Surprised by how many Detroit connectors use LinkedIn DMs first

I was at a mixer last month over at the Eastern Market and kept hearing people say they message first on LinkedIn before they even ask for a phone number. That blew my mind because I always thought cold emails or grabbing coffee was the standard move around here. So I counted over the next three weeks every intro I got through my own posts and comments, and 11 out of 14 new chats started because someone slid into my DMs after I shared a local business win. Turns out the Detroit scene relies a lot on quick, public replies to build trust before any real meeting happens. I started doing the same thing, commenting on two or three small biz posts each morning before work, and my response rate went way up. Has anyone else noticed that the old networking breakfast circuit is losing ground to these instant message connections?

1 comments

1 Comment

williams9012d agoTop Commenter

Figure out if the people replying to your comments are actually the ones who end up meeting you, or if it's mostly lurkers watching from the side. I tried the same morning routine for two weeks, and I got a bunch of likes from people I never heard from again. The one real lead came from a guy who never commented on anything, just saw my reply to someone else and messaged me directly after. So is the public comment the hook, or is it just a way to get your name floating around for the quiet folks watching? That part seems worth tracking before you bet your whole week on it.