What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a social media platform designed specifically for professional networking and career development. With over 800 million members worldwide, LinkedIn allows users to connect with coworkers, clients, business partners, recruiters, and more to build relationships and advance their careers.
Some key features of LinkedIn include:
- Professional profiles – Users create detailed profiles highlighting their work experience, education, skills, accomplishments, recommendations, and more.
- Feed – A newsfeed shows updates from connections, companies, and LinkedIn pages users follow.
- Groups – Users can join groups based on industry, interests, university, and more to connect with like-minded professionals.
- Job listings – LinkedIn has an integrated jobs board where users can search for and apply to jobs while also being discovered by recruiters.
- News and insights – Users can publish long-form posts and follow LinkedIn pages from thought leaders, businesses, and publishers to stay up-to-date on industry news.
- Messaging – The platform has messaging capabilities to connect directly with other members.
With its focus on career and business connections, LinkedIn is the go-to platform for professionals looking to network, job search, stay current on industry trends, and build their personal brand.
What is InMail?
InMail is LinkedIn’s internal messaging system that allows members to directly contact anyone on the platform, whether they are connected to them or not. Sending an InMail allows users to bypass the need for an existing connection to message other members.
Key Features of InMail
Here are some of the key features of InMail on LinkedIn:
- Direct contact – InMail allows contacting anyone on LinkedIn without needing to send a connection request first.
- Response tracking – Senders can see if the recipient has read their InMail and when.
- Enhanced delivery – InMails have upgraded delivery features to prevent them from getting lost amongst other messages and notifications.
- Professional tone – InMail conveys a more serious, professional tone compared to standard LinkedIn messaging.
- Paywall system – Sending InMails requires having a premium LinkedIn subscription.
In summary, InMail provides a way to directly contact influential connections on LinkedIn that you may not already know. The system gives your messages elevated visibility and status over regular LinkedIn communications.
Why Use InMail?
Here are some of the main reasons LinkedIn members send InMails:
- Reaching influential people – InMail provides access to busy executives, leaders, and decision-makers that have limited ability to connect with strangers.
- Standing out – Your InMail will stand out from other messages someone gets from their connections.
- Making introductions – InMails can be used to request introductions through common connections.
- Following up – After meeting someone in-person, an InMail allows following up to continue the conversation.
- Making requests – InMails can be leveraged to request informational interviews, expertise, career advice, etc.
- Job seeking – When applying for jobs, InMails directly contact the hiring manager.
Essentially, InMails allow you to more effectively reach the people that matter most to your career goals and business relationships.
Proper InMail Etiquette
To ensure your InMails are well received, always follow these rules of etiquette:
- Personalize each message – Make it clear you researched the recipient and what you can uniquely offer them.
- Introduce yourself – Briefly explain who you are and what you do.
- Be direct about your purpose – State clearly why you are contacting them and what you are requesting.
- Keep it short – InMails should be concise and scannable, usually 3-5 paragraphs at most.
- Provide value – Offer something of benefit – a new connection, information, advice, etc.
- Use a professional tone – InMail is not for casual conversation so maintain a polite, business-like style.
- Close with next steps – End by suggesting meeting for coffee, asking to connect, or requesting a response.
Following proper InMail etiquette demonstrates respect for the recipient’s time and will increase the likelihood of getting a positive response.
How to Send an InMail
Here is a step-by-step guide to sending InMails on LinkedIn:
Step 1 – Compose the InMail
Access the InMail page from the “My Network” section. Here you can choose a connection to message or search for any member by name, company or title.
Next, compose your message following the best practices outlined above. Craft a personalized, valuable message that clearly conveys your purpose for connecting.
Step 2 – Check Your Available InMails
Before sending your message, check how many InMails you have available for the month. This is shown at the top right of the compose screen.
Step 3 – Send the InMail
Once your message is ready, click the blue “Send” button. This will deliver the InMail to the recipient’s LinkedIn inbox right away.
Step 4 – Follow Up
Monitor your sent InMail for response tracking information. You can see if your message has been read and when. If you don’t receive a response within a week, consider sending a follow up InMail.
Step 5 – Manage Your InMails
Under the “My Network” tab, you can view InMails you have sent and manage those you have received. Be sure to continue engaging recipients that respond until you accomplish your purpose.
InMail vs. LinkedIn Messages
InMail and standard LinkedIn messaging have some key differences:
InMail | LinkedIn Messages |
---|---|
Paid feature requiring premium subscription | Free for all members |
Can message any member without connecting first | Can only message 1st-degree connections |
Enhanced delivery and visibility over other messages | No delivery prioritization |
Higher response rates | Lower response rates |
Seen as more formal communication | Better for casual conversations |
In summary, InMail conveys a sense of priority and importance while also allowing you to cast a wider net by messaging members outside of your network. Standard LinkedIn messaging is better reserved for lighter conversations with existing connections.
InMail Limits
The number of InMails you can send per month depends on your LinkedIn account type:
Account Type | Monthly InMail Allowance |
---|---|
Free / Basic | 0 InMails |
Premium Career | 25 InMails |
Premium Business | 50 InMails |
Premium Sales | 100 InMails |
Premium Hiring | 150 InMails |
As you can see, having a premium subscription provides more flexibility to cast a wider net with your outreach.
Once your monthly allowance is used up, you will need to wait until the next billing cycle to send more InMails or purchase extra credits. It is possible to buy additional InMails at the following rates:
- 10 InMails for $10
- 25 InMails for $25
- 50 InMails for $50
- 150 InMails for $150
Managing your InMail usage appropriately ensures you can maintain open channels of communication. Monitor your account closely each month.
Tips for Using InMail Effectively
Here are some expert tips for getting the most out of InMail:
- Target influential people outside your network. InMail provides access to industry leaders you couldn’t otherwise reach.
- When job seeking, use InMail to directly contact hiring managers and recruiters.
- Send InMails to request introductions to valuable 2nd-degree connections.
- Leverage InMail to follow up after in-person meetings and events.
- Focus on quality over quantity. Each InMail should be carefully customized.
- Track open and response rates to optimize future outreach efforts.
- Monitor your monthly usage. Ration InMails for priority prospects only.
- Use sparingly. Avoid overusing InMail or you may be seen as a spammer.
- Follow up on unanswered InMails after a week. But don’t harass people who don’t respond.
When used strategically, InMail greatly expands who you can proactively reach out to on LinkedIn and how effectively you can do so. Approach InMail as a privilege to convey important messages, not a right to barrage strangers.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn InMail provides premium subscribers a way to directly contact people outside of their connections with messages that have enhanced delivery and visibility. InMail is ideal for reaching influential people, making requests, following up after meetings, and standing out from other communications. To use InMail effectively, personalize each message, state your purpose clearly, and maintain a polite, professional tone. Follow proper InMail etiquette to increase open and response rates. With the right strategy, InMail can expand your networking capabilities on LinkedIn.
Key Takeaways
- InMail allows directly messaging any LinkedIn member without an existing connection.
- InMails stand out in the recipient’s inbox with upgraded delivery features.
- InMail is best for reaching influential people, making requests, and following up.
- Proper etiquette includes personalizing each message and stating your purpose.
- Having a premium LinkedIn account provides a monthly InMail allowance.
- Use InMail sparingly and strategically for priority prospects and purposes.