Stef Curcio

Growth Marketing Manager

LinkedIn client acquisition in <​15 mins/day | Trusted by the top 1% of LinkedIn’s Creators

“We don't have time to send DMs and create content”

This is the #1 LinkedIn lead generation problem for founders and teams.

- Some companies we’ve worked with have seen revenue boosts of up to 327% in <90 days -

⭐Some people who trust our services:
- Jasmin Alic (290k+ followers)
- Richard Van Der Blom (220k+ followers)
- Okoye Chinelo (150k+ followers)

… and many others.

Most businesses know they should have a DM strategy in place…

But let’s be real...

most people do not have time for this!

(And everyone hates DMs)

But LinkedIn lead generation comes hard for many for mainly 3 reasons:

1) Don’t know how to start a conversation
2) You are used to annoying pitch slaps
3) Have better things to do

We simply do this for you.

**Scale LinkedIn**:

A system of AI agents that generates clients on autopilot

**Including**

✅Content Agent
✅Lead validator Agent
✅DMs Generator Agent
✅Appointment setter Agent

🔒**Safe:**
Avoid being restricted by LinkedIn.

👬**Don’t burn through leads:**
Avoid the pray and spray approach.

⏱️**Timeline from start to results:**
Start to see 20%-50% reply rate in 14 days.


📈Case studies:

- Trevor Longino, Founder - Crowd Tamers, GTM agency: +$44k in revenue in 30 days
- Gal Agadi, Founder - Gravity, Content agency: +$90k in sales in 40 days
- Beatrice Vladut, Founder - B Branded, Branding: Doubled sales calls in 30 days
- Justin Fowler-Lindner, Founder - The Rose Garden, Lead generation agency: +12 clients in 90 days


✍️How to start:

Copy and paste the URL below to get your personalized LinkedIn outreach campaign - For free:

https://www.scalelkdn.com/campaign-builder

Founder

The FREE community for entrepreneurs that want to master Elegant Lead Generation

Join at: 

stefcurcio.com

LinkedIn just made it clear:

They want you to pay to show your content.

The BOOST button is now front and center.

Organic reach is dying.

And frankly, I've been watching this coming for three years.

Views have been periodically decreasing since I joined the platform.

But here's what never changed.

DMs.

LinkedIn never restricted them in the past 3 years.

At least not for Premium users.

For three years, while the algorithm shifted...

While reach tanked...

While posts became a paid game...

DMs stayed the same.

Three referrals landed in my inboxes this week.

And a collaboration offer from my favorite tool.

I didn't ask for any of it.

I sat back and thought about why.

The answer wasn't what most people think.

It wasn't the posts.

These opportunities came from my "relationships".

And the place to build relationships on LinkedIn is your Inbox.

They are born in direct conversations with real people.

Are you betting your pipeline on posts?

Or are you building it through DMs?

Because one just became an expensive paid game.

The other is still virtually free.

And that's where the real opportunities live.

stef-curcio-consulting

Talks about #prospecting, #coldemailing, #coldoutreach, #leadgeneration, and #saasleadgeneration

I used to send DMs like a robot.

"Hi [Name], quick question about your [business]?"

Cold. 
Forgettable.
Transactional. 

Reply rate? 8-15%.

Then I realized something.

I was treating LinkedIn like a cold emailing list.

But people aren't professionals first.

They're humans first.

So I flipped the script.

Instead of jumping straight to business...

I started building the relationship before I even sent the DM.

Comment on their post.
Engage with their profile. 
Show up as a familiar face.

Then, when I sent the message, it wasn't cold anymore.

It was warm.

And the replies started flowing.

35%. 
50%. 

Sometimes higher.

Here's what changed:

I stopped selling to professionals. I started connecting with people.

And that shift from stranger to acquaintance...

To trusted contact...

That's where the magic happens.

Most outreach fails because it skips the relationship part.

You can't go from zero to business talk.

You have to earn the right to have that conversation.

So here's the framework I use now.

Step 1: Build the relationship before reaching out.

Comment on their posts. Engage genuinely. Let them see your face, your voice, your value.

Don't pitch. Just show up.

Step 2: Send the DM.

But not a sales message. A human one.

Reference something specific. Ask a real question. Show you've actually paid attention.

Step 3: Once you get a reply, pivot.

Now you can shift to business. But only after they've already said yes to the conversation.

The relationship opens the door.

The business closes the deal.

If your reply rate is below 30%, add one more layer.

Before you DM, add 2 comments to warm them up.

More comments. More engagement. More familiarity.

Make them feel like they already know you.

Then send the message.

The difference is night and day.

People don't buy from strangers.

They buy from people they know, like, and trust.

Start with the person.

The professional part will follow.

P.S. in the pic my 3on3 debut :)

My parents were here for 2 weeks in Okinawa.

We spent time together. Real time.

Threw ninja stars. Ate meals. Walked the beaches.

I took some time off.

And besides clients' work...

I paused most of my other tasks.

But here's what didn't stop.

My system.

While I was with them, my DM agent was working.

Finding leads. Sending messages. Booking calls.

I wasn't checking my phone every 5 minutes.

I wasn't stressed about pipeline.

I was just... there with them.

And the conversations kept flowing.

That's the whole point.

Most people think you have to choose.

Either you're grinding. 

Or you're living.

But that's a false choice.

If your business depends on you showing up every day...

You don't have a business.

You have a job.

Having something that would run without me was vital...

Because that is how I want to live my life.

Even if I have a one person business.

So...
While I'm throwing ninja stars with my dad...

My LinkedIn machine is working.

(yes, we actually did that 🤣)

While I'm eating dinner with my mom...

Leads are being validated.

While I'm sleeping, replies are coming in.

This is what automation actually means.

Not cutting corners.

Not sounding like spam.

It means building once so you never have to grind again.

It means being with the people you want to be with.

And still having your pipeline full.

That's the life I wanted.

And that's the life I'm living now.

P.S. Does your system runs without you?

71% reply and 3 interested leads.

How these 2 clients did it in 21 days.

Client A started from zero on LinkedIn.

No followers. 
No content. 
No clue.

👉 Three weeks in, he had three interested leads.

(founders in fintech)

From no business to interested leads.

Client B ran his first cold outreach campaign.

71% reply rate.

Not 7%. Not 17%. 

Seventy-one percent.

Here's what I did for both of them.

1) I optimized their profiles.

Not the vanity stuff. 

Positioning that made buyers stop scrolling and start reading.

Messaging that made them feel seen, not sold to.

2) I had them create at least two pieces of content.

Not daily posting marathons. 

Two thoughtful pieces.

Content that showed their thinking. 

Their experience. 

Their perspective.

Not "here's how to do X." 

More like "here's what I learned when I tried X."

Real. Honest. Human.

Then came the part that changed everything.
3) We focused on relationships over selling.

No aggressive DMs. 

No "let's hop on a call" openers.

Instead: genuine comments. 

Real observations. 

Actual interest in the people they were reaching out to.

Warm them up first. 

Build the bridge. 

Then, only then, mention what you do.

Client A's three leads came because he showed up as a real person.

Not a salesperson. 

Client B's 71% reply rate came because his DMs felt like they were from a person.

Not a bot. 

Not a template. 

A human who actually read their profile.

Here's the thing nobody talks about.

LinkedIn isn't broken. 

Most approaches are.

Most people optimize their profile...

Post once... 

Then DM like they're running a telemarketing operation.

Then they wonder why nobody replies.

But when you do the work:
- Profile
- Content 
-Relationships

...the system works.

Both clients proved it in their first month.

You can too.

Start with your profile. 

Make it professional.

Add two pieces of real content. 

Show your thinking.

Then reach out to 50 people this week. 

Not to sell. To connect.

Watch what happens.

The pipeline builds itself when you build it right.

P.S> Human first. Sales later.

A frog was staring at me this morning.

When I opened my washing machine.

After a few seconds...

It leaped out.

I froze for a second.

And thought:

"How did it end up there?".

Then I realized something.

That frog didn't plan to be in my washing machine.

It didn't wake up thinking:

"Today I'm going to hide in a dark, wet box."

It just ended up there. Seeking shelter. Seeking safety.

(still do not know how that happened)

And now it was trapped.

So I grabbed a broom and a dustpan.

Gently scooped it out. 

Walked it to the garden.

Released it back where it belonged.

Here's what hit me.

We do the same thing.

We end up in spaces that aren't meant for us.

Jobs that drain us.

Relationships that suffocate us.

Routines that numb us.

We tell ourselves it's temporary. 

We'll get out soon.

But days turn into weeks.

Weeks turn into years.

And we're still staring at the same walls.

The frog didn't know how to escape on its own.

But it also didn't accept the washing machine as its home.

It waited.

And when the door opened, it didn't hesitate.

Most of us hesitate.

We've been in the dark so long that...

We forget what the garden looks like.

We convince ourselves that...

The "washing machine" is safer than the unknown.

So we stay.

The frog taught me something today.

Sometimes you don't need a grand plan to change your life.

You just need to recognize when you're in the wrong place.

And be willing to move when the door opens.

The door is always "open".

The question is: are we paying attention?

P.S. Shared a pic of the frog in the comments :)

I get 53.1% reply from my DMs.

Here is what I do (daily):

Research 35-40 prospects.
Validate about 24 leads.
Research all of them.
Send 30+ DMs.
Reply to DMs.

That is about 90-160 minutes a day.

In reality, I do not do any of this.

AI and VAs do this for me.

Here's the system:

My VA uses Kondo: Superhuman for LinkedIn DMs to manage the inbox.

-She splits conversations into tags

- Quickly closes low-priority threads.

- Uses keyboard shortcuts to reply faster.

What used to take 1 hour+/ now takes 20 mins for my VA.

Meanwhile, my AI agent validates leads.

Researches them.

Sends personalized DMs in my voice.

And tags me when needed.

(I typically clear my inbox in 5 mins/d)

No spam. No templates. Just context.

Then Extrovert comes in.

I curate feeds of my prospect's posts.

The AI summarizes them.

Suggests thoughtful comments.

My VAs reviews. I approves. I engages.

Two comments before a connection.

(15-20%+ acceptance and reply on average)

Top-of-mind without the daily grind.

The numbers you see above require 5 minutes of my time per day on average.

P.S. How much time do you spend in the DMs every day?

Gian had roughly 1.5k connections.

No real presence on LinkedIn.

Just some posts here and there. 

Social shares mostly.

But he has a growing company...

And a product he believes in.

He reached out because he believed he could leverage LinkedIn to fast-forward his growth.

He's getting 83% reply from DMs.

How we achieved this:

- Not a "post more" strategy.
- Not a profile tweak. 
- A real system.

We mapped his ideal buyer. 

Positioned him as the obvious choice. 

Then installed the messaging that actually converts.

- Step 1: 

We rewrote his profile to speak directly to the pain his clients feel.

Not generic. Specific.

- Step 2: 

We built an automated AI system for his outreach to be personalized, warm, and conversational.

No spam. No "let's hop on a call" nonsense.

- Step 3: 

We added a content agent that reinforces trust while the system works.

So when he reaches out, they already know him.

Then we let it run.

176 connection requests sent.

70 accepted.

41 replies.

83.7% reply rate.

And here's the part that matters: 

Multiple leads offering their personal contacts in the DMs.

This isn't luck.

This is what happens when you stop guessing and start building.

Most people think LinkedIn is about posting more or having a bigger audience.

It's not.

It's about having a system that works while you sleep.

One that finds the right people. 

Speaks their language. 

Builds trust before you ever ask for anything.

That's the difference between a LinkedIn profile and a LinkedIn asset.

All in under 15 minutes a day.

P.S. Do you send DMs daily?

Hello LinkedIn people in Tokyo,

We are meeting on Thursday the 20th of November 2025, at Fáilte at 7 pm for a networking event. 

Leviリーバイ Pells

Venue name:

Fáilte

Address:

〒150-0043 Tokyo, Shibuya, Dogenzaka, 1 Chome−5−2 SEDEビル 5F

View event: Tokyio LinkedIn In-Person Meetup

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