LinkedIn InMail Credits: Complete Guide To Smarter Outreach

If you’re serious about generating high-quality leads on LinkedIn, then learning how to leverage LinkedIn InMail credits is non-negotiable. Whether you’re in B2B sales, recruiting, consulting, or running paid marketing campaigns, InMail gives you unparalleled access to decision-makers — the very people who ignore cold emails, skip ads, and rarely respond to connection requests.

The only downside?
InMail messages aren’t free. You need LinkedIn InMail credits, and if you don’t know how the system works, you’ll waste them fast.

In this ultimate guide, we break down:

What LinkedIn InMail credits are
How credits work and how many you get
Smart ways to maximize replies (and avoid wasting credits)
Strategies to get more InMail credits
Real examples of high-converting InMail
Whether you should use InMail or Sponsored InMail (Message Ads)
The best outreach system for 2025
And how The Info Technologies can help your business scale LinkedIn outreach

What Are LinkedIn InMail Credits?

LinkedIn InMail credits are tokens you use to send direct messages to users who are not currently connected with you. Since LinkedIn protects users from spam, free accounts cannot message non-connections.

Premium plans unlock this capability — but with limits.

Each message you send costs 1 InMail credit.

Why InMail Is So Powerful

Direct access to high-value, hard-to-reach people
Higher open rate (up to 50–85%) vs email (15–25%)
Appears professional and trusted
Sent instantly to their LinkedIn inbox
Works globally, no email required

It’s LinkedIn’s “private highway” for outreach — which is why marketers who master it simply close more deals.

How Many InMail Credits Do You Get?

Different LinkedIn Premium plans offer different numbers of InMail credits:

LinkedIn Plan	InMail Credits Per Month
Premium Career	5
Premium Business	15
Sales Navigator Core	50
Sales Navigator Advanced	60–80 (depending on region)
Recruiter Lite	30
Recruiter Professional	100+

But here’s the best part…

**Unused InMail Credits Roll Over (Up to 3 Months)**

If you don’t use all your credits, LinkedIn allows them to roll over.

Roll-over Limits:

Up to unused × 3 months’ worth
Example: Sales Navigator (50/month) → You can accumulate up to 150 credits

This is a goldmine for people doing campaign-based outreach.

How LinkedIn InMail Refunds Work

If someone replies within 90 days, LinkedIn refunds that credit.

This means:

More replies = more free outreach.

This is why crafting compelling messages matters. A weak message not only loses the lead — it wastes the credit forever.

How Much Do LinkedIn InMail Credits Cost?

LinkedIn does not sell InMail credits separately.
You can only get them through Premium or Sales Navigator plans.

However, the cost per credit can be estimated:

Sales Navigator (~$99/month) → 50 credits → ~$1.98 per credit
Premium Business (~$59/month) → 15 credits → ~$3.93 per credit

The more advanced your plan, the lower the effective cost per message.

Best Practices to Maximize Your LinkedIn InMail Credits

Most businesses waste 70–80% of their InMail credits because they:

use generic templates
pitch too early
message the wrong audience
write long paragraphs
don’t personalize their outreach

Let’s fix that.

1. Target Only Hyper-Relevant Prospects

InMail is not made for mass blasting.
It’s made for precision targeting.

Use filters such as:

Job title (“Head of Marketing”, “Founder”)
Industry
Company size
Past activity
Groups they follow
Skills

The tighter the targeting, the higher your reply rate — and the more refunds you receive.

2. Keep Your InMail Short (Under 700 Characters)

The highest-converting InMails follow this formula:

Personal relevance + curiosity + clarity + an easy CTA

Bad messages look like essays.
Great messages look like conversations.

3. Personalize the First Two Lines

People respond when they feel seen.

Examples:

“Saw your recent post about scaling B2B teams — great insights.”
“Noticed you’re expanding into APAC. Congrats!”
“Loved your comment on the LinkedIn Ads thread yesterday.”

This alone increases reply rates by 22–45%.

4. Never Pitch Immediately

You’re not selling — you’re opening a door.

Avoid:

long introductions
sending links
describing services
sounding desperate

Instead:

Offer something small, specific, and valuable.

5. Use a Low-Friction CTA

Not “Can we schedule a call?”
But:

“Worth a quick chat?”
“Open to exploring this?”
“Would you be against a short conversation?”

Low pressure. High conversion.

6. Test Variants

A/B test:

subject lines
personalization hooks
CTA wording
message length

Two versions can produce wildly different outcomes.

LinkedIn InMail Structures That Convert (Copy & Use)

Here are high-converting templates you can customize:

Template 1: Lead Generation for Agencies

Subject: Quick question

Hi {{Name}},
Noticed you’re leading growth at {{Company}} — impressive work.

I’m reaching out because we’ve been helping teams in {{industry}} increase inbound leads by 30–50% using LinkedIn optimization. Thought this might be relevant to your 2025 goals.

Would you be open to a brief chat?

Best,
{{Your Name}}

Template 2: Sales Navigator Prospecting

Subject: Exploring something

Hey {{Name}},
Saw your interview on {{Podcast/Article}} — loved the insights.

I’m working with similar teams on improving outreach conversion without increasing workload. Happy to share what’s working if helpful.

Interested?

Regards,
{{Your Name}}

Template 3: Recruiter Outreach

Subject: Opportunity worth your time

Hi {{Name}},
Your profile stood out — especially your work in {{skill}}.

I have a role that aligns extremely well with your background. Open to exploring it?

Thanks,
{{Your Name}}

How To Get More LinkedIn InMail Credits (Legally)

Here are 7 real ways brands get extra credits without paying extra:

1. Reply Refunds

More replies → more credits returned.

2. Switch to Sales Navigator

Gives 50–80 credits monthly.

3. Avoid sending InMail to Open Profiles

They don’t require InMail — message for free.

4. Improve targeting

Higher acceptance, more refunds.

5. Keep messages short

Short messages convert better.

6. Personalize deeply

Boosts replies by up to 60%.

7. Send at the right time

Best timings:

Tuesday–Thursday
10 AM – 1 PM

InMail vs Sponsored InMail (Message Ads): Which Is Better?

Two ways to reach non-connections:

1. InMail (manual)

Best for high-value outreach
High personalization
Refunds if they reply
Great for B2B agencies, recruiters, consultants

2. Sponsored InMail / Message Ads (paid)

Mass messaging at scale
No credit limits
Works for webinars, offers, freebies
Better for performance marketing

If you want 1:1 lead generation, use InMail.
If you want scalable campaigns, use Message Ads.

The Info Technologies helps clients run both — depending on their growth stage.

LinkedIn InMail Credit Optimization Strategy (Pro-Level)

Here’s the system used by top B2B growth teams:

Step 1 — Define ICP

Ideal job titles, industries, revenue range.

Step 2 — Build prospect lists

Using Sales Navigator.

Step 3 — Create 3 InMail templates

Short, personal, and CTA-driven.

Step 4 — Personalize 10–20% of each message

Step 5 — Send 20–30 InMails/day

Step 6 — Track reply rates

Step 7 — Optimize

If your reply rate is below:

20% → your targeting is wrong
30% → your message is weak
40%+ → excellent

Common Mistakes People Make with InMail Credits

Avoid these:

Over-selling
Long paragraphs
Writing like a brochure
Messaging everyone
Using the same template for all prospects
Sending on weekends

Even one of these can drop your response rate by 70%.

How The Info Technologies Helps You Win with LinkedIn InMail

You can do LinkedIn outreach yourself — but if you want predictable sales, higher leads, and zero wasted credits, partnering with specialists is the smart path.

The Info Technologies specializes in:

LinkedIn lead generation
LinkedIn Ads (Sponsored InMail / Message Ads)
Outreach strategy & CRM automation
Sales Navigator optimization
Advanced targeting & segmentation
High-converting InMail scripting
End-to-end LinkedIn B2B growth funnels

Most clients see:

3–7x increase in reply rates
40–60% reduction in cost per lead
Higher-quality leads from decision-makers

If you want to scale faster, with fewer mistakes, we’ve got your back.

Conclusion: LinkedIn InMail Credits Are a Growth Engine — If You Use Them Right

InMail is not just another messaging tool.
Done right, it becomes a premium channel that:

opens doors
generates conversions
creates pipeline
and connects you directly to the people who matter

If you apply everything above, your LinkedIn outreach will outperform your email campaigns — guaranteed.

And if you want expert support, you already know where to find it.

Want High-Quality Leads Using LinkedIn InMail?

Email us at: theinfotechnologies@gmail.com**

We’ll audit your LinkedIn strategy for free and show you how to maximize your InMail credits for explosive lead generation.