Overview
Segmentation is the foundation of great prospecting. With LinkedIn Basic filters, you can identify the right people, refine your searches, and build more relevant audiences. This guide walks you through each filter and shows you how to avoid common mistakes.
Key benefits
Precise targeting to quickly identify the right profiles.
More relevant audiences with tighter segmentation.
Higher response rates thanks to better prospect alignment.
Time saved by filtering out irrelevant profiles early.
Why segmentation matters
Good segmentation represents 60% of successful prospecting. It helps you reach the right person, at the right time, with the right message.
Important:
Avoid oversized audiences. Aim for 200–400 leads per campaign.
Our research shows that response rates drop sharply beyond 400 leads.
How to use LinkedIn Basic filters
Where to find the filters
Go to the People search.
Click All filters.
Connections
1st degree: People you’re already connected with.
2nd degree: People connected to your connections.
3rd+ degree: Everyone else on LinkedIn.
Connections of
Use this filter to target the connections of a specific person — perfect for prospecting an influencer’s or client’s network.
Followers of
Use Followers of to find people who follow a specific LinkedIn creator.
Location
Filter your leads by country, region, or city.
Current company and past company
These filters help you:
Target employees of specific companies.
Identify people who previously worked for a certain organization.
School
Useful for building rapport through alumni targeting or shared educational backgrounds.
Industry
Filter by industry to reach prospects within the same sector.
Note: LinkedIn offers about 30 industry categories.
Language (Profile language)
Targets leads based on the language of their LinkedIn profile.
Useful for adapting outreach messages.
Open to
Identifies people who are open to:
Volunteering
Pro bono work
Other opportunities
Keywords
You can filter your search using one or more keywords.
Note:
For precise keyword searches, use quotation marks:
"marketing director"
Boolean search
Boolean operators help refine your results further:
" " (quotes): exact expression
AND: combine keywords
OR: broaden your search
Examples:
"marketing director" AND SaaS
growth OR acquisition
Note: LinkedIn Basic limits you to 5 consecutive keywords, such as 5 job titles in the same query.
FAQs
Why should I keep my segmentation small?
Why should I keep my segmentation small?
Because audiences larger than 400 leads drastically reduce response rates.
Can I do everything with LinkedIn Basic?
Can I do everything with LinkedIn Basic?
You can do a lot, but Sales Navigator offers far more advanced filters.
Are Boolean searches really useful?
Are Boolean searches really useful?
Yes. They help you get much more accurate search results.
Now that you've mastered the basic filters, you can take it to the next level with Sales Navigator: