Heyreach vs. Cleverly: Software or Agency for LinkedIn Leads?

Why LinkedIn Is the Leading Platform for Lead Generation

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With over 1 billion professionals using LinkedIn across industries, it’s the only social network built specifically for B2B conversations — not cat videos or vacation photos. 

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You’re not guessing who your prospects are; you can see their job title, company, and background before even reaching out.

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That’s what makes LinkedIn such a powerful space for targeted outreach. You can connect directly with decision-makers — founders, CMOs, sales leaders — without going through layers of gatekeepers. 

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But here’s where the challenge begins:

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• How do you reach enough prospects to fill your pipeline without sounding robotic?
  
  
• How do you personalize every message at scale?
  
  
• And how do you stay compliant with LinkedIn’s ever-evolving restrictions on automation?

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This balance between scale, personalization, and compliance is what separates average outreach from campaigns that actually convert.

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That’s why both LinkedIn automation software (like Heyreach) and agency-led solutions (like Cleverly) exist — but they approach these challenges very differently. 

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Tools like Heyreach give you control and speed, while agencies like Cleverly handle everything for you — strategy, targeting, copy, testing, and optimization — so you can focus on closing deals instead of managing campaigns.

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At the end of the day, the right approach depends on how hands-on you want to be and how much you value lead quality over volume. And that’s exactly what we’ll explore next.

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Heyreach Overview — LinkedIn Automation Tool

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When you’re comparing Heyreach vs Cleverly, here’s exactly what Heyreach is, what it does well, and where it runs into limits.

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What is Heyreach?

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Heyreach is a cloud-based LinkedIn automation tool built primarily for lead gen agencies, sales teams, and other GTM operations. 

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The idea is: you connect your LinkedIn (or multiple LinkedIn) accounts, set up outreach sequences (connection requests, follow-ups, messages, etc.), and let the tool do the heavy lifting of sending messages and managing replies.

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It’s one of the most popular heyreach alternatives you’ll see when people search for “LinkedIn automation tools.” It competes with tools like Expandi, Trigify, Smartlead, etc.

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Core Features

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Here are Heyreach’s main features (what it can do) as of now:

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• Automated connection requests & messaging sequences: You can build outreach campaigns with multiple steps: view profiles, send connection invites, follow up messages, wait periods, etc.
  
  
• Multiple LinkedIn accounts support & sender rotation: You can connect more than one LinkedIn profile (“senders”) and rotate actions across them. This helps you scale outreach while spreading risk.
  
  
• Unified Inbox (sometimes called “Unibox”): All replies from different campaigns/accounts are consolidated so you don’t have to toggle between profiles. Filter, tag, and respond from one place.
  
  
• Lead import & prospect sourcing: You can bring in leads from Sales Navigator, CSVs, LinkedIn searches, company & people searches, groups, post engagement, etc.
  
  
• Reporting and analytics: Heyreach provides dashboards for campaign performance, sender performance, A/B testing, metrics for each step of the sequence, etc.
  
  
• Safety/compliance features (partial): For example, they enforce hard daily limits on LinkedIn actions per connected account to reduce risk.
  
  
• Integrations with your GTM stack & CRMs: You can integrate with GTM tools like HubSpot, Pipedrive, etc., and use webhooks or APIs to tie Heyreach into existing workflows.
  
  

Who It’s Ideal For

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Heyreach works best if you are:

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• A small team or individual who wants to run your own outreach campaigns. You like being hands-on, tweaking sequences, templates, and monitoring results yourself.
  
  
• An agency or sales team with some capacity to manage campaigns internally rather than outsourcing. You’re okay with learning curve and setting everything up.
  
  
• Someone who values scale and cost-efficiency, and is willing to trade off some of the higher polish or handcrafted personalization for speed.
  

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Limitations

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Despite its strengths, there are some real limitations you should understand:

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• Setup & ongoing management required: You need to invest time in building sequences, selecting prospects, adjusting templates, monitoring replies, iterating. If you don’t continuously optimize, performance drops.
  
  
• Personalization mostly via predefined templates: Yes, you can customize messages and use some dynamic fields, but deep personalization (tailoring to company context, recent news, prospects’ content) is limited, especially at scale.
  
  
• Compliance risks if mis-configured or overused: Even though Heyreach has built-in limits, if you push too many actions, rotate too aggressively, or reuse generic spammy messages, you can risk LinkedIn warnings, restrictions, or more.
  
  

ROI heavily depends on your expertise and effort: The tool doesn’t close deals for you. If you’re not great at outreach strategy, copy, targeting, follow-ups, or managing response, you may spend time and money without good returns.

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Cleverly Overview — LinkedIn Lead Generation Agency

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While Heyreach offers a self-service automation tool, Cleverly provides a comprehensive, done-for-you service that manages every aspect of your LinkedIn outreach.

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What is Cleverly?

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Cleverly is a done-for-you LinkedIn lead generation agency that specializes in helping B2B companies scale their outreach efforts. 

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Leveraging data from thousands of outbound B2B campaigns, Cleverly crafts personalized messages aimed at engaging your ideal clients on LinkedIn, driving positive responses directly to your inbox. 

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This approach allows businesses to focus on closing deals while Cleverly handles the intricacies of lead generation. 

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Core Services

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Cleverly's services encompass the entire lead generation process:

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• Prospect Research: Identifying and targeting the right decision-makers within your industry.
  
  
• Personalized Messaging: Crafting tailored outreach sequences that resonate with your prospects.
  
  
• A/B Testing: Continuously testing different approaches to optimize engagement and response rates.
  
  
• Campaign Management: Overseeing the execution of outreach campaigns to ensure consistency and effectiveness.
  
  
• Reporting: Providing detailed analytics to track campaign performance and ROI.

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Ideal For

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Cleverly is best suited for businesses that:

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• Seek sales-ready leads without the need to manage outreach internally.
  
  
• Prefer a hands-off approach to lead generation, allowing them to concentrate on other aspects of their business.
  
  
• Desire compliance-safe outreach that aligns with LinkedIn's rules and regulations.

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Benefits

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Partnering with Cleverly offers several advantages:

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• Human-Driven Personalization: Unlike automated tools, Cleverly employs a team of experts to craft messages that are contextually relevant and engaging.
  
  
• Compliance-Safe Outreach: Cleverly ensures that all outreach efforts adhere to LinkedIn's guidelines, reducing the risk of account restrictions.
  
  
• Time and Resource Savings: By outsourcing lead generation, businesses can allocate internal resources to other critical areas, accelerating overall ROI.

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Heyreach vs. Cleverly: Key Differences That Matter

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When deciding between Heyreach vs Cleverly, it’s less about which is “better” and more about which approach fits your goals, resources, and risk tolerance. 

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Let’s break down the main differences that really matter when it comes to LinkedIn lead generation.

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Approach to Outreach

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• Heyreach: A software platform that gives you full control of your campaigns. You set up sequences, choose prospects, and manage messaging yourself.
  
  
• Cleverly: A done-for-you agency where we handle every step — from targeting to messaging, A/B testing, and follow-ups. You just receive qualified leads ready to engage.

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Personalization & Messaging Quality

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• Heyreach: Personalization is mostly limited to dynamic fields in predefined InMail templates. The quality of messages depends on your own copywriting skills.
  
  
• Cleverly: We provide human-driven, tailored scripts tested for maximum engagement. Every message is crafted to resonate with your ideal buyer and adjusted through continuous A/B testing.
  
  

Ease of Use & Time Commitment

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• Heyreach: Requires ongoing monitoring, setup of sequences, and adjustments to maintain performance. You must dedicate time to run campaigns effectively.
  
  
• Cleverly: Completely hands-free. We manage your campaigns, optimize messaging, and handle replies so you can focus on closing deals.

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Compliance & Safety

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• Heyreach: Offers basic safeguards, but improper use or over-automation can trigger LinkedIn restrictions or account suspensions.
  
  
• Cleverly: All outreach is LinkedIn-compliant. Our strategies follow LinkedIn rules to ensure campaigns remain safe while maximizing engagement.
  
  

Lead Quality & Conversion Rates

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• Heyreach: The quality of leads largely depends on your targeting, messaging, and follow-up — results can vary widely.
  
  
• Cleverly: We prioritize high-quality, sales-ready leads. Our focus on personalization and strategy consistently drives higher response rates and meaningful conversations.

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Pricing vs ROI

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• Heyreach: Lower upfront cost, but ROI depends on the time and expertise you invest in managing campaigns.
  
  
• Cleverly: While the investment may be higher, the predictable results, quality of leads, and accelerated pipeline growth often deliver stronger ROI in the long run.

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Heyreach vs. Cleverly at a Glance

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👉 Cleverly’s expert-managed outreach delivers higher personalization, safer campaigns, and better-quality leads than automation tools.

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What Customers Are Saying: Cleverly vs. Heyreach

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Customer reviews are the actual tests. Let’s see what people are saying about Cleverly and Heyreach for a better understanding.

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Cleverly

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Check out more client reviews 

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HeyReach

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Why Cleverly Is the Smarter Choice for Growing B2B Pipelines

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If your goal is serious LinkedIn lead generation that consistently fills your pipeline with qualified opportunities, here’s why partnering with a B2B lead gen agency like Cleverly makes a real difference.

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Human-Led Personalization & Proven Strategies

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Unlike automated tools, Cleverly combines data-driven targeting with human-crafted messaging. Every sequence we send is personalized to the prospect, tested for engagement, and optimized for maximum response rates. 

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Our LinkedIn lead strategies are backed by years of experience running thousands of campaigns across industries, ensuring your outreach stands out in a crowded inbox.

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Compliance-Safe Outreach

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LinkedIn has strict rules around automation, connection requests, and messaging. Cleverly ensures every campaign is fully compliant, reducing the risk of account restrictions while maintaining a natural, authentic approach to prospect engagement.

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Time Savings & Predictable ROI

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Running campaigns internally takes time, expertise, and constant management. By outsourcing to Cleverly:

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• You save hours every week that would otherwise be spent on setup, monitoring, and follow-ups.
  
  
• You reduce the risk of mistakes that can lead to wasted outreach or LinkedIn penalties.
  
  
• You get a predictable, measurable ROI, with leads that are ready to engage and convert.

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Our clients — including Amazon, Google, Uber, PayPal, Slack, and Spotify — have seen campaigns that generate $312 million in pipeline revenue and $51.2 million in closed deals, proving the effectiveness of a done-for-you approach.

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Conclusion

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Choosing between Heyreach vs Cleverly comes down to how you want to approach LinkedIn lead generation. 

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If you’re looking for a hands-on, DIY method and enjoy managing campaigns yourself, Heyreach offers a solid automation platform. 

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But if your goal is high-quality, sales-ready leads without the hassle, human-led personalization, and compliance-safe outreach, Cleverly is the smarter choice.

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With Cleverly, you get a full-service B2B lead gen agency that handles prospect research, messaging, A/B testing, campaign management, and reporting — all designed to deliver predictable results and accelerate your ROI.

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Ready to start generating qualified LinkedIn leads without lifting a finger? 

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‍Book a FREE consultation and get fully managed LinkedIn lead generation at just $397/mo.

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