The InMail response rate policy refers to the guidelines and procedures LinkedIn has in place to monitor the percentage of InMail messages that receive a response. InMail is LinkedIn’s internal messaging system that allows paid account holders to directly contact anyone on the platform, even if they’re not directly connected. Having a high InMail response rate is crucial for establishing trust and deliverability as a sender on the platform.
What is considered a good InMail response rate?
LinkedIn does not publicly share exact benchmarks or thresholds for acceptable InMail response rates. However, based on anecdotal reports from heavy InMail users and LinkedIn marketing agencies, a good response rate seems to fall somewhere between 20-30%.
Of course, response rates can vary dramatically based on factors like:
- The relevance and personalization of the message
- Whether the sender is already connected to the recipient in some way
- The seniority and responsibilities of the recipient
- The sender’s industry and positioning
- The volume of InMails the recipient gets on a regular basis
So while a 20-30% benchmark is reasonable, some senders see much higher or lower response rates depending on their messaging strategy and target audience.
How does LinkedIn monitor InMail response rates?
LinkedIn uses automated systems and algorithms to track the aggregate response rate across all InMails sent by a particular account. They likely look at the total number of messages sent over a certain timeframe compared to the number of responses.
It’s unclear exactly how frequently this calculation is made. It could be on an ongoing basis or during periodic reviews. But LinkedIn definitely has systems in place to identify accounts with abnormally low response rates.
What happens if your InMail response rate is too low?
If LinkedIn determines your account has an unacceptable InMail response rate, you may experience throttling or restrictions on your messaging abilities. Possible ramifications include:
- A limit on the number of InMails you can send per day/week/month
- Extra scrutiny or need for approval when sending to certain recipients (like senior executives)
- A temporary or permanent inability to send InMails altogether
LinkedIn will likely issue warnings or provide feedback before outright disabling your account. But consistently low response rates could result in account restrictions.
How can you improve your InMail response rate?
Here are some tips to help increase your InMail response rate and avoid issues with LinkedIn:
- Personalize every message – mention the recipient’s name, company, role, interests, connections, etc.
- Keep messages concise and scannable – get to the point within 2-3 sentences
- Focus on value for the recipient – how will connecting benefit them?
- Use a strong but natural call-to-action – “Let’s connect for 15 minutes”
- Follow up once or twice if you don’t hear back initially
- Avoid mass blasting generic InMails – quality over quantity!
- Track response rates to identify successful messaging patterns
How to find your InMail response rate
Currently there is no way to view your exact InMail response rate in your LinkedIn account. LinkedIn does not share these numbers publicly. However, you can do some manual tracking to estimate your response rate:
- Export your sent InMails – LinkedIn lets you download your last 60 days of sent InMails.
- Mark which InMails received replies
- Divide the number replied to by total sent
This will give you a rough idea of your rolling response rate so you can track it over time. Third-party LinkedIn tools like Lusha also provide response rate metrics.
What’s considered a good InMail response rate by industry?
Acceptable InMail response rates can vary significantly across industries. Here are some rough benchmarks:
Industry | Good Response Rate |
---|---|
Information Technology | 15-25% |
Healthcare | 20-30% |
Finance | 25-35% |
Higher Education | 30-40% |
Marketing/Advertising | 25-35% |
These averages demonstrate how response rates tend to be higher among industries where networking is very valued (e.g. higher ed, finance).
Does the number of InMail credits you have impact response rate?
There is no evidence that simply having more available InMail credits leads to higher response rates. The key factors that influence response rate are the relevance, personalization, and value presented in each message.
However, having more credits can allow high-volume senders to better segment and test different messaging strategies. More credits gives you flexibility to refine your outreach until you find an approach that truly resonates.
How to increase InMail response rates as a sales representative
As a sales rep using InMail for prospecting, focus on these areas to boost your InMail response rate:
- Research prospects extensively – understand their role, pains, and goals
- Align messaging to each prospect’s needs
- Establish common ground and interests from LinkedIn profile
- Keep messages short and demonstrate value quickly
- Follow up once or twice spaced out over 2-3 weeks
- Track response rates by prospect title, industry, etc and optimize
Does the time of day/week you send InMail impact response rate?
Some studies have shown small differences in InMail open and response rates based on the time of day or day of week. Weekday mornings tend to perform slightly better, as do messaging campaigns that are sustained consistently over several weeks rather than batch blasted all at once.
However, the more important factors are relevance, personalization, and conveyance of value. As long as your messages are thoughtful and aligned to the recipient’s needs, send time has minimal impact.
How does LinkedIn notify you of InMail issues?
If LinkedIn detects potential issues with your account’s InMail activity, such as low response rates, you may receive notices via:
- In-app notifications when sending InMails
- Email alerts to your associated LinkedIn account email
- Messages directly to your LinkedIn inbox
The notifications will explain any messaging limitations being imposed and provide instructions to appeal if appropriate. Be sure to promptly address any such messages from LinkedIn.
Can you get banned from sending InMails?
Yes, it is possible for LinkedIn to completely restrict an account from sending any InMails, either temporarily or permanently. This generally only occurs after repeated warnings and confirmed InMail violations, such as:
- Sending large volumes of irrelevant or untargeted InMails
- Consistently low InMail response rates
- Spam complaints from InMail recipients
- Attempting to circumvent previous InMail restrictions
If your account is restricted from InMail, you can appeal to LinkedIn by articulating how you will improve your practices going forward.
Does LinkedIn provide guidance on best practices for InMail response rates?
LinkedIn does not share detailed public guidance on optimal practices to achieve high InMail response rates. However, their Help Center does provide general InMail best practices including:
- Personalizing messages
- Being transparent and direct
- Keeping messages concise
- Following up respectfully
- Monitoring response rates
Following these general principles and testing different messaging approaches is your best strategy for maintaining acceptable InMail response rates.
How has LinkedIn’s response rate policy evolved over time?
LinkedIn has tightened policies around acceptable InMail response rates over the past several years. Previously, standards were more lax and low response rates would less frequently result in penalties.
But as LinkedIn has grown its premium subscriber base, the company has faced increasing scrutiny to crack down on perceived spam and low-quality InMailing. Hence, the response rate monitoring systems have become more stringent.
It is unclear whether policies will continue to tighten. For now, following best practices and keeping response rates above 20% appears prudent.
Conclusion
Maintaining an acceptable InMail response rate above 20-30% is important for establishing reliability as a sender and avoiding restrictions from LinkedIn. Tactics like personalization, compelling calls-to-action, value-driven messaging, and careful tracking of response metrics can help maximize your InMail open and response rates.
Consistently low response rates could result in warnings or limitations on your account’s InMail capabilities. If faced with such issues, thoughtfully appealing and promising improved practices may help remove restrictions. But the best approach is following LinkedIn’s guidance to proactively keep response rates at healthy levels.