LinkedIn InMail is a premium message you can send to any LinkedIn member you're not connected to, without sending a connection request first. That's the whole distinction: a regular message can only go to your existing 1st-degree connections, while an InMail reaches strangers directly in their inbox. InMail is a paid feature — it comes with a limited monthly allowance of InMail credits on LinkedIn Premium and Sales Navigator (from 5 credits/month on Premium Career up to 50 on Sales Navigator Core). Because credits are scarce and go to cold recipients, InMail rewards short, personalized, relevant messages and punishes generic pitches. This guide explains exactly how InMail differs from a regular message and a connection request, how credits work, and when it's actually worth spending one.
InMail vs. regular message vs. connection request
These three get confused constantly. Here's the clean difference:
- Regular message — free, but only to your 1st-degree connections (people who've accepted your connection). No credit cost.
- Connection request — a free invitation to connect, with an optional short note (limited characters). If accepted, you can then message them for free.
- InMail — a paid message straight to someone you're not connected to, landing in their inbox without needing them to accept anything first.
So the decision is usually: send a free connection request and message after they accept, or spend an InMail credit to reach them immediately. Cold-but-important targets justify an InMail; most people are reachable for free via a good connection request.
How InMail credits work
Each Premium tier includes a monthly credit allowance:
- Premium Career: ~5 credits/month
- Premium Business: ~15 credits/month
- Sales Navigator Core: ~50 credits/month
- Recruiter Lite: ~30 credits/month
Two things worth knowing: credits typically roll over up to a cap if unused, and — importantly — LinkedIn often refunds your credit if the recipient replies within a set window. That refund rule quietly changes the game: a well-targeted InMail that earns a reply effectively costs nothing, while a spammy blast burns credits with no return. Personalization isn't just polite here; it's economical.
When InMail is worth it (and when it isn't)
Worth an InMail: - A specific, high-value person you can't reach any other way. - A recipient where a relevant, personalized message has a real chance of a reply (which likely refunds the credit). - Time-sensitive outreach where waiting for a connection request to be accepted costs you.
Not worth it: - Anyone you could simply send a free, personalized connection request to. - Bulk, near-identical pitches — you'll exhaust credits and damage your reputation. - "Just checking in" messages with no clear reason for the person to respond.
The single biggest InMail mistake is treating credits as a volume tool. It's a precision tool.
Get the reach of InMail without rationing credits
Most people buy InMail for one reason: to message the right people consistently. But a fixed credit balance forces you to ration exactly the activity you want to do more of — and the messages still have to be found, personalized, and followed up by hand.
Conextly approaches that job differently for LinkedIn. It finds the right prospects, tracks every conversation in one place, and drafts a personalized message and follow-ups for each person — with you approving every send. Instead of stretching 15 or 50 credits, you run steady, personal outreach as a workflow. For a lot of sellers and founders, that's the outcome they were buying InMail to get. See Conextly's outreach workflow, and compare the cost of Premium.