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InMail lets you message people you're not connected to — but it's metered and easy to waste. Here's when it's worth it and how to write it.
InMail is the paid way to reach someone outside your network without a connection request. Because it costs a credit and lands with more weight, it deserves a sharper message than a normal DM — and it should be saved for prospects where it's genuinely worth it.
A connection request is free and builds a lasting relationship in your network. InMail is metered but reaches people immediately, even if they would never accept a request. For most campaigns, lead with connection requests and reserve InMail for high-value targets or people whose requests you can't get accepted.
InMail credits come with Sales Navigator and Premium plans and refresh monthly. Crucially, if a recipient replies, you often get the credit back — which means a well-targeted, reply-worthy InMail is effectively cheaper than a scattershot one. That alone is a reason to write fewer, better InMails.
InMail recipients can rate your message. A salesy, generic InMail can cost you a credit and a reputation hit. Treat each one like it's the only message you get to send this person — because it might be.
Sales Navigator Core includes 50 InMail credits a month. At the plan's price, that works out to roughly $2 per credit if you use every one — but most reps use only 15-20 a month, which pushes the real cost per send closer to $5-6.50 once you account for the unused portion.
Here is a complete example written to a VP of Engineering at a mid-size software company who has no mutual connections with the sender and recently posted about hiring.
It is four short lines, the subject names something specific, the body states one relevant outcome without a pitch, and the ask can be answered in a sentence. Compare that with "Quick question about growing your team" followed by three paragraphs about your product, which is what most people who skim an InMail expect.
| Situation | Best route | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Senior buyer, no mutual connections, a live trigger | InMail | A request may not be accepted and the trigger makes timing worth a credit |
| Mid-level prospect in your core ICP | Connection request | It is free and builds a lasting relationship |
| Large list, low intent | Connection request or email | Credits are limited and low-intent sends waste them |
| Someone with an Open Profile setting | Direct message | Messaging may not use a credit at all |
| Prospect who ignored your request | Email, not InMail | A new channel is better than a second ask on the same one |
| Existing customer or warm contact | A normal message | InMail is for people outside your network |
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Subject line like "Quick question" or "Opportunity" | Name the role, company or topic so it reads as written to one person |
| Pasting the same body to a whole list | Send fewer, and change the opener and the question for each person |
| Asking for a 30-minute call | Ask for a one-line reply |
| Leading with who you are and what you sell | Lead with why you are writing to them |
| Using every credit by month end because they expire | Unspent credits are cheaper than sending low-quality messages that hurt your reputation |
| Following up with "just bumping this" | Add one new piece of information or stop |
An unanswered InMail is not the end of the road. For your highest-value targets, a short, relevant email a few days later gives the same message a second chance in a place where it will be seen. Make sure that email comes from a warmed mailbox, or it may never reach the inbox.
Not better — different. Connection requests are free and build your network; InMail reaches people instantly without a connection but costs a credit. Use connection requests as your default and InMail for high-value targets or hard-to-reach senior buyers.
Often, yes. LinkedIn typically refunds an InMail credit when the recipient responds, which rewards well-targeted, reply-worthy messages. This makes quality InMail effectively cheaper than high-volume, low-relevance sending.
Yes, if you spend them only on 2nd/3rd-degree targets with no mutual-connection path and real urgency, like a live trigger event. Spread across a broad, low-intent list, 50 credits a month barely moves pipeline and you'd get more reach from free connection requests instead.
Short: a specific subject line, two to four lines of body, and one question. People often decide from the subject and the first line alone, so put the reason you are writing there. A long InMail reads as a pitch, and a pitch is what recipients expect to ignore.
Something specific to the recipient: their role, a recent post, a company announcement or a topic they care about. Avoid vague subjects like "Quick question" or "Opportunity," which look like mass sends. If the subject could be sent to anyone, rewrite it.
You can schedule it with some tools, but InMail is the channel where automation helps least. Each message uses a limited credit, and generic sends waste it. Use automation for list building and timing, and write the InMails to your highest-value prospects yourself.
Run a free deliverability check on your sending domain — SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and spam-trap risk — before you send another outreach sequence.
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Warmerly combines LinkedIn outreach and warmed email so your message lands wherever your prospect is. Start free.
