What is LinkedIn InMail and how do you send one?

You don't need InMail to message:

• Your 1st-degree connections and LinkedIn Pages. These are free.
• Someone in a LinkedIn Group with you, or a current coworker. You can send them a message request.
• A Premium member who has turned on Open Profile. That's a free message.
• For anyone else you aren't connected to, you need InMail, which comes with Premium, Recruiter, Sales Navigator and Campaign Manager.
• LinkedIn also limits how many messages anyone can send in a period, and you can't message someone who has blocked you.

Sources: LinkedIn Help: Send messages on LinkedIn, checked 15 October 2026; LinkedIn Help: Send an Open Profile message on LinkedIn, checked 15 October 2026

On desktop, with a Premium account:

1. Go to the profile of the member you want to contact.
2. Click More in their introduction section.
3. Select Message [member's name] from the dropdown.
4. Add a subject if you want one.
5. Write your message and click Send.

• In the app: open their profile, tap Message, add a subject and message, then tap Send.
• Subject lines can be up to 200 characters and messages up to 2,000.
• You can't InMail someone who has turned InMail off in their message settings.

Source: LinkedIn Help: Send an InMail message, checked 15 October 2026

LinkedIn's credit page lists:

• Premium credits arrive on the first day of your billing cycle; your date is on the My Premium page. Sales Navigator credits arrive on the 1st of each month.
• There's no plan with unlimited InMail, and you can't buy extra credits on Premium.
• If you cancel Premium, your balance goes to zero. Credits don't carry over when you upgrade, and Premium credits can't be used in Sales Navigator or Recruiter.

Sources: LinkedIn Help: InMail message credits and renewal process, checked 15 October 2026; LinkedIn Help: Send an InMail message, checked 15 October 2026

You get the credit back when the person:

• Accepts your InMail, or
• Declines it or replies within 90 days of you sending it. Quick Replies count as a response; a message still pending doesn't.
• You can't send another InMail to the same member until they respond to the first one. LinkedIn sends them an automatic reminder within three days.

Source: LinkedIn Help: InMail message credits and renewal process, checked 15 October 2026

On desktop:

1. Click the Me icon at the top of your homepage.
2. Select Settings & Privacy.
3. Click Data privacy in the left pane.
4. Under Who can reach you, select Messages.
5. Switch each message type on or off.

• Only Premium members can manage Open Profile messages.
• You can't stop messages from 1st-degree connections; block the person instead.
• Sending an Open Profile message: open the Premium member's profile, click Message (InMail in the app), write and send. LinkedIn limits how many you can send in a period, and an expired payment card on your subscription has to be updated first.

Sources: LinkedIn Help: Manage the types of messages you receive, checked 15 October 2026; LinkedIn Help: Send an Open Profile message on LinkedIn, checked 15 October 2026

Common reasons:

Sources: LinkedIn Help: Send an InMail message, checked 15 October 2026; LinkedIn Help: InMail message credits and renewal process, checked 15 October 2026; LinkedIn Help: Send messages on LinkedIn, checked 15 October 2026; LinkedIn Help: Send an InMail message in Sales Navigator, checked 15 October 2026

Zolyp, which publishes this guide, is our own product, so weigh this section with that in mind. InMail is one-to-one outreach, and Zolyp doesn't send messages. It writes and schedules your LinkedIn posts, so someone who gets your InMail and checks your profile or company Page sees you're active. LinkedIn is one of the 9 platforms it publishes to (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads), and you approve the week before anything goes live. Plans that create the posts start at $29 a month, with a 3-day free trial.