InMail messages are a premium LinkedIn feature that allows users to directly message members with whom they are not connected. Unlike standard messages that require a first-degree connection, InMails operate on a credit-based system included with premium subscriptions. This enables users to bypass connection requests and contact members outside their immediate network, with messages arriving in both their LinkedIn inbox and as an email notification.
Crafting an effective InMail requires a strategic approach that goes beyond a simple sales pitch. To increase your chances of getting a reply, focus on making your message concise, relevant, and personal. Following a few key best practices can significantly boost your response rates.
To make your InMails stand out, focus on creating a message that feels personal and respects the recipient's time. The goal is to start a conversation, not to close a deal in the first interaction. A well-crafted message is concise, relevant, and tailored specifically to the individual you're contacting.
Choosing between InMail and direct messages depends on your outreach goals and relationship with the recipient.
Even the most well-intentioned InMails can fail due to common mistakes. These errors often make your message feel impersonal and spammy, drastically reducing your reply rate. Avoiding these pitfalls is key to successful outreach.
To measure InMail success, track key performance indicators like open and response rates. High open rates suggest strong subject lines, while response rates indicate message effectiveness. LinkedIn also refunds credits for replies received within 90 days, providing a direct financial measure of engagement and campaign success.
Use LinkedIn’s built-in analytics to monitor these metrics for each campaign. This data helps you identify what works, from message content to the best send times. Analyzing performance allows you to refine your strategy, optimize personalization, and improve future outreach results.
Do InMail credits roll over?
Yes, unused InMail credits roll over each month, but they expire after 90 days. Your total accumulated credits cannot exceed the maximum limit set by your LinkedIn Premium plan, so it's best to use them regularly to maximize their value.
What happens if my InMail doesn't get a reply?
If your InMail message doesn't receive a response within 90 days, LinkedIn will refund the credit back to your account. This policy encourages sending high-quality, personalized messages that are more likely to elicit a reply from the recipient.
Can I send InMails on a free LinkedIn account?
No, InMail is a premium feature available only with paid LinkedIn subscriptions like Premium Career, Business, or Sales Navigator. Free accounts can only send direct messages to 1st-degree connections and cannot use InMail credits to contact others.
A positioning statement is a concise description of your target market and how your product or service uniquely fills their needs.
Consumer buying behavior is the study of how individuals select, buy, and use products and services to satisfy their needs and desires.
Mid-market companies are businesses larger than small businesses but smaller than large enterprises, often defined by revenue or employee size.
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Inside sales metrics are quantifiable measures used to track the performance, activities, and effectiveness of an internal sales team.
Multi-touch attribution is a marketing analytics method that credits multiple touchpoints on the customer journey for a conversion.
Lead scoring models rank prospects by assigning points for their behaviors and demographics, helping sales teams prioritize their outreach.
An Operational CRM is a system that automates and improves customer-facing business processes like sales, marketing, and customer service.
The marketing mix is the set of marketing tools a company uses to sell products, defined by the 4Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.
A Call for Proposal (CFP) is a document that solicits proposals, often through a bidding process, for a specific project or service.
Territory management is the process of segmenting customers into groups by geography or other factors to optimize sales efforts and resources.
Outbound lead generation means proactively reaching out to potential customers who haven't yet expressed interest to introduce them to your brand.
ClickFunnels is a popular online tool that lets entrepreneurs easily build sales funnels to guide potential customers through the buying process.
An inside sales rep sells products or services remotely from an office, using digital tools like phone and email to connect with customers.
Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM) is the portion of the market you can realistically capture with your current resources, sales, and marketing.
Account View-Through Rate (AVTR) is the percentage of target accounts that see an ad and later visit your website without clicking on it.
Sales coaching is a process where managers help reps improve their skills and performance through personalized feedback, training, and guidance.
Outbound sales is when reps proactively contact potential customers through cold calls or emails to generate leads and build a sales pipeline.
Account-Based Selling is a B2B strategy where sales and marketing treat high-value accounts as markets of one, using personalized outreach.
A sales sequence is a series of automated touchpoints sent to prospects over time to guide them through the sales funnel.
Video hosting is a service that allows users to upload, store, and share video content online, making it accessible for playback anywhere.
A lead list is a curated database of potential customers (leads) with contact information and other key data for sales and marketing outreach.
Objection handling is the process of responding to a prospect's concerns or hesitations about a product or service to move a deal forward.
Escalations are the process of moving a customer issue or sales opportunity to a more senior or specialized team member for resolution.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email authentication method that lets you specify which mail servers can send emails on behalf of your domain.
SQL (Structured Query Language) is the standard language for managing and querying data within relational databases.
A sandbox is an isolated testing environment where new or untrusted code can be run safely without affecting the host device or network.
A sales strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines how a business will sell its products or services to achieve its revenue goals.
Net Revenue Retention (NRR) is the percentage of recurring revenue kept from existing customers, including upsells, downgrades, and churn.
A sales dashboard is a visual tool that centralizes and displays key sales data, metrics, and KPIs to help teams track performance and goals.
Sales velocity is a key metric measuring the speed at which your company makes money. It shows how fast deals move through your sales pipeline.
Affiliate networks are platforms that act as intermediaries between publishers (affiliates) and merchant affiliate programs.
Demand capture is the strategy of engaging potential customers who are already actively looking for a solution that your company provides.
A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a contract defining the level of service between a provider and a client, including metrics and penalties.
A value gap is the difference between the value a customer expects from a product and the actual value they receive, often leading to churn.
Real-time data is information processed and made available almost instantaneously, enabling immediate analysis and decision-making.
Rollback procedures are a set of steps to restore a system to a previous, stable version after a failed update, ensuring minimal disruption.
Digital advertising is the practice of delivering promotional content to users through various online and digital channels like social media or search engines.
Customer Retention Rate (CRR) is the metric that measures the percentage of customers a company has kept over a specific period of time.
Sales development is the process of identifying and qualifying potential customers to create a pipeline of sales-ready leads for closers.
Voice search optimization is the process of optimizing your content, SEO, and online listings to appear in and rank for voice-based searches.
Kubernetes is an open-source system for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
Data appending is the process of adding new data fields to your existing database records to enrich and complete your information.
A firewall is a digital barrier that protects a network by monitoring and controlling traffic, blocking unauthorized access and malicious content.
Video selling uses personalized video messages to engage prospects, build rapport, and guide them through the sales funnel to close more deals.
An enterprise is a large-scale organization, often a corporation, defined by its complex structure and substantial number of employees.
The consideration buying stage is where potential customers have defined their problem and are now actively researching and evaluating solutions.
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Workflow automation uses rule-based logic to run a sequence of tasks that would otherwise require manual human effort to complete.
Referral marketing is a strategy that incentivizes existing customers to recommend a company's products or services to their personal network.
Cost Per Click (CPC) is a digital advertising model where an advertiser pays a fee each time one of their ads gets clicked by a user.
Hot leads are prospective customers who have shown significant interest and are ready to buy, making them a top priority for sales teams.
Click-through rate (CTR) is a metric that measures the percentage of people who click on a specific link, ad, or call-to-action.
Account-based advertising is a hyper-focused B2B strategy that targets key accounts with personalized ads across multiple channels.
Solution selling is a sales approach focused on understanding a customer's pain points to offer a comprehensive solution, not just a product.
The Challenger Sales Model is a sales approach where reps challenge a customer's thinking by teaching, tailoring, and taking control of the sale.
Sales Operations Management streamlines sales processes, tech, and data analysis to help sales teams sell more effectively and efficiently.
A Quarterly Business Review (QBR) is a recurring meeting to assess performance against goals and align on strategy for the next quarter.
Call analytics is the practice of analyzing phone call data to extract insights, track key metrics, and improve overall business performance.
ETL, short for Extract, Transform, Load, is a data integration process for moving raw data from various sources to a central data warehouse.
A Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) is a prospect vetted by marketing and sales, deemed ready for a direct sales pitch after showing intent to buy.
Lead conversion is the process of turning a prospect into a customer by getting them to complete a desired action, such as making a purchase.
The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework focuses on understanding customer needs by identifying the specific 'job' they are trying to accomplish.
A Data Management Platform (DMP) is a tech platform used to collect and manage data, mainly for digital marketing and advertising campaigns.
Market intelligence is the process of collecting and analyzing data about your target market, competitors, and industry to guide business strategy.
Channel marketing is a strategy where a company sells its products or services through third-party partners, like resellers or affiliates.
Lead generation software helps businesses automate finding and capturing potential customers' contact information to build sales pipelines.
An AI sales script generator is a tool that uses artificial intelligence to create personalized sales scripts for any outreach scenario.
Revenue forecasting is the process of estimating a company's future revenue, using historical data and market trends to guide strategic planning.
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Email deliverability is the ability for your emails to successfully land in your recipients' inboxes instead of their spam folders.
Kanban is a visual project management method that uses a board to visualize workflow, limit work-in-progress, and maximize team efficiency.
Net 30 is a common payment term where a client has 30 calendar days from the invoice date to pay for goods or services in full.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) benchmarks are key metrics used to measure the performance and success of your targeted account strategies.
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Website visitor tracking collects and analyzes data on user behavior to understand their journey and improve the overall user experience.
Personalization in sales means tailoring outreach to a prospect's specific needs, interests, and context to make communication more relevant.
Targeted marketing focuses on specific consumer groups whose needs align with your product, allowing for more personalized and effective messaging.
An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of rules that lets different software applications talk to each other and share information.
An Account Development Representative (ADR) identifies and qualifies new business opportunities, creating a pipeline for account executives.
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Site retargeting is a marketing strategy that shows ads to people who have previously visited your website but left without converting.
Expansion revenue is the extra money a business makes from its current customers via upgrades, new products, or additional services.
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Going dark is when a once-responsive prospect suddenly stops all communication, leaving you wondering what went wrong.
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Customer experience (CX) is a customer's total perception of your business, based on every interaction across the entire customer lifecycle.
Account match rate is the percentage of target accounts successfully identified and matched against a specific database or data provider.
A sales champion is your internal advocate at a target company. They believe in your product and help you push the deal forward to close.
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A Sales Development Representative (SDR) is a sales specialist who finds and qualifies new leads, building a pipeline for the sales team.
A demand generation framework is a strategic process for creating awareness and interest in your product, ultimately driving new business.
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) is the predictable income a company expects to receive from its customers over a one-year period.
A Content Management System (CMS) is software for creating, managing, and modifying website content without needing specialized technical skills.
MOFU, or Middle of the Funnel, is the crucial evaluation stage in the buyer's journey where leads compare solutions to their known problem.
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Sales pipeline reporting is the process of analyzing sales data to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and forecast future revenue.
Single Sign-On (SSO) is an authentication method allowing users to access multiple applications with one set of login credentials.