LinkedIn InMail Strategies That Work in 2026 [+3 Free Templates]
TL;DR
LinkedIn InMail lets you message anyone on the platform, even without a connection. Credits are limited (5-150/month depending on your plan), so use them wisely. The open profile hack lets you message many users for free. The 7 tips below will improve your response rate significantly. The 3 templates at the end are ready to use. A good InMail response rate is 15-25%. Below 10% means something is wrong with your targeting or messaging.
What Is LinkedIn InMail?
InMail is LinkedIn's paid messaging feature that lets you contact anyone on the platform, even if you're not connected. Unlike a regular connection request message (limited to 300 characters), InMail gives you up to 1,900 characters and lands directly in the recipient's inbox.
You need a paid LinkedIn account to send InMails. Credits are allocated monthly based on your plan:
- Premium Career: 5 credits/month
- Premium Business: 15 credits/month
- Sales Navigator Core: 50 credits/month
- Sales Navigator Advanced: 50 credits/month
- Recruiter Lite: 30 credits/month
- Recruiter (Full): 150 credits/month
Unused credits roll over for up to 3 months, so you can accumulate a small buffer.
Important: LinkedIn refunds InMail credits when a recipient responds to your message, regardless of whether the response is positive or negative. A reply is a reply. This means your effective monthly capacity is higher than the raw credit count if your response rate is good.
How to Send an InMail on LinkedIn?
Sending an InMail is straightforward:
- Go to the profile of the person you want to message
- Click the "Message" button (if you're connected) or the "InMail" button (if you're not)
- If it's an InMail, LinkedIn will show you how many credits you have remaining
- Write your subject line (up to 200 characters)
- Write your message (up to 1,900 characters)
- Click "Send"
Before sending, check whether the person has "Open Profile" enabled. If they do, you can message them for free without using a credit. You'll see a "Message" button on their profile even though you're not connected, and LinkedIn won't prompt you to use a credit.
7 Tips to Make a Good LinkedIn InMail
1. Lead with something specific to them
Generic openers get generic results. Reference something real: a post they wrote, a company milestone, a shared connection, a problem specific to their industry. This signals that you actually looked at their profile and aren't blasting the same message to 500 people.
2. Keep it short
The 1,900-character limit is a ceiling, not a target. The best InMails are 100-150 words. Long messages signal that you're going to be a lot of work. Short messages signal confidence and respect for the recipient's time.
3. Make the ask small
Instead of "Can we schedule a 30-minute call?", try "Would it be worth a quick 10-minute chat, or is this not relevant for you right now?"
The second version lowers the commitment threshold and gives the person an easy out. Counterintuitively, giving people an easy way to say no increases response rates, because it removes the pressure that makes people ignore messages entirely.
4. Write a subject line that earns a click
Your subject line determines whether the message gets opened. Keep it under 8 words. Make it specific to the recipient or their situation. Avoid generic subject lines like "Quick question" or "Partnership opportunity."
5. Don't pitch in the first message
The goal of the first InMail is to start a conversation, not to close a deal. If you lead with your pitch, you're asking someone to invest attention in you before you've given them any reason to. Lead with curiosity or value, not your product.
6. Follow up once
If you don't hear back after 5-7 days, one follow-up is appropriate. Keep it brief and don't repeat your pitch. Something like: "Wanted to bump this up in case it got buried. Happy to share more context if useful."
After two messages with no response, move on. Sending a third or fourth message damages your sender reputation and wastes credits.
7. Send on the right days
Response rates drop significantly on Fridays and over weekends. Tuesday through Thursday tends to perform best for B2B InMail. Avoid sending on Monday mornings when inboxes are at their most crowded.
3 LinkedIn InMail Templates That WORK
Template 1: The Trigger-Based Opener
Use when: a prospect just changed jobs, got promoted, or posted about a relevant topic.
Subject: Congrats on the new role
Hi [Name], congrats on the move to [Company]. The first 90 days in a [title] position usually involve [relevant challenge]. We've helped a few people in similar situations with [specific outcome]. Worth a quick conversation?
Template 2: The Content Engagement
Use when: they recently posted something relevant to what you do.
Subject: Your post on [topic]
Hi [Name], your post on [topic] was spot on — especially the part about [specific point]. We've been seeing the same pattern with [relevant context]. Curious if you've found a solution that works. Happy to share what we've seen if useful.
Template 3: The Direct Value Offer
Use when: you have a specific, concrete offer relevant to their situation.
Subject: [Company] + [specific outcome]
Hi [Name], I noticed [Company] is [relevant signal — hiring, expanding, etc.], which usually means [relevant implication]. We've helped [similar companies] [specific outcome] in [timeframe]. Would it make sense to connect?
3 Best Subject Lines for LinkedIn InMail
The subject line is the first thing recipients see. These three formats consistently outperform generic alternatives:
1. The specific reference: "[Their company name] + [relevant topic]" — e.g., "Acme Corp + reducing sales cycle"
2. The mutual connection: "[Mutual connection's name] suggested I reach out" — social proof in the subject line dramatically increases open rates
3. The trigger event: "Congrats on [specific milestone]" — acknowledging a real event shows you did your homework and isn't generic
Avoid: "Quick question," "Partnership opportunity," "Following up," or anything that sounds like a mass email.
What Are LinkedIn InMail Credits?
InMail credits are the currency LinkedIn uses for its paid messaging feature. Each InMail you send costs one credit. Credits are allocated monthly based on your subscription plan and roll over for up to 3 months if unused.
The credit refund mechanic is important: when a recipient replies to your InMail (any reply, positive or negative), LinkedIn refunds the credit. This means your effective monthly capacity is higher than the raw number if your response rate is good. A 25% response rate on 50 credits effectively gives you 62.5 messages worth of reach.
How to Get More LinkedIn InMail Credits?
Upgrade your plan: Moving from Premium Business (15 credits) to Sales Navigator (50 credits) more than triples your monthly allocation.
Build up your rollover buffer: If you know a big campaign is coming, throttle your InMail usage for 2-3 months beforehand. You can accumulate up to 3x your monthly allocation.
Use the open profile hack: Check whether prospects have Open Profile enabled before sending a paid InMail. If they do, message them for free and save the credit for someone who requires it.
Improve your response rate: Every reply refunds a credit. Improving your response rate from 10% to 25% effectively gives you 50% more reach with the same credit allocation.
What's the Difference Between LinkedIn InMail vs. Message?
| Feature | InMail | Regular Message |
|---|---|---|
| Who you can reach | Anyone on LinkedIn | Only 1st-degree connections |
| Cost | 1 credit per message | Free |
| Character limit | 1,900 characters | 8,000 characters |
| Subject line | Yes (up to 200 characters) | No |
| Credit refund on reply | Yes | N/A |
| Requires connection | No | Yes |
The key difference: InMail reaches people you're not connected to. Regular messages are free but limited to your existing connections.
Connection request messages are a middle ground: you can include a note (up to 300 characters) with a connection request, which reaches people you're not connected to without using InMail credits. The limitation is the character count and the fact that the person needs to accept the request before you can continue the conversation.
What Are the LinkedIn InMail Limits?
LinkedIn limits InMail usage in two ways:
Monthly credit limits: Based on your subscription plan (5-150 credits/month as listed above).
Rollover cap: You can accumulate a maximum of 3 months' worth of credits. After that, the oldest credits expire.
There's no daily sending limit for InMail specifically, but LinkedIn does have overall daily limits on messaging and connection requests. If you're doing high-volume outreach, tools like Outly help you stay within LinkedIn's limits while keeping your messaging personalized.
Conclusion
Most LinkedIn InMails get ignored not because the channel is broken, but because the messages are. The same tired opener, the same generic pitch, the same ask for "a quick 15-minute call" from someone you've never spoken to.
InMail is a powerful channel when used correctly. Lead with something specific. Keep it short. Make the ask small. Follow up once. And check for open profiles before spending a credit.
A good InMail response rate is 15-25%. If you're below 10%, the problem is usually targeting (wrong audience) or messaging (wrong angle). The data will tell you which one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I send InMail without a premium account? No. InMail requires a paid LinkedIn subscription. Free accounts can only message their 1st-degree connections.
Do InMail credits expire? Yes. Credits roll over for up to 3 months, then the oldest ones expire. You can't stockpile indefinitely.
What happens if someone doesn't respond to my InMail? You don't get the credit back. Credits are only refunded when the recipient replies. This is why response rate matters so much for InMail ROI.
Can I send InMail to anyone? Yes, with one exception: people who have opted out of InMail in their privacy settings. These profiles won't show an InMail button.
Is InMail better than a connection request? It depends on your goal. InMail reaches people immediately without requiring acceptance. Connection requests are free but require the person to accept before you can message them. For cold outreach to senior decision-makers, InMail often performs better because it doesn't require them to take an action first.
Ready to automate your LinkedIn outreach? Outly handles connection requests, follow-ups, and open profile detection automatically. Plans start at $39.99/month.
