Stats show that people are three times more likely to reply to a LinkedIn InMail message than a traditional email. If you want to increase your reply rates, it is best to use LinkedIn InMail.
Steps to Send an InMail Message
LinkedIn only allows you to send direct messages to your first-degree connections. If you want to send messages to someone who is not in your connections, you’ll need to send an InMail.
LinkedIn InMail feature is only available to Premium and Sales Navigator users.
With InMail, you can send messages to anyone, even if the person is not in your connection. You can send InMail to recruiters, salespeople, influencers, and any other person you want to connect with.
Below are the steps to send an InMail message;
Step 1: Search for the LinkedIn user or person you want to contact.
Step 2: Click on the profile of the person you want to send a message.
Step 3: Click the “Message” button underneath the headshot and headline by the left-side of your screen.
Step 4: Write and edit your InMail message.
Step 5: Click on “Send”.
5 Main things to have in LinkedIn InMail messages
To increase your chances of getting a reply, there are some vital things that you should include in your InMail messages.
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A greeting with the name of your recipient
The name of your recipient is the person you’re addressing your message to. Just like a formal letter, you must first greet your recipient and add the name of your recipient first before going further.
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Introduction and how you get to know the person
Introduce yourself and let your recipient know how you get to know him or her. Nobody likes to respond to a total stranger. Imagine you receive a call from a strange number, the first question you will ask is “who are you and how did you get my number”. This is the same with InMail, you need to introduce yourself and let your recipient know how you get to know about him or her.
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Say what you want
Now is the time to say the reason why you’re reaching out. Say what you want the person to do for you. If you have a request to make, now is the time to make your request. If you’re a salesperson, now is the time to make your sales pitch. Whatever your request is, state it clearly so that your recipient can clearly understand what you want.
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Add a call-to-action
This is where you ask for feedback or respond. This could also be known as “call-to-action”. For example, “What do you think?, Will you like to schedule a meeting?”, Will you be interested?”. All these are questions that require response from your recipient. The response from your recipient will determine your next course of action.
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Closing
At the end of your InMail, you must add your name. Even if you don’t add your name at the beginning of your message, ensure you add your name at the end of it.
List of things we should not include in LinkedIn InMail messages
To increase your chances of getting high reply rates, there are certain things you shouldn’t include in your LinkedIn InMail messages. These include:
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Avoid using generic subject lines
When writing a LinkedIn InMail, avoid the use of generic subject line. Your subject line is your first chance to grab the attention of your recipient. A unique and eye-catchy subject line will get the attention of your recipient but a generic subject line could get your InMail ignored or deleted.
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Avoid using “I Saw You Viewed My Profile”
It is good to introduce yourself systematically and professionally but do not use the word “I saw you viewed my profile” as your introduction. Find a better reason to explain to your recipient the reason why you’re reaching out.
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Requesting too much
Do not request too much from your recipient. Do not send messages requesting calls or appointments from your recipients when you have not solidified your relationship with them. Avoid requesting too much from someone that you have not had an extensive discussion with before. Ask something that you know can be granted by your recipient.
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Do not request a recommendation from someone you don’t know
Do not request a LinkedIn recommendation or an endorsement from someone you don’t know. You can’t send an InMail to someone you just saw on LinkedIn and request for a recommendation or an endorsement. You must first develop a strong relationship with the person before you can request for a recommendation.
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Avoid being overly personal
Though, it is good to personalize your message, avoid getting too personal. LinkedIn is not FaceBook. Avoid being too personal. Do not compliment the beauty of your recipient. Do not try to woo your recipient. Avoid sending the wrong signals, as it can get your message deleted or could get your profile blocked.
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Avoid pitching your product or service
A lot of salespeople and marketers make this mistake. Pitching your product or service with the first InMail turns most people off and could get your message deleted outright. Some people could even go as far as reporting your profile as spam and this could get your profile deleted. If you must pitch your product or service, make sure it is when you and your recipient have developed a sought of relationship. Avoid pitching your product or service to total strangers.
How to Write LinkedIn InMail messages
Below are tips on how to write a LinkedIn InMail message.
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Write an InMail Subject line that sparks interest
According to stats, as much as 35% of recipients will only open your message if the subject line sparks their interest. Write a unique subject line that can spark the interest of your recipient.
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Keep it short and direct
Keep your InMail message short and direct to make it easier for your recipient to read and understand. A long and clumsy InMail message will be ignored or deleted. Go straight to the point and state exactly what the message is all about as clear and simple as possible.
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Start your message with a brief and personal greeting
Ensure you start your message with a brief and personalized greeting. Show your recipient how you get to know him or her by doing a little research about them.
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Include a brief introduction about yourself
You can’t just send a message to someone without even introducing yourself at all. Nobody wants to read or respond to a message from a total stranger. Make sure your recipients know who they’re talking to. You can include your name, position and name of your company.
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State your reason for sending the message
A message without any reason is an empty message. You must state the reason why you’re sending your message. Your message needs to have a goal and purpose. Your reason should be of interest to your recipient and should be what your recipient is professionally capable of doing.
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Make your pitch persuasive and personal
Persuasion and personalization are the keys to achieving your goal and getting responses from your recipients. Your recipients should feel like your InMail has been written directly to them and for them. Do not use any generic templates or words. Personalized your pitch just the same way you will talk to a client or someone else physically.
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Always add a closing
Always add a closing to your InMail messages. Your closing will largely determine if you will get a response from your recipient. A closing could also be called a call-to-action. It prompts your recipient to reply your message.
Tips on how to write LinkedIn InMail messages for Recruiters
Below are the vital tips on how to write a LinkedIn InMail message to recruiters
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Be direct
A simple, direct, and straightforward message gets more responses. Your InMail message should be simple, direct, and straight to the point.
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Make a small request
Do not ask for too much. Asking for too much too soon will scare people off or make them delete your message. Even if you must make a request, make it a small request that can be easily granted.
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Spark their interest
Spark up the interest of your recipient by bringing up issues that matter to your recipient. You can use unique and personalized subject lines to spark the interest of your recipient.
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Be natural
There are lots of bot writings on the internet. Be natural and write like a human being. Do not write like some sought of bot. Your recipient should feel like the message is coming from a real human being.
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Explain why you’re reaching out
You must explain the reason why you’re reaching out. Mention what drew you to their profile and what exactly is the reason for your InMail.
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Make it about them
Make the InMail about your recipient instead of about you. Rather than requesting help, discuss how you can be of help to them.
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Personalized your message
Personalized messages are 15% more successful than canned ones in LinkedIn. Personalize your messages to get more response from your recipients.
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Mention next steps
Mentioning the next steps or adding call-to-action to your InMail will increase your chances of getting a reply.
Tips of LinkedIn InMail messages for salespeople
As a salesperson who wants to pitch a product or service, it is very important to capture the attention and interest of your recipients or prospects.
Below are the vital tips to send InMail messages for salespeople:
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Use a unique and compelling subject line
Your subject line is the doorway to your message. If your subject line is not compelling, it won’t get the attention of your recipient or prospect. Make your subject line unique and it should be able to capture the attention of your recipient.
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Start socially
LinkedIn is a social network, and you should take it as such. Try to develop a relationship first before pitching your product or service. You can do this by studying your prospect’s profile page to see if you can use mutual connections, experiences, or other talking points to start a conversation. Try to create a friendly environment but not overly friendly. Talk about how you get to know about your recipient, the things that interest you about your recipient, and other things that are of interest to your recipient.
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Personalize your message
Personalizing your messages always work most of the time. Avoid generic messages or templates. Let your recipient feel like your message was sent specifically to him or her.
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Make a quick pitch
Once you have the attention of your recipient or prospect, cut straight to the chase. Do not waste time writing long stories that don’t interest your recipient. Briefly explain why you’ve reached out. Pitch your product or service and tell your prospect what you can potentially offer. Your product or service should be relevant to your prospect and should be what your prospect will likely be interested in. Try to look for a problem that you can solve. This will further strengthen the interest of your prospect. Ensure that your pitch is concise and straight to the point. It should be clearly understood by your prospect.
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Add a call-to-action
A call-to-action provides availability for the next conversation. It is the best way to encourage a response from your prospect. “What do you think? Would you be interested? Would you like to schedule a meeting?” are some good examples of call-to-action.
Tips of LinkedIn InMail messages for reaching out to influencers
Influencers are well-known people that can help you publicize your product or service to more audience. They can help drive traffic to your website and increase your sales.
Below are the vital tips to reach out to influencers:
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Use a compelling subject line
If you want an influencer to actually open your message and respond to you, the first step is to write a unique and compelling subject line. A unique and compelling subject line can increase your response rate by more than 35%.
Your subject line should provide an insight into your message. You need to understand that influencers have lots of messages coming in from different people. Your subject line should be unique and very compelling enough for an influencer to open your message and read.
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Introduce yourself
A typical influencer receives hundreds or thousands of messages every day from people. This is why it is important to introduce yourself so that the influencer will know who the message is from. Make it easy for the influencer to know who you’re.
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Appreciate the influencer
Appreciate the influencer in any way you can think of. You can appreciate them for their contents which you read, or for their contribution to society.
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Personalize your message
Ensure that the influencer feels that the message is specifically for him or her. Look for a common connection or something specific to the influence only. Talk about the work and achievements of the influencer. You can check out the profile of the influencer to know all about him or her. Talk about something interesting you saw in the profile of the influencer.
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Offer something valuable
Give out something of value, rather than asking for something right away. You may ask, what do I have to offer to the influencer? You can offer a content resource, a research study, a product demo, or a trial period of your product. Your offer will prompt your recipient into accepting your request.
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State the reason for your message
State what you want and the reason for your message. Be very clear and straightforward. The influencer should be able to understand clearly what you want. Ensure that the influencer has the power to grant your request before asking. Don’t ask what you know could be impossible for the influencer to do.
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Add a closing or call-to-action
A closing or call-to-action is the last part of your message. A closing will prompt your recipient into responding to your message.
