What Is the SSI Score?
LinkedIn’s Social Selling Index (SSI) measures how effectively you’re using LinkedIn to build your brand, find the right people, engage with insights, and build relationships.
The score ranges from 0 to 100 and is split into four key pillars (0–25 points each):
Establish Your Professional Brand
Find the Right People
Engage with Insights
Build Relationships
A higher SSI score generally correlates with more visibility, stronger connections, and better performance in outreach and engagement.
Why It Matters (Especially for Outreach)
A complete, active profile builds instant trust with prospects.
A higher score gives you greater algorithmic reach.
SSI-optimized profiles are more likely to convert during outbound efforts.
It's a signal of credibility when buyers are vetting who’s messaging them.
How to Optimize Each SSI Pillar
1. Establish Your Professional Brand (0–25 points)
Goal: Build a complete and credible profile
Profile Photo – Use a clear, friendly, professional photo. Smiling, clean background, proper lighting.
Banner – Use branded graphics or value-prop messaging in your header image.
Headline – Go beyond your title. Mention who you help + how you help them.
About Section – Tell a story. Include: what you do, who you serve, your values, your credibility, and a soft CTA.
Experience & Skills – Fill out roles with rich descriptions, focus on measurable impact. Add relevant skills to reinforce keyword visibility.
Featured Section – Highlight key posts, case studies, testimonials, or lead magnets.
💡 Pro Tip: Profiles with a narrative and personality get more responses.
2. Find the Right People (0–25 points)
Goal: Target prospects in your niche or ICP
Use LinkedIn Search Filters – Leverage job titles, industries, geos, and seniority filters.
Engage with Similar Profiles – LinkedIn’s algorithm will start surfacing more like them.
Connect Strategically – Prioritize your ICP, relevant partners, and industry voices.
Leverage Tools Like Sales Navigator – For deeper segmentation and tracking.
💡 Pro Tip: Connect in batches weekly to avoid spam limits and build relevance over time.
3. Engage with Insights (0–25 points)
Goal: Be seen as active and valuable in your space
Post Thought Leadership Content – Short posts, commentary, or polls that show you're in the know.
Comment on Industry Topics – Add insights to trending or niche conversations.
Engage With Prospects’ Posts – Be visible in their feeds before ever sending a DM.
Reshare Content With Context – Add a sentence or two about why it's valuable.
💡 Pro Tip: A consistent voice, even 2x/week, can boost reach and profile visits dramatically.
4. Build Relationships (0–25 points)
Goal: Turn cold contacts into warm conversations
Personalize Connection Requests – Short, relevant messages = more accepts.
Follow Up Intelligently – Don’t just sell. Offer insights, ask questions, share useful resources.
Use InMail or Direct Message Wisely – Tailor messages to context and behavior.
Engage With Your Network – Congratulate job changes, endorse skills, comment on milestones.
💡 Pro Tip: Relationships build trust → trust drives replies → replies lead to deals.
Bonus: Tools & Templates with Alsona
If you're using Alsona, here's how to layer SSI strategy into your workflows:
Use custom profile optimization templates to quickly improve your team’s presence.
Track prospect engagement and plug profile links directly into messages to drive curiosity.
Launch engagement campaigns that combine thought leadership and smart DMs for high-trust conversion.
Tap into partnership or growing network campaigns to increase your relationship pillar score fast.
Measuring Success
Check your SSI at: linkedin.com/sales/ssi
Aim for:
70+ score for active outbound users
Balanced scores across all 4 pillars
Upward trend weekly
Summary: The SSI-Driven Outreach Formula
Pillar | Focus | Tactic |
Brand | Trust | Profile optimization, strong About section |
People | Precision | Targeting, segmentation |
Insights | Visibility | Posting, commenting |
Relationships | Conversion | Personalization, nurturing |