LinkedIn buying intent signals: how to find B2B buyers who are already looking
Most LinkedIn outreach fails before the first message is sent. Not because the copy is bad, but because the timing is.
A job title tells you who could buy. A buying signal tells you who might buy now. That difference is the whole game in outbound, and LinkedIn buying intent signals are everywhere if you know where to look.
What counts as a buying signal
A buying signal is any public action that suggests a person or company is moving toward a problem you solve. One signal is a hint. Two or three together are a reason to reach out.
Six signals worth tracking
- A new role. People in their first 90 days in a job review tools, vendors and processes. A new VP of Sales or Head of Growth is the classic example.
- Hiring for the problem. A company hiring SDRs is investing in outbound. A company hiring its first marketer is about to build a pipeline from scratch.
- Fresh funding. New money comes with new growth targets, usually within weeks.
- Talking about the problem. Posts, comments and reactions about the pain you solve. Someone asking "how are you all handling X?" is waving a flag.
- Engaging with competitors or the category. Following a competitor, commenting on their posts, or attending a category webinar.
- Company changes. A new product line, a new market or a new region often means new tools and partners.
The exact mix depends on what you sell. A sales tool cares most about SDR hiring. An AI visibility product cares about marketing leaders talking about AI search. Pick the three or four signals that fit your buyer, not all of them.
Rank signals by how close the buyer is
Not every signal deserves the same speed. A simple three-tier system works:
| Tier | Example | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Hot | Posted about the exact problem this week | Reach out within 48 hours |
| Warm | New role plus relevant hiring | Reach out this week |
| Cool | Follows a competitor, nothing else | Add to a nurture list, watch for a second signal |
Signals decay fast. A post from yesterday is a conversation starter. A post from three months ago is trivia.
Turn the signal into the message
The signal is the reason for the message, so use it. Weak outreach hides the reason and pitches. Strong outreach names it and asks.
Weak: "Hi Sarah, I help SaaS companies generate more pipeline. Open to a quick call?"
Strong: "Hi Sarah, saw you're hiring three SDRs. Curious whether you're building outbound from scratch or scaling something that already works?"
The second message is shorter, specific and easy to answer. It doesn't pitch. It starts a conversation the buyer already wants to have.
Qualify before you contact
A signal on the wrong account is still the wrong account. Before anyone gets a message, check three things:
- Fit: right industry, size and region for your offer
- Role: the person can buy, or can introduce you to who does
- Conflicts: not an existing customer, an open deal or a competitor's employee
What this looks like in practice
In the programs our team has run, contacting people with signals instead of static lists produced a 33% acceptance rate and a 34% reply rate. 45% of replies were interested. Compare that with an industry average of 28.5% acceptance and a 10.4% message reply rate. The full breakdown is in our LinkedIn outreach benchmarks.
We keep our exact sourcing method in-house, but the principle is simple: signal first, then the list, then the message.