What is InMail on LinkedIn? Credits, free InMail and 3 examples

By bravabase · Updated 13 November 2026

InMail is LinkedIn’s paid message for reaching someone you aren’t connected to. You get a monthly allowance of InMail credits with a paid plan: 5 with Premium Career, 15 with Premium Business, 30 with Premium All-in-One or Recruiter Lite, and 50 with Sales Navigator. Every InMail that’s accepted, declined or answered within 90 days earns its credit back, so any InMail that gets a response costs you nothing.

How LinkedIn InMail works

On a free account, you can only message people you’re connected to. InMail is the Premium feature that lets you message someone outside your network directly, without sending a connection request first.

• It uses credits. Each InMail costs one credit from your monthly allowance.
• Replies earn credits back. Any InMail that’s accepted, declined or answered within 90 days returns its credit.
• One at a time. You can’t send a second InMail to the same person until they respond to the first. LinkedIn sends them a reminder within three days.
• Some people opt out. You can’t InMail a member who has turned InMail off in their message settings.
• Length limits. Up to 200 characters in the optional subject line and up to 2,000 characters in the body.

To send one, open the person’s profile and click Message in their introduction section, or start a new message and type their name.

InMail credits per plan

Credits arrive every month and unused ones carry over, up to a maximum. Each credit expires 90 days after it arrives (InMail FAQ). These are the numbers from LinkedIn’s help page on InMail credits and renewal, checked November 2026:

• No plan comes with unlimited InMail.
• Sales Navigator credits renew on the first of each month. Premium credits renew on your sign-up date.
• Premium credits can’t be used in Sales Navigator or Recruiter, and they don’t transfer when you upgrade.
• If you cancel Premium, your InMail balance goes to zero.

For what each plan costs, see LinkedIn Premium cost and LinkedIn Sales Navigator pricing.

Free InMail: Open Profile messages

Premium members can switch on Open Profile. Then anyone on LinkedIn can message them for free, without using an InMail credit, even if they aren’t connected.

• Sending one: open the Premium member’s profile and click Message. If their Open Profile is on, you can write to them without a credit.
• Limits: LinkedIn caps how many Open Profile messages free accounts can send each month.
• Turning it on for yourself: click Me, view your profile, click the edit icon in your introduction section, open the dropdown next to your Premium badge and switch on Open Profile.

A Premium badge doesn’t mean Open Profile is on. LinkedIn controls the two separately.

InMail vs connection request vs message

Use a connection request when you can wait and want an ongoing relationship. Free accounts can add a note to three requests a month; Premium members can add one to every request. Use InMail when timing matters, the person is senior or they rarely accept requests from strangers. Use a message once you’re connected: it’s free and doesn’t use a credit.

How to get replies to your InMails

LinkedIn says Premium InMail is 5.7 times more likely to get a reply than cold email, based on its own data. That only holds if the message is worth answering.

1. Lead with why them, why now. A new role, a hiring push, a post they wrote. Put it in the first line.
2. Keep it short. Three to five sentences. The 1,900-character limit is a ceiling, not a target.
3. Make the subject specific. “Your post on onboarding” beats “Quick question”.
4. Ask one small thing. A yes-or-no question or 15 minutes, not an hour-long demo.
5. Fix your profile first. Your profile is where they’ll go to see who you are. See LinkedIn image sizes for a sharp photo and banner.
6. Plan the follow‑up elsewhere. You can’t send a second InMail until they respond, so follow up with a connection request or email. The cold email follow-up guide has the timing.

3 example InMails

Replace every bracket with real details before you send.

1. The timely reason

Use it when the company has just done something that makes your offer relevant, like hiring, raising money or launching.

Subject: Your [role] hiring

Hi [name], I saw [company] is hiring three [role]s. When [similar company] grew that team, the hard part was [specific problem], and we helped them [what you did].

Is that on your radar as the team grows? Happy to share what worked.

[Your name]

2. The thoughtful reply to their post

Use it when they’ve posted or commented on something you know well.

Subject: Your post on [topic]

Hi [name], your post about [topic] stuck with me, especially [specific point]. We see the same thing with [type of client]: [one short insight they may not have heard].

Would you be open to comparing notes for 15 minutes?

[Your name]

3. The right-person question

Use it when you’re not sure who owns the problem at a company that fits.

Subject: Who looks after [area] at [company]?

Hi [name], I work with [type of company] on [problem]. I’m not sure who handles [area] at [company]. Is that you, or could you point me to the right person?

Thanks either way,
[Your name]

Write the first message faster

The hard part of an InMail is the reason to write. In bravabase, Brava finds leads with a real reason behind each one, like a new hire or a funding round, and drafts first messages for LinkedIn and email from it. You approve every one before it goes out. See outreach in bravabase and pricing.