InMail

InMail is LinkedIn's paid messaging product that lets you send a direct message to someone you are not connected with. Free LinkedIn accounts cannot do this; you need a Premium Career, Premium Business, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter subscription, each of which includes a monthly InMail credit allowance.

The value over a normal connection request is two-fold. First, you can send a longer message immediately, instead of waiting for a connection to accept. Second, InMails arrive in a more prominent slot in the recipient's inbox, often with a notification, which lifts open rates.

LinkedIn refunds the credit if you get a response within 90 days, which incentivizes higher-quality, more personalized outreach. Spammy templated InMails burn credits because nobody replies.

Monthly credit allowances run from 5 (Premium Career) to 50+ (Recruiter). Unused credits roll over for up to 90 days. Cold acceptance rates for thoughtful InMails to senior prospects typically run 15-30%, much higher than cold email to the same titles, though message volume is far lower.

The best InMails feel like a normal note from a colleague. They reference something specific (a recent post, a shared connection, a published article), make one clear ask, and stay under 150 words. Anything that reads like a templated sales blast gets archived in a second.