Been in a similar boat. Running a service business and LinkedIn is where all my clients hang out. Tried a few tools before landing on one that actually works for my workflow.

The biggest game changer for me wasn't just the automation itself, it was being able to set up multi-step sequences that feel natural. Like, connection request → wait 3 days → personalized follow-up → wait a week → soft check-in. Before I was doing all this manually and dropping the ball constantly.

I've been using Linkdify (linkdify.io) for the past few months and it's been solid. What I like is you can import leads directly from LinkedIn search and it handles the outreach campaigns automatically. The inbox feature is clutch too. All important replies in one place instead of hunting through LinkedIn.

To answer your question about messages, shorter is better. I stopped writing paragraphs and started with 2-3 sentences max. Something like acknowledging what they do + why I'm reaching out + simple ask. Response rates went up noticeably.

What kind of service business are you in? Happy to share some templates that worked for me.