Updated 3 November 2026
LinkedIn buying signals and how to act on them
A buying signal is a public action that suggests someone may want what you sell, like commenting on a competitor's post.
What counts as a buying signal on LinkedIn?
A buying signal on LinkedIn is any public action that links a person to your problem or your market. Six are worth watching:
| Signal | What it can suggest | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Comments on a competitor's post | They know the category and may be comparing | Strong |
| Likes on a competitor's post | Awareness of the category | Medium |
| Comments on a post about your problem | The problem is on their mind now | Strong |
| Engagement with an industry expert's posts | Interest in the topic | Medium |
| Engagement with your own company page posts | They already know you | Strong |
| Posts that use your keywords | They are talking about the problem themselves | Medium to strong |
The strength column is our judgement, not a measured result. Test it against your own replies and meetings.
Why do comments matter more than likes?
A comment takes more effort than a like, so it usually says more about intent. Read the comment text before you reach out, because it often tells you what the person cares about.
How do I know a signal comes from a real buyer?
A signal only matters when the person fits your ideal customer. Check three things for each person: job title, company and country. Some people who engage on a post are peers, students or job seekers, so filtering to your ideal customer comes first.
How do I track LinkedIn buying signals every day?
You can track signals by hand or with a tool.
- By hand: open each post, read the list of reactions and comments, and copy the names you want. This works for a few posts a week. It doesn't scale, and you can't easily add role and company data.
- With Cornersight: track a person's profile, a company page, a single post or a keyword search. Cornersight captures the people who like and comment on each daily run, adds role, company and country, and checks each person against your ideal customer profile. Cornersight finds who engaged without your LinkedIn login or cookies. Nothing runs on your account.
How do I act on a LinkedIn buying signal?
Act on a signal while it is fresh, and mention what the person engaged with. A good first step is a connection request or a short message about the topic of the post, not a pitch.
- Filter to people who match your ideal customer.
- Read their comment, if they left one.
- Reach out about that topic, in your own outreach tool.
- Track replies, so you learn which signals lead to meetings.
Where do the leads go?
Cornersight sends your leads to HeyReach for LinkedIn outreach, PlusVibe for email, a webhook, the REST API, the MCP server or a CSV file.
Does Cornersight give emails?
We don't sell emails. Connect your own email finder (for example LeadMagic) and Cornersight finds emails for your ICP leads with your own credits.
What does it cost to track buying signals?
Cornersight costs 1 credit per lead, and Starter is $99 a month for up to 15,000 new leads. The 7-day free trial needs no card and covers 2 profiles, 2 posts and 2 keyword searches, at up to 250 leads each.
LinkedIn buying signals and how to act on them
Works with your stack
FAQ
Is a buying signal the same as intent data?
They overlap. Intent data often means signals from many websites. A LinkedIn buying signal is a public action on LinkedIn by a named person, so you know who to contact.
Can I see who engages with a competitor's LinkedIn posts?
Yes. Track the competitor's company page or a person's profile, and Cornersight captures the people who like and comment on their new posts each day.
Which signals does Cornersight track?
Cornersight tracks LinkedIn engagement only: the people who like or comment on posts from the profiles, pages, posts and keyword searches you track. It doesn't track job changes, funding or website visits.