20 ways to improve InMail response rates in Linkedin
InMail Response Rates: LinkedIn InMail is a great way to reach out to hundreds of thousands of prospects. Stats show that 94 percent of B2B buyers use LinkedIn to distribute their content and 80 percent of B2B leads come from LinkedIn.
Sending mass InMails is not enough to get the job done, but doing the right things to increase your response rate is the key to success.
The average LinkedIn InMail Response rate is 85%. This is 3 times higher than the response rate of a traditional email. This is to show that if you write your InMail the right way, you will get more response rate than from a traditional email.
You need to know how to write a perfect InMail that will get you the response rates that you desire.
Below are some vital keys on how to improve your InMail response rate:
1. Use a unique and eye-catchy subject line to draw attention
More than 35 percent of email recipients will open an email based on the subject line alone. The subject line is the doorway to an email and it is very important. Just like a regular email, the subject line is also very important in InMails. A unique and eye-catchy subject line will definitely draw the attention of your recipients and make them respond to you. You can mention the name of a mutual connection, or a shared interest to capture the attention of your recipient.
2. Personalize your InMail
Personalization is also very important if you want to improve your response rate. Say things that resonate with your recipient. Say things that can juggle their mind back to what you’re saying. Do not use generic words or statements. Research your recipient to know more about him or her so that you can have things to say about your recipient. Check out their profiles and read their contents. You must create a line of communication to get a response. Make the conversation about them. Talk about your recipient, complement your recipient, and ask questions that will get your recipient to respond. You can refer to things that they’ve mentioned in their profile.
3. Provide value
What value are you providing to your recipient? What can your recipient gain from you? Why should your recipient respond to your email? The value that you can provide will largely determine if your recipient will respond or not. What are you selling that is of importance to your recipient? When you’re able to provide value, you increase your chances of getting a response.
4. Say what you want
What do you want your recipient to do for you? What is the reason for your message? This is very important. You need to say what you want in clear terms. Your recipient should understand what you want. If you’re pitching a product or service, you need to do it as professionally as possible. Ensure that you’re not asking too much. Ask what you know can be easily granted by your recipient.
5. Keep it short
People are busy with their daily tasks. Don’t go adding to their burden by writing long notes for them to read. Make your InMail as short as possible. Go straight to the point and make the message very simple to understand.
6. Add a closing
A closing is a call-to-action. A closing will further prompt your recipient into replying your InMail. A closing creates an open floor for further communication.
How to Find Your InMail Response Rate
You can find your InMail response rate from the InMail Analytics report. Your InMail response rate is the total number of InMails sent that received responses during the specific time period.
What is your average LinkedIn InMail response rate?
The average response rate to LinkedIn InMail is 85%. This is according to LinkedIn research. This is 3 times higher than the response rate of a traditional email.
To find the average LinkedIn Inmail response rate, divide the number of people who responded to your InMails by the total number of people who received the InMails and then multiply by 100.
20 ways to improve InMail response rates
Improving your InMail response rates may seem like a tedious task for some people. For this reason, we have compiled a list of 20 trusted ways that you can improve your InMail response rate.
1. Your subject line is very important. When writing your subject line, use unique and eye-catchy words that will get the attention of your recipient. Use a clear, personalized subject line that conveys value.
2. Complement your recipient on his or her achievements. Research your recipient to know their achievements. Complementing them on their achievements increases your chances of getting a response.
3. Reference a connection, mutual friend, or colleague. Referencing a mutual connection can increase your chances of getting an InMail response by 27%.
4. Keep your InMail short. People don’t have all the time to read long notes. If your InMail is too long, it will likely be ignored or deleted. An InMail should not be longer than 3 paragraphs or 100 words.
5. Personalize your InMail to increase your response rate. Personalization always works. Make it more about your recipient.
6. Provide a value that your recipient needs. Everybody needs something no matter how small or big. You should be able to provide value and give something in return.
7. State your reason for the InMail and let your recipient know what you want. Do not confuse your recipient with words that can’t be comprehended. Be very clear and concise so that your recipient can easily understand what you’re talking about.
8. Add a closing to increase your chances of getting a response. A call-to-action or closing prompts your recipient into action.
9. Give attention to timing. Send InMails at the best time when your recipient will most likely read and reply to your message. The best time to send InMails is between 9–10 a.m. on weekdays during work hours.
10. You’re 21% more likely to get a response from someone who shares a common group with you. Send InMails to people that share common groups with you to increase your response rate.
11. Someone who is following your company is 81 % more likely to respond to your InMail message. Send InMails to people that are following your company to significantly increase your response rate.
12. People are 46 % more likely to accept InMails if they’re connected to your employees. Send InMails to people who are connected to your employees to increase your response rate.
13. Introduce yourself to show that you’re human. Nobody wants to respond to a total stranger. It is rude to start a conversation without introducing yourself.
14. Don’t be overly friendly. Don’t say words that are too private or informal. Choose your words and keep your InMail strictly professional.
15. Be positive in your writing. When a recipient is reading your InMail, he or she should feel a sense of positivity in your content. When you’re positive, people are most likely to grant you your request.
16. Asking questions open the floor for conversation. Ask questions that will prompt your recipient into answering.
17. Showing a bit of personality can also increase your response rate. You can show a bit of humor to lighten up the mood of your recipient.
18. Be diplomatic in your approach. Don’t be too straightforward when asking for favors. Try to make a conversation first before asking for favors.
19. Save the pitch for later. Avoid pitching your product or service even before starting a conversation. Most people ignore InMails that are all about pitching products or services.
20. Don’t forget to follow up. If your recipient doesn’t respond to your first InMail, don’t give up. Follow up with another InMail message if you didn’t get a response after some days, especially if your recipient has read the first message.
What is a good LinkedIn InMail response rate?
The average response rate for LinkedIn InMail is 85%. If your LinkedIn InMail response rate is up to 85%, it is good.
Can you see if someone read your InMail?
Yes. You will know if someone read your InMail with the Read Receipt. The Read Receipt is the two blue lines immediately below the message.
What does InMail pending mean?
A pending InMail as an InMail sent that hasn’t been replied. Your recipient may have read the message but hasn’t responded.
How long should a LinkedIn InMail be?
A LinkedIn InMail should not be more than 3 paragraphs or 100 words.
How many InMail can I send in LinkedIn?
InMail is only available to LinkedIn Premium and LinkedIn Sales Navigator Professional account. LinkedIn Premium gives you 5 InMails each month while LinkedIn Sales Navigator gives you 20 InMails each month.
Does LinkedIn show when you were last active?
LinkedIn only shows online status. LinkedIn doesn’t show when you were last active or the time you were online. The presence of a solid green circle next to a person’s name in LinkedIn messaging means that the person is currently online.
How do I become invisible on LinkedIn?
You can become invisible on LinkedIn by turning off the Public Visibility option. You can do this by following the steps below:
Step 1:
On the right side of your screen, click on “profile settings”
Step 2:
Check the options and click on “visibility settings”.
Step 3:
Turn of the “public visibility” option.
What does purple mean on LinkedIn?
Purple means that you won’t be able to see the profile or content of a user and the user won’t be able to see your profile or content as well.
What does the red dot mean on LinkedIn?
The red dot means that you have messages that you need to respond to.
Are personalized InMails more likely to get a response?
According to Google Consumer Surveys, personalized InMails are only as likely to get a response as standard InMails. Personalized InMails are only 1.2% more likely to get a response. In other words, customized InMails are no more likely to get you to buy something, buy something different, or buy anything.
How do I increase my InMail response rates?
Increase response rate on InMail by:
1) Finding prospects that are specifically interested in the topic of your InMail
2) Personalizing the InMail message
3) Sending the InMail to a small group of prospects who are likely to respond favorably
4) Sending the message at the right time
5) Sending the InMail to one or two people at a company, not to multiple recipients
Is LinkedIn InMail response rates effective?
Yes, LinkedIn InMail is effective. Many companies won’t take the time to read through their LinkedIn InMail inbox, but with so much business being done on the social network of professionals, it’s worth your time to learn how to use it properly.
How do you send an effective InMail on LinkedIn?
You can do this by following these steps:
- Make sure the person you are sending the InMail to is relevant to your career or business.
- Make sure you have their correct email address, first and last name, and the city they are located in.
- Personalize your InMail. Keep it short, but also make sure that you mention why you are contacting them.
7 Golden Rules for writing an InMail on LinkedIn
1 ) Use the first person.
2) Use the second person.
3) Provide facts you think the recipient will find interesting.
4) Mention that you already know the person if that’s the case.
5) Demonstrate you can add value: focus on the recipient.
6) Be concise.
7) Be creative.
Does it matter what day of the week you send an InMail?
InMails sent on Fridays fared very poorly regarding response rate, with an average response rate of 13.3% throughout the week. On the other hand, InMails sent on Tuesdays and Wednesdays performed the best, with a response rate of 15.9% and 15.6%, respectively.
