LinkedIn InMail Best Practices
InMail lets you message LinkedIn members you are not connected with. Here is how to use it effectively.
What Is InMail?
• InMail is a LinkedIn Premium/Sales Navigator feature that lets you message people outside your network.
• You get a limited number of InMail credits per month (varies by subscription).
• Credits are refunded if the recipient responds within 90 days.
When to Use InMail vs. Connection Request:
- Use InMail for: Senior executives who rarely accept connection requests, time-sensitive outreach, when you have a highly relevant message.
- Use Connection Requests for: Peers in your industry, people you share mutual connections with, building long-term relationships.
- InMail response rates average 10-25% (vs. 20-40% for connection requests from well-optimized profiles).
Writing Effective InMails:
Subject Line (Critical):
- Keep under 40 characters.
- Personalize: '{{firstName}}, quick thought about {{company}}'
- Avoid sales language: 'Partnership Opportunity' screams pitch.
- Best performers: questions, name drops, specific references.
Message Body:
- Maximum 8,000 characters, but keep under 400 words.
- Open with why you are reaching out to THEM specifically.
- Reference something from their profile, posts, or company news.
- Include one clear, low-commitment CTA.
- Format with short paragraphs — walls of text get ignored.
InMail in WarmySender Campaigns:
- Add a 'Send InMail' step to your LinkedIn or Multichannel campaign.
- InMails follow the same safety limits and scheduling as other LinkedIn actions.
- Track InMail delivery and response rates in campaign analytics.
- Use InMail as a fallback when connection requests time out — add a conditional branch after 'Wait Accept' that sends an InMail instead.
Best Practices:
- Personalize every InMail — generic messages waste credits.
- Send Tuesday-Thursday for best response rates.
- Follow up once if no response (via email or another InMail after 7+ days).
- Monitor credit usage — InMail credits are limited and valuable.
- If the recipient responds, your credit is refunded — incentive to write great messages.
Common Mistakes:
- Sending a sales pitch as the first InMail — build curiosity first.
- Using InMail when a connection request would work better.
- Not following up — most InMails need a second touchpoint.
- Sending on weekends (lower response rates).