LinkedIn InMail Messages: Is It Worth It For Cold Outreach?

LinkedIn InMail promises to connect you with people outside your network and offer a direct line to potential leads, clients, or candidates. 

On the surface, it sounds like a game-changer for sales, recruiting, or business development professionals. But when you look closer, the flaws begin to appear.

Despite its potential, InMail often underperforms in practical use. Low response rates, limited credits, and messages that often go unread leave many questioning if it’s worth the investment. 

Even the most compelling InMail messages can get lost in the daily sea of notifications professionals receive.

So, is LinkedIn InMail still a valuable tool for cold outreach in 2025? In this blog, I’ll explore the key challenges:

• How InMail works and its built-in limitations
• Why response rates tend to disappoint
• Practical tips to make your messages stand out. 
• Whether alternative tools provide a better ROI

By the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of whether InMail deserves a spot in your outreach toolkit or if it’s time to consider other options. 

Let’s cut through the hype and get to the truth about LinkedIn InMail.

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What is LinkedIn InMail?

LinkedIn InMail is a premium feature that enables users to reach out directly to people outside their network. 

Unlike regular messages, which require the recipient to be a connection, InMail bypasses this restriction, making it a powerful tool for sales outreach. 

Suppose you are a sales representative who sells to marketing managers in the SaaS industry. You have just found an attractive prospect who is outside your network. 

In that case, you can use LinkedIn's InMail and write a tailored message directly to them about your introduction to the solution. 

Key Differences Between LinkedIn InMail and Standard Messages:

Here’s a table for understanding the differences between LinkedIn InMail and Standard Messages:

How Do LinkedIn InMail Messages Work?

InMail messages go straight to recipients’ inboxes, increasing visibility and engagement, which can make it a worthy investment if your goal is to stand out in a crowded professional space.

Here’s how it works:

• Reach Non-Connections: InMail messages help you to reach LinkedIn members outside your 1st-degree connections, such as 2nd and 3rd-degree connections or even those entirely outside your network.
  
  
• Credits System: You get a set number of InMail credits monthly, depending on your LinkedIn Premium plan. Each message costs one credit, and LinkedIn may return the credit if you don’t get a reply in 90 days.
  
  
• Visibility: Messages go straight to the recipient’s inbox, boosting your chances of being seen, and you can even see when your message is read.

How InMail Messages Are Delivered

InMail messages go straight to the recipient’s LinkedIn inbox, meaning they’re more likely to be seen than emails or connection requests. 

Plus, LinkedIn provides read receipts for InMail, so you’ll know if and when your message is opened. This gives you insight into engagement and helps you plan follow-ups.

Privacy with InMail

• InMail messages are private and only visible to you and the recipient—no one else can see them. 
• The recipient can choose to reply or ignore the message without connecting. 
• Since InMail doesn’t rely on existing connections, it’s a direct yet professional way to reach out without feeling intrusive.

InMail is great for getting noticed and making connections when regular LinkedIn messages just won’t cut it.

LinkedIn InMail Credits: Everything You Need to Know

What are InMail Credits?

InMail credits allow limited monthly outreach to new contacts. Evaluating your credit needs based on your outreach volume can help determine if LinkedIn Premium’s cost matches your networking or recruiting goals.

👉 Every InMail sent to a non-connection uses one credit, which is essential for users focused on expanding their outreach.

Monthly Credit Allocation by Plan

LinkedIn Premium subscriptions come with different amounts of monthly InMail credits, tailored to fit various professional needs. Here’s a breakdown:

• Premium Career: 5 credits per month
• Premium Business: 15 credits per month
• Sales Navigator Core: 50 credits per month
• Recruiter Lite: 30 credits per month

Credit Renewal, Expiration, and Accumulation Limits

Each month, credits renew automatically based on your plan’s billing cycle. However, unused credits can roll over up to a maximum limit:

• Premium Career: 15-credit max
• Premium Business: 45-credit max
• Sales Navigator Core: 150-credit max
• Recruiter Lite: 120-credit max

Credits exceeding these limits won’t roll over and will expire, so planning outreach activities regularly can ensure you make the most of them.

Can You Buy Additional Credits?

If you need extra credits, LinkedIn offers options to purchase more, though costs vary based on the plan and location.

However, credits are not transferable between accounts (e.g., Premium to Sales Navigator) and are reset to zero if you cancel your subscription.

Choosing the Right Plan

Higher credit plans, like Sales Navigator, support outreach-heavy roles in sales and recruiting, while Career and Business plans suit occasional networking.

This setup helps users reach beyond their network, easily expanding professional opportunities.

LinkedIn InMail Messages: Is It Worth It For Cold Outreach? 

No, here are the reasons why it may not be the worth for cold outreach:

Why LinkedIn InMail Falls Short for Cold Outreach

1. Low Response Rates:

Many recipients do not respond to InMail messages, often perceiving them as sales pitches and choosing to ignore them.

2. Difficulty in Personalization:

Although LinkedIn provides profile details, crafting personalized messages for each contact is time-consuming. As a result, most InMails appear generic.

3. Requires LinkedIn Premium Subscription: 

InMail isn’t free; it requires a LinkedIn Premium subscription, which includes a limited number of credits. When response rates are low, the cost may outweigh the benefits.

4. Lack of Trust:

Due to a high volume of unsolicited sales messages, many users view InMail as spam and are hesitant to engage.

Where LinkedIn InMail Fits Best

Despite its limitations, InMail can be effective in specific scenarios:

1. Warm Leads: 

If you’ve had prior interaction (e.g., a comment or like on a post), InMail feels more organic and has higher engagement potential.

2. Targeting Niche Groups: 

For highly specific audiences, such as decision-makers in certain industries, InMail provides a direct route to communication.

3. Recruitment Efforts: 

Recruiters often find InMail effective for reaching out to potential candidates, who are generally more receptive to job opportunities. 

4. Event-Related Outreach: 

Following up with attendees of a LinkedIn event using InMail can feel relevant and contextually appropriate.

In summary, while LinkedIn InMail isn’t ideal for cold outreach due to its cost and low engagement, it can be a valuable tool in situations where there’s already some context or connection.

LinkedIn InMail Alternative:

If your aim is to generate more leads and convert clients effectively, relying solely on LinkedIn messages or InMail outreach may not provide the scalability and personalization necessary for success. 

These methods often have 

1. Limited reach, 
2. Low response rates, and 
3. Can come across as impersonal to prospects. 

Luckily, email outreach offers a more efficient and impactful alternative.

Why Email Outreach is Superior

Switching to email outreach provides significant advantages:

• You can send tailored, relevant messages directly to prospects’ inboxes.
• You can send personalized emails to hundreds or thousands of contacts without sacrificing quality.
• You can also craft messages that genuinely resonate, drive engagement and conversion rates.

However, achieving success in email outreach requires the right tools. This is where Salesforge can help you achieve your goals.

Salesforge: Best Alternative to LinkedIn InMails

1. Agent Frank – Your Lead Generation Assistant

Agent Frank is a comprehensive lead generation tool designed to manage every step of the process:

• Builds and optimizes your cold email infrastructure.
• Identifies qualified leads specific to your niche.
• Crafts and delivers highly personalized messages that engage prospects.
• Schedules meetings directly on your calendar.

With Agent Frank, you’re not just automating email outreach—you’re generating meaningful conversations and tangible results.

2. Infraforge and Mailforge – Scalable Infrastructure

Salesforge’s Infraforge and Mailforge tools simplify the technical aspects of email outreach, enabling you to:

• Set up multiple email domains for campaigns.
• Manage large-scale email sending without triggering spam filters.
• Maintain high deliverability across all campaigns.

These tools allow businesses to expand their outreach seamlessly, avoiding the typical technical hurdles of scalability.

3. Warmforge – Keeping Emails Out of Spam

Deliverability is key to successful email campaigns. Warmforge ensures your emails land in inboxes, not spam folders, by:

• Simulating natural email activity to warm up accounts.
• Maintaining a high sender reputation for consistent deliverability.
• Reducing bounce rates while boosting open rates.

Warmforge lets you scale confidently, ensuring that your domain and reputation remain intact.

Why Salesforge?

Salesforge offers a comprehensive suite of tools to scale your email outreach while maintaining a personal touch:

• Agent Frank automates and personalizes lead generation.
• Infraforge and Mailforge provide robust email infrastructure for scalability.
• Warmforge ensures your messages consistently reach prospects’ inboxes.

By choosing Salesforge, you’re not just sending emails—you’re creating connections that drive results. 

Schedule a free demo call or try 14 days free trial to see how it works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now, let’s take a look at some of the common messages users asked about LinkedIn InMail.

How to Send an InMail on LinkedIn

Here’s how to do it:

1. Find the Recipient’s Profile.
2. Click “Message” on Their Profile
3. Compose Your Message. 
4. Review and Send.

When to Use InMail vs. Connection Requests

Choosing between InMail and a connection request depends on your objective:

• Use InMail when reaching out to someone for a specific purpose, like sales or recruiting, where immediate communication is key.
  
  
• Send a Connection Request for long-term networking when there’s no immediate need to communicate or when you want to establish a casual professional relationship. 

InMail is best for situations that require a direct introduction or call to action, while connection requests are ideal for gradually building a network.

LinkedIn InMail Tips and Tricks to More Replies

Here are some tips that might help you get better replies:

• Use curiosity or value-driven lines like “Helping [Their Company] achieve [Goal].” 
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• Bulk InMail with Sales Navigator
  • Filter by industry, job title, etc., for targeted outreach.
  • Add specific details (name, company) to each message.
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• Track response rates to refine messaging and improve engagement.

Optimizing subject lines, personalizing bulk messages, and tracking engagement helps you make the most of your InMail credits, increasing response rates and maximizing return on investment.

Conclusion

LinkedIn InMail can be a helpful tool for targeted or warm outreach but falls short in scalability and cost-effectiveness for cold campaigns. 

Email outreach, supported by tools like Salesforge, offers a more efficient and impactful solution. 

By investing in such tools, you can scale your campaigns, maintain personalization, and achieve a higher ROI while fostering meaningful connections with prospects.