TL;DR
- LinkedIn InMail is a Premium feature that allows you to send direct messages to people you are not connected with on the platform.
- You can boost your reply rates by crafting clear messages, strong subject lines, tailored content, compelling CTAs, and perfect timing.
- Use professional LinkedIn templates that I created specifically for LinkedIn InMails and implement safe automation via Snov.io for efficient outreach.
Being one of the biggest platforms for B2B networking, LinkedIn has its biggest flip side — it is too busy these days. People receive dozens of spam messages daily, so standing out in someone’s inbox becomes harder by the minute.
If LinkedIn outreach is a challenge for you, you are not alone! I have analyzed dozens of InMails in my inbox and came up with practical tips on writing professional LinkedIn InMail templates that will help you hit prospecting, hiring, pitching, or job-hunting goals.
Off we go!
Key points of LinkedIn InMail outreach:
What is LinkedIn InMail?
InMail is a direct LinkedIn message you can send to people outside your network. As a LinkedIn premium feature, InMail allows targeting anybody on LinkedIn. That means no connection request sending, but getting in touch with a person right away.
Why is InMail important for sales, recruiting, and networking?
InMail is a powerful tool for sales professionals, marketers, and recruiters, as it helps you communicate with leads, customers, business partners, influencers, and other business-related contacts without barriers.
For sales teams, InMails facilitate LinkedIn account-based marketing and targeted lead generation, allowing for direct outreach to decision-makers.
For recruiters, InMail is a valuable tool for reaching out to passive candidates on LinkedIn. Besides, it helps target high-quality candidates, winning competition among other headhunters.
For networkers, InMails are opportunities for initiating meaningful conversations beyond LinkedIn 1st-degree connections, which bring stronger collaborations, partnerships, referrals, etc.
Best practices for writing an effective InMail
A usual scenario: You’ve been using LinkedIn Sales Navigator with the 50 InMail credits it provides for several months, but now find out that these messages don’t bring you good response rates.
Your thoughts?
Well, it looks like someone should learn what makes a good InMail. Below, I’ll share some expert recommendations on writing professional InMails on LinkedIn:
Create a catchy subject line
Just like in cold email outreach, the InMail subject line is what recipients see in their inbox first. If it doesn’t attract their attention, your message might be simply passed by.
Mastering the art of writing a compelling subject line for InMails isn’t that complicated:
1. Make it short. The InMail subject line can include up to 200 characters, but it doesn’t mean you should make it that long. Just ensure it looks brief but informative.
❌ Subject line example: We loved your [Industry] skills and would like to offer you a competitive position in our team
✅ Subject line example: Your impressive [Industry] skills are wanted in our team!
2. Make it relevant. Adjust your subject line to a recipient’s interests, needs, and pain points.
Subject line example: Loved your latest post about [Topic]!
3. Mention mutual connections or interests. State you’ve got something in common or share the same connections on LinkedIn.
Subject line example: Great minds think alike — we’re following the same thought leaders!
4. Use numbers. Numbers significantly influence people’s minds, making them more likely to trust what they read or see.
Subject line example: A hack that boosts lead generation by 25% in just two weeks!
5. Trigger emotions. You can achieve this in several ways: by capitalizing or highlighting in bold the words that convey a sense of Urgency (ONETIME) or exclusiveness (VIP), asking open-ended questions, and emphasizing ‘feeling’ words (Impressed), among others.
Subject line example: MY BAD, I haven’t contacted you before
Personalize
Tailor your LinkedIn messages to every prospect or candidate. Start by mentioning their role, recent activity, or interests so they feel the InMail isn’t part of a mass campaign.
Example:
Hi John,
I loved your post on SaaS growth; it gave me an idea of how to solve [specific problem] I’ve noticed your company is experiencing at the moment.
Make InMail short and value-driven
InMail allows you to create a message that is 1900 characters long, but should you? Based on numerous studies, InMails under 400 characters get 22% higher response rates than long ones.
There is a clear logic beyond these statistics: with a brief and informative InMail, you stand out among the lengthy reads of your potential competitors. And let’s be honest: it’s not the size that matters. The trick is to communicate a real value so that the recipient will be prompted to respond.
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💡Expert tip Structure InMails in coherent paragraphs and shift the focus in the main body to the recipient’s needs, not your company or product. |
Adjust the tone of voice
I’d recommend that you make the tone of your InMails more conversational. Indeed, people avoid too formal communication these days. Yet, the best advice you may ever get is to adapt the tone of voice to the person you’re sending an InMail to.
Add a clear call to action
Ensure the recipient understands the next steps by adding a polite call to action (CTA). Stick to only one CTA and make it low-pressure: e.g., write something like “Would you be open to a brief chat?” rather than “Please book a demo now.”
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💡Expert tip Write the first draft of your InMail as you intended it, and then review the copy to identify areas that can be optimized and improved. Implement ChatGPT or any other AI tool to improve your message so it looks concise, maintains the appropriate tone of voice, highlights value, and contains a clear CTA. |
Mind the timing
According to studies, Monday-Thursday are the days when sales reps and recruiters receive the most replies, while Saturday is the worst day for sending InMails.
But I would also recommend you use the recipient’s actions (job changes, posts, company news) as triggers to get in touch with them. With such a practice, you’ll be able to catch prospects hot, boosting the chances of getting their response.
Use LinkedIn automation strategically
The more contacts you’ve got in your list, the harder it is to contact them in bulk manually. So, you won’t be surprised if I say that automation is what every business strives for today, will you? The key challenge is, however, how to make automated activities personalized and undetectable by LinkedIn algorithms.
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💡Expert tip With Snov.io LinkedIn automation, you can put your InMail sending on absolute autopilot without compromising personalization and safety. Your input is minimal: simply build a chain of activities (e.g., start with post likes, account following, or connection requests), add an InMail element to the sequence. Then, create a copy using Snov.io’s advanced personalization features. ❗Snov.io takes extra care of your data safety with:
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Expertly crafted LinkedIn InMail templates for different purposes
In this part, we’ll look at the most effective InMail template examples and their usage scenarios. We’ll also discuss why each template works, so you can apply any of these InMail examples to your real-life cases.
1. InMail template for LinkedIn сold outreach
Purpose: Use it to reach out to someone with no prior connection to you.
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Subject: Interested in your opinion, [Name] Hey [First name], I came across your profile and was really interested in your opinion on [industry-related topic]. I’d love to discuss your experience and exchange ideas on how [industry-related trend] will develop in the upcoming years. If you’re interested, we could add each other to connections and have a quick chat. What do you think? Best, [Your name] [Your position] at [Your company name] |
Why this message works: It is brief and concise, easy-going, with a clear introduction and non-pushy CTA.
Overall, InMails work better for warm outreach owing to their cost-effectiveness. However, you can use this example as the first message for your campaign. If you’ve got a clear business offer, feel free to use one of the following templates for sales, link-building, influencers, and recruiting outreach.
2. InMail template for LinkedIn sales prospecting
Purpose: Use this InMail for sales outreach to target LinkedIn leads who fit your ideal customer profile and can potentially be interested in your solution.
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Subject: This may save [Prospect’s Company] hours a week! Hi [Prospect name], I saw your profile while researching companies doing innovative work in [industry/niche]. Your work on [project] at [Prospect’s company] looks really impressive. Our company helps [industry] teams like yours solve problems with [problem description]. I thought it could be interesting for you to learn how [prospect’s competitor] has managed to grow their productivity by [X]% within just several weeks using [Your product or service]. Would you be open to a 15-minute call next week to discuss how your team could benefit from this solution? Thanks for your time, [Your name] [Your position] at [Your company name] |
Why this message works: It contains a personalized and clear subject line and a targeted intro that shows you’ve done your homework and found up some information about the lead. In the main body, you mention a sales prospect’s competitor, encouraging them to take action for fear of missing out.
3. InMail template for LinkedIn networking
Purpose: Use this example if your goal is to connect with relevant people, such as thought leaders or industry experts.
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Subject line: Impressed by your expertise in [industry]! Hi [First name], I’ve come across your comment in the [LinkedIn group name] group on LinkedIn and was impressed by your achievements in the position of [role] at [company]. I’m always happy to connect with experts in [industry], and I’d love to learn more about your thoughts on how [industry-related trend] will develop in the forthcoming years. We could stay connected on LinkedIn and exchange our ideas. What do you think? Best regards, [Your name] [Your position] at [Your company name] |
Why this message works: It conveys a sense of respect for the person with whom you’d like to build a connection, highlighting their expertise and thought leadership. Plus, this message lays the groundwork for further communication and a stronger partnership.
4. InMail template for LinkedIn link-building outreach
Purpose: Use this LinkedIn template to target SEO specialists who want to improve their search ranking and domain reputation.
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Subject line: A win-win collaboration idea Hi [Name], I hope you’re doing well. My name is [Your name] from [Your company name], and I am contacting you with a quick collaboration idea that could benefit both sides. We’re currently working with a group of high-quality SaaS websites and looking to set up a few strategic three-way link exchanges to boost SEO without compromising on quality. Would you be open to discussing our possible partnership? I would be happy to share more details and specific site metrics. Let me know what you think! Best regards, [Your name] [Your position] at [Your company name] |
Why this message works: It is straightforward, clearly communicates value, and is written in a polite tone of voice.
5. InMail template for LinkedIn influencer outreach
Purpose: Use it to reach out to potential influencers who you think will be interested in partnering with your brand.
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Subject line: Let’s make something amazing together! Hi [Name], My name is [Your name] from [Your company name]. I admire the way you communicate with your audience via valuable posts about [specific topic]. We at [Your company name] would love to offer you a collaboration on an exciting project that focuses on [project goal]. If you’re interested, would you be open to a 15-minute call to discuss our partnership? Best regards, [Your name] [Your position] at [Your company name] |
Why this message works: It has a very catchy subject line, provides a clear collaboration offer, and the CTA is clear, highlighting that the sender is respectful of the recipient’s time. The message leaves a positive impression and motivates the potential influencer to respond.
6. InMail template for recruiters reaching out to candidates on LinkedIn
Purpose: Use this template example to build a connection with a potential candidate whose experience corresponds to the hiring role.
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Subject line: Happy to see you in our team, [Name] Hi [Name], My name is [Your name], and I am a recruiter from [Your company name]. I was going through your profile and, frankly, I’m impressed by your [description of skills] skills. At [Your company name], we’re hiring a top professional for a [role] position. Your experience in [industry] is exactly what we are looking for. If you’re interested, we could connect for a quick intro call, where I could share all details. What do you think? Looking forward to your response, [Your name] Recruiter at [Your company name] |
Why this message works: It contains a personalized subject line and a professional introduction. A recruiter shows a genuine interest in a candidate and compliments their level of expertise, igniting their enthusiasm in discussing a position.
7. InMail template for job seekers reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn
Purpose: This template works well for job seekers who have a LinkedIn Career plan subscription and/or would like to stand out as a proactive candidate.
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Subject line: Interest in the [role] opening Hi [Name], I’ve just applied for the [role] position via [job-search platform/website] and would like to contact you personally after noticing you’re part of the [target company]’s recruiting team. I’ve heard about [target company] as one of the best in the field of [industry] and would be pleased to contribute my skills and [X] years of experience in [related industry/niche] to the development of your product. Waiting for the next steps and attaching my CV, meanwhile, in case my application hasn’t been received yet. Thanks for your time and consideration, [Your full name], [LinkedIn portfolio link] |
Why this message works: It shows a sincere interest in the company, clearly positioning the candidate’s value in a respectful yet confident way.
8. LinkedIn Follow-up InMail template after no response
Purpose: Use this example if a recipient has been silent to your previous message to reinstate the idea to connect and increase the chance of getting a reply.
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Subject line: Reaching out again – promise it’s worth it! Hi [Name], Just wanted to follow up to see if you had a chance to review my previous message. I’d love to connect and hear what you think about [previous offer: e.g.,” learning more about our solution”, “a possible collaboration”, “an opportunity to join our team”, “a SEO partnership idea”] I understand that things might get busy, so if it’s not the right moment, please let me know. Thanks for your time either way! Regards, [Your name] [Your position] at [Your company name] |
Key takeaways
We’ve just discussed what makes a good LinkedIn InMail and provided you with a handful of expertly crafted templates. Now, feel free to share your winning template that got replies in the comments to this post.
And remember, if you’d like to automate your LinkedIn messaging, Snov.io is here to become your reliable partner. We’re excited to welcome you on board with our free plan, designed to skyrocket your cold outreach and drive business growth!
