InMail is LinkedIn's paid messaging feature that lets you contact people you are not connected to, without a connection request. Premium and Sales Navigator plans include a monthly InMail allowance. Sales Navigator Core includes 50 credits per month.
Unanswered InMail credits can roll over for up to 90 days under LinkedIn's published policy. If the recipient replies within 90 days, your credit is refunded. Below: a full comparison table, credits glossary, writing tips, and inline Q&A.
Choose the right message vehicle before you write. Each has different reach, cost, and reply-rate dynamics.
| Feature | InMail | Connection Request | Cold DM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who can you reach? | Any LinkedIn member, including those you are not connected to | Anyone on LinkedIn (but they must accept first) | Only 1st-degree connections |
| Cost | Uses InMail credits (from Premium or Sales Navigator subscription) | Free for all LinkedIn members | Free for all LinkedIn members |
| Monthly limit | Sales Navigator Core: 50/month. Premium Career: 5/month. Credits roll over up to 90 days | Weekly connection limit applies (typically 100 per week for most accounts) | No formal limit, but message request filters may apply |
| Deliverability | Goes directly to inbox, no acceptance step required | Recipient must accept the request before you can message them | Instant delivery to inbox of an existing connection |
| Subject line | Yes, up to 200 characters | No subject line, note capped at 300 characters | No subject line |
| Typical reply rate | 10 to 25% with good personalization | 15 to 35% acceptance rate for the request itself | 20 to 40% with strong personalization |
| Credit refund | Credit returned if recipient replies within 90 days | N/A | N/A |
Key terms for understanding how InMail credits work, roll over, and expire.
InMail Credit
A single-use token that lets you send one InMail message to any LinkedIn member. Credits are included with Premium and Sales Navigator subscriptions. Each message sent deducts one credit from your monthly balance.
Credit Rollover
Unused InMail credits can accumulate up to a 90-day cap under LinkedIn's published policy. For Sales Navigator Core (50 credits/month), you can stockpile up to 150 credits before the oldest begin to expire.
Credit Refund
LinkedIn returns your InMail credit if the recipient replies to your message within 90 days. This makes InMail more economical for senders who write messages with high reply rates.
Open InMail
A feature available to Sales Navigator users that allows sending InMail to members who have enabled Open Profile. These messages do not consume credits.
InMail Allowance
The number of InMail credits included in your subscription per month. Sales Navigator Core: 50. Sales Navigator Advanced: 50. Premium Career: 5. Premium Business: 15. Recruiter Lite: 30.
Sponsored InMail (Message Ad)
A paid advertising product (now called Message Ads) that delivers sponsored messages at scale. Different from organic InMail credits and available through LinkedIn's Campaign Manager.
InMail Expiry
Credits accumulated beyond the 90-day rollover window expire. If you have 50 credits and do not use any for 3 months, only the most recent 90 days' worth are kept.
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Six principles from high-performing B2B outreach practitioners. Apply all six to maximize both reply rates and credit refunds.
Nail the subject line
InMail subject lines function like email subject lines. A specific question or a relevant reference point outperforms generic labels. 'Re: your post on LinkedIn reach' will get more opens than 'Quick question for you'.
Lead with their world, not yours
The first line of your InMail body should be about the recipient's situation, not your product or company. Reference something specific: a post they wrote, a company milestone, or a common challenge in their role or industry.
State a specific outcome in one sentence
If your offer is relevant, say what it does in specific terms: 'I help [ICP] go from [before] to [after] in [timeframe].' Do not list features. One outcome sentence is enough for the first touch.
End with a low-friction question
A question they can answer in one sentence dramatically increases reply rates compared to asking for a call. Try: 'Is [specific challenge] something your team is prioritizing this quarter?' This also qualifies the prospect before you invest more time.
Keep it under 150 words
Research by LinkedIn and third-party sales teams consistently shows that shorter InMails outperform longer ones. 100 to 150 words is the sweet spot. Every sentence should earn its place.
Send Tuesday to Thursday, morning hours
B2B buyers are most active on LinkedIn between 8 AM and 11 AM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Sending at these times increases the chance your InMail is seen at the top of a fresh inbox.
Straight answers to the questions practitioners ask most often about InMail.
Do LinkedIn InMail credits expire?
Yes. Under LinkedIn's published policy, unused InMail credits roll over and accumulate for up to 90 days (three months). Credits older than 90 days expire. For Sales Navigator Core users with 50 credits per month, the maximum accumulated balance before expiry begins is 150 credits.
What are typical InMail response rates?
Response rates vary significantly based on personalization quality, ICP fit, and timing. LinkedIn has historically cited InMail as performing better than email in head-to-head comparisons for B2B outreach, but third-party data suggests reply rates of 10 to 25% for well-crafted InMails and 5% or below for generic templates. The credit refund system incentivizes quality: better messages earn more refunds.
Can I send InMail without Sales Navigator?
Yes. LinkedIn Premium Career includes 5 InMail credits per month, and Premium Business includes 15. Sales Navigator provides the largest standard allowance (50 credits/month for Core). InMail is not available on the free LinkedIn tier.
Does InMail work better than a connection request?
It depends on the use case. InMail reaches the inbox directly without an acceptance step, which is an advantage for time-sensitive outreach or for high-value prospects who receive many connection requests. However, connection request + first DM sequences often produce warmer replies because the acceptance itself signals some degree of interest.
Reference guide for monthly InMail allowances across LinkedIn subscription tiers.
| Plan | InMail Credits / Month | Max Rollover (90 days) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free LinkedIn | 0 | N/A | Outreach via connections and DMs only |
| Premium Career | 5 | 15 | Job seekers, light outreach |
| Premium Business | 15 | 45 | Individuals doing moderate prospecting |
| Recruiter Lite | 30 | 90 | Talent acquisition, candidate outreach |
| Sales Navigator Core | 50 | 150 | B2B sales, founders, revenue teams |
| Sales Navigator Advanced | 50 | 150 | Sales teams needing CRM integration |
Credit amounts are based on LinkedIn's published plan details as of 2026. Verify current limits at linkedin.com/premium/products before purchasing.
Each of these mistakes reduces reply rates and prevents credit refunds, making your monthly InMail budget less efficient over time.
Using a generic subject line
Subject lines like 'Quick question' or 'Partnership opportunity' are immediately associated with spam. Use a specific reference: the prospect's company name, a recent post they wrote, or a relevant industry topic.
Opening the body with 'My name is...' or 'I work at...'
Buyers do not need your bio. They need to know why this message is relevant to them, right now. Open with their world: a challenge, a context, or a signal that shows you did real research.
Sending InMail to prospects who would accept a connection request
InMail burns credits for outreach you could do for free. Always try a personalized connection request first. Reserve InMail for prospects who have not responded to a request after 7 to 10 days.
Not using the credit refund system strategically
LinkedIn refunds your credit if the recipient replies within 90 days. This means a message that gets replies is effectively cheaper than one that does not. Track reply rates by message variant and double down on what earns refunds.
Ignoring Open Profile members
Sales Navigator lets you filter for Open Profile members, who can receive InMail at no credit cost. Building a segment of Open Profile targets and messaging them first extends your credit budget significantly.
Sending InMail without having an active content presence
A prospect who receives an InMail will check your profile. If your last post was months ago, your credibility suffers before they even read your message. An active posting schedule makes InMail land in a warm context.
Both channels have a place in a B2B outreach stack. Here is a practical guide for choosing between them.
Situation
Prospect is active on LinkedIn (posts regularly, large following)
They are clearly monitoring LinkedIn. Your message is more likely to be seen here than in an email inbox.
Situation
Prospect's work email is verified and deliverable
Email is free, scalable, and works well when you have high confidence in the contact data.
Situation
Prospect is a C-suite executive with a flooded email inbox
LinkedIn inboxes are often less crowded than executive email for B2B outreach. InMail stands out more at the senior level.
Situation
Prospect has no visible email and a closed LinkedIn profile
It may be your only direct path to their inbox. Use the credit wisely with a highly personalized message.
Situation
You are running a high-volume sequence across 200+ prospects
InMail credits run out quickly at volume. Reserve them for high-value accounts and use email for the wider funnel.
InMail reply rates improve when prospects recognize your name before your message arrives. Consistent LinkedIn content builds that recognition without paid reach. If you want a simpler way to stay visible, Lifast generates ready-to-publish posts from a brief so you can maintain a credible feed on a realistic schedule.
InMail is not the default best choice for LinkedIn outreach. It costs credits, sets a slightly higher skepticism threshold (buyers know InMail is a paid product), and produces lower reply rates than warm cold DMs. Use InMail selectively for high-value prospects who have not responded to a connection request, or for targets where their Open Profile status means you can send at no credit cost.
The most effective B2B outreach sequence combines both channels: start with a personalized connection request note, follow up with a first DM 24 to 72 hours after acceptance, and fall back to InMail for prospects who have not accepted the connection after 7 days. This sequence maximizes coverage while using InMail credits where they have the highest impact.
For large-scale outreach across a defined account list, Sales Navigator's ability to filter by Open Profile members means you can identify which prospects can receive free InMail. This optimization alone can stretch a 50-credit monthly budget significantly further.
When a prospect receives an InMail, one of the first things they do is click through to the sender's profile and check recent activity. A profile with no recent posts and a job-title headline reads as an anonymous cold caller. A profile with 8 weeks of consistent, buyer-relevant posts reads as a credible expert.
This profile check happens in 10 to 15 seconds. If the sender's profile fails that check, the InMail gets archived regardless of message quality. This is why InMail reply rates improve substantially for LinkedIn creators who post regularly: the content does not appear in the InMail itself, but it shows up the moment a curious prospect clicks the sender's name.
The practical implication is that InMail strategy and content strategy are not separate initiatives. A founder or sales rep who posts 3 times per week for 90 days before launching an InMail campaign will see better reply rates than one who starts InMail outreach with a cold profile. Tools like Lifast make this sustainable by turning brief weekly input into publish-ready posts.
50 credits per month (Sales Navigator Core) sounds like a lot until you factor in a 15 to 20% reply rate and the reality that most serious B2B outreach targets 200 to 500 prospects per month. The math makes InMail a supplement, not a primary channel. Reserve it for decision-makers at high-value accounts and for prospects who passed on a connection request.
The credit refund system changes the economics. If you earn a 25% reply rate on your InMails, you effectively get a quarter of your credits back. Over 3 months, this compounds meaningfully. The message quality that drives replies is the same quality that drives credit efficiency: personalization, brevity, and a specific, relevant hook.
Track which message variants earn refunds and which do not. A message variant that gets replies on 30% of sends is not just a better message. It is a more efficient use of your credit budget and a signal about what language and framing resonates with your target audience.
Everything you need to know about InMail credits, limits, reply rates, and best practices.
LinkedIn InMail is a paid messaging feature that lets you contact any LinkedIn member directly, without a connection request. When you send an InMail, it lands in the recipient's LinkedIn inbox immediately, with a subject line (up to 200 characters) and a message body. Each message sent deducts one InMail credit from your monthly allowance. If the recipient replies within 90 days, LinkedIn returns the credit to your account.
Sales Navigator Core includes 50 InMail credits per month. Sales Navigator Advanced also includes 50 per month. LinkedIn Premium Career includes 5 per month, Premium Business includes 15, and Recruiter Lite includes 30. Unused credits roll over and accumulate for up to 90 days before the oldest credits begin to expire.
Yes. Under LinkedIn's published policy, unused InMail credits accumulate for up to 90 days. For Sales Navigator Core users receiving 50 credits per month, the maximum stockpile before expiry kicks in is 150 credits. Credits older than 90 days are forfeited.
A regular LinkedIn DM can only be sent to 1st-degree connections. InMail can be sent to any LinkedIn member regardless of connection status. InMail also has a subject line field, which regular messages do not. The trade-off is that InMail costs credits while DMs to connections are free.
Open InMail refers to messages sent to members who have enabled Open Profile on their LinkedIn account. Members with Open Profile can receive InMail from anyone, and senders do not consume a credit for these messages. Sales Navigator includes filters to identify Open Profile members, making it possible to target a subset of your prospect list without spending any InMail credits.
InMail is worth using selectively as part of a broader outreach strategy. It is most effective for high-value prospects who have not responded to a connection request, for very senior decision-makers who receive too many connection requests to respond to all of them, and for Open Profile targets where it costs no credits. Using InMail as your primary outreach channel tends to burn through credits quickly. The connection request plus DM sequence is usually more efficient for volume outreach.