Raise Your Chances of Getting InMail Responses

Sales prospects today are busier than ever, and often they’re inundated with outreach from other salespeople, so it’s crucial to reach out to them in the right way. LinkedIn’s targeted emails, known as InMails, are one of the most credible channels for salespeople to directly contact prospects and customers and have been shown to garner higher response rates than cold calls or emails. And Sales Navigator subscribers have even more chances to use this feature, which sends messages both to the recipient’s LinkedIn InMail inbox and to their main email address. When you’re ready to reach out to a prospect or client via InMail, there are some tried and true practices to keep in mind to raise your chances of getting a reply.

Quality over Quantity

For a fuller InMail inbox, prioritize quality over quantity. That means refraining from flooding your prospects’ inboxes. While it’s OK to re-send an InMail after a reasonable amount of time without hearing back from someone, avoid sending the same message over and over again. You should also take the time to craft messages that are engaging enough to elicit a response.

Customize your Messages                                                       

The key to making InMail messages relevant to your prospect is customization. Personalize your InMails by incorporating information from your connection’s profile as well as any other relevant details you’ve learned about them or their company.This could be anything from wishing them a happy birthday to commenting on a recent blog post they published. Secondly, make it about them. Draft a message that addresses the recipient’s needs rather than focusing on your own agenda.

End with a Clear Call to Action

Finish your InMail messages by laying out a clear path for the recipient to follow up with you. InMails are often forwarded, so it’s even more important to ensure that whoever receives it will understand what to do after reading the message. This extra step on your end should make it as easy as possible for the recipient to get in touch with you, boosting your chances of receiving a response.

Effective InMail Example

The following InMail from a social media marketing executive to a training video producer from a common LinkedIn Group is a great example of how to personalize your message and make it about the person you’re sending it to. It also wraps up with a clear call to action for the recipient to follow up on.

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Hi Kevin,

I came across your LinkedIn profile in the Social Media Marketing group, which we are both members of. I thought I’d reach out to you because I’m trying to connect with people and organizations that are implementing video into their current corporate training efforts.

I’m part of the executive team at KLB, and we help organizations transcribe their training videos, making them more accessible, searchable, useable and social. I am working with professionals like yourself to provide free consultations to assess your video usage and effectiveness.

Would you like to schedule a time to chat? If there is a colleague of yours that would be more appropriate to connect with about this, please let me know and I’ll reach out to them personally.

I look forward to connecting,

Karen Johnson

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LinkedIn’s InMails have proven to be one of the most effective channels available to build trust with prospects and clients. Make sure to get the most out of this tool by following InMail best practices and being thoughtful about the messages you send.  Taking the time to customize your InMails and clearly laying out ways for your recipient to follow up with you will help keep the conversation flowing.