming your prospect’s feed.

4. Send Connection Requests

Once you’ve engaged with several of their posts over a few days/weeks, send a connection request.

Don’t pitch. Just connect.

5. Use a Strategic Delay (2–5 Days)

After the prospect accepts your request, don’t DM right away.

Why the wait helps:

  • Gives them time to check your profile or posts

  • Creates space for them to reach out first (this happens ~20% of the time)

  • Makes your outreach feel natural

If you’re actively posting content, extend the delay to 4–5 days to maximize exposure.

6. Start Your Outreach Sequence

When you begin outreach:

  • Reference shared content or your previous comment

  • Continue engaging on posts while you’re in their inbox

This multi-touch approach (DMs + comments) improves message recall and reply rates.

7. Organize Warm Leads into Lists

Move responsive prospects to permanent lists. Organize by relationship type:

  • Hot opportunities – weekly engagement

  • Long-term nurtures – biweekly

  • Current customers – monthly

  • Partners / champions – as needed

This lets you scale follow-ups without losing the personal touch.

8. Clean Up Completed Lists

After each 30-day outreach cycle:

  • Delete completed batches

  • Ensure all warm leads were moved to permanent nurturing lists

Clearing room helps you stay focused on your next 100–200 leads.

How to Combine Comments With Outreach

If you're doing manual outreach:

  • Use Extrovert to track comments and engagement

  • DM after they engage with your comments

  • Personalize messages based on what they posted or liked

If you're using outreach tools:

  • Warm them with comments in Extrovert first

  • Export CSV list to your favorite email/DM sequence tool

  • Continue nurturing on LinkedIn during and after outreach

Bonus: Combine Comments With Your Own Content

Commenting alone is powerful, but it works even better when paired with your own LinkedIn posts.

Here’s why:

  • LinkedIn’s algorithm shows your posts to those who engage with your comments

  • Comments = visibility

  • Posts = thought leadership

  • DMs = conversion

Use all three to build trust across channels and win the reply.

Final Thoughts: Nurture, Don’t Spam

Most of your prospects aren’t ready to buy—but they will be eventually.

If you stop treating LinkedIn like a pitch fest and start treating it like a networking dinner, your results will follow.

Warm them up. Show up consistently. Comment with value.
Then—and only then—make the ask.

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