LinkedIn InMail is a powerful messaging feature that allows you to directly contact other members outside of your network. However, InMail capabilities are limited for basic LinkedIn members. If you try sending an InMail and get an error saying you’ve reached your monthly limit, it likely means you need to upgrade to a premium account like LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator.
What is LinkedIn InMail?
LinkedIn InMail is a private messaging system that lets you contact any member on LinkedIn, even if they aren’t in your network. Regular LinkedIn messaging only allows you to message your 1st-degree connections. With InMail, you can reach out to 2nd and 3rd-degree connections, group members, and even people outside your network.
InMail messages bypass the recipient’s inbox and get delivered directly into their LinkedIn Messages folder. This helps increase the chances your message will be opened and get a response.
InMail Benefits
Here are some of the key benefits of using LinkedIn InMail:
- Direct access to members outside your network
- Higher response rates compared to regular LinkedIn messages
- Ability to establish new relationships and opportunities
- Ideal for targeted sales outreach and recruiting
Why Can’t I Send InMails?
If you try sending an InMail on LinkedIn and get an error or alert that you’ve used up your monthly limit, it likely means you don’t have the right LinkedIn account to send unlimited messages. Here are some common reasons why you may be restricted from sending InMails:
You Have a Basic LinkedIn Account
With a free basic LinkedIn account, your InMail capabilities are very limited. Basic members only get 5 free InMails every month. That means once you hit your monthly limit of 5 messages, you won’t be able to send any more InMails until your allowance resets at the start of the next month.
Upgrading to a premium LinkedIn account like Premium Career or Sales Navigator will remove InMail restrictions and allow you to send unlimited messages.
You Have an Active LinkedIn Recruiter Account
If you use LinkedIn Recruiter to source and contact candidates, take note that Recruiter licenses also come with monthly InMail limits based on your subscription tier. For example, a Recruiter Professional user only gets 150 InMails per month. With a Master account, that increases to 750 messages.
When your Recruiter account hits the monthly InMail limit, you won’t be able to send any more messages until the quota resets at the start of the next billing cycle. Upgrading to a larger Recruiter package can increase your monthly allowance.
You’re New to LinkedIn Premium
When you first upgrade to LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator, it can take up to 48 hours for the system to activate your unlimited InMail capabilities. So if you just signed up for a premium account, you may still get errors trying to message people until the upgrade fully processes.
Be patient and try again in a couple days once LinkedIn confirms your premium features are live. Unlimited InMails should work at that point.
You Have Exceeded LinkedIn’s Sending Limits
To prevent spam and abuse, LinkedIn enforces certain daily and monthly limits on how many InMails you can send, even for premium users. For example, you generally can’t send more than 300 InMails per day or 30,000 per month. These thresholds may vary depending on your account status.
If you frequently mass message recruiters or sales prospects, it’s possible to exceed these sending quotas. LinkedIn will notify you if you have surpassed the restrictions and need to reduce your messaging volume.
How to Remove InMail Restrictions
If you want unlimited InMail capabilities, here are a few options to remove sending restrictions:
Upgrade to LinkedIn Premium
One of the key benefits of LinkedIn Premium is the ability to send unlimited free InMail messages. Both the Premium Career and Premium Business plans include this feature. Premium starts at $29.99 per month when billed annually.
With Premium, you can send InMails to anyone on LinkedIn without worrying about monthly quotas. It’s great for expanding your network and connecting with professionals outside your connections.
Upgrade to LinkedIn Sales Navigator
LinkedIn Sales Navigator is designed specifically for sales professionals who want to find and build relationships with prospects and customers. All Sales Navigator packages include unlimited InMails.
The Team plan ($79.99/month) offers the best value and comes with additional relationship insights to customize your outreach. The Enterprise plan ($269.99/month) has added features likeSaved Leads and Work Accounts for larger sales teams.
Upgrade Your Recruiter Plan
To increase monthly InMail allowances for Recruiter accounts, you can upgrade to a larger subscription tier. For example, jumping from Recruiter Professional to Recruiter Master nearly quintuples your monthly messages from 150 to 750. Here are the InMail limits for each plan:
- Recruiter Lite: 30 InMails per month
- Recruiter Professional: 150 InMails per month
- Recruiter Master: 750 InMails per month
The Enterprise plan also offers up to 7,500 InMails per month but requires a custom quote.
Spread Out Your Messaging
If you’re bumping up against daily or monthly sending restrictions, try spreading out your InMail activity over time instead of sending them all at once. For example, you can set a goal to message 50 prospects per day rather than 300 in a single day.
This helps keep your volume under LinkedIn’s thresholds so your messages get delivered successfully without limitations.
Request a Limit Increase
In some situations, LinkedIn may be willing to custom raise your account’s InMail limits if you have a legitimate need to message more people. You can request a limit review directly from LinkedIn online or through your account representative if you have one.
Keep in mind there is no guarantee LinkedIn will increase your allowances, but it’s worth asking if messaging caps are severely impacting your usage.
InMail Best Practices
Here are some tips to use InMail effectively and avoid issues with sending restrictions:
- Personalize each message – Reference their profile and explain why you want to connect.
- Keep messages concise – Get to the point within 2-3 sentences.
- Follow up by phone or email if no response after 4-5 days.
- Focus on quality over quantity – Target members likely to respond.
- Track your daily and monthly sending volume.
- Upgrade your account if you need more messages.
- Avoid spamming recipients or sending bulk InMails.
InMail FAQs
Does a free LinkedIn account include InMail?
Basic LinkedIn members only get 5 free InMails per month. To send unlimited InMails, you need to upgrade to LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter.
What happens if I go over my InMail limit?
You will get an error message if trying to send an InMail once you exceed your account’s monthly quota. Your allowance will reset at the start of the next billing cycle.
Can I purchase extra InMails?
LinkedIn does not currently offer the ability to buy additional InMails ala carte. The only way to get more InMails is upgrading your account to a larger tier.
Do all LinkedIn members receive InMail?
Any LinkedIn member can receive InMails, but only premium account holders can send unlimited messages. Some members opt out of receiving InMail messages in their settings.
Can I reuse an InMail credit after no response?
Unfortunately, you cannot reuse or get a refund on an InMail credit if the recipient doesn’t respond. But you can resend the InMail a second time in hopes of a response.
Why do I have an InMail deficit?
If your InMail balance shows a negative value, it means some of your attempted messages failed to send properly. You need to clear the deficit before sending more InMails.
The Bottom Line
LinkedIn InMail provides a powerful way to engage and build relationships with other professionals on the platform. But InMail capabilities are purposefully limited for basic users as a way to incentivize premium upgrades.
By upgrading your account, removing restrictions, and using InMail judiciously, you can maximize your reach while avoiding issues with monthly sending limits.