How to Research a Prospect Before Reaching Out

Research That Actually Matters

Prospect research shouldn't take 20 minutes per person. It should take 2-3 minutes and give you everything you need for personalized outreach.

Why Research Matters

Without research: > "Hi Sarah, I think Acme Corp could benefit from our platform..."

With research: > "Hi Sarah, saw you just raised a Series B and are hiring 5 SDRs - outbound seems to be a priority. We've been helping similar companies..."

The second email shows you understand them. That's the difference between delete and reply.

The 2-Minute Research Framework

You don't need to know everything. You need to know enough.

Must find: 1. A hook (first line of your email) 2. A relevance point (why them, why now) 3. A connection path (who you both know)

Time limit: 2-3 minutes per prospect. If you can't find what you need, move on.

Step 1: Check for Mutual Connections

This is the highest-value research. Do it first.

LinkedIn mutual connections
Your teammates' connections
Your CRM (have you interacted with them before?)

Someone you both know who could introduce you
Someone you could mention in your outreach
A shared background (company, school)

At scale: Manually checking mutual connections for every prospect is tedious. Tools like Draftboard show you all connection paths across your team's network instantly.

Step 2: LinkedIn Profile (60 seconds)

Current role and tenure
Previous companies (shared history?)
Recent posts (what do they care about?)
Mutual connections (did we miss any?)

"Saw your post about [topic]"
"I noticed you were at [Company] - my teammate [Name] was there too"
"Congrats on the new role at [Company]"

Step 3: Company News (30 seconds)

Funding announcements
Product launches
Leadership changes
Expansion/hiring
Industry recognition

"Congrats on the Series B"
"Saw the announcement about [product/feature]"
"Noticed you're expanding into [market]"

Step 4: Job Postings (30 seconds)

Check their company's job board or LinkedIn jobs.

What they're investing in (hiring = priority)
Current challenges (job descriptions reveal pain points)
Team structure (who reports to who)

"I see you're hiring for [role] - seems like [function] is a priority"
"Your SDR job posting mentioned [specific thing]..."

Step 5: Their Content (30 seconds)

If they post on LinkedIn, write articles, or appear on podcasts.

Topics they care about
Challenges they've mentioned
Opinions they've shared

"Loved your post about [topic]"
"You mentioned [challenge] in your recent article - we've seen the same thing"

What Research Is Actually For

Research isn't about knowing everything about them. It's about finding:

A reason to reach out now (trigger)
A way to connect (mutual connection or shared background)
Something relevant to say (about their situation, not your product)

If you find any of these, you have what you need.

The Research Stack

Draftboard (team network mapping)
LinkedIn mutual connections
Your CRM

LinkedIn company page
Google News
Company website/blog

LinkedIn profile
Twitter (if active)
Podcasts/interviews (for executives)

Research Red Flags

Don't mention their family/kids
Don't reference things that feel too personal
Don't stalk their every social post

Don't pretend to know a mutual connection better than you do
Don't overstate shared experiences
Don't make up context

Scaling Your Research

For high-value prospects: Full 5-minute research. Check everything.

For medium-value prospects: 2-minute research. Mutual connections + one trigger.

For lower-value prospects: 30-second research. Mutual connections only. If none found, use segment-based personalization.

When You Can't Find Anything

Sometimes there's no trigger, no mutual connection, no recent content.

Options:

Segment-based personalization:

Industry insight:

Question-based:

The Connection Path Advantage

Here's the research that matters most:

Finding who you know in common.

Everything else - triggers, news, content - helps. But a mutual connection transforms your outreach from cold to warm.

Cold email with good personalization: 5-8% response
Email mentioning mutual connection: 15-25% response

That's 3-4x improvement from finding the right connection.

Building Research into Your Workflow

Research 10-15 prospects
Prioritize connection path research
Write personalized outreach

Review what research led to responses
Adjust focus (more triggers? More connections?)
Refresh stale prospects with new research

The Research Trap

Don't over-research. It's a form of procrastination.

Spending 10+ minutes per prospect
Reading every article they've written
Researching instead of sending
Perfectionism disguised as preparation

The fix: Set a timer. 2 minutes. Find what you need. Send.

Conclusion

Good prospect research takes 2-3 minutes and finds one of three things: a mutual connection, a trigger event, or relevant context. Start with connections - they have the highest impact. Use triggers and content when you have them. And don't let research become an excuse not to send.