LinkedIn buying signals ranked by intent, and what to send

LinkedIn buying signals are the public moments on LinkedIn that suggest a person or company may buy soon: a new leader starting, a post asking for recommendations, a hiring push, a past champion joining a new company. They aren't equal. Some mean "ready to talk", most mean "worth a reason to write", and a few mean almost nothing.

This guide ranks 18 LinkedIn signals by intent, shows how to spot and track each one, and gives you a first line to send. If you're new to the idea, start with our overview of buying signals, then come back here for the LinkedIn version.

What counts as a LinkedIn buying signal

A LinkedIn signal is anything you can see on LinkedIn that changes the odds of a purchase: what people post, what roles they start, what their company announces, who they hire, and how they engage with content. It becomes a buying signal when it's recent (days or weeks old), relevant (it connects to the problem you solve) and points to a person you can name.

LinkedIn is the best single source for this in B2B because people announce their own changes there. You don't have to guess that someone started a new role or that a team is hiring: they tell their network.

Every LinkedIn buying signal, ranked by intent

Intent here means how close the signal usually is to a purchase decision. High intent: act within days. Medium: write with a clear reason. Low: warm up, don't pitch.

Signal	Intent	How to spot it	What to send
Post asking for recommendations in your category	High	Posts matching "what do you use for X"	A short, honest answer, with your tool as one option
Post describing the problem you solve	High	Posts matching the complaint in plain words	One idea that helps, then an offer to show more
New leader in a role you sell to (last 90 days)	High	Job changes filtered by title and company size	Congrats, the likely first-90-days priority, one way you help
Past champion or customer starts at a new company	High	Watchlist of your past users and their moves	A personal note: "want to set it up there too?"
Post announcing a switch, review or search for a vendor	High	Posts matching "switching from", "looking for a partner"	Offer a comparison or a short call to help them choose
Hiring for the job your product does	High	Hiring posts and job openings at watched companies	How teams cover that work without the extra hire
Hiring several people for a team you sell to	Medium	Hiring posts ("we're hiring 4 SDRs")	What new teams need in their first month
Promotion into the buying role	Medium	Job changes within the same company	Congrats, and the bigger scope it brings
Expansion: new office, market or opening	Medium	Company posts about launches and openings	What usually breaks when you open in a new place
Funding announcement	Medium	Founder and company posts about a round	One growth problem the round will create, not "congrats on the raise"
Post mentioning a competitor	Medium	Posts that name the competitor	Only if they're unhappy: a fair comparison
Comment on your post or a competitor's	Medium	Your notifications; competitor posts by hand	Reply in the thread first, message later
New product, rebrand or strategy announcement	Medium	Company posts on your watchlist	The knock-on work that change creates
Speaking at or attending an event	Medium	Posts like "see you at X next week"	A meeting at the event, or a note on their talk
Reaction (like) on your post	Low	Your notifications	Nothing yet; watch for a stronger signal
Profile view	Low	"Who viewed your profile"	A light connection request with context
Follows your company page	Low	Page follower list	Add to a watchlist, wait for a second signal
Work anniversary or general industry post	Low	Your feed	A comment if you have something to add; no pitch

Two weak signals on the same account can add up to a strong one. A profile view on its own means little. A profile view from a Head of Sales who started three weeks ago and whose company just posted four SDR openings is worth a message today.

High-intent LinkedIn signals: act within days

These are the signals where speed matters most, because other sellers are watching for them too.

Someone asks for recommendations

"Which tools do you use to track job changes?" posted publicly is as close to a raised hand as prospecting gets. Answer in the comments first, honestly, even if that means naming other options. Then a short message: "Saw your question about X. Happy to show how we do it, or share what we'd look at in your place."

Someone describes the problem you solve

People rarely say "I need software". They say "our pipeline reviews are a mess" or "we lost two deals because we found out about the reorg too late". Track the complaint, not the product category. Your message should help before it sells: one specific idea, then an offer.

A new leader starts in the buying role

New VPs and directors often review tools and vendors in their first 90 days. This is the most reliable LinkedIn signal for most B2B teams. Wait a week or two after the start date so they've settled, and lead with their likely priority, not your product.

A past champion joins a new company

Someone who used and liked your product already knows its value. When they move, write personally: "Congrats on joining Calder Health. Want to set up what you had at Northgate there too?" It's the warmest outreach you'll do.

A public vendor search or switch

"We're looking for an agency for our EMEA launch" or "Moving off our current CRM, any advice?" signals an active decision with a deadline. Reply fast and make it easy to compare.

Hiring for the job your product does

A job post describing the exact work your product handles tells you the company has the problem and the budget to solve it. You're not competing with the hire, you're offering a way to make that person productive faster, or to cover the work while they hire.

Medium-intent signals: write with a clear reason

Medium signals show change, not a decision. They're worth a message when you can explain in one line why the change creates your problem.

Team hiring. "Hiring 4 SDRs in Austin" means a sales team is growing. New reps need accounts to work and a process to follow.
Promotion. A bigger scope often comes with a mandate to change how things run.
Expansion. A SaaS company opening a London office, a clinic chain launching in a new city: new sites mean new suppliers, new staff and new systems.
Funding. Public and widely watched, so expect a crowded inbox. Skip the congratulations and name the problem the round creates.
Competitor mentions. Only useful when the post shows frustration or a switch. A happy customer praising a competitor isn't your prospect this quarter.
Comments. A thoughtful comment on your post, or a question under a competitor's, is a sign of interest. Reply in public before you write in private.
Events. "See you at SaaStr" gives you a reason to suggest coffee. Keep it light.

Low-intent signals: warm up, don't pitch

Likes, profile views, page follows and anniversaries are attention, not intent. Treat them as a reason to add someone to a watchlist, not to send a pitch. The common mistake is messaging everyone who liked a post with "Noticed you liked my post about pipeline". It reads like surveillance and it converts poorly.

Use low signals to break ties. If two accounts look equally good, start with the one where someone also viewed your profile.

You can track social signals by hand, with LinkedIn's own tools, or with a signal tool. Most teams use a mix.

By hand

Save searches, follow your target accounts, turn on notifications for key people and check your feed with a purpose for 20 minutes a day. It works for a few dozen accounts. Past that, things slip.

With Sales Navigator alerts

LinkedIn's Sales Navigator lets you save leads and accounts and get notified about updates like job or role changes, and it surfaces lead highlights such as recent posts. It's useful for accounts you already know. It won't find people you haven't saved, so it's weak for discovering new signals like "anyone in fintech posting about switching CRM".

With a signal tool

A signal tool checks LinkedIn on a schedule for signals you define and shows only what matches. The good ones let you describe the signal in plain words, find the right person at the company, and judge each result for fit so you don't sift through noise.

Whatever you use, stay within LinkedIn's rules. Avoid tools that scrape data while logged into your personal account or that send mass automated connection requests. They put your account at risk and the outreach they produce rarely sounds human.

What to track first

Don't track all 18 signals. Pick two or three:

One people signal: new leaders in your buying role, or past champions moving.
One post signal: the problem you solve, in the words buyers use.
One company signal: hiring for a team you sell to, or expansion into your market.

Run them for a month, track replies and meetings by signal, then drop the ones that don't convert.

How to write the first message

The signal is the reason you're writing, so it goes first. A structure that works on LinkedIn and email:

The signal, plainly. "Saw you started as VP Sales at Ostra Software this month."
What it usually leads to. "Most new sales leaders spend the first weeks working out where pipeline will come from."
One way you help. "We help teams find accounts showing buying signals each morning."
A small ask. "Worth a quick look next week?"

Keep it under 80 words. Don't stack three signals into one message, and don't pretend to know more than you do. For more on how this fits a wider LinkedIn routine, see our guide to social selling.

Mistakes to avoid with LinkedIn signals

Treating every like as intent. Reactions are cheap. Wait for a second, stronger signal.
Arriving late. A new-role message three months in competes with everyone else's.
Writing to the company, not a person. A hiring post is a company signal. You still need the leader who owns the problem.
Mentioning how you found them in a creepy way. "I saw you viewed my profile" adds nothing. Lead with what matters to them.
Never measuring. If you don't know which signals turn into meetings, you can't get better at picking them.

Frequently asked questions

What are LinkedIn buying signals?

They're public actions or changes on LinkedIn that suggest someone may buy soon: a new leader starting, a post asking for recommendations, a company hiring for a relevant team, a past champion changing jobs, or an announcement about expansion or funding.

Which LinkedIn signals show the highest intent?

Posts asking for recommendations, posts describing the exact problem you solve, new leaders in your buying role within their first 90 days, past champions joining new companies, and public vendor searches. They combine a clear reason with a person you can reach.

You can follow accounts and check your feed by hand, use Sales Navigator alerts for leads and accounts you've saved, or use a signal tool that checks LinkedIn on a schedule for signals you define. Start with two or three signals, not everything.

Is a profile view a buying signal?

On its own, it's a weak one. It shows attention, not intent. It becomes useful when it lines up with something stronger, like a recent job change or a hiring push at the same company.

How fast should you respond to a LinkedIn signal?

For high-intent signals like a recommendation request or a vendor search, within a day or two. For a new role, a week or two after the start date is often better, once the person has settled in. Medium signals stay useful for a few weeks.