With a presence in 200 countries and nearly a billion members, LinkedIn is the premier platform for professional networking.
One of its many powerful tools is LinkedIn InMail—a direct message service that allows you to reach out to LinkedIn members outside of your first-degree network.
In this guide, we’ll explore the importance of leveraging InMail for your professional networking endeavors. You’ll learn how to acquire InMail credits, craft compelling messages, and effectively maximize your outreach potential by using InMail.
Let’s get started!
What Is a LinkedIn InMail?
InMail LinkedIn is a premium feature that allows you to send private messages to any LinkedIn user, even without a direct connection.
This LinkedIn message service offers a bridge to connect with anyone on the platform without needing an introduction or a mutual connection.
Given the vast network of professionals on LinkedIn, the potential for outreach and connection is enormous.
LinkedIn Inmail Messages Help You Find New Leads
LinkedIn InMail messages are a potent tool for uncovering new leads for several reasons:
✉️ Bypassing gatekeepers
Traditional methods often involve going through secretaries or assistants. With InMail, you can communicate directly with anyone on LinkedIn, regardless of whether they are a connection or not.
✉️ Segmented outreach
LinkedIn’s advanced search capabilities allow you to identify and connect with individuals based on specific criteria like their job titles, industries, skills, and locations.
By using InMail, you can send tailored messages to a highly targeted audience, which increases the chances of a positive response.
✉️ Professional setting
Unlike cold emails that can be seen as intrusive, InMails are sent within a professional network setting, which makes them more legitimate and acceptable.
Being labeled as “InMail” ensures the recipient doesn’t mistake them for spam. Well-crafted InMail messages can increase the likelihood of positive engagement and potential conversions.
This tool is very effective, but you must pay to send InMail messages! Below, we’ll discuss how to get InMail credits and how it works.
How InMail Credits Work and How to Get Them
InMail is a premium feature available with certain LinkedIn subscriptions, such as LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter Lite. To start using InMail, you’ll first need to subscribe to one of these offerings.
Luckily, LinkedIn offers a free trial on a premium subscription.
Here is how to upgrade your subscription:
1️⃣ First, log in to your account. Then, click the “Me” icon to access your premium page.
2️⃣ Go to” Settings & Privacy” from your dropdown menu and click on “Account preferences.”
3️⃣ Next, click “Change” under the “Subscriptions & Payments” button.
4️⃣ When your trial version expires, you will need to provide your payment details to keep getting LinkedIn InMail credits.
How many LinkedIn InMails can you send?
The number of InMail message credits you qualify for is based on your subscription type. Your account will be replenished with a specific number of monthly InMail credits at the start of each billing cycle:
➡️ Premium Career plan: 5 credits/month
➡️ Premium Business plan: 15 credits/month
➡️ Sales Navigator Core: 50 credits/month
➡️ Recruiter Lite: 30 credits/month
These are some important considerations regarding InMail credits:
⚠️ Nontransferability: InMail credits are tied to their specific subscription type. For example, credits from a Premium subscription cannot be used within Sales Navigator or Recruiter Lite.
⚠️ Account upgrades: Even if you upgrade your account, credits remain nontransferable.
⚠️ Subscription cancellation: Should you decide to cancel your subscription, any remaining InMail credits will be forfeited and your balance will revert back to zero.
⚠️ Accumulation limits: Even though you can accumulate InMail credits from month to month, there’s a cap on how many you can accumulate, which is determined by your specific subscription type.
Managing and renewing your InMail credits
It’s important to understand how InMail credits work and how to obtain them, but it’s equally important to monitor and manage these credits effectively.
The next section guides you on tracking your existing credits and, if necessary, renewing them for uninterrupted networking.
Monitoring your InMail credits
To stay updated on your available InMail credits, follow these steps:
- Sign in to your LinkedIn account.
- Click on the “Me” icon on your LinkedIn profile.
- Navigate to “Access on my Premium” and proceed to “My Premium Page.”
- Here, you’ll be able to see how many LinkedIn InMail credits you have left.
Purchasing additional InMail credits
Should you need more InMail credits, here’s how to buy them:
- Log in to your account.
- Navigate to “Product Settings,” located at the top of the page.
- Locate and click on the “Manage Your Account” box, followed by the “Purchase” button.
- Specify the number of credits you wish to purchase.
- Click “Continue” to proceed to the payment gateway.
- Complete the payment steps to add more InMail credits to your account.
Maximizing Your InMail Credits: Strategies and Tips
You’ve not arrivedt at a dead end when you’ve used your monthly InMail credit quota and don’t necessarily want to purchase more. There are several methods to either procure more credits or make the most of what you have:
🔥 Engaging within groups
Sending messages to individuals who are members of the same group as you don’t require InMail credits.
Before messaging, check whether you and the recipient are members of the same group, as this allows you to message without using your InMail credits. While this doesn’t add credits, it helps you conserve what you have.
🔥 Leveraging LinkedIn’s InMail policies for unlimited credits
Achieve a 100% response rate on your messages to unlock unlimited InMail credits.
Note: This policy was initiated to promote quality messaging, but achieving a perfect response rate can be tough.
🔥 Credit reimbursement policy
LinkedIn refunds the credit you’ve used if you send an InMail and receive a reply within 90 days.
Suppose you use 50 InMail credits to send messages. If 60% of those messages receive replies, LinkedIn will reimburse you for the successful messages. So, 60% of 50 credits gets you 30 credits.
How Do You Send InMail Messages on LinkedIn?
To many, sending an InMail may seem intuitive, but understanding the step-by-step process ensures efficacy:
- Profile navigation: Visit the profile of your intended recipient.
- Engage the “More” button: This is located next to the profile’s primary engagement buttons. Upon clicking, a dropdown appears.
- Initiate InMail: From the dropdown, select “Send InMail.”
- Craft and dispatch: Write your message, ensure it’s compelling and precise, and then dispatch it.
Crafting Effective InMail Messages: Best Practices for LinkedIn
Here’s how to craft an impactful message and ensure your LinkedIn inbox is full of replies!
✔️ Understand your objective and audience
Before you craft your InMail, clearly identify its purpose—whether it is seeking a meeting, an interview, or forwarding your CV.
Understand your recipient’s profile and tailor your message to their interests. Emphasize the benefits they stand to gain from engaging with you. To facilitate a response, conclude your message with a pertinent question or a clear call to action.
✔️ Personalize your outreach
Generalized pitches rarely impress. For your message to truly stand out on LinkedIn, it should align with the recipient’s profile by tapping into their achievements and interests.
Steer clear of generic, templated messages; craft each one uniquely, instead. Demonstrating genuine interest by pinpointing something specific from their profile can make all the difference in fostering a meaningful connection.
🚀 To really stand out, try hyper-personalization
To make your LinkedIn Mail more impactful, incorporate hyper-personalized features. Tools such as Hyperise can help you include the recipient’s name, relevant details, or a tailored call to action within attention-grabbing images, GIFs, or videos.
Utilizing these visual aids captures the recipient’s attention and tends to double the response rate compared to plain text messages.
A common oversight is misspelling names or using the wrong titles. On LinkedIn, all the essential details are readily available; always ensure you double-check for accuracy.
✔️Clarity and brevity
Craft a concise yet impactful InMail and make every word count. With LinkedIn’s 200-character limit for subject lines and a 2,000-character cap for the message body, it’s crucial to be succinct. Start with an attention-grabbing subject line to ensure your message stands out and gets the attention it deserves.
✔️Proofread your InMail messages
Always keep your InMail professional by not using slang or casual words. When you are done crafting your message, check for spelling and grammar mistakes to ensure your message looks polished.
And no matter what, be polite and respectful in your approach. This shows you’re serious and leaves a good impression.
Avoid using dense blocks of text by breaking up your text into short paragraphs to enhance readability, especially on mobile devices.
Incorporating these best practices ensures your InMail messages are read and greatly increases the likelihood of receiving the desired response.
Final Thoughts
LinkedIn InMails are not just messages—they’re bridges to potential opportunities, partnerships, and new avenues. Like any tool, their power lies in how you use them. In the world of networking, quality always trumps quantity. And what better way to enhance that quality than with a hyper-personalized touch?
With Hyperise, you can elevate your InMail game by adding that distinct personal touch to each message, which ensures it resonates and stands out. InMails, when paired with the right tool, can unlock doors you didn’t even know existed.
Why not give it a shot? Start your free trial with Hyperise today and redefine your LinkedIn outreach.