LinkedIn Premium is LinkedIn’s subscription service that provides users with additional features beyond the free version of LinkedIn. One of the key features included with LinkedIn Premium is the ability to send InMail messages.
What are InMails on LinkedIn?
InMail is LinkedIn’s internal messaging system that allows you to connect with other members outside of your network. When you send an InMail, it will show up in the recipient’s LinkedIn inbox as a message.
With the free version of LinkedIn, you are only allowed to send InMails to people who are in your 3rd degree network. For example, you can message someone who is connected to someone that you are connected to. But with LinkedIn Premium, you can send InMails to anyone with a LinkedIn profile, regardless of whether they are in your network or not.
This ability to reach anyone on LinkedIn with an InMail is one of the main advantages of upgrading to Premium. It allows you to directly contact LinkedIn members that you otherwise would not be able to reach.
What types of LinkedIn Premium plans allow InMails?
All of LinkedIn’s paid Premium plans include the use of InMails. Here is an overview of the different Premium options:
| Premium Plan | # of InMails per Month |
|---|---|
| Premium Career | 5 |
| Premium Business | 15 |
| Premium Sales | 25 |
| Premium Hiring | 25 |
As you can see, the number of InMails you can send per month scales up depending on which Premium option you choose. But even the lowest tier Premium Career plan includes 5 InMails.
Premium Career Plan
The Premium Career tier is LinkedIn’s most affordable paid plan. It costs $29.99 per month as of 2023. With this plan, you get 5 InMails to use each month. While 5 may not seem like a lot, it can be effective if used strategically for targeted outreach.
Premium Business Plan
The Premium Business plan costs $59.99 per month and includes 15 InMails. This middle-tier plan gives you more messaging capabilities to promote your business, recruit employees, or connect with business leads.
Premium Sales Plan
LinkedIn’s Premium Sales plan is priced at $79.99 per month. This gives you 25 InMails per month to prospect for new sales leads and accounts. The Premium Sales plan also includes other features tailored for sales professionals like expanded search and list building tools.
Premium Hiring Plan
The Premium Hiring plan is LinkedIn’s top tier paid offering at $119.99 per month. It includes all the Premium Sales benefits plus additional recruiting features. You get 25 InMails each month to source, contact, and engage talent.
How do I send an InMail with LinkedIn Premium?
Sending an InMail with a Premium account is easy to do. Here are the steps:
- Click on the “Messaging” icon at the top of LinkedIn.
- In the dropdown, click on “Compose message”.
- In the “To” field, search for the name of the person you want to message.
- Since you have a Premium account, you will now be able to select anyone with a LinkedIn profile.
- Type your message in the text field provided.
- You can customize the subject line so it’s relevant to your message.
- Hit send and your InMail will be delivered to that member’s LinkedIn inbox!
It’s that simple to send an InMail with your Premium membership! You can repeat those steps to send messages to anyone on LinkedIn you want to connect with.
What are the benefits of using InMails?
Here are some of the key advantages that InMails provide:
- Direct access to top talent – Reachpassive candidates who aren’t actively job searching.
- Higher response rates – People tend to respond more frequently to InMails than cold emails.
- Premium capabilities – Stand out by adding multimedia and templates to your messages.
- Precise targeting – Search for prospects by industry, job title, company, location, and more.
- Sales enablement – Connect with decision makers that hold purchasing power.
- Thought leadership – Share content and ideas directly with your target audience.
For salespeople, recruiters, marketers, and other professionals, LinkedIn Premium is worth the investment for the InMail capabilities alone. The additional features are just bonuses that enhance the value even more.
What are the limitations of InMails?
However, InMails do have some restrictions to be aware of:
- Recipients can easily ignore or delete InMails.
- There are caps on how many you can send per month.
- You may have a lower response rate when messaging executives or influencers.
- There is no ability to personalize with merge fields.
- Longer messages may get truncated in the recipient’s inbox.
- There are restrictions on attachments and links.
While InMails are powerful, they are not a silver bullet. You still need compelling content and a relevant reason to connect to get responses. But used strategically, they can yield great results.
Tips for using InMails effectively
To maximize your InMail effectiveness, keep these tips in mind:
- Personalize each message with the recipient’s name, company, and why you want to connect.
- Craft a clear, concise subject line that piques interest.
- Highlight what’s in it for them – how connecting would be mutually beneficial.
- Show you did your research on their profile and credentials.
- Give them a reason to reply, like requesting advice or providing useful resources.
- Follow up tactfully if you don’t get a response the first time.
- Track InMail metrics to see subject lines and offers that resonate best.
Conclusion
Having the ability to send InMail messages is one of the cornerstone features of LinkedIn Premium. All paid Premium plans include a monthly allowance of InMails to be used. While there are limits, InMails provide a powerful way to directly engage your ideal prospects and connections on LinkedIn that you couldn’t reach otherwise.
To maximize your chances of getting responses, you need to use InMails strategically and thoughtfully. Personalize each one, communicate value, and give the recipient a reason to want to connect with you. Used correctly, InMails give you unmatched direct access to your target audience.
So in summary – yes, with a LinkedIn Premium subscription you can send InMail messages to build relationships, generate leads, and advance your career or business goals through the professional social network.
