LinkedIn outreach for fractional executives
Gigi AI is a LinkedIn outreach service for fractional CMOs, CROs and heads of sales. It does two jobs. It fills your own pipeline of new clients, and it runs outbound for the companies you serve, without you doing the sending. Every prospect is researched and every message is approved by a person before it goes.
Why does LinkedIn outreach fail for fractional executives?
Cold outreach fails for fractional executives when it is generic, rushed or risky. Cold email reply rates published by the senders themselves run from 0.45% of emails sent in Belkins' 2025 study of 7.5 million emails (Belkins, updated June 2026, vendor data) to 3.43% platform-wide in Woodpecker's 2026 figures (Woodpecker, June 2026, vendor data). Gigi campaigns typically see 40 to 47% connection acceptance, and in the Career Shift campaign 43% of accepted connections replied (Gigi campaign data, October 2026).
Templates
Most tools send one template with a first name swapped in. Switchers tell us, "it was all templates, no quality of leads." You sell judgement, so a message anyone could receive costs you credibility.
No time
In our experience, your own pipeline slips first when client work fills the week. Founders tell us, "I know who I should be talking to, I just never get to it."
Account risk
Founders also tell us, "I tried [tool], my account got restricted." LinkedIn publishes its rules on automated activity and invitation limits, and members accept the User Agreement.
The AI slop worry
"I don't want to be the guy who sends AI slop." With Gigi, nothing goes out in your name until a person has read it. You may also hear that cold outreach is dead and you should wait for warm signals. In Irina's words, "The reply rate is mostly decided by who you do not message."
How does Gigi run LinkedIn outreach for a fractional leader?
Gigi sends at most 25 new connection requests per LinkedIn account per working day, about 125 a week, and a person approves every one. Gigi campaigns typically see 40 to 47% connection acceptance (accepted as a share of requests sent; Gigi case-study data, October 2026).
- 01
Input. A Sales Navigator search or a CSV of named people.
- 02
Research. Gigi reads each prospect's profile and company page only, never posts, comments or activity.
- 03
Fit score. 0 to 10, with a one-line reason for role, company fit, seniority, geography and signals against your ideal client profile, plus three to five talking points.
- 04
Three drafts. A connection request under 300 characters with no pitch and no question, a first message sent when they accept, and a delayed follow-up.
- 05
Approval. You (self-serve) or Irina (managed) see score, reasoning and drafts. Only approved messages send.
- 06
Sending. Through your own LinkedIn session from the cloud, not a browser plugin, spread across working hours. Follow-ups sit outside the 25-a-day cap, and requests unaccepted after 21 days are withdrawn.
- 07
Replies. Classified positive, neutral or negative. The sequence stops when someone answers.
Gigi's rules are built in: one idea and at most one question per message, sentences around 20 words, no template openers. From Claude, the connector lets you create campaigns, review drafts and pull reports. Every send still needs approval.
What does a week look like, doing it yourself or managed?
In Irina's experience, doing LinkedIn outreach properly takes 10 to 15 hours a week. Here is who does what.
| Task | Doing it yourself | Gigi managed: you | Gigi managed: we |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prospects and research | Build searches, open every profile | Confirm the target profile once | Search, research, score 0 to 10 |
| Writing | Draft every message | Review samples | Three drafts per prospect in your voice |
| Approval | Read every draft | Sign off the brief | Irina approves each message |
| Sending | By hand, or risk a plugin | Nothing | Inside the 25-a-day cap |
| Replies | Triage between client calls | Answer warm conversations | Sort replies, hand over or handle warm ones |
| Your time | 10 to 15 hours a week | Brief and samples, then conversations | Daily operation |
What changes between your own pipeline and your clients' pipelines?
One managed LinkedIn account starts at $2,500 a month in the US (Gigi pricing, October 2026). Your own pipeline runs from your account. Each client campaign runs from that client's own account, in their voice, and Gigi is never named in a message.
Your own pipeline
For fractional CMO lead generation, Irina builds the target profile and messaging brief around the offer you sell, and you approve the samples. Gigi's own account shows the pattern: between February and October 2026, Irina selling Gigi sent 1,657 requests to second and third degree contacts, 735 accepted (44%), 284 replied (39% of accepted) and 83 calls were booked.
Your clients' pipelines
A fractional CRO pipeline often includes outbound for the client. Each campaign goes out under the client's name and replies land in their inbox. Partners choose a 20% referral on each invoice for 12 months, or a reseller model where you set the retail price and Gigi invoices per account, from $1,500 a month wholesale per client campaign. The agencies page shows the margin maths.
What do results look like?
Gigi campaigns typically see 40 to 47% connection acceptance (Gigi case-study data, October 2026). Individual campaigns vary widely, so each example below shows its denominators.
| Example | Period | Requests sent | Accepted | Replied | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gigi's own outbound, second and third degree contacts | Feb to Oct 2026 | 1,657 | 735 (44%) | 284 (39%) | 83 calls booked |
| Career Shift, HR and L&D leaders and coaches, Romania and UK | Aug to Oct 2026 | 1,357 | 766 (56%) | 330 (43%) | 114 people asked for a call |
| Payroll outsourcing company, HR decision makers already outsourcing payroll, Romania (anonymised) | Oct 2026 | 199 | 154 (77%) | 71 (46%) | 15 companies into the pipeline in the first five days |
Reply rates on this page are replies as a share of accepted connections. Acceptance is accepted as a share of requests sent. Sources: Gigi campaign data and Career Shift's call tracker.
A coaching company selling to C-suite buyers in DACH and CEE booked 47 meetings in 90 days from one account. Results depend on timing, industry and offer. Software replies sit at a multi-year low while other sectors hold up, in Irina's observation. One campaign had 114 people ask for a call over three months, others book 5 to 8 in the first month, and a few book none. The Career Shift case study shows one funnel in full.
What does it cost?
Managed outreach starts at $2,500 a month per LinkedIn account in the US and EUR 1,500 in Europe (Gigi pricing, October 2026). Self-serve starts free, with 40 credits and no card. Choose managed for conversations without the work, self-serve to approve every message yourself.
| Option | Price | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 40 credits, no card |
| Starter | $79 a month | 200 credits |
| Pro | $249 a month | 500 credits |
| Managed | From $2,500 a month per account (US), from EUR 1,500 (Europe) | Strategy, daily operation, human review |
One credit is one prospect found, researched and messaged with the full sequence. Extra accounts on the same campaign cost less than a new campaign, and managed work is never commission-only. See the pricing page for the detail.
Who is this not for?
Gigi reaches about 500 new prospects a month per account (25 a working day). That suits offers worth $5,000 or more a year in markets big enough for months of outreach. It fits poorly if:
- You are pre-revenue, or you sell to consumers.
- Your offer is worth under $5,000 a year.
- You want volume over relevance, or sending with no approval.
- You want a commission-only deal. Closing is outside Gigi's control.
How do you start?
Launch follows a call, sample outputs and your sign-off. In the Career Shift campaign, 1,357 requests led to 114 people asking for a call between August and October 2026 (Gigi campaign data and Career Shift's call tracker). Irina builds every managed brief herself.
- Week one. A 30-minute intro call. Irina builds your target profile and messaging brief, sends samples and iterates until you sign off. We quote about a week from that call to launch.
- Week two. Requests go out at up to 25 a day, Irina approves each message, and Gigi sorts the first replies. You answer the warm ones, and you get a weekly report.
For the full managed service, see our LinkedIn lead generation agency page.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Gigi drafts in the sender's voice, which Irina sets in the messaging brief and checks with you on sample outputs before anything sends. You can edit or reject any draft. Gigi's rules keep the tone plain, with no pitch in the connection request and one idea per message.
Yes. Each client campaign goes out from the client's own LinkedIn account, in their voice, and Gigi is never named in a message. Replies land in that inbox. You can refer clients for 20% of each invoice for 12 months, or resell at a price you set.
Gigi classifies every reply as positive, neutral or negative, and the sequence stops once a prospect answers. On managed plans, warm conversations are handed to you or handled for you. On Gigi's own outbound to second and third degree contacts, 284 replies led to 83 booked calls.
It varies, and we do not promise meeting numbers. Each account sends at most 25 new requests per working day, and requests can wait 21 days for an acceptance. In the Career Shift campaign, 1,357 requests led to 114 people asking for a call between August and October 2026.
All automation carries some risk, and we do not claim otherwise. No account running Gigi has been restricted to date. Gigi sends through your own session, caps new requests at 25 per working day, withdraws stale requests after 21 days, and a person approves every message.
Next step
Ready to see sample outputs for your offer?
Tell Irina who you sell to, and she will show you what Gigi would send.
Written by Irina Stoicescu, co-founder of Gigi AI. She has 18 years in B2B sales and has run lead generation for more than 60 companies.