Can you really fill an event using cold outreach?
Short answer: yes.
I hosted an investor networking event in Calgary. No existing network. No paid ads. No event page going viral.
50 people showed up. Every single one came through LinkedIn cold outreach.
Here's exactly how I did it.
How do you find the right people to reach out to?
Filter LinkedIn by keyword and location
I went into LinkedIn search and filtered for people with the words 'investor' or 'VC' in their profile, located in Calgary.
That's it. No fancy tools, no paid database. Just LinkedIn's built-in search.
You're not looking for a perfect list — you're looking for a relevant one. Anyone who self-identifies as an investor in your city is worth a connection request.
Should you include your message in the connection request?
No — send the request blank, then follow up when they accept
I didn't attach a message to my connection requests. Just a plain request.
Why? Because a cold message attached to a request feels like a pitch before you've even said hello. It puts people on guard.
Instead, I kept a Notion doc tracking every person I sent a request to. When they accepted, I followed up with the invite message.
The follow-up felt like a natural next step — not a sales ambush.
What did the actual cold message say?
Keep it short, personal, and make the ask clear
Here's the exact message I sent to everyone who accepted my connection request:
———
Hey [NAME]! I'd love to connect. I noticed you're into investing, and I'm hosting a networking event for Angels, VCs, and Pre-Seed Founders in [LOCATION] on [DATE].
This is your invitation and I'd love to have you there! Would you like to attend? Do you know of any others who would like to attend?
———
That's the whole message. No long pitch. No paragraph about why the event is amazing. Just a genuine invite and two simple questions.
The second question — 'do you know anyone else?' — is underrated. It opens the door for referrals without being pushy about it.
What kind of response rate can you expect?
Here's the honest breakdown
Out of everyone I messaged:
- 30% said yes
- 40% said no
- 30% responded after the event date had already passed
That 30% no-show-in-advance is normal. Don't take it personally. People are busy, and a cold invite from a stranger isn't their top priority.
The interesting number? Of the people who said yes, 80% actually showed up.
That's a high conversion from RSVP to attendance — because the outreach was personal. They weren't clicking 'interested' on an Eventbrite page. They said yes to a real person.
What if you're selling tickets — does this still work?
Cold outreach and paid tickets are a tough mix
Here's the reality: people you cold message were not looking for your event.
They didn't search for it. They didn't stumble on it. You interrupted their day with an invite.
If you then ask them to pay for a ticket, you're adding friction on top of an already cold relationship. Most will say no — and some will say no in a way that leaves a bad first impression on both sides.
Give them a complimentary ticket — not a discount, a free one
If your event has a ticket price, give your cold outreach prospects a fully complimentary ticket.
Not a discount code. Not 'use promo INVESTOR20 for 20% off.' Free.
A discount still asks them to pay. A complimentary ticket is a genuine gesture — it says 'I want you in the room.' That's a very different energy.
Think of it as your cost of acquisition. You're spending zero on ads — giving away a few tickets to the right people is your marketing budget.
Any tools to help make the room more engaging once people actually show up?
Jam Bingo — turn a room of strangers into a room of connections
You did the hard work of getting people in the door. Now the goal is making sure they actually connect with each other — not just the two people sitting next to them.
Jam Bingo is a digital networking game that gets attendees moving and talking. Guests scan a QR code, get a prompt on their phone, and go find someone in the room who fits it.
At investor and founder events especially, Jam Bingo prompts can be tailored to the crowd — 'Find someone who has made their first angel investment' or 'Find a founder who has pivoted their idea at least once.' Every prompt is a real conversation starter.
So what's the full playbook?
Here's the whole strategy in one place:
- Search LinkedIn by keyword (investor, VC, founder) and filter by your city.
- Send blank connection requests — no message attached.
- Track every request in a Notion doc or spreadsheet.
- When they accept, send the invite message immediately.
- Keep the message short: who you are, what the event is, and two questions.
- If you're selling tickets, offer complimentary access — not a discount.
- Once they're in the room, run Jam Bingo to make sure connections actually happen.
Cold outreach gets a bad reputation because most people do it wrong — too long, too salesy, too much about themselves.
Done right, it's just a genuine invite from one human to another. And humans still show up for that.