I’ve noticed something weird in my networking so far. Some people seem to get momentum from their outreach—people respond, they take meetings, things move forward. Other people (and I’ve definitely been on this side too) send out a ton of emails and LinkedIn messages and just… nothing. Radio silence. I’m trying to figure out what the actual difference is. Is it about the person they’re reaching out to? The way they frame things? Their background? I don’t think it’s random, but I also can’t quite pinpoint what creates the difference. I’ve seen people with “non-traditional” backgrounds get legit engagement from senior consultants, and I’ve seen people from target schools get completely ignored. So it’s not just about credentials. There has to be something about how you’re showing up that either makes people want to actually engage or makes them scroll past. What’s your honest take on why some cold outreach actually works and other times you get ghosted?
its honestly about whether ur message makes them feel like ur worth their time. and that usually comes down to specificity. if u show youve actually researched them or their work, theyre way more likely to respond. if ur msg could go to anyone, they know ur just volume-emailing and theyre gone. thats really it.
also some ppl just dont respond to cold outreach period. some do. theres no magic formula that works on everyone. but specificity + genuine interest does way better than generic stuff.
wait so ur saying its literally about showing u did research? that seems so obvious but like i havent been doing that lol im just sending the same template to everyone
ok im gonna completely redo my approach. ty for the realness
do u have any tips on what kind of research actually impresses ppl though? like how much is enough?
Being genuine and specific absolutely works! People respond when they feel you’ve noticed them. Keep that energy and you’ll see real engagement grow!
I remember getting ghosted by like five people before one finally responded. I changed my approach and literally just mentioned a specific thing from their bio or a project their team had done. The response rate jumped. I think what happened is I stopped trying to convince them I was impressive and started actually engaging them in conversation. It felt less transactional and they seemed way more open to it.
Response rate data from consulting recruiting varies significantly. Generic cold outreach typically receives 3-6% response rates. Personalized, specific outreach increases this to 25-35%. The differentiator is demonstrable research: mentioning specific engagements, recent company news, or hiring patterns. Additionally, timing and recipient seniority matter. Reaching out to principals or directors yields higher response rates than analyst-level outreach, as senior members often have recruitment responsibilities built into their roles.