The best time to send InMail messages on LinkedIn depends on several factors, including your goal, the recipient’s time zone, and their typical work habits. However, some general best practices exist that can help maximize your response rates.
During Business Hours
In general, it’s best to send InMails during regular business hours, when most LinkedIn members are active and checking their accounts. Avoid sending messages late at night or extremely early in the morning.
For recipients in your own time zone, aim to send InMails between 8-10 AM, 10 AM-12 PM, or 2-4 PM on weekdays. These tend to be peak usage times on LinkedIn when engagement is highest.
Adjust for Time Zones
If contacting recipients in other time zones, pay attention to when they are most likely working. For example, if reaching out to someone on the West Coast and you are on the East Coast, wait until 11 AM Eastern to allow them to get into the office first.
Sending messages outside of someone’s working hours increases the chance of it getting lost or overlooked in their inbox.
Avoid Lunch Hours
Generally avoid sending InMails between 12-1 PM, as many professionals take lunch during this hour and may not see the message right away.
Mon-Thurs Over Fri-Sun
Response rates tend to be higher earlier in the workweek, so when possible send InMails on Monday through Thursday. Fridays bring the distraction of upcoming weekends, so engagement often decreases.
Meanwhile, weekends see much lower LinkedIn usage in general. While InMails can still be sent and deliver on Saturdays and Sundays, fewer users will be logging in to notice them.
Connect First If Possible
If you are already connected to the recipient on LinkedIn, send the InMail directly to their inbox as you would an email. This skips the initial connection request and goes straight to the message.
For recipients you are not yet connected to, try requesting to connect and then sending an InMail once approved. The existing connection makes them more inclined to open the message.
When Following Up
If you need to follow up on an unanswered message, allow 1-2 weeks before sending another InMail. Avoid spamming someone’s inbox if they did not respond the first time.
When following up, update the subject line to indicate it is a follow up and politely ask if they received your initial outreach. Provide your previous InMail as context.
Morning Messaging Cadence
Here is a sample InMail messaging cadence for mornings to maximize open and response rates:
- 8:00 – 8:30 AM: Send initial InMails to East Coast contacts
- 9:00 – 9:30 AM: Follow up with non-responders from previous outreach
- 10:00 – 10:30 AM: Connect requests to new prospects in Central/Mountain time zones
- 11:00 – 11:30 AM: Send new InMails to Central time zone prospects after connecting
- 12:00 – 12:30 PM: Initial outreach to West Coast prospects
Evening Messaging Cadence
And here is a sample evening InMail cadence:
- 5:00 – 5:30 PM: Follow up with non-responders from morning outreach
- 6:00 – 6:30 PM: Send new InMails to East Coast contacts before end of day
- 7:00 – 7:30 PM: Connect requests for new West Coast prospects
- 8:00 – 8:30 PM: Send InMails to new connections on West Coast
Day of Week Analysis
Analyzing response rates by day of week can also help determine the optimal InMail timings.
For example, if you send 100 InMails on each weekday over a month, and get back 15 responses on Mondays, 10 on Tuesdays, 7 on Wednesdays, 5 on Thursdays, and 3 on Fridays, it becomes clear that earlier in the week garners higher engagement.
Use this type of tracking data from your outreach efforts to refine the best InMail times specific to your industry and audience.
Recipient Persona Targeting
Tailor your messaging times based on recipient personas as well. For example, executives tend to get in early and have lighter schedules on Fridays. Meanwhile, sales teams are often in the field until later in the day.
Get to know your prospects’ habits and schedule InMails accordingly. Connect with them when they are most likely to respond.
Subject Line Optimization
No matter when you send it, the right subject line can dramatically improve InMail open and response rates. Keep it clear, specific, and personalized to the recipient. Intrigue them to open it right away amidst their busy inbox.
A/B test different subject line phrasings to determine what works best for your outreach campaigns.
Follow-Up Reminders
Using follow-up reminders can help with linking your original InMails and subsequent attempts. Set reminders to reconnect with non-responders after your initial messages.
This helps avoid over messaging someone by keeping all outreach within a single consistent thread. The recipient sees your continued interest in connecting.
Send From Mobile
Consider sending some InMails from LinkedIn’s mobile app during early commuting times, like 7-9 AM and 5-7 PM. Many professionals check their messages during their transit commute.
The mobile sent InMail can catch them already engaged in the app and help your message stand out.
Optimal Frequency
Avoid bombarding recipients with too many InMails. After the initial message and 1 follow up, move on if they do not respond. Over-messaging will be perceived as spam.
Maintain a sustainable messaging frequency that allows meaningful relationship building with each prospect over time.
Monitor Your Stats
Pay close attention to your InMail stats within LinkedIn to analyze what response rates you get. Identify any trends around what days and times see the highest open and reply percentages.
Continuously refine your approach based on hard data vs guesses. Let your stats guide you to the optimal times.
In Summary
The most effective time to send LinkedIn InMail depends on numerous factors, but in general focusing on weekday business hours, accommodating time zones, avoiding busy periods around lunch and weekends, tracking recipient habits/personas, and diligently monitoring your stats can help determine the best time windows.
With the right strategic approach, your InMail outreach efforts will drive more high-quality connections and conversations.