As an InMail sender on LinkedIn, you may be wondering if there is a way to tell if the recipient has read your message. Unfortunately, LinkedIn does not provide read receipts for InMail messages like you may be used to with email. However, there are a few clues you can look for to get a sense of if your InMail was opened and read.
Looking for profile views
One of the best indicators that your InMail was read is if the recipient views your LinkedIn profile shortly after you send the message. When someone receives an InMail, your name and profile photo appear prominently at the top of the message. If the recipient is intrigued or wants to learn more about you, there’s a good chance they will click through to view your full profile.
So if you notice a profile view from the recipient around the time you sent the InMail, it’s a positive sign they opened and read it. You may even see multiple profile views if they checked you out more than once. Of course, it’s not guaranteed they will view your profile, even if they read the InMail. But it’s one signal to watch out for.
Monitoring InMail activity
LinkedIn does provide some basic activity tracking for your sent InMails. In your account under the “My Network” tab, you can click on “InMail activity” to see status updates. This will show you info like:
- InMails sent
- InMails accepted
- InMails declined
- InMails expired
Seeing an InMail as “accepted” means the recipient clicked the “Accept Invitation” button to start engaging with you. This definitively means they opened and read your message. A declined or expired InMail could mean it was never opened at all. So monitoring your InMail activity dashboard can provide some useful clues on engagement.
Watching for a reply
The most surefire way to know if your InMail was read is if you get a reply back from the recipient. If they respond thanking you for the note, answering a question you posed, or continuing the conversation, that’s concrete evidence they opened and read your message. Of course, many InMails may go unanswered even if read. But if you do get a response, it removes all doubt that your InMail caught their attention.
Connecting offline
Along similar lines, the recipient may connect with you through another medium outside of LinkedIn if they read your InMail. For example, you could receive a phone call, email, or message on another platform from them following up on your InMail. Again, this signals they digested your initial outreach and wanted to continue the conversation elsewhere.
Changes to their LinkedIn activity
This clue requires more sleuthing, but changes to the recipient’s LinkedIn activity after you sent your InMail could hint they read it. Did they suddenly view your LinkedIn profile after connecting with you elsewhere? Did they look at pages or content related to topics you discussed in your message? Their activity patterns may reflect that your InMail influenced their engagement on LinkedIn.
Asking directly
If all else fails, you could always send a follow up InMail politely asking if they had a chance to read your initial note. Something like: “Hi [name], just wanted to follow up on the InMail I sent last week introducing myself. Did you have a chance to see it yet?” This takes the direct approach to remove any doubt on if it was read. Though be careful not to come across as pestering them if they did not respond the first time.
Ways to tell an InMail was NOT read
While the signs above may indicate your InMail was seen, there are also ways to tell if it likely went unread:
- No profile views from the recipient
- InMail shows as “Expired” in your activity
- No replies after 1-2 weeks
- No change in recipient’s LinkedIn activity
- Recipient does not acknowledge your follow up
Essentially, a total lack of engagement from the recipient after sending your InMail suggests they probably did not open or read it. With no signs of visibility, the odds are low that your message caught their interest.
Why LinkedIn doesn’t do read receipts?
You may be wondering why LinkedIn does not implement read receipts for InMail like many other messaging platforms. There are a few potential reasons behind this:
- Privacy – Recipients may not want senders knowing if/when they opened a message.
- Removing pressure – Read receipts add pressure for recipients to instantly respond.
- Reducing spam – Read receipts could incentivize more low-quality InMails.
- Focus on content – LinkedIn wants senders to craft relevant, personalized messages that stand alone.
The lack of explicit read receipts places more emphasis on writing an engaging InMail that gives recipients a reason to open it and respond. While you don’t get that instant confirmation, focusing on personalized content is ultimately a better approach for quality relationship-building on LinkedIn.
Tools that estimate InMail open rates
While LinkedIn doesn’t provide read receipts, there are some third-party tools that aim to estimate InMail open and response rates. Some examples include:
Tool | Key Features |
---|---|
Mixmax | Estimates open and reply rates based on anonymized data across all Mixmax users. |
Mailshake | Uses historical benchmark data to estimate open rates for your outreach campaigns. |
Woodpecker | Provides open and reply predictions based on factors like recipient’s title and location. |
MeetLeo | Uses data science to approximate open and reply rates for your messages. |
RocketReach | Leverages A.I. to predict response rates based on message personalization. |
The accuracy of these tools varies, and they should still be viewed as estimates. However, they can provide helpful benchmarks to better understand the performance of your InMail outreach efforts. Over time, the data may reveal strategies that work best for increasing open and response rates.
Tips for writing effective InMails
While you may not get explicit confirmation if an InMail was read, you can take proactive steps to boost your open rates:
- Personalize your message with specific details about the recipient.
- Craft compelling subject lines that convey value.
- Keep messages concise yet intriguing.
- Mention common connections when possible.
- Follow up if you don’t receive a response.
- Experiment with timing and messaging.
- Use rich media like images and videos when relevant.
With persistence and continually refined messaging, you can learn what makes recipients more likely to open and engage with your InMails over time. While read receipts would be handy, putting effort into writing great content is ultimately the key.
Conclusion
LinkedIn does not provide sender notifications for read InMails. However, you can look for profile views, InMail activity data, replies, and changes in recipient behavior to gauge if your messages are being opened. While there is no guarantee, crafting personalized, compelling content is the best path to getting your InMails read on LinkedIn.