LinkedIn InMail Best Practices for Better B2B Outreach

What Is LinkedIn InMail? 

InMail is a LinkedIn Premium feature. Unlike regular LinkedIn messaging that requires you to have a connection with the recipient, InMail allows you to send messages directly to people you are not connected with. 

The feature works off credits. With limited InMail credits, you don’t want to waste a single communication.

If it sounds intimidating to use up credits for each contact, don’t worry. The platform rewards engaging content. If a reader engages with your content within 90 days — even if it’s just to decline the opportunity — you get the credit back.

So how do you ensure that engagement? With a few simple best practices.

To learn more about how InMail works and why it’s a great fit for B2B brands, check out How to Leverage LinkedIn InMail for B2B Outreach and Lead Generation. 

Take a Targeted Approach 

Like with all digital marketing, to see the best possible return on investment from InMail you need to make evidence-based decisions. 

Find the Right Prospects

LinkedIn already has the important data you need when lining up your leads. You can target based on industry, company, or a person's job title.

If you have LinkedIn Sales Navigator, you can search for a lead and connect with them via InMail. You can also match people based on data you've gathered outside the platform.

This means you can track who engages and build target lists based on the most effective criteria. 

Use this data, and more indepth customer research, to constantly evolve your send strategy.

Know When to Click Send

63% of InMails are sent in the middle of the week, between Tuesday and Thursday. However, the response rate for InMails is highest Monday through Thursday.

65% of responses happen within the first 24 hours of a send, and 90% are within the first week. Don’t waste that crucial window on a Friday when so few LinkedIn users are checking the platform. 

Experiment with your send times to increase your chances. Perhaps your secret weapon could be sending messages on Sunday so you’re at the top of inboxes on Monday morning.

Try things out, track your data, and pursue a strategy that works for you. 

Write Better Subject Lines 

As with email marketing, InMail messages with clear and compelling subject lines have higher open rates. Consider the following strategies and work to optimise your subject lines:

Shorten your subject line: To optimise your subject line for mobile, you need to keep it below a concise 80 characters. In fact, according to LinkedIn, a subject line of three words or fewer increases your chances of getting a response by 14%.

Authentic connections build trust: One way to pique your contact's curiosity and to personalise your message on LinkedIn is to reference a mutual connection. For example, if your brand has had success with a particular client, you could reach out to that person’s connections on LinkedIn.

Show some personality: Imbue your subject lines with your brand's tone of voice. Is your brand bold and assertive? Or are you compassionate problem solvers? Make sure to reflect your company's personality in the content. 

For example:

I Saw Your Post. This Will Help. 

Even if the reader is just skimming, this subject line will stand out. It sparks curiosity and encourages a click. What post are you talking about? And what do you have to offer?

[Connection’s Name] Saw a 122% ROI. I Think You Can Beat That

This example personalises the message by mentioning a shared connection. The data provides a point of curiosity that you can rally around.

Master the Introduction 

So, you've got your foot in the door. What next?

First, use a personal greeting. "Hi [name]" is a simple but often overlooked way to show that you've done some basic research and aren't just sending out a canned message.

Next, introduce yourself. Remember that your recipient may get lots of messages every day, so don't go into too much detail about your background or why you're contacting them. Instead, focus on what's relevant: who you are and why you're reaching out.

Then, forge a connection. This requires some homework and makes your outreach a little more labour-intensive, but it helps secure engagement and qualify leads. Individualised InMails see a 15% higher engagement rate than those sent in bulk, so personalise each message.

You have access to so much information when you contact people through LinkedIn so you can afford to be specific. However, don't just rely on the platform as your sole source. Check out their website, read some of their recent blog posts, and investigate other social media channels. This will help give you a broader idea of who this person is, how they fit into their company, and what they're all about.

If they work in marketing, cite a specific campaign you were impressed by. Maybe they manage content and you can mention a specific blog they wrote. Or perhaps you have something in common, like a particular contact or university.

Whatever it is, remember your connection needs to be genuine. The point of personalising your message is to build trust. If you’re not authentic, you’ll have the opposite effect.

For example:

Hello [RECIPIENT NAME], 

I hope you had a great weekend. I’m [NAME] — I’m the [ROLE] at [COMPANY]. I recently worked with [CONNECTION] and she suggested I get in touch. We helped her get to 122% ROI on her latest campaign, which was a 44-point improvement on their previous campaign. 

The aim is to introduce yourself efficiently, quickly establish a connection, and build credibility. Then you reference the reason you are reaching out. A compelling piece of data can help to drive curiosity and give your prospect a reason to reply. 

Get To The Point 

LinkedIn's data shows a clear correlation between the length of an InMail and response rates. The longer your InMail, the lower your response rate.

Messages with fewer than 400 characters get a 22% higher than average response rate. Once you get above 800 characters, you risk a weaker-than-average performance. 

Beyond keeping things short and sweet, choosing the right ask is key to getting the response you need.

Your InMail message needs a clear call to action, but for cold outreach you need to lower the barrier to entry. Break down the various CTAs in your customer journey and decide which are resonable asks in this setting.

You're not going to close a deal on the very first conversation, so don't barge into someone's inbox trying to sell them on your solution. Enter into the conversation with the intention of establishing a conversation and you're far more likely to be able to build on the relationship in the future.

Tailor your ask to the person. If they're already in your automation platform's CRM and further along the conversion funnel, you might offer a link to a piece of relevant content. If you've been conversing on a post, perhaps you could use the platform to schedule a phone call to take the conversation further.

For example:

I’d be interested to find out more about your role with [COMPANY] and to see if our services make sense for your company. I can send you some more info to check out at your convenience, or just let me know if you’re not interested right now. Either way, I look forward to hearing from you! 

In this example, you're giving clear instructions but with a very low ask. You just want to gauge their level of interest in a conversation. You also made it clear to indicate if they were not interested (which they can do with the Quick Reply option), which will help to maximise your number of InMail credits.

Aim for Consistency 

To your team, using LinkedIn InMail might feel like one more thing they have to learn and manage. You can make it easier for them by providing guidelines and templates that help them get the most out of the platform. 

Provide Guidelines: Compile and distribute a list of do’s and don’ts that your team should keep in mind when using InMail. You can also provide tutorials and how-tos, or even just a selection of reference links so that no one finds themselves unsure of how to do something in the platform. 

Use Templates: With a Premium Account on LinkedIn, you can save templates to work from. Click ‘Message Templates’ from the ‘Product Settings’ dropdown. Even without those paid features, your company can distribute a variety of templates to the team that can be used with a simple copy/paste. 

Make Use of Your Signature

Just as with email, you need a good signature. However, you want to leverage this often-overlooked marketing real estate without overstuffing it. Like most other InMail best practices, your signature should be short and sweet.

Include your name, company, and title. You can also include a link to drive traffic to your website. Linking to your most recent blog post, a flagship piece of content, or a specific post that is relevant to the recipient would be more impactful than a link to the home page.

Expand Your Content Marketing

LinkedIn InMail offers a more direct approach when reaching out to prospects. You can use it to build authority and trust, and make yourself accessible with the click of a button. And the best part? It’s free, if you can make the content engaging enough to ellicit a response. 

Turn to the experts at 1827 Marketing for guidance on how to maximise your engagement from every touchpoint with a lead, including InMail. Book a call today to help craft your communications in a way that encourages your customers to take the next step.