Research

LinkedIn Research

First-party research on LinkedIn outreach, content and B2B data: 196,696 matured connection requests sent January 2025 to July 2026, 251 LinkedIn posts published November 2025 to August 2026, and a 2,037,030-contact B2B database audited in full. Every study states its sample, its denominators, and its limitations. All figures are free to quote with attribution.

Outreach

Measured across 196,696 matured LinkedIn connection requests.

Measured1.86 pts

The Best Day to Send LinkedIn Connection Requests Does Not Exist

Across 196,696 matured connection requests, acceptance by day of week spanned 26.38% to 28.24%. Weekends came within 0.27 points of weekdays.

Acceptance rate by send day across 196,696 LinkedIn connection requests sent between 8 January 2025 and 27 July 2026 and given at least 30 days to mature.
Measured5.83 days

How Long a Cold LinkedIn Request Takes to Become a Booked Meeting

Across 991 booked meetings from cold requests, the median path from send to booking was 5.83 days. 56.1% booked within a week, 85.1% within 30 days.

Time from connection request to tracked meeting booking across 991 booked outcomes among 196,696 LinkedIn connection requests sent between 8 January 2025 and 27 July 2026 and given at least 30 days to mature.
Measured13.9%

Do LinkedIn Follow-Ups Work? One in Seven Replies Says Yes

Across 43,084 accepted cold connections, 14.7% of replies arrived after a follow-up, and follow-ups converted 13.9% of prospects who had gone silent.

Reply outcomes by last message step across 43,084 accepted LinkedIn connections with a recorded message step, from 196,696 connection requests sent between 8 January 2025 and 27 July 2026 and given at least 30 days to mature.
Analysis34.9%

Do You Need a Big Network for LinkedIn Outreach?

Senders with 5,000+ connections saw 34.9% acceptance vs 23.2% for the 500-999 band, but the causality runs backwards. An analysis of 98,500 requests.

Acceptance rate by the sending account's current connection count across 98,500 LinkedIn connection requests sent January 2025 to July 2026 and given at least 30 days to mature.
Measured75.8%

Everyone Runs at the Cap: What a Real LinkedIn Sending Day Looks Like

Across 10,023 active sending days, 75.8% ran at 25 or more connection invites. The median and 90th-percentile day are identical: 25.

Daily connection-invite volume across 10,023 active account-days of LinkedIn sending between 8 January 2025 and 27 August 2026.
Measured7.0 pts

LinkedIn Acceptance by Company Size: Enterprises Say Yes More

Across 20,855 matured requests matched to a company size, 1-10 employee companies accepted 18.9% of cold requests and 10,001+ companies 25.9%.

Acceptance rate by the target's company size band across 20,855 LinkedIn connection requests matched to an enriched company record, sent January 2025 to July 2026 and given at least 30 days to mature.
Measured11.1 pts

LinkedIn Acceptance by Industry: an 11-Point Spread

Across 30,364 matured requests matched to an industry, acceptance ranged from 19.8% in Energy to 30.9% in Business Services.

Acceptance rate by the target company's industry across 30,364 LinkedIn connection requests matched to an industry, sent January 2025 to July 2026 and given at least 30 days to mature.
Analysis5.69 pts

Your Acceptance Rate Dropped 5 Points. It Probably Means Nothing

Across 82 same-workspace month pairs, the median month-over-month acceptance swing was 5.69 points. A third of month pairs swung 10 points or more.

Month-over-month acceptance-rate swings within the same workspace, 82 consecutive-month pairs with at least 300 matured requests in each month, from 196,696 LinkedIn connection requests sent January 2025 to July 2026.
Measured42%

When People Actually Reply on LinkedIn

Across 18,718 first replies to cold outreach, 51.5% landed between 09:00 and 18:00 UTC and weekend reply volume ran 42% below weekdays.

Timestamps of 18,718 first replies to LinkedIn outreach recorded between 8 January 2025 and 27 August 2026, bucketed by hour and day of week (UTC).
Measured47.8% vs 25.5%

Do LinkedIn Connection Notes Work?

Among accepted LinkedIn connections, 47.8% replied when the request carried a note against 25.5% when it did not. Acceptance was inconclusive.

Acceptance and reply rates for 19,516 LinkedIn connection requests sent with a note against 160,639 sent without one, 8 January 2025 to 6 August 2026, all matured at least 30 days.
Measured27.1%

LinkedIn Outreach Benchmarks 2026

Across 180,155 matured LinkedIn connection requests, 27.1% were accepted, 27.6% of accepted replied and 2.0% of accepted booked a meeting.

Acceptance, reply and meeting rates across 180,155 LinkedIn connection requests sent between 8 January 2025 and 6 August 2026 and given at least 30 days to mature.
Measured32.2% → 22.0%

LinkedIn Acceptance Held Steady While Reply Rates Fell

Between 2025 and 2026 connection acceptance rose from 26.3% to 28.1% while the share of accepted connections that replied fell from 32.2% to 22.0%.

Acceptance and reply-of-accepted rates for 101,191 LinkedIn connection requests sent in 2025 against 78,964 sent in 2026, both matured at least 30 days.
Measured32.0% → 26.7%

The Volume Tax: LinkedIn Acceptance Rate by Daily Connection Volume

Acceptance peaked at 32.0% for accounts averaging 10 to 19 invites a day and fell to 26.7% at 20 to 29, where 89.6% of requests were sent.

Acceptance and reply rates by the sending account's average daily connection-invite volume, across 180,155 matured LinkedIn connection requests, 8 January 2025 to 6 August 2026.
Measured25.4 hours

How Long a LinkedIn Connection Request Takes to Be Accepted

Median time to acceptance was 25.4 hours across 53,142 accepted requests with a usable interval. 46.7% were accepted within a day and 92.0% within 30 days.

Time from send to acceptance across 53,142 accepted LinkedIn connection requests, and time from acceptance to first reply across 12,911 replies, all with a usable interval, 8 January 2025 to 6 August 2026.

Content

Measured across 251 LinkedIn posts published by our own team of about 10 accounts.

Measured+52.3%

LinkedIn Follower Growth, 81 Days In: +52% and an Honest Asterisk

Ten posting accounts grew followers 52.3% in 81 days. Accounts under 1,000 followers grew 98.1%. Connection growth still explains most of it.

Daily follower and connection snapshots for 10 LinkedIn accounts posting 200 times over 81 days, 7 June to 27 August 2026.
Measured40.4%

The Repeat Commenters: 4.8% of People Left 40% of the Comments

Across 16,661 lead-magnet comments from 7,582 people, the 4.8% who commented five or more times produced 40.4% of all comments.

16,661 keyword comments from 7,582 distinct commenters across 206 lead-magnet posts by one team of about 10 LinkedIn accounts, February to August 2026.
Measured56.29%

From Comments to Booked Meetings: A LinkedIn Content Funnel Measured End to End

14,752 comments became 6,063 leads and 1,943 DM conversations. Our own calendar shows 250+ meetings booked over the same months.

Every keyword comment processed on one team's lead-magnet posts, and what became of it: 14,752 comments from 6,012 people, 21 February to 6 August 2026.
Measured78.5 vs 1

Lead-Magnet Posts vs Standard Posts on LinkedIn: 78.5 vs 1 Median Comments

Lead-magnet posts earned a median of 78.5 comments against 1 for standard posts, and the gap held in every account tested. First-party data, 211 posts.

Comments, impressions, reactions and engagement rates for 182 lead-magnet posts vs 29 standard posts published by one team of about 10 accounts, 12 November 2025 to 5 August 2026.
Measured1,778

LinkedIn Content Benchmarks 2026: What 211 Real Posts Earned

The median matured LinkedIn post earned 1,778 impressions and 35.5 reactions. The average was 3.1x the median. First-party benchmarks from 211 posts.

Impressions, reactions, comments and engagement rates across 211 LinkedIn posts published by one team of about 10 accounts, 12 November 2025 to 5 August 2026.
Measured+41.50%

LinkedIn Follower Growth: 10 Accounts, 60 Days of Consistent Posting

Ten LinkedIn accounts grew followers 41.50% in 60 days of consistent posting. 73.95% of that growth tracked connection growth, and the study separates the two.

Daily follower and connection snapshots for one team of 10 LinkedIn accounts posting consistently, 7 June to 6 August 2026, with 156 posts published in the window.
Analysis57.79%

The Impressions Lottery: How Unevenly LinkedIn Reach Is Distributed

The top 10% of LinkedIn posts earned 57.79% of all impressions. The bottom half earned 4.69%. Measured across 132 matured posts from one team.

Distribution of impressions across 132 matured LinkedIn posts published by one team of about 10 accounts, 12 November 2025 to 6 July 2026.

B2B data

Exact-count audits of the 2,037,030-contact, 933,544-company B2B database behind the platform.

Measured54.0%

How Many B2B Emails Actually Work? We Checked 655,442

Of 655,442 B2B email addresses put through verification, 54.0% came back verified, 18.1% catch-all, and 14.6% bounced outright.

Verification outcomes for 655,442 B2B email addresses checked within a 2,037,030-contact database, counted exactly on 27 August 2026.
Measured69.1%

The B2B Company Universe Is Smaller Than Your TAM Slide

Across 130,030 size-classified companies in a 933,544-company database, 69.1% have 200 or fewer employees and 14.2% have more than 1,000.

Size, geography and industry composition of 933,544 company records in Reachium's B2B database, counted exactly on 27 August 2026.
Measured54.1%

What 'C-Suite' Means in a B2B Database (Less Than You Think)

Of 912,770 seniority-tagged B2B contacts, 54.1% are tagged C-Suite, and only 49.1% of those clear a stricter decision-maker rule.

Seniority-tag composition of 912,770 classified contacts within a 2,037,030-record B2B database, counted exactly on 27 August 2026.
Measured17.3%

What's Actually in a B2B Database: 2 Million Contacts Audited

Across 2,037,030 B2B contacts, 17.3% are flagged decision-makers, 52.6% have an email on file, and 40.2% have a phone number.

Field-level composition of 2,037,030 B2B contact records in Reachium's lead database, counted exactly on 27 August 2026 after a full deduplication pass.

Your competitors are automating.
You're still copy pasting.

Try Reachium

Setup in 2 minutes.