Glossary · LinkedIn outreach
What is LinkedIn InMail?
Last updated:
Definition
InMail: LinkedIn's paid messaging feature that lets you send a direct message to someone you're not connected with. It uses InMail credits and is available to senders with Premium or Sales Navigator subscriptions.
Standard cold connection requests are free; InMails cost credits. InMails land in the LinkedIn inbox directly, with no acceptance gate. Best uses: senior executives who rarely accept cold invites, or as a follow-up after a free invite is ignored. Worst uses: top-of-funnel volume, which burns credits fast.
How does LinkedIn InMail work?
InMail lets you message a LinkedIn member you aren't connected with. It needs a paid plan: Premium, Sales Navigator or Recruiter. Each InMail spends one credit from a monthly allowance, and the message lands in the recipient's inbox without them first accepting a connection request. Basic (free) accounts can only message existing connections.
You send an InMail from the member's profile or from a new message in LinkedIn messaging, with an optional subject line. A member who has turned InMail off in their message preferences can't receive one, and you can't send a second InMail to someone until they reply to the first.
How many InMail credits do you get?
It depends on the plan. LinkedIn lists 5 credits a month on Premium Career, 15 on Premium Business, 50 on Sales Navigator Core and 30 on Recruiter Lite. Unused credits roll over up to a cap, and a credit is returned when the recipient accepts, declines or replies within 90 days.
| Plan | Credits per month | Rollover cap |
|---|---|---|
| Premium Career | 5 | 15 |
| Premium Business | 15 | 45 |
| Sales Navigator Core | 50 | 150 |
| Recruiter Lite | 30 | 120 |
Sales Navigator credits renew on the first of each month; other plans renew on the first day of your billing cycle. If you cancel Premium, your InMail balance drops to zero.
How long can an InMail be?
LinkedIn allows up to 200 characters in an InMail subject line and up to 2,000 characters in the body. In practice, shorter works better for cold outreach: one clear reason for writing, one specific question, and no attachment-style wall of text that reads like a template sent to hundreds of people.
What is an Open Profile message?
Premium members can turn on Open Profile, which lets anyone message them without spending an InMail credit. LinkedIn's Help Center says that if a member has Open Profile enabled, you can message them for free. It's a useful way to reach senior people who rarely accept cold connection requests.
InMail or a connection request: which should you use?
A connection request is free but must be accepted before you can message, and its note is capped at 200 characters on free accounts and 300 on Premium. InMail costs a credit but arrives straight in the inbox with room for a real message. Many teams invite first and use InMail when an invite goes unanswered.
InMail credits are scarce, so they suit high-value prospects rather than top-of-funnel volume. Because a credit comes back when someone replies within 90 days, well-targeted InMails cost less than the raw credit count suggests.
How does InMail fit into LinkedIn automation?
Automation tools that support InMail treat it as one step in a sequence, for example sending an InMail to people who ignored an invitation or messaging Open Profile members directly. LinkedCamp sequences include an InMail step for accounts with Sales Navigator or Recruiter, alongside visits, invitations, messages and email steps.
Related terms and pages
- LinkedIn acceptance rate
- The percentage of LinkedIn connection requests that get accepted. See the benchmarks page for cited healthy ranges.
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- LinkedIn's premium search and prospecting product. It unlocks advanced search filters, saved Lead Lists with live updates, and InMail credits.
- LinkedIn automation
- Software that performs LinkedIn outreach actions — connection requests, follow-up messages, profile views, InMails — on your behalf, on a schedule and within volume limits.
Sources
- 1LinkedIn Help: InMail message credits and renewal processChecked 23 Oct 2026
- 2LinkedIn Help: Send an InMail messageChecked 23 Oct 2026
- 3LinkedIn Help: Differences between InMail messages and personalized invitationsChecked 23 Oct 2026
Run your next campaign from your AI assistant.
Start a 14-day free trial on Turbo or Pro, no card. Running client accounts? Flat agency bundles from $499/mo for 10–20 clients.