12 buying intent signals that actually convert (with reply-rate data)

Every "intent data" vendor will tell you their signals convert. We benchmarked actual reply rates across 4,200 outbound touches sent in March–April 2026 by Saava customers, broken down by the type of signal that triggered them.

Here are the 12 buying-intent signals ranked by reply rate. The top 5 are 3–6x the LinkedIn average (~3–5%).

1. Mutual-connection introduction request — 24% reply

A warm referral from a shared connection. Highest-converting signal there is. Saava surfaces these by tracking who in your network just connected to a target account.

Where to find it: First-degree connections of your network's recent additions. Play: Ask for the intro. Don't auto-DM.

2. Engaged with category-defining post in the last 7 days — 18%

Liked, commented on, or reposted content about the exact problem you solve, recently. The freshness window matters — past 7 days converts ~2x past 14 days.

Where to find it: Watch profiles in your category (thought leaders, your competitors). Filter engagers by your ICP. Play: Reference the content. "Noticed you engaged with X's post on Y — curious how you're thinking about that internally."

3. New role in target function — 16%

Promoted or hired into a role with budget authority for what you sell. The 90-day "audit window" is real: new leaders evaluate their stack to make their mark.

Where to find it: LinkedIn job-change signals (Limadata, Champify, Userled). Play: Congrats + a relevant POV on the first 90 days. Don't pitch.

4. Company just raised a funding round — 14%

Fresh capital = new budget. Strongest for tools the company didn't have at pre-round headcount.

Where to find it: Crunchbase, PitchBook, news aggregators, LinkedIn announcements. Play: Congratulate + tie offer to the round narrative. "Saw the Series B — most companies your size add LinkedIn intent tooling at this stage."

5. Engaged with competitor's content — 11%

They're researching the space. Touched a competitor's marketing post but haven't committed.

Where to find it: Watch your competitors as Saava profiles. Play: Don't trash the competitor. Offer a differentiated POV.

6. Engaged with customer's content about your product — 9%

Your customer publicly endorsed you (case study, post, LinkedIn newsletter). Someone in the prospect's ICP engaged.

Where to find it: Watch your customer accounts as profiles in Saava. Play: "Saw you engaged with [customer]'s recent post — they're a Saava customer."

7. Job posting for a relevant role — 8%

The company is hiring for the function you sell to. They're spending money in your direction.

Where to find it: LinkedIn job postings filter, Workable, RippleMatch. Play: Reference the job. "Saw you're hiring an SDR Manager — most teams figure out their LinkedIn intent stack before that hire lands."

8. Recent M&A or partnership announcement — 7%

Acquired, acquiring, or in a strategic partnership. Integration and ops budgets open up.

Where to find it: Press releases, LinkedIn company-page activity, M&A databases. Play: Reference the deal + a relevant POV on integration risks.

9. Their company posted on the problem you solve — 6%

Not the buyer, but the company's brand account posted about the problem space (or a related pain).

Where to find it: Company-page tracking (Saava supports this in 2026). Play: Reference the company post. Bring the buyer into the conversation.

10. Followed/connected with you on LinkedIn — 5%

They opted into your orbit. Low-effort signal, but real.

Where to find it: LinkedIn notifications. Play: DM them within 48 hours.

11. Subscribed to a relevant newsletter — 4%

They opted into category content (a Substack about your space, a competitor's newsletter, an analyst report).

Where to find it: Public Substack/LinkedIn newsletter subscriber lists (where available), engagement data on newsletter posts. Play: Reference the newsletter context.

12. Visited your website (RB2B-style) — 4–11% depending on page

A wide range — pricing/comparison pages convert at 11%; blog visits at 4%. RB2B is the standard tool here.

Where to find it: RB2B, Vector, Warmly. Play: Reference the topic of the page they visited, not the visit itself.

The benchmark

Cold-list outbound on LinkedIn in 2026: 1.2% average reply rate.

Signal-based outbound: 8–14% blended reply rate, depending on signal mix.

That's a 7–12x lift, with the same product, the same rep, the same sequencer. The unlock is what triggers the touch, not how the touch is written.

How to actually operationalize this

Don't try to wire up all 12. Pick three:

1. One trigger signal (job change OR funding round)
2. One engagement signal (category content OR competitor content)
3. One referral signal (mutual-connection openings)

That's 90% of the upside with 10% of the operational load.