The short answer is yes, you can reply to LinkedIn messages directly via email. Here’s how it works:
Receiving LinkedIn Messages in Your Email
When someone sends you a message on LinkedIn, you’ll get an email notification to the email address associated with your LinkedIn account. This email will contain the full text of the LinkedIn message.
At the bottom of the email, there are two call-to-action buttons: “Reply” and “View on LinkedIn.” Clicking “Reply” will open up a new email window with the sender’s email address already populated, allowing you to directly respond to the LinkedIn message via email.
Replying to LinkedIn Messages from Your Email
When you hit reply on a LinkedIn message email, your email response will be sent to the sender’s email address. It will not post a reply within the LinkedIn messaging thread.
However, the recipient will receive an email notification of your reply, with a “View on LinkedIn” button that will take them into the LinkedIn messaging thread to view the context of the conversation.
So while your email reply won’t directly populate within the LinkedIn messaging window, the recipient can easily view the message thread via the LinkedIn notification email.
Pros of Replying by Email
There are a few advantages to replying to LinkedIn messages directly through email:
- Convenience – For many, it’s quicker and easier to manage conversations in their email inbox versus jumping back and forth to LinkedIn.
- Follow-up tracking – Email provides an easy way to track message follow-ups and keep conversations organized.
- Off-platform record – You’ll have the email records in your personal inbox, not just within LinkedIn.
Cons of Replying by Email
There are also a few potential drawbacks to keep in mind when replying via email:
- No LinkedIn record – Your email replies won’t be visible within the LinkedIn messaging thread.
- Security/privacy concerns – Some may not want to connect their LinkedIn messages with a personal email address.
- Context loss – Replying via email removes the conversation from the context of the LinkedIn platform.
Turning Off Message Email Notifications
If you don’t want to receive LinkedIn messages in your email inbox, you can adjust your notification settings:
- Go to your LinkedIn account Settings.
- Select “Notifications” from the left sidebar.
- Under “Messages,” toggle off the “Receive messages in your LinkedIn inbox and via email” option.
With email notifications disabled, you’ll only be notified of new LinkedIn messages within the LinkedIn platform itself.
Customizing LinkedIn Message Emails
You have some control over customizing your LinkedIn message emails:
- Frequency – Adjust how often you get message email summaries from daily, weekly, or off.
- Batches – Choose to get emails batched into one summary or individual emails per message.
- Senders – Set specific senders to bypass batching so you always get individual emails.
You can configure these options within your LinkedIn notification settings.
LinkedIn Mobile App
On the LinkedIn mobile app, you can also reply directly to messages from your inbox. Simply tap the reply icon on a message and type your response on your mobile device.
However, one limitation is that message replies composed within the mobile app will not show up in the email thread – it will only be visible on LinkedIn.
Replying to InMail Messages
The ability to reply by email also works for InMail messages sent through LinkedIn Premium accounts. The process is the same.
When someone sends you an InMail, you’ll get an email notification with the “Reply” and “View on LinkedIn” options. If you reply via email, the InMail sender will get an email alert to view your response on LinkedIn.
Messages vs. InMail
It’s important to understand the difference between standard LinkedIn messages and InMail:
- Messages – Free basic messaging between any LinkedIn connections.
- InMail – Paid premium messaging that lets you contact anyone on LinkedIn, even if you’re not connected.
Replying by email works for both formats, but standard messages have some limitations versus InMail when it comes to contacting people you’re not already connected to.
Email Responses Appear as “Unknown Sender”
One quirk to be aware of is that when you reply via email, your messages will show up to the recipient as coming from “Unknown Sender” on LinkedIn.
This is because LinkedIn does not associate your email address with your LinkedIn profile when replying through email.
The recipient will still be able see the message contents and continue the conversation on LinkedIn. But just be aware your name may display as “Unknown Sender” unless you are already connected.
Leveraging Email and LinkedIn Together
The ability to reply by email gives you options when managing LinkedIn conversations. You can choose the right platform – email or LinkedIn messaging – depending on the type of conversation and your personal preferences.
For many, the convenience of replying quickly by email will outweigh small tradeoffs like the message not being visible on LinkedIn. It comes down to aligning your communication style with how you like to manage discussions.
With some prudent configuration of your notification settings, you can take advantage of the strengths of both email and LinkedIn messaging when connecting with your network.