If you’ve ever sent a message on LinkedIn and wondered if the recipient actually received it, you’re not alone. With over 722 million members on the platform, sending and receiving messages is a key way to connect with other professionals.
But between spam filters, ignored messages, and technical glitches, there’s always a chance your thoughtful note didn’t make it to the intended recipient’s inbox. So how do you know if your LinkedIn messages are going through?
Why Would a LinkedIn Message Not Go Through?
There are a few main reasons why a LinkedIn message might fail to deliver:
- The recipient’s inbox is full. LinkedIn inboxes have finite space just like any email account. If the person you messaged has a full inbox and hasn’t cleared it out, your message will get bounced back to you.
- The recipient blocked you. Members have the option to block other users on LinkedIn. If someone has blocked you, your messages will not get through to them.
- You are not connected. On LinkedIn, you can only directly message someone if you are connected in their network. Otherwise, your message will not be delivered.
- You accidentally mistyped the recipient’s name. A small typo in the name could mean your message goes into the void.
- Technical issues or glitches. Like any software platform, LinkedIn can have occasional bugs or outages that lead to messages not sending properly.
So if you’ve double checked for typos, verified you’re connected with the person, and your message keeps showing as pending or goes unanswered, technical difficulties may be the culprit.
How to Check If Your LinkedIn Message Went Through
The good news is LinkedIn offers some ways to check your sent messages and confirm delivery. Here are a few tips:
- Look for read receipts. If you contact someone directly rather than using an InMail credit, LinkedIn shows read receipts. You’ll see “Read” appear next to messages that have been opened.
- Check your sent folder. Go to your messages and look under the “Sent” tab. This will show all your recently sent messages. If a message went through properly, it will be listed here.
- See if the message is marked “pending.” If you see “Pending” next to a sent message, that means it has not yet been successfully delivered.
- Look for error messages. If your message bounced back, LinkedIn will indicate that with an “Unable to deliver” error message.
- See if the person responded. The surest sign your message went through is if the recipient responds back to you. Though keep in mind they may read your note and choose not to reply.
Using these steps, you can get confirmation on whether your outreach made it to the right inbox or if there was a delivery issue along the way. If your message shows as pending or fails to send, you can try sending it again or reaching out through a different method.
Tips for Successful LinkedIn Messaging
To boost the open and response rates for your LinkedIn messages, keep these tips in mind:
- Personalize the message. Refer to the recipient’s name, company, or something specific on their profile to show you took the time to read about them.
- Keep it short and focused. A concise 2-3 paragraph message is more likely to get opened than a lengthy essay.
- Ask an intriguing question. Posing an interesting question related to their work gives the recipient a reason to write back.
- Follow up if needed. If you don’t hear back within a week, it’s fine to follow up one time.
- Use proper grammar and punctuation. Sloppy messages reflect poorly on your personal brand.
- Avoid generic spammy language. Phrases like “Let’s connect!” or “I’d love to pick your brain” tend to get ignored.
Taking the time to craft thoughtful, personalized messages boosts your chances of getting a response. But even if you follow all the best practices, there will be times your messages go unanswered for whatever reason. Don’t take it personally and move on to other prospects who may be more receptive.
What to Do If Someone Doesn’t Respond
If you follow up once and still don’t hear back, here are a few things you can do:
- Don’t keep messaging repeatedly. More than one follow up starts to look desperate or pushy.
- Consider if it’s the right time. The person may be on vacation, tied up with a work deadline, or going through a busy period.
- Reflect on your approach. Look at the message objectively and see if it could be strengthened or more compelling.
- Remember it’s not personal. There are many reasons for non-response that have nothing to do with you.
- Move on gracefully. Continue networking with other contacts who appreciates your outreach.
While an unreturned message can be frustrating, avoid burning bridges with repeated pestering. Have confidence that if it’s meant to be, you’ll have other chances to connect down the road.
When Is It Time to Reach Out Again?
If you’ve given up on a previous outreach attempt, when is it acceptable to loop back around and try contacting that person again? Here are some tips on timing:
- Wait at least 1 month after your last message. Give the person plenty of time to respond and avoid looking overly pushy.
- Try again if you change roles or companies. Major career updates give you a good reason to restart the conversation.
- Follow up if you see they shared major news. Did they take on a new position, win an award, or post about a big project? Use that as an opening to reach back out and say congratulations.
- Connect at live events. If you run into each other at a conference, event, or networking meetup, those casual in-person interactions often lead to more willingness to engage online.
Essentially, you want to avoid repeatedly pestering the same person with similar sounding messages. But if enough time has passed or circumstances have changed, re-establishing contact may be worth another shot.
Setting Yourself Up for LinkedIn Messaging Success
Beyond optimizing your personal outreach, there are some things you can do to set yourself up for overall LinkedIn messaging success:
- Expand your network. The more connections you have, the more recipients there are for your messages. Having 500+ connections looks a lot better than having 50.
- Complete your profile. A barebones profile makes you look unprofessional. Fill it out to build credibility.
- Get active. Comment on posts, share content, and engage with other members. Profiles with more activity have greater visibility.
- Gain endorsements and recommendations. Testimonials from past managers, clients, and colleagues give you a trust boost.
- Upgrade to premium. Paying for Premium or Sales Navigator unlocks additional messaging capabilities.
- Turn on notifications. Get alerts about new messages and replies so you can respond in a timely manner.
Putting in the work to polish your personal brand and leverage all of LinkedIn’s options positions you for messaging success on the platform, both in sending and receiving.
Conclusion
Sending messages through LinkedIn is a great way to establish new professional connections and move relationships forward. But lack of responses can leave you wondering if your notes even made it across cyberspace. Using read receipts, delivery confirmations, and other visibility tools can give you clarity on whether your messages are reaching their intended targets.
With care and personalization in crafting your outreach, plus persistence to try again when appropriate, you can maximize the chances of your messages getting through. Don’t take non-responses personally, and focus your energy on recipients who engage. Leveraging the full suite of LinkedIn’s communication and profile tools also enhances your messaging experience. Stay proactive and patient, and you’ll reap relationship-building rewards from the connections you make through LinkedIn messaging.