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You know the drill. Another day, another batch of cold emails sent, another handful of polite (or not-so-polite) rejections, and a pipeline that looks more like a trickle than a torrent. Sound familiar?
What if the problem isn’t your copy, targeting, or timing? What if the missing ingredient is something much simpler and more human?
Enter: social warming.
Why has social warming become essential?
Personalization isn’t enough
Let’s be honest: the days when “Hey {{FirstName}}” counted as personalization are long gone. AI has made sending personalized emails so easy that everyone’s inbox is overflowing.
“AI has made sending ‘personalized’ emails so easy that people’s inboxes are full. You need to find a way to stand out.” – Viktor Hatfaludi
Consider this real-world example from Viktor: a multichannel campaign run on 250 prospects without social warming:
- 82% deliverability
- Less than 10% acceptance rate
- 6.8% response rate
Not bad, right? Those are industry average numbers.
But here’s the trap: send more, multiply your results. At least, that’s what most teams try. In reality, even highly personalized mass outreach hits a wall: Your prospects are tuning out.
The answer? Social warming.
Run the same campaign after integrating social warming, and the numbers tell a different story:
- 100% deliverability
- 48% of prospects accepted the LinkedIn connection request
- 8% response rate
Suddenly, you’re not just another message in the void. You’re the familiar face, the known name, the person already on their radar.
Creating familiarity to stand out
Three keys to breaking through the noise today:
- Relevant messaging: Nail your copywriting. Say what matters, when it matters.
- Timely topics: Align your outreach with real, observed buying intent.
- Familiarity with the sender: Earned through social warming.
“If someone has never heard about you, doesn’t have a reason to trust you, and this is the first time you are popping up in their inbox, they might not even open your email.” – Viktor Hatfaludi
Social warming is about ensuring your prospect is already familiar with you and your ecosystem when your message lands. Maybe they’ve seen your company name. Maybe your name rings a bell. Perhaps they’ve even engaged with your content.
When that happens, your message is more likely to be read, your offer more likely to be considered, and your meeting more likely to be booked.
Raising your response rate: The social warming way
Want to boost your reply rates? Start by interacting with content that matters to your prospect.
Pre-requisite: Know your persona, their sector, and their interests—cold.
“Familiarity is about getting in front of the people as much as possible and one of the best ways to do that is to land in the notification section of your prospects.” – Viktor Hatfaludi
It’s not just about being seen. It’s about being remembered.
Why do prospects ignore your connection request?
- Your profile screams “sales”;
- No personalization;
- Connect & pitch in the same breath;
- Sending novels instead of messages;
- Asking for something instead of offering value.
Flip the script:
- Profile built for your buyer;
- Personalized connection messages;
- Nurture and engage before you connect;
- Use voice messages on LinkedIn—human, not robotic;
- Show, through your content, that they’re better off with you than without you.
Next steps
The new sales reality isn’t about more volume. It’s about more relevance, more trust, and more human connection.
If you want to build a pipeline that converts, don’t just send more messages. Start showing up. Start warming up. Start being the person your prospects already want to talk to—before you pitch.
That’s the power of social warming. And it’s yours for the taking.
Watch our full webinar with Viktor to learn more about social warming tactics!
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