Flip the Script on Junk Messaging

Don’t let spam and junk messages frustrate you—use them to your advantage.

Most of us receive our fair share of spam emails and junk messages on LinkedIn. Some weeks, I feel like I receive more than my fair share. It’s an unfortunate reality of our daily routine: filtering through the junk to find the gems. Despite spam filters for email, the volume continues to increase.

It’s easy to understand why we get these—it’s the path of least resistance for sales and marketing teams that want to reach a large audience without investing much time or thought.

Most of my clients ask me to help them connect with their prospects. Like most, I employ email and LinkedIn messaging strategies to help them reach and connect with their audience. But there’s an important difference between the types of messages my clients send and the junk messaging that most sales and marketers send.

That difference can be summarized in one word: value. If you want your campaigns to be effective, abandon the mass outreach approach and focus on smaller groups where you can customize your messaging and deliver value. Check out my prior post on "How to Write Better Email Campaigns" for more insights on this topic.

But spam and junk messaging don’t have to ruin your day. These minor annoyances present interesting learning opportunities and sometimes create openings to present your own agenda. Here’s how I handle them:

Flip the Script

Most of the junk mail and messages I receive fall into three broad categories:

1. Meeting requests

2. Product pitches

3. Networking

Despite clever wording or attempts to make it seem personal, these are often just requests for meetings that turn into product pitches. So, I guess the vast majority really fall into one category: Pitching Stuff I Don’t Need.

Here’s how I flip the script:

1. Direct Them to My Blog: I start by pointing them to my blog. This helps them understand what I do, how I help people, and what I’m interested in. Here’s the standard response I use on LinkedIn:
   

   Thanks for reaching out! Check out my newsletter for an overview of what I do. Would welcome the opportunity for you to join our small but growing community …

   This approach serves two purposes: it makes them aware of my blog and services, and it often stops the campaign so I’m not blasted with more messages.

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