LinkedIn vs Instagram outreach: where should you prospect?
Most people default to LinkedIn for outreach because "that's where business happens". Sometimes it is. Often, your buyers are scrolling Instagram instead, and nobody is pitching them there.
Here's how I think about the two channels.
Who you can reach
LinkedIn is organized around jobs. You can filter by title, company size, industry. Perfect if you sell to "Head of Marketing at a 50-person SaaS".
Instagram is organized around interests. You find people by who they follow, what they comment on, which hashtags they use. Perfect if you sell to coaches, creators, ecommerce founders, local businesses, freelancers, or anyone whose business lives on Instagram.
A simple test: where does your ideal client post? If it's case studies and hiring updates, LinkedIn. If it's reels, stories and behind-the-scenes, Instagram.
The inbox
LinkedIn inboxes are crowded with sales pitches. Decision makers get several a day and have learned to skim and ignore.
Instagram DMs feel more personal. Fewer people prospect there, so a relevant message stands out more. The flip side: a message that feels like spam stands out too, and Instagram can push it to hidden requests.
Volume and limits
On LinkedIn, the usual bottleneck is connection requests: around 100 per week for most accounts (LinkedIn doesn't publish the number), with a short note. Beyond that, you need InMails, which cost credits.
On Instagram, there's no connection step, you message directly. Limits are per account and depend on its age and history. I break down safe numbers in Instagram DM limits. With several accounts, you can scale further.
Side by side
Targeting | Job title, company, industry | Interests, followers, comments, hashtags |
Best for | B2B, corporate buyers | Creators, coaches, ecommerce, local, founders |
First step | Connection request (around 100 per week) | Direct message |
Inbox | Crowded with pitches | More personal, less prospected |
What you see | CV and company | Content, personality, what they care about now |
Personalization
This is where Instagram has an edge. A LinkedIn profile tells you someone's job. An Instagram profile tells you what they're working on this week, what they're proud of, what they struggle with.
That makes icebreakers easy and real: "Saw your reel about..." beats "I see you're the CEO of...". My 10 DM templates are built on that idea.
So, which one?
LinkedIn if your buyers are defined by their job title and work in companies that don't live on social media.
Instagram if your buyers run their business in public, create content, or are reachable through the accounts they follow.
Both if your market sits in the middle. Test each for two weeks with the same offer and compare replies.
If Instagram is part of the answer, Wave builds the audience, writes the messages and handles follow-ups. See how it works.
Questions about your market? Email me at antoine@usewave.co.
