Is LinkedIn InMail worth it?

InMail is LinkedIn’s internal messaging system that allows you to contact anyone on LinkedIn, even if you’re not connected. As a premium feature, InMail can be a useful tool for sales prospecting and recruiting – but is it worth the cost? Here’s an in-depth look at the pros and cons of LinkedIn InMail.

What is LinkedIn InMail?

LinkedIn InMail is a messaging feature that allows LinkedIn members to send private messages to any other LinkedIn member, regardless of whether they’re connected. This helps overcome some of the barriers of connecting and messaging on LinkedIn:

• You don’t need to be connected first in order to message someone
• Your messages bypass the “Other” folder and land directly in the recipient’s inbox
• You can attach files and media to your messages

With a premium LinkedIn account, you get a certain number of InMail credits per month. Each InMail costs one credit to send. You can purchase additional credits as needed.

Who can send InMails?

To send InMail messages, you need one of LinkedIn’s premium account types:

Free LinkedIn accounts do not have access to InMail.

What are the use cases for InMail?

Here are some of the most common uses for LinkedIn InMail:

Prospecting and sales

InMail provides a direct way for salespeople to contact prospects. With InMail credits, you can message decision-makers and leads outside of your network.

Recruiting

Recruiters rely on InMail to contact passive job candidates that aren’t actively applying. It allows them to reach qualified candidates regardless of connections.

Subject matter experts

Writers, researchers, and other subject matter experts can use InMail to reach out to industry leaders and sources for quotes, insights, and interviews.

PR and communications

PR professionals can identify key media and influencer contacts and get their attention with personalized InMails.

Customer engagement

Brands may choose to give customer service agents and community managers access to InMail for engaging customers and resolving issues.

What are the benefits of LinkedIn InMail?

For the right use cases, LinkedIn InMail provides some unique advantages:

High open and response rates

LinkedIn claims InMail has open rates around 50% and response rates around 20%, which is very high for cold outreach. The fact that InMails come directly into the main inbox likely contributes to open rates.

Allows you to contact anyone

The biggest benefit is being able to message anyone on LinkedIn without needing to connect first or go through the invitation process. This removes a common friction point.

Gets your message noticed

InMail puts your message right at the top of someone’s inbox compared to regular LinkedIn messages that may get overlooked or ignored.

Attach rich media

You can include attachments like images, presentations, PDFs, or videos in InMails to make them more visually compelling.

What are the drawbacks of InMail?

While InMail can be very useful, there are some important downsides as well:

Cost

You have to pay for a premium LinkedIn account and each InMail credit costs money (around $1 per message). This adds up quickly if you plan to use it at volume.

Feels promotional

Some recipients see InMail as an invasive sales tactic and are less likely to respond compared to a warm referral introduction.

Limit on credits

Depending on your account, you only get 5-50 InMail credits per month. You can buy more credits, but this further adds to the cost.

No subject line

InMail messages don’t have subject lines, so it’s harder to convey the context upfront to get the recipient’s attention.

No reply tracking

You don’t have visibility into if an InMail was replied to or not. The only way to tell is if you get a response back.

Tips for using InMail effectively

Here are some best practices for getting results from LinkedIn InMail:

• Personalize every message – Use their name, company, interests, etc. Generic messages are easily ignored.
• Keep it brief – Get to the point within 2-3 sentences. Don’t treat it like a sales letter.
• Make it mobile-friendly – Optimize InMails for small screens since many people read messages on mobile.
• Follow up wisely – One follow up is okay but don’t harass people who don’t respond.
• Track response rates – Monitor your response rate so you can refine your outreach approach.
• Use sparingly – InMail works best when you use it selectively for high value targets.

Is LinkedIn InMail worth the investment?

At the end of the day, is purchasing InMail credits and a premium LinkedIn account worth the price? Here are a few things to consider:

Volume of Outreach

If you only plan to do very limited outreach, InMail may not offer enough value to justify the costs. But if you want to contact hundreds or thousands of prospects per month, the delivery rates and response rates often make InMail worth it compared to other cold outreach tactics.

Type of Outreach

InMail shines when you need to initiate contact with people completely outside of your network. If you primarily message people within your extended network, regular LinkedIn messaging may be sufficient.

Quality of Data

InMail is most effective when you have accurate, up-to-date contact data for your outreach targets. If you’re working off of outdated or incomplete data, results will suffer.

Value per Contact

If every new conversation and connection is highly valuable to your business, the cost of InMails becomes negligible. But if you’re doing high volume outreach with lower value per contact, the costs add up fast.

Conclusion

LinkedIn InMail can be extremely useful as a prospecting, recruiting, and expert outreach tool – but it also has limitations. To maximize your chances of success, be selective in using InMail to contact high value, relevant prospects that are likely to appreciate and respond to your personalized messages. With the right approach, LinkedIn InMail can deliver results well worth the investment.