Public comment or private message on LinkedIn: which one first?

The question. To start a connection with someone on LinkedIn, is it better to comment on their posts (public) or to message them privately (DM)? The answer isn't "one or the other": it's a sequence. You comment first to exist, warm up and become recognizable; you DM second, once familiar. This guide explains why this order wins, and how to run it. ⚠️ Honest disclosure: we do not measure connection rate or conversion into clients — this guide reasons from what we do measure (comment visibility) + the warm-vs-cold difference documented by third parties.

Key takeaways

• This isn't "comment vs post." Here we compare the public comment to the private message as a first move to start a connection. (If you're looking at commenting vs publishing your own posts, that's a different topic.)
• The comment is the "low-friction" move. It's public, seen by the author and their audience (~179 average impressions, LinkHub, 657,722 comments) — you impose nothing on anyone's inbox.
• The DM is the "high-intent" move. It's private, direct, but cold if it arrives without prior context. A familiar contact replies far better than a stranger (Expandi, 2025).
• The winning sequence: comment first, message second. Each comment warms you up; by the time you DM, you're no longer an anonymous name.
• Comment early. The 0-30 min window earns ~3.8x more than after 24h (LinkHub, 261,137 comments) — commenting fast maximizes your visibility before the DM.
• A DM without a note isn't a death sentence: adding a contextualized message mainly lifts the reply rate after acceptance (Botdog, 2025).

1. Comment vs message: two moves, two intents

Before choosing, separate what each move actually does.

The public comment is a low-friction, high-reach move. You speak up under someone's post, and your comment is seen by the author and their audience. On average, a value-adding comment generates ~179 impressions (LinkHub, 657,722 comments): you exist in front of dozens of people without imposing on anyone. No one "endures" your comment — they choose to read it. It's the core of social selling through comments.

The private message (DM) is a high-intent, low-reach move. It goes straight to one person, into their inbox. That's valuable — but costly in attention: you ask for the time of someone who may not know you. Sent cold, without context, it carries the weight of the unknown.

The nuance is simple: the comment opens a door everyone can see; the DM knocks on a closed door. Neither is better — they belong at different moments.

2. Why start with the comment (not the DM)?

Because a cold DM asks a stranger to trust you immediately, whereas a comment lets you earn that trust first.

Three measured or documented reasons:

• The comment makes you recognizable. Before writing to someone, you want them to think "I know that name." Commenting on their posts (or the ones they follow) builds that familiarity — you become "someone they've already come across."
• Warm converts better than cold. Across 70,000+ campaigns, the average LinkedIn DM reply rate hits 10.3%, about double cold email (~5%), and the warm-first approach outperforms cold outreach (Expandi, 2025).
• The comment is reversible, the DM leaves a mark. A clumsy comment drowns in a thread; a bad first DM burns you with that person. Starting with the lower-risk move is rational.

Bottom line: the DM isn't to be avoided — it's to be earned. And it's the comment that earns it for you. For the full follow-through (from comment to meeting), see from comment to client.

3. The optimal sequence, step by step

Here's the order that turns a stranger into a contact who replies to you.

1. Spot the right hosts. Comment under the creators your target follows, or directly under your target's posts. (For targeting, see who to comment on and the comment ICP.)
2. Comment early and well. A value-adding comment, in the 0-30 min window — which earns ~3.8x more impressions than after 24h (LinkHub, 261,137 comments; see when to comment). This is where your target sees you a first time.
3. Repeat and exchange. Come back, reply in the thread, cross paths with the same person two or three times. Familiarity is built by repetition, not by a single comment.
4. Let the profile visit come. An intrigued prospect clicks your name. That's the signal the ground is warm. (See optimize your profile for comments.)
5. Move to the DM — contextualized. Only now. Reference the exchange ("we were talking about it under X's post…"), add value before asking for anything.

The rule: the DM is the last step, not the first. Everything before it warms it up.

4. Do you really need to comment before every message?

No — but it's the safest default order. There are exceptions where the DM can come earlier (or alone).

• A real pre-existing connection. If you've already met (event, shared client, intro), a contextualized DM is legitimate right away.
• A reply to a clear intent. The person posted "I'm looking for an X": a direct, useful DM is expected, not intrusive.
• Volume vs relationship. If you run volume, commenting first costs time; but that time is exactly what turns a cold reply rate into a warm one.

In every other case — the majority — commenting first remains the most profitable move, because it changes the nature of your DM: you're no longer writing to a stranger, you're writing to someone who recognizes you.

5. DM with a note or without? What the data says

When you reach the DM (or the connection request), one question recurs: should you add a note?

According to Botdog's 2025 analysis of 16,492 invitations, adding a note barely changes the acceptance rate (~26% with vs ~26% without). However, the note nearly doubles the reply rate after acceptance (~9.4% with a note vs ~5.4% without) (Botdog, 2025).

The lesson matches the exact logic of this guide:

• If your only goal is to grow your network, a request without a note is enough.
• If your goal is to open a conversation (the connection case), a contextualized note — referencing your comment or the exchange — makes the difference on the reply.

And that's where the comment regains its full meaning: it gives you the context your note will reference. Without a prior comment, your note rings hollow; with one, it rings true.

FAQ

Is it better to comment or send a message on LinkedIn? Both, but in order: comment first (public move, low friction, ~179 average impressions), then DM second, once familiar. The comment warms up; the DM converts. A cold DM asks the prospect to trust you with no context — a DM that follows comments reaches someone who already recognizes you.

Does the comment replace the private message? No. The comment opens the relationship (publicly, in front of the audience); the DM extends it (privately, directly). The comment closes nothing, the DM warms nothing — they're complementary, not interchangeable.

How many comments before moving to a DM? No magic number in our data. The rule is qualitative: move to a DM once the exchange has built familiarity (an author reply, two or three crossings). One real exchange beats ten comments with no interaction.

Should you add a note to your connection request? If your goal is to converse (connection), yes: the note doesn't change acceptance but nearly doubles the reply rate after acceptance (Botdog, 2025). Reference your comment in the note so it rings true.

What connection rate do comments generate? We don't measure it and refuse to invent it. What we do measure: a relevant comment = qualified audience (~179 impressions) + maximum visibility in the 0-30 min window. Conversion into a connection then depends on your profile, your note and your follow-up.

Sources & methodology

• First-party LinkHub data — impressions per comment (657,722 comments: ~179 average, 35 median); effect of the 0-30 min window vs 24h (261,137 comments: ~3.8x). Connection rate and conversion into clients are not measured: the comment→DM sequence is reasoning backed by these signals + the warm/cold difference from third-party studies.
• Expandi — State of LinkedIn Outreach 2025 · Botdog — LinkedIn acceptance rates 2025
• Find all our studies on the LinkHub blog.

Comment first, message second — without guessing. LinkHub groups your targets into personalized feeds so you comment early under the right hosts, and drafts comments in your voice that you approve. Try LinkHub — warm up before you write.

About the author

Yannis Haismann

Founder of LinkHub

Yannis writes about social selling, LinkedIn comments and visibility. He builds LinkHub, the extension that helps you attract qualified clients through your comments.

View profile