# What does InMail in LinkedIn mean: monthly allowance, plans and messages that get replies > InMail is LinkedIn's Premium message to members outside your network. See how InMail credits work, what each plan includes and how to write InMails that work. Source: https://linkedinlikes.com/blog/what-does-inmail-in-linkedin-mean ยท Updated: 2026-11-12 ## Key takeaways - InMail in LinkedIn means a Premium message you can send to members outside your 1st-degree network, with its own subject line. - InMail credits come with LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator or Recruiter: 5 a month on Premium Career, 15 on Premium Business, 50 on Sales Navigator Core and 30 on Recruiter Lite. - Each InMail uses one from the allowance, and LinkedIn gives it back if the recipient answers within 90 days, even with a no. - A well-written InMail campaign gets a 10-25% response rate, and top campaigns in tech reach 35-42%. - Keep the message under 150 words, mention something specific about the person and end with a small, easy request. InMail in LinkedIn means a Premium message you can send to members you aren't connected to, such as 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections, straight into their LinkedIn inbox. It comes with LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator or Recruiter, works on a monthly allowance of messages, and is built for outreach in sales, recruiting and networking. It solves a common problem. You find exactly the right person, a possible client, a strong candidate or the person who approves budgets, but you aren't a 1st-degree connection, so a normal message isn't possible and a connection request can get lost among the others they receive. ## Why does InMail exist? LinkedIn is approaching a billion members, and one good first contact can change the course of a deal or a career. Regular messages work well for people you already know. InMail covers everyone else: it lets you write directly to your 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections. For a broader overview of using LinkedIn for business, this [guide to LinkedIn for Australian businesses](https://homerdigitalmarketing.com/linkedin-6/) is a good place to begin. The system is designed for focused, deliberate messages, and the supply is limited. Each Premium plan includes a set number of **InMail credits** a month, and every message you send uses one. That limit is useful: it pushes senders toward considered, personal notes and away from mass spam. > What makes InMail work is the signal it sends. Because it costs something, a limited allowance and a Premium plan, the recipient can tell the sender chose them on purpose. InMail is meant for deliberate professional outreach. ### InMail at a glance | What | How it works | | --- | --- | | **Who you can reach** | LinkedIn members you aren't connected to (2nd and 3rd degree) | | **Who can send it** | Members on LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator or Recruiter | | **Monthly allowance** | A limited number of InMails each month, which favors quality over volume | | **What it signals** | An InMail usually suggests a serious, professional reason for writing | | **Subject line** | Each InMail has its own subject line, which connection requests don't | | **Analytics** | Sales Navigator and Recruiter show acceptance rates and performance data | In short, InMail is a way to open conversations that would otherwise stay closed. You can introduce yourself, pitch an idea or talk about a role with someone who could matter a lot to your next step. The person will also judge you by your profile, so the profile has to support the message; more on that below. ## How is InMail different from a regular LinkedIn message? The main difference is **who you can write to**. Regular messages reach people already in your network, your 1st-degree connections. InMail reaches people you don't know yet, your 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections. Standard messages cost nothing and have no limit, but they only work with existing connections. InMail is a paid feature made for professional cold outreach. Because the sender spent part of a limited allowance, recipients often take an InMail a little more seriously, which can lead to better open rates. ### Which one should you use? It depends on the goal. A regular message suits your existing network: sending an interesting article to a former colleague, catching up or following up after a meeting. It keeps current relationships going. InMail is for starting _new_ conversations: writing to a possible client, approaching a promising candidate or contacting a leader in your field you want to learn from. It is built for deliberate outreach in sales, recruiting and networking. ### The differences side by side - **Audience:** regular messages go to **1st-degree connections**; InMail goes to **2nd- and 3rd-degree connections**. - **Cost:** regular messages are **free**; InMail needs a **Premium plan** and uses a monthly allowance. - **Signal:** a standard message feels casual; an InMail shows a specific professional reason for getting in touch. The choice comes down to one thing: whether you are building on a relationship that exists or starting a new one. InMail only opens the door. Whether people want to answer depends a lot on what they find when they look you up, which is why recent posts with real discussion under them help. A community such as [LinkedInLikes for comments](https://linkedinlikes.com/linkedin/comment) can help a new post get its first replies. ## How do InMail credits work? The allowance comes bundled with [LinkedIn Premium](https://premium.linkedin.com/) and works as a monthly supply of conversation starters for people outside your network. The cap is deliberate. LinkedIn doesn't want the inbox to fill up with spam, so the allowance makes you think before you send and steers you toward messages that have a real chance of an answer instead of generic templates. ### How many InMails does each Premium plan include? Each plan comes with a different number every month. A typical breakdown: | Plan | InMails a month | Built for | | --- | --- | --- | | Premium Career | 5 | job seekers and career moves | | Premium Business | 15 | business networking | | Sales Navigator Core | 50 | sales professionals | | Recruiter Lite | 30 | hiring | Every InMail you send uses one from the allowance, and LinkedIn gives it back for messages that get answers. > If the recipient replies to your InMail within **90 days**, with any answer at all, including "no thanks", LinkedIn puts that InMail back into your allowance. That is a direct reason to slow down and write something personal enough to start a conversation. Run out before the month ends and most plans let you add more, though the cost climbs quickly. The better approach is to make each message count. ### Do InMail credits roll over? Usually not. InMails you don't use on a standard plan don't pile up from month to month. The design encourages steady, thoughtful outreach every month instead of saving everything for one large, impersonal send. ## How do you write an InMail that gets a reply? Sending an InMail is easy; getting an answer is the hard part. Inboxes are full of automated outreach, so a bit of real personalization is what sets your message apart. Most people spot a copy-paste template at a glance and delete it, and the way through is to show you did your research. Start with the person's recent activity. If they just published an article or shared a firm opinion, mention it in your first sentence; it shows a person wrote the message. A shared interest, a mutual connection or a project they worked on can build the same bridge. ### Subject line and length The subject line is the first thing they see, so use it well. Keep it short and specific enough to earn the open. Skip the generic "Quick question" and give context right away, such as "Liked your recent post on AI in marketing". That makes people curious and shows you were paying attention. Keep the body short, under **150 words**. Professionals get a lot of messages, and a long pitch gets skipped. Get to the reason quickly, say _why them_, and make your request plain. > The recipient will almost always open your profile before replying. A profile with recent, active posts makes you more believable; a bare one can undercut even a well-written InMail. Done well, InMail performs. A solid campaign can reach a **10-25%** response rate, far above cold email, and the best campaigns, mostly in tech, reach **35-42%**. These [LinkedIn InMail statistics](https://salesso.com/blog/linkedin-inmail-statistics/) show how the numbers compare. ### End with a small, clear request Finish with a call to action that asks for little. A 60-minute meeting in the first message is too much; suggest something easy to agree to. The less effort the request needs, the better your odds of an answer. Closing lines that work: - "If this sounds relevant, I'd welcome a 15-minute call next week to talk it through." - "If someone else on your team handles this, I'd be grateful if you could tell me who does." - "I'd like to hear whether this is on your team's list right now." ## Why does your profile matter when you send InMail? A well-written InMail can still go unanswered, because the first thing most recipients do after reading it is open your profile. If they find no recent posts, few connections and no discussion anywhere, the message loses weight, since the account looks abandoned. Before a round of outreach, spend a few weeks posting regularly and replying to comments, so the profile shows recent activity. LinkedInLikes is a free community where LinkedIn members support each other's posts and profiles by hand, from their own accounts: likes, comments, reposts, saves, follows and connection requests. You share a public link to your post, choose the action and spend points you get by doing the same for other members. Comments are written by members in their own words. See how it works for [likes on LinkedIn posts](https://linkedinlikes.com/linkedin/like) and for [LinkedIn followers](https://linkedinlikes.com/linkedin/follow). LinkedInLikes is independent and not affiliated with LinkedIn. ## What do effective InMail messages look like? A strong InMail is personal, short and explains _why_ you are writing to _this particular person_. Anything that reads like a generic template gets archived right away. Two templates you can rework for your own case: ### Sales outreach example **Subject: Your recent post on supply chain logistics** > Hi [Name], I read your recent article on speeding up warehouse operations, and what you wrote about last-mile delivery problems matched what we see. Many of our clients in e-commerce run into exactly that. We built a tool that cuts delivery times by an average of **15%**. If it sounds useful, I'd welcome a **15-minute** call next week to see whether it fits your team. **Why it works:** it opens with a sincere comment on something specific the person wrote, links the problem they described to what you offer and ends with a small request that is easy to accept. ### Recruiting example **Subject: Software engineer role at a mission-driven company** > Hi [Name], I came across your GitHub profile and liked your work on the [Project Name] repository. Your Python work is exactly what our engineering team needs. We are building a platform to [mention company mission], and I think you would fit the culture here well. If you have a few minutes this week, I'd be glad to connect. **Why it works:** it shows you did your research by naming a specific skill and project, and it ties the role to a larger mission, which appeals to strong candidates. For more ideas, these [six message samples for hiring managers](https://www.finaldraftresumes.com/post/6-must-have-message-samples-for-hiring-managers) are easy to adjust for InMail. Personalization pays off. A carefully written InMail can average **10-25% response rates**, and social selling tools have been shown to raise sales by as much as **45%**. More figures are in these [LinkedIn statistics on kinsta.com](https://kinsta.com/blog/linkedin-statistics/). ## Common questions about InMail ### Can you send an InMail to anyone on LinkedIn? Mostly, yes. A Premium account lets you reach almost any member, connected or not, which is the purpose of InMail. Some members tighten their privacy settings and don't accept InMails from people they don't know, so occasionally a message can't be sent. ### What is the difference between InMail and Sponsored InMail? Scale and purpose. A standard InMail is a one-to-one message from your own account, aimed at a specific person. **Sponsored InMail** is an advertising product. A company uses it to send one message to a narrowly targeted audience as part of a marketing campaign, and the message comes from a chosen sender, which may not be your own profile. A good InMail can open the door, and an active, credible profile helps carry the conversation from there. Before your next round of outreach, publish a few posts and [create a free LinkedInLikes account](https://linkedinlikes.com/signup) to get the first reactions on them. ## More on growing on LinkedIn - [Free LinkedIn growth course](https://linkedinlikes.com/linkedin-growth-course) - [How LinkedIn pods work](https://linkedinlikes.com/linkedin-engagement-pods) - [Swapping likes and comments on LinkedIn](https://linkedinlikes.com/linkedin-engagement-exchange) - [Connect for connect on LinkedIn](https://linkedinlikes.com/linkedin-connect-for-connect) - [How to write a LinkedIn connection message](https://linkedinlikes.com/blog/linkedin-connection-message) - [How to do like for like on LinkedIn](https://linkedinlikes.com/how-to-do-like-for-like-on-linkedin) - [Free LinkedIn tools](https://linkedinlikes.com/linkedin-free-tools) - [How to grow on LinkedIn in 2026](https://linkedinlikes.com/blog/how-to-grow-on-linkedin-in-2026) - [LinkedIn engagement rate: 2026 benchmarks and formulas](https://linkedinlikes.com/blog/linkedin-engagement-rate) - [How to request a connection on LinkedIn](https://linkedinlikes.com/blog/request-connection-on-linkedin) ## Frequently asked questions ### What does InMail mean on LinkedIn? InMail is a Premium message you can send to LinkedIn members you aren't connected to, such as 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections. It has its own subject line and comes from a monthly allowance. ### Is LinkedIn InMail free? No. Regular messages to 1st-degree connections are free, but InMail needs LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator or Recruiter. ### How many InMails do you get with LinkedIn Premium? Typically 5 a month on Premium Career, 15 on Premium Business, 50 on Sales Navigator Core and 30 on Recruiter Lite. ### Do you get an InMail back if someone replies? Yes. If the recipient answers within 90 days, even with "no thanks", LinkedIn returns it to your allowance. ### Do InMail credits roll over? Usually not. Unused InMails on a standard plan don't carry over to the next month. ### Can you send an InMail to anyone on LinkedIn? Almost anyone. Some members set their privacy settings to refuse InMails from people they don't know. ### What is a good InMail response rate? A solid campaign gets 10-25%, and the best campaigns, mostly in tech, reach 35-42%. ### What is Sponsored InMail? An advertising product that lets a company send one message to a targeted audience as part of a campaign, from a designated sender.