What Is LinkedIn InMail? How It Works and When to Use It

LinkedIn InMail is a premium direct messaging feature that allows you to send a private message to any LinkedIn member – even people who are not in your first-degree network. Unlike standard LinkedIn messages, which can only be sent to existing connections, InMail lets you reach out to anyone on the platform as long as they have not disabled InMail messages in their privacy settings.

InMail is available exclusively to LinkedIn Premium subscribers (Career, Business, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter plans). Each plan includes a set number of InMail credits per month, and unused credits roll over for up to 90 days.

How LinkedIn InMail Credits Work

• LinkedIn Premium Career – 5 InMail credits per month
• LinkedIn Premium Business – 15 InMail credits per month
• LinkedIn Sales Navigator Core – 50 InMail credits per month
• LinkedIn Recruiter Lite – 30 InMail credits per month
• LinkedIn Recruiter – 150 InMail credits per month

If a recipient responds to your InMail – whether with an acceptance or a decline – your credit is returned. This policy incentivizes sending InMails that are relevant and personalized, since responses (even negative ones) earn back the credit.

InMail vs. Regular LinkedIn Messages

• Regular messages – Free, but only available to first-degree connections. No subject line. Limited to 8,000 characters.
• InMail messages – Require credits, can reach anyone on LinkedIn. Include a 200-character subject line and up to 1,900 characters in the message body.

When to Use LinkedIn InMail

InMail is most effective in these scenarios:

• Reaching senior executives or decision-makers who are unlikely to accept cold connection requests
• Recruiting passive candidates who are not actively applying to jobs
• Following up with warm leads who have viewed your profile or engaged with your content
• Reaching prospects in industries where connection requests feel too informal
• Situations where you need more than 200 characters (the connection request note limit) to explain your value

LinkedIn InMail Best Practices

• Keep subject lines under 50 characters and make them specific to the recipient
• Reference something specific from their profile in the first sentence
• Focus on what is relevant or valuable to them, not what you want
• Include one clear, low-commitment call to action (a question, not a meeting request)
• Keep the body under 150 words – shorter InMails get higher response rates
• Send on Tuesday through Thursday mornings for best open rates
• Do not attach files or include multiple links – it looks like spam