Navigating LinkedIn to find the right prospects can be overwhelming. But with LinkedIn search operators and Boolean logic, you can refine your searches to pinpoint ideal candidates, saving time and improving outreach results. Here’s what you need to know:
- Boolean Operators: Use
AND,OR,NOT, quotation marks, and parentheses to create precise searches. Example:"Marketing Manager" AND SaaS OR "Brand Manager". - Advanced Filters: Combine Boolean logic with LinkedIn’s filters (location, industry, job title, company size, etc.) for more targeted results.
- Examples:
- Sales:
"VP Sales" AND SaaS AND (United States OR Canada) - Recruitment:
"Senior Developer" AND (React OR Angular) AND "San Francisco"
- Sales:
- Automation Tools: Platforms like Closely can scale your efforts by automating outreach, personalizing messages, and integrating with your CRM.
Start with simple queries, refine them step-by-step, and pair them with automation to maximize efficiency and engagement.
How To Use Boolean Search On LinkedIn | Step By Step Guide
Basic LinkedIn Search Operators and Usage
Now that you’re familiar with targeted prospecting, let’s dive into Boolean search operators. These operators are the tools that tell LinkedIn exactly how to process your search terms, helping you pinpoint the profiles that match your needs.
Boolean Operators Explained
When using Boolean operators, always type them in ALL CAPS.
- AND: Use this to narrow your search by requiring all specified terms to appear in a profile. For example, a search like
marketing AND SaaSwill only show profiles that include both "marketing" and "SaaS." - OR: This operator broadens your search by including profiles that mention at least one of your terms. For instance,
designer OR "UX specialist"will find profiles containing either "designer" or "UX specialist." - NOT: Use this to exclude terms from your search. For example,
manager NOT internwill filter out profiles that mention "intern." - Quotation Marks: These are for exact phrase searches. For example,
"product manager"will return profiles that specifically include that phrase as written. - Parentheses: These let you group terms for more complex searches. For example,
Java AND (Python OR Ruby)will find profiles mentioning "Java" along with either "Python" or "Ruby."
LinkedIn processes your query by giving priority to quotation marks, followed by parentheses, and then operators in this order: NOT, AND, and OR. These rules apply across all profile sections.
Now, let’s see how these operators work in actual scenarios.
Real-World Boolean Operator Examples
Here’s how you can apply Boolean searches to different prospecting needs:
- Sales Prospecting:
If you’re selling marketing automation tools to mid-sized companies, you might use:
"marketing director" AND (automation OR "lead generation") NOT startup
This finds marketing directors interested in automation or lead generation while excluding startups. - Recruitment:
For a tech recruiter searching for senior developers, a query like:
"senior developer" AND (React OR Angular OR Vue) AND "San Francisco"
Targets experienced frontend developers skilled in specific frameworks within the San Francisco area. - Partnership Development:
Looking for business partners? Try:
"business development" AND (partnerships OR alliances) AND ("Fortune 500" OR enterprise)
This identifies professionals focused on partnerships at larger companies. - Content Marketing:
To find marketers for content collaboration, use:
"content marketing" AND (blog OR podcast OR video) NOT agency
This locates in-house content marketers while excluding agency professionals. - Customer Success:
If you’re targeting leaders in customer success at SaaS companies, try:
"customer success" AND SaaS AND (director OR VP OR "head of") NOT consultant
This focuses on senior-level SaaS professionals while filtering out consultants.
The secret to mastering Boolean searches is starting simple and building complexity as needed. Begin with basic AND queries, then add OR for variations, and use NOT to refine your results. Experiment with different combinations until you strike the right balance between precision and volume.
Using Advanced Filters with Boolean Logic
Combine LinkedIn’s advanced filters with Boolean operators to create precise queries that help you find high-quality prospects while filtering out irrelevant results.
LinkedIn’s Advanced Filter Options
LinkedIn offers several advanced filters that work seamlessly with Boolean search terms. For example:
- Location filters let you zero in on specific cities, states, or regions, which is ideal for territory-based sales or local recruitment.
- Industry filters allow you to focus on sectors like "Information Technology" or "Financial Services", helping you avoid keywords that might show up in unrelated contexts.
- Job title filters pair well with Boolean searches, ensuring you’re targeting current titles that match your criteria.
- Company size filters let you segment by organization size, from small startups with 1-10 employees to large enterprises with 10,000+ staff members.
- Experience level filters help you distinguish between entry-level candidates, mid-senior professionals, and executives.
- Education filters allow targeting based on schools, degrees, or fields of study.
- Connection filters help you leverage your network by showing second-degree connections or profiles with mutual contacts.
The real power of these filters lies in how they work independently of your keyword search, adding extra layers of precision to your results. When combined with Boolean logic, these filters enable highly targeted, multi-layered search queries.
Building Multi-Layer Search Queries
Start broad and refine your search as you go.
For instance, if you’re seeking mid-level marketing professionals in San Francisco tech companies, you might begin with Boolean keywords like "Marketing Manager" OR "Brand Manager". Then, apply the location filter to the San Francisco Bay Area and set the industry filter to Technology. Narrow further by selecting the experience level filter for Associate or Mid-Senior roles.
To make your search even more specific, enhance your Boolean query: ("Marketing Manager" OR "Brand Manager") AND (SaaS OR "Software as a Service"). This ensures you’re finding marketing professionals in tech companies who specialize in SaaS products.
For executive-level sales outreach, try a query like ("Chief Marketing Officer" OR CMO) AND (Technology OR SaaS). Then, apply filters for company size (51-200 employees), location (United States), and industry (Information Technology). This setup targets CMOs at mid-sized tech companies, where decision-making cycles are often quicker than in larger organizations.
For partnership development roles, you might use a query like "business development" AND (partnerships OR alliances) AND ("Fortune 500" OR enterprise) and apply location and company size filters to refine your results.
Always test one filter or Boolean operator at a time. This lets you see how each adjustment impacts your results and helps you avoid accidentally excluding valuable prospects. Once you’ve mastered these techniques, you’ll be ready to troubleshoot common filtering challenges.
Filter Benefits and Common Problems
Using advanced filters with Boolean logic can significantly improve your prospecting results. Some sales and recruitment professionals report a 2-3x increase in response rates and lead quality compared to basic keyword searches. LinkedIn’s data also shows that users who utilize advanced search features are 40% more likely to connect with relevant prospects than those relying on basic searches[1][2].
| Filter Type | Use Case Example | Impact on Results |
|---|---|---|
| Location | "San Francisco Bay Area" | Focuses on a specific geography |
| Industry | "Information Technology" | Targets a defined sector |
| Job Title | "VP Sales" OR "Head of Sales" | Pinpoints specific roles |
| Company Size | "51-200 employees" | Segments by organization size |
| Experience | "Mid-Senior level" | Filters by career stage |
| Keywords | "SaaS" AND "Marketing" | Adds a skill or product focus |
While these filters are powerful, common mistakes can reduce their effectiveness. For example:
- Overusing the NOT operator can exclude too many relevant profiles. Instead of
marketing NOT agency NOT consultant NOT freelance, try focusing on positive criteria likemarketing AND ("in-house" OR "full-time" OR company:*). - Skipping parentheses in complex queries can create logic errors. For example,
marketing OR sales AND directorwill return all marketing professionals plus only sales directors, not marketing directors. Instead, use(marketing OR sales) AND directorfor clarity. - Combining incompatible filters can result in zero matches. For instance, setting location filters for both "New York" and "Los Angeles" simultaneously won’t work.
- Exceeding character limits can truncate lengthy Boolean strings. If this happens, simplify your query and test again.
To stay effective, regularly update your search criteria to match evolving job titles and industry terms. Save successful queries using LinkedIn’s "Save search" feature for future campaigns. For broader validation, test your queries on Google using site:linkedin.com.
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Creating Targeted Search Queries for Outreach
When it comes to LinkedIn searches, having a clear plan is essential. Without one, you risk wasting time and missing out on valuable connections. To make your searches effective, you need to align them with specific outreach goals. Here’s how to do it.
Setting Clear Search Goals
Before typing anything into the search bar, take a moment to clarify your objective. Are you looking for sales leads, hiring top talent, or building partnerships? Each of these goals requires different search strategies and filters.
Start by defining an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). This profile should include details like job title, industry, company size, location, and skills[3]. For example, if you’re prospecting for sales, your ICP might look like this: "VP of Marketing at SaaS companies with 51–200 employees in major U.S. tech hubs." If you’re recruiting, it could be something like: "Senior Software Engineers with Python experience at Fortune 500 companies, excluding consultants."
Once you have your ICP, break it down into specific LinkedIn filters. Let’s say your target is a VP of Sales at a SaaS company with 51–200 employees in San Francisco. You’d use filters like:
- Job title: "VP Sales" OR "Vice President Sales"
- Industry: SaaS OR "Software as a Service"
- Company size: 51–200 employees
- Location: San Francisco
A real-world example? In 2024, a SaaS sales team targeting CTOs in the U.S. used this query:
("chief technology officer" OR CTO) AND (SaaS OR "software as a service") AND location:"United States" NOT "consultant"
This approach boosted their qualified lead rate by 220% in just three months by focusing on decision-makers and filtering out irrelevant profiles[2].
Keep track of your successful queries and adjust them based on response rates. Use LinkedIn’s "Save search" feature to get notified when new profiles match your criteria. And remember to update your saved searches to reflect any changes in your outreach strategy or ICP[3].
With your goals clearly defined, you can gradually refine your search to strike the right balance between precision and reach.
Managing Query Complexity
One of the biggest challenges with LinkedIn’s advanced search is finding the sweet spot between being specific enough to get relevant results and broad enough not to miss potential matches. Too broad, and you’ll spend hours sifting through irrelevant profiles. Too narrow, and you might exclude great prospects.
Start with a broader query and refine it step by step. For instance, begin with "Marketing Manager" and see what comes up. If the results are too general, narrow it down by adding context, like "Marketing Manager" AND SaaS. From there, you can layer in filters like location or company size.
Test each adjustment to see how it impacts your results. For complex queries, use parentheses to group similar terms and create clear logic. For example, instead of writing marketing OR sales AND director, structure it as (marketing OR sales) AND director to ensure you’re targeting directors in both fields.
Sometimes, running separate searches for different seniority levels, regions, or industries can yield better results than trying to cram everything into one query. For example, a recruitment agency once used school:"Harvard Business School" AND industry:technology to streamline their search for tech leadership roles[1].
Once you’ve crafted your complex query, be prepared to troubleshoot any issues that arise.
Fixing Common Query Problems
Even the best-planned queries can run into issues. Here are some common problems and how to address them:
- Too Few Results: This usually means your criteria are too restrictive. Temporarily remove the NOT operator to check if you’re excluding too many profiles. Double-check for typos and consider adding synonyms (e.g., "VP Sales" and "Vice President of Sales").
- Too Many Irrelevant Results: If your query is too broad, use quotation marks to search for exact phrases and add more filters, like company size or experience level. For example,
"Marketing Manager"will yield more precise results than just typing Marketing Manager without quotes. - Irrelevant Profiles: If your Boolean logic isn’t structured properly, you might get mismatched results. Review your use of parentheses to ensure clarity. For instance,
(marketing OR sales) AND directorworks better thanmarketing OR sales AND director. - Missing Obvious Matches: Being overly specific can exclude variations. If
"Product Marketing Manager"isn’t yielding enough results, try grouping terms like(Product AND Marketing AND Manager)to capture different phrasing, such as "Manager, Product Marketing."
Keep your queries updated as job titles and industry language evolve. Document what works and what doesn’t – this habit will help you refine your outreach strategy over time. By staying flexible and analytical, you can continually improve your search results.
Using Closely for Automated LinkedIn Prospecting
Once you’ve nailed down LinkedIn search operators and targeting queries, you can take your outreach to the next level with Closely’s automation tools. These features build on your search skills, helping you refine and scale your prospecting efforts.
Closely’s AI-Powered Tools
Closely blends LinkedIn automation with AI-driven personalization, making it easier to expand your reach. You can seamlessly integrate the platform with your LinkedIn searches, exporting your hand-picked search results directly into automated workflows.
One standout feature is data enrichment, which locates verified contact details for your LinkedIn prospects. This means you’re not limited to LinkedIn messages – you can also connect via email, increasing your chances of getting a response, especially from those who prefer email or aren’t active on LinkedIn.
With AI personalization, Closely analyzes prospect profiles to craft customized messages. Instead of sending out generic connection requests, the AI can highlight specific details from a prospect’s profile, recent posts, or company updates. This keeps your outreach personal, even at scale.
The platform also includes a lead scoring system to help you identify and focus on the most promising prospects. Plus, CRM integrations ensure all your prospect data and interaction history sync smoothly with your existing sales tools, making LinkedIn prospecting a seamless part of your overall sales process.
Running Campaigns with Closely
You can import your targeted search results into Closely’s campaign builder to create multichannel sequences. For instance, you might start with a LinkedIn connection request, follow up with a message a few days later, and then send an email if there’s no response.
To help you track success, campaign performance tracking offers real-time insights into key metrics like connection acceptance rates, response rates, and conversions. This allows you to see which search queries and messaging strategies are delivering the best results.
Managing conversations is also easier with the unified inbox, which pulls together replies from LinkedIn and email into one dashboard. On top of that, team management tools let multiple team members collaborate on campaigns while staying within LinkedIn’s usage limits. Each team member can manage their own LinkedIn account, but they can still share prospect lists and campaign templates for a more coordinated effort.
Manual vs Automated Workflow Comparison
If you’re weighing the benefits of automation, the time savings alone make it a game-changer. Closely’s automated workflows handle tasks like retrieving email addresses, sending connection requests, following up, and tracking responses. This allows you to target a larger number of prospects without losing the personal touch you achieve with manual targeting.
To maintain your brand’s identity, Closely’s white-label options ensure that all outreach appears to come directly from you. Meanwhile, advanced analytics and reports provide detailed insights into which industries and messaging strategies work best, helping you tweak your approach for even better results.
Conclusion: Better LinkedIn Prospecting Results
Main Points Summary
Let’s wrap up with a quick recap of the strategies we’ve covered. Using LinkedIn search operators effectively can transform your prospecting efforts, allowing you to target with precision. Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT are your keys to creating highly specific searches. When paired with LinkedIn’s advanced filters, these tools help you zero in on prospects who are not only relevant but also more likely to engage with your outreach.
The real magic lies in layering your search criteria strategically. For instance, instead of a broad search for "marketing manager", you could refine it to find marketing managers at SaaS companies with 50–200 employees who have shown interest in lead generation content. This level of detail ensures your outreach feels tailored and resonates more deeply with your audience.
As mentioned earlier, combining these precise search techniques with automation tools like Closely can elevate your approach. Closely allows you to integrate these refined searches into automated multichannel campaigns that still feel personal. Plus, its data enrichment features provide even more ways to connect and build meaningful relationships.
By blending manual targeting with smart automation, you can streamline your prospecting process without compromising on quality. It’s not about reaching out to everyone – it’s about reaching the right people in a way that makes an impact.
Your Next Steps
Ready to put these strategies into action? Start by experimenting with LinkedIn’s search operators to sharpen your targeting skills. Aim to create three to five highly specific search queries that align perfectly with your ideal customer profile.
Once you’ve identified what works best, take it a step further by exploring how Closely can scale your efforts. For $49/month, their Starter plan offers LinkedIn automation and AI-powered personalization with up to 1,000 credits per month – an ideal starting point for expanding your reach.
Consistency and refinement are the backbone of successful prospecting. As you gain deeper insights into your target market, you’ll naturally improve both your search techniques and messaging. With the strategies and tools outlined here, you’re well-equipped to stand out and thrive in today’s competitive landscape.
FAQs
How can I use LinkedIn’s advanced filters and Boolean search operators together for more targeted prospecting?
To perform highly specific searches on LinkedIn, try combining advanced filters – like location, industry, or job title – with Boolean search operators such as AND, OR, NOT, and quotation marks for exact phrases. For instance, if you search for "Software Engineer" AND ("San Francisco" OR "New York") AND NOT Intern, you’ll find software engineers located in those cities while filtering out interns.
This approach sharpens your search results, letting you zero in on the most relevant candidates or connections. By narrowing your focus, you can streamline your outreach, save time, and achieve better outcomes.
What mistakes should I avoid when using LinkedIn search operators for prospecting?
To make the most out of LinkedIn search operators, steer clear of these frequent errors:
- Using lowercase Boolean operators like and instead of uppercase AND. LinkedIn requires uppercase for these to work correctly.
- Overloading your search with too many terms or misusing syntax, which can muddle your results.
- Skipping quotation marks for exact phrases, causing LinkedIn to pull in unrelated matches.
- Attempting to use unsupported wildcards like
*, which LinkedIn simply doesn’t recognize.
Stick to clean, structured, and properly formatted queries to get more precise and useful results for your prospecting efforts.
How can automation tools like Closely improve LinkedIn prospecting efficiency?
Automation tools like Closely can make LinkedIn prospecting much easier by taking care of repetitive tasks like sending connection requests, following up with leads, and researching potential prospects. This not only saves time but also ensures outreach happens consistently and on a larger scale.
These tools also improve precision by updating data in real-time and offering insights to fine-tune your targeting. By automating the routine parts of prospecting, professionals can dedicate more energy to building genuine relationships and closing deals, ultimately making their efforts more productive and impactful.