Having access to InMail credits is one of the key benefits of upgrading to a premium LinkedIn account. InMail allows you to directly contact anyone on LinkedIn, even if you are not connected to them.
The number of InMail credits you get per month depends on which premium account type you have:
- LinkedIn Premium Career – 3 InMails per month
- LinkedIn Premium Business – 10 InMails per month
- LinkedIn Premium Sales – 25 InMails per month
- LinkedIn Premium Hiring – 25 InMails per month
So in summary:
- LinkedIn Premium Career members get 3 InMail credits per month
- LinkedIn Premium Business members get 10 InMail credits per month
- LinkedIn Premium Sales members get 25 InMail credits per month
- LinkedIn Premium Hiring members get 25 InMail credits per month
What are InMail credits?
InMail credits allow LinkedIn members to directly contact anyone on the platform, whether they are connected to them or not. Each InMail credit lets you send one InMail message.
With InMail, you can:
- Reach people you’re not connected to
- Increase your response rate
- Stand out in the inbox
- Establish new relationships
InMail messages have open and response rates that are significantly higher than regular LinkedIn messages because they appear as standalone emails in the recipient’s inbox rather than as messages within LinkedIn.
Why get LinkedIn Premium?
Upgrading to a premium LinkedIn account unlocks a range of benefits, with InMail credits being one of the most valuable.
Here are some of the key reasons to upgrade to LinkedIn Premium:
- InMail credits to contact anyone – As mentioned above, this lets you directly reach people you’re not connected to.
- Expanded profile views – See who’s viewed your profile, including paid account holders who are normally anonymous.
- Advanced profile filters – Use filters like location, company size, job function, industry and more when searching profiles.
- Salary data – Unlock real salary data to see what companies pay for specific roles.
- Premium badge – Display a gold Premium badge on your profile to showcase your account status.
- Ad-free LinkedIn – Removes all advertisements from LinkedIn for a cleaner experience.
- Premium courses – Get access to exclusive professional development courses.
The extra features available with LinkedIn Premium can help you be more effective at networking, sourcing talent, researching companies, connecting with sales prospects and more.
What are the LinkedIn Premium options?
There are four main types of premium account on LinkedIn. Each has different features and price points.
LinkedIn Premium Career
- 3 InMail credits per month
- Profile views of who’s looked at your profile
- Salary insights
- Premium profile badge
- Ad-free LinkedIn
- Premium courses & learning paths
LinkedIn Premium Career is designed for professionals who want to advance their careers. It has career-focused features like the ability to identify in-demand skills.
LinkedIn Premium Business
- 10 InMail credits per month
- Advanced profile filters
- Newsletter tools
- Premium courses & learning paths
- All Premium Career features
LinkedIn Premium Business caters to small business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals looking to grow their business or client base. It has marketing tools to help connect with more clients.
LinkedIn Premium Sales
- 25 InMail credits per month
- Lead and contact insights
- Unlimited profile views
- Premium courses & learning paths
- All Premium Business features
LinkedIn Premium Sales has features tailored for sales professionals, like contact insights to see what connections you have in common. It also has the most InMail credits per month.
LinkedIn Premium Hiring
- 25 InMail credits per month
- Unlimited profile views
- Candidate insights
- Recruiter Lite
- All Premium Business features
LinkedIn Premium Hiring provides recruiters and HR professionals with tools to source, evaluate and contact candidates. This includes Recruiter Lite for basic ATS functionality.
How much do LinkedIn Premium accounts cost?
LinkedIn Premium is paid monthly or annually, with annual plans working out cheaper overall. Here are the current LinkedIn Premium prices:
- LinkedIn Premium Career: $29.99/month or $239.88/year
- LinkedIn Premium Business: $49.99/month or $ 399.88/year
- LinkedIn Premium Sales: $79.99/month or $639.88/year
- LinkedIn Premium Hiring: $79.99/month or $639.88/year
Discounts are sometimes available, especially for annual subscriptions. It’s worth looking out for any special offers from LinkedIn.
It’s also possible to purchase additional InMail credits beyond the monthly allowance provided in each premium plan. 100 extra InMail credits can be purchased for $10 on all plans except Premium Career.
How to get the most from LinkedIn Premium
To get the most value from a LinkedIn Premium subscription, here are some tips:
- Use your increased InMail credits to connect with key decision makers and prospects who can help you achieve your goals.
- Take advantage of expanded profile views to see who’s looking at your profile and adjust your content accordingly.
- Leverage advanced filters when searching for profiles to find your ideal customers, candidates or business partners.
- View salary data to benchmark compensation at target companies.
- Display your Premium badge to give your profile more credibility and authority.
- Make use of Premium courses to keep your skills current and become more effective on LinkedIn.
Monitoring your inbox and being prompt to reply to messages can also help improve response rates and build relationships through InMail.
Do free LinkedIn accounts get InMail credits?
No, only paid premium LinkedIn accounts get access to InMail credits. Free LinkedIn members cannot directly message people they are not connected to.
With a free account you can only send messages to people in your network. Your messages will appear in the LinkedIn messaging section rather than the recipient’s email inbox.
Upgrading to premium unlocks the ability to purchase and use InMail credits to contact anyone on LinkedIn without needing to connect first.
What happens when you run out of InMails?
If you use up all your allocated InMail credits before the end of the month, you will not be able to send any more InMails until your monthly allowance resets at the start of the next month.
You have a few options if you run out of credits mid-month:
- Wait until your monthly credits reset.
- Purchase an additional set of 100 InMails for $10.
- Upgrade to a premium account with more monthly credits.
- Connect with the desired recipient so you can message them for free.
The best option depends on your needs. For frequent InMail users, upgrading to a package with more credits can save money versus regularly purchasing extra credits each month.
InMail credit tips and best practices
Here are some tips to use InMail credits effectively:
- Personalize each message – Reference their background to show you actually read their profile.
- Keep initial InMails concise – Long messages are less likely to be read. Provide value upfront.
- Follow up after a week if no response – Try contacting once more before moving on.
- A/B test different subject lines – See if you get better open rates with different subjects.
- Track response rates – Identify which prospects are most likely to engage.
- Use credits strategically – Reserve InMail for your highest value prospects.
- Monitor usage – Don’t run out of credits mid-month and get stuck.
Following best practices for engaging prospects by InMail can help maximize your response rates and return on investment.
InMail FAQs
Can I use InMail on a free LinkedIn account?
No, only paid LinkedIn Premium accounts have access to InMail credits. InMail is a premium feature.
Do my unused InMail credits roll over?
No, any unused InMail credits do not carry over month to month. Your credit allotment resets at the beginning of each month.
Can I purchase extra InMail credits?
Yes, 100 additional InMail credits can be purchased at a time for $10 via LinkedIn Premium accounts, with the exception of Premium Career.
Do sales navigator accounts get InMail credits?
No, a LinkedIn Sales Navigator subscription does not include any InMail credits. You need a Premium account.
Can I automatically send InMails?
No, InMails cannot be automatically generated or sent in bulk. Each one must be composed and sent individually.
Summary
- InMail credits allow you to directly contact anyone on LinkedIn without connecting first.
- You get monthly InMail credits with LinkedIn’s premium account types – from 3 to 25 credits.
- InMail messages have higher open and response rates than regular LinkedIn messages.
- Using InMails to engage prospects is a key benefit of LinkedIn Premium.
- Monitor your monthly usage to avoid running out of credits.
- Follow best practices like personalization and concise introductory messages.