How to Turn LinkedIn InMail Credits Into a Real Conversation

If you’ve ever tried to reach someone on LinkedIn who’s just out of network—that dream hire, potential client, or key decision-maker—you’ve likely encountered InMail. It’s LinkedIn’s built-in outreach tool, powered by a credit system that determines how often you can message users you’re not directly connected to.

But here’s the catch: every InMail credit costs real money and a finite opportunity. Understanding how these credits work, what they’re worth, and how to use them strategically can make the difference between wasted budget and a genuine business conversation.

At Contentin.io, we’ve seen how thoughtful content and smart messaging go hand in hand. Whether you’re managing outreach for personal branding, lead generation, or recruiting, combining your InMail strategy with optimized LinkedIn content can amplify your visibility and response rates dramatically.

In this guide, we’ll unpack the mechanics, costs, and optimization strategies behind LinkedIn InMail credits. From how credits are allocated across Premium tiers to proven tactics for conserving and maximizing them, you’ll learn how to turn each message into measurable ROI—not just another “sent” notification.

What Are InMail Credits and How They Actually Work

Think of InMail credits like VIP passes to anyone's LinkedIn inbox. You can message people you've never met, and your message gets special treatment - it shows up with an official 'InMail' label so they know it's not spam.

LinkedIn InMails achieve impressive response rates of 18-25% compared to cold emails at just 3%, according to Leonar's analysis, making them a powerful tool when used strategically. Here's what I wish someone had told me upfront.

When you send an InMail, you're sending a message that lands in a priority section of their inbox. Recipients know this isn't random outreach because someone actually paid to reach them. Your message gets enhanced deliverability and professional features that regular LinkedIn messages don't offer.

These are digital tokens that Premium subscribers use to send direct messages to any LinkedIn user, regardless of connection status. Each message typically consumes one credit, but here's where it gets interesting - LinkedIn has a response-refund mechanism that returns credits when recipients engage within 90 days.

How Credits Get Used (And Sometimes Returned)

Here's the game-changer I wish I'd known earlier: when someone responds to your InMail within 90 days, LinkedIn gives you that credit back. It's like getting a refund for good messaging.

This completely changed how I approach outreach. Instead of blasting generic messages, I spend time crafting ones people actually want to respond to. Last month, I got back 8 out of 15 credits because people were engaged. That's essentially free messaging when you nail the approach.

The 90-day window is generous too - someone might circle back weeks later when they need what you're offering.

InMail vs Regular LinkedIn Messages

Regular LinkedIn messages only work with your existing connections. InMail breaks down those walls completely.

Plus, you get read receipts. You'll know if someone opened your message, which helps you figure out if your subject lines are working or if you need to try something different. Your messages also get priority placement in their inbox - no getting buried under connection requests and spam.

Recent security concerns have emerged regarding LinkedIn's messaging system. "The LinkedIn Phish: How They Did It" KnowBe4 reveals how malicious actors have exploited LinkedIn's messaging system to deliver phishing attacks directly to users' external email addresses, highlighting the importance of being cautious about unsolicited messages from unknown senders.

What You Actually Get With Each Plan

Understanding your credit allocation is just one piece of building an effective LinkedIn content strategy that combines strategic outreach with valuable content creation to maximize your professional networking results.

Career Plan: 5 Credits Monthly

This was my starting point during job hunting. Five credits felt reasonable for reaching out to hiring managers, but if you're doing serious business development, you'll burn through these in week one.

The Career plan gives you 5 credits each month for $29.99. That's $6 per message - sounds expensive until you realize one good connection could land you an $80k job or a $50k client.

Business Plan: 15 Credits for Real Networking

This is where things get interesting. Fifteen credits gives you room to be strategic - maybe 5 for potential clients, 5 for partnerships, 5 for industry connections. The math works out better too at $4 per credit.

Step up to the Business plan ($59.99/month) and you get real networking power. I switched here after consistently running out mid-month, and the per-credit savings alone justified the upgrade.

Sales Navigator: The Heavy Artillery

Sales Navigator is where LinkedIn gets serious about sales outreach. Starting at 20 credits and going up to 50 for enterprise plans. Not cheap, but if you're in sales, the advanced search tools alone justify the cost.

What I love about Sales Navigator is the targeting precision. You can narrow down by company size, industry, seniority level, even recent job changes. You're getting more credits and better tools to find the right people to spend those credits on.

Making Your Credits Actually Work

Your messaging success dramatically improves when you understand the best times to post on LinkedIn, as similar timing principles apply to when professionals are most likely to engage with messages.

Writing Messages People Want to Read

Your subject line makes or breaks everything. I've tested dozens, and personalized ones consistently beat generic approaches by 40-50%.

Skip "Quick question about your business." Try "Saw your post about remote team challenges - have a relevant case study." Show you've done your homework.

Keep messages under 150 words. Busy people don't read novels. Lead with value, not credentials. What's in it for them? How does this help their current situation?

End with something specific: "Are you free for a 15-minute call Tuesday afternoon?" beats "Let me know if you're interested."

Here's what actually works:

• Subject: "Your insights on team productivity hit home"
• Message: "Hi Sarah, your recent post about managing distributed teams really resonated - especially your point about async communication. I've been tackling similar challenges and recently implemented a framework that boosted our productivity 35%. Would you be open to a brief call Thursday to swap insights? I'd love to hear more about your approach."

InMail Credits Cost Structure and Value Analysis

The Real Cost Breakdown

Career plan math: $29.99 ÷ 5 credits = $6 per message. Business plan: $59.99 ÷ 15 = $4 per message.

Factor in the response refunds, and these numbers improve dramatically. Hit a 20% response rate? Your effective cost per credit drops significantly. I've had months where the refund system cut my actual messaging costs in half.

Buying Extra Credits (Spoiler: Don't)

Need more credits mid-month? LinkedIn will sell them to you for about $10 each, according to Leonar's pricing analysis, making them significantly more expensive than monthly plan allocations and highlighting the importance of choosing the right subscription tier from the start.

That's highway robbery compared to plan pricing. Before buying extras, just upgrade your plan. The math almost always favors the higher subscription if you're consistently running short.

Is Your Investment Actually Paying Off?

To maximize your ROI, consider whether LinkedIn Premium is worth it for your specific business goals and outreach volume requirements.

Response Rates That Matter

Cold emails get maybe 3% response rates on a good day. InMail consistently hits 15-25% in my experience, sometimes higher with targeted messaging.

Why the difference? People expect InMail to be professional and relevant. Someone paid to reach them, so there's an implicit quality filter. Plus, they're already in "work mode" on LinkedIn.

If you're consistently below 10%, something's wrong with either your messaging or targeting.

Beyond Just Responses

Response rates look nice on paper, but what really counts is what happens next. Are those turning into meetings? Partnerships? Revenue?

I track three levels: response rate, meeting conversion, and business outcomes. A 20% response rate means nothing if those conversations go nowhere.

My simple tracking: spreadsheet with outcome notes for each message. Helps identify patterns in what actually works.

How InMail Stacks Up Against Other Methods

Let's talk about real numbers. A $60 monthly Business plan that generates 2-3 solid business conversations? That's cheaper than most other professional networking methods. Try getting that ROI from LinkedIn ads or industry events.

My biggest InMail win? A 47-word message to a startup founder that led to a $15k consulting contract. My biggest failure? A 200-word essay about my credentials that got zero responses. Lesson learned: they don't care about your resume - they care about what you can do for them.

ROI Comparison:

• LinkedIn Premium Business: $60/month for 15 credits = $4 per outreach
• Industry conference: $2,000 registration + travel = $200+ per meaningful connection
• Cold calling: 50+ calls for 1 quality conversation = $100+ in time costs
• InMail with 20% response rate: $20 for 1 quality conversation

Advanced InMail Strategies and Credit Optimization

Getting Credits Back Through Better Messaging

That 90-day response window is your secret weapon. Every response essentially gives you a free message.

I restructured my entire approach around this. Instead of 15 generic messages, I craft 10 compelling ones. My response rate jumped from 12% to 22%, and now I get back about a third of my credits monthly.

Focus on genuine value. What insight or opportunity can you offer? People respond when there's something in it for them.

Timing Matters

Tuesday through Thursday, 9-11 AM in their timezone. That's my sweet spot, and the data backs it up.

Avoid Mondays (catching up from weekend) and Fridays (mentally checked out). Evenings are dead zones unless you're targeting different time zones.

LinkedIn doesn't schedule InMails, so I set calendar reminders. Worth the extra effort.

You can send up to 800 messages to open profiles on LinkedIn every single month, without using any credits, according to SalesRobot's research, by targeting Premium users who have open profiles - a strategy that can significantly extend your outreach capacity.

Finding the Right People to Spend Your Credits On

Successful campaigns benefit from understanding personal branding on LinkedIn, as prospects are more likely to respond to messages from professionals with strong, credible profiles.

Using Sales Navigator Like a Pro

Sales Navigator's filters are incredibly powerful. I always check activity levels before sending - if someone hasn't posted in months, they probably won't see your message. Why waste a credit?

Look for "intent signals" - recent posts about challenges you solve, job changes, company growth. These people are more receptive to relevant outreach.

You can target with laser precision instead of guessing - company size, industry, seniority level, even recent activity patterns.

InMail Credit Management and Tracking

When Credits Actually Refresh

Your credits don't refresh monthly - they refresh on your billing date. Signed up on the 15th? That's when new credits hit.

I learned this by planning a month-end campaign, only to realize my credits expired on the 12th. Now I set reminders before renewal.

Plan your campaigns around this cycle. If you've got 5 credits left and 3 days until renewal, use them or lose them.

Use It or Lose It

Unused credits disappear at cycle reset. No rollover, no banking, no exceptions.

This forces active outreach, which I actually appreciate - prevents paying for unused credits. If you're consistently leaving credits on the table, you're probably on the wrong plan.

Set mid-cycle reminders to check your balance. Credits sitting unused with a week left? Time to get strategic.

Track Everything

Understanding LinkedIn post analytics principles helps you apply similar performance tracking methodologies to your messaging campaigns for better optimization results.

LinkedIn's Built-In Analytics (And Their Limitations)

LinkedIn gives basic stats - opens, responses, status. Helpful but surface-level.

You can see if someone opened your InMail and whether they responded, but you won't get deeper insights about what happened after that initial response. Did it lead to a meeting? A partnership? A sale?

The analytics section is buried in your messaging area, so most people never even look at it. Don't be like most people.

Setting Up Your Own Tracking System

I use a simple spreadsheet for every InMail: recipient, company, message type, response, outcome. Takes 30 seconds but provides data LinkedIn doesn't.

Track the full funnel: sent → opened → responded → meeting → business outcome. Shows where your process breaks down and where to focus improvements.

Monthly reviews of this data have completely changed how I approach InMail. I can see which message types work best for which audiences, optimal timing patterns, and my actual ROI per credit.

Recent discussions about LinkedIn Premium's value proposition have intensified. "Marketing Masterclass: Is LinkedIn Premium Worth the Investment?" Channel Eye Media highlights that while LinkedIn Premium costs up to £79.99 per month, its advanced search capabilities and messaging features can be game-changers for business development professionals when used strategically.

Systematic Testing

A/B testing with InMail is tricky since you can't message the same person twice, but you can test approaches with similar segments.

Test one variable at a time: subject lines, message length, calls-to-action. Keep good notes so you can build on what works.

With limited credits, this takes patience, but the insights are worth it. I'll test subject line approaches - question vs. statement vs. personalized reference. Or message length - 75 words vs. 150 words. Or different calls-to-action.

A/B Testing Framework:

Week 1: Test subject line approach
- Group A (5 credits): "Question about [Company]'s growth strategy"
- Group B (5 credits): "Insights on scaling teams like yours"
Week 2: Test message length
- Group A (5 credits): 75-word messages
- Group B (5 credits): 150-word messages
Week 3: Test call-to-action
- Group A (5 credits): Specific meeting request
- Group B (5 credits): General connection offer

How ContentIn Amplifies Your InMail Success

Your messaging effectiveness skyrockets when you've got a strong content presence backing up your outreach. When someone receives your InMail and checks your profile, they should see consistent, valuable posts that demonstrate your expertise.

Contentin's AI-powered content generation helps you maintain that professional presence without the time investment. Instead of cold outreach to complete strangers, you can use strategic content to warm up your audience first. People who already know your work through your posts are significantly more likely to respond to your messages.

Ready to maximize your LinkedIn Premium investment? Start building the content foundation that makes your credits work harder.

Final Thoughts

Success with messaging ultimately comes down to having a comprehensive approach that includes optimizing your LinkedIn posts for reach and engagement to build credibility before reaching out to new connections.

Look, InMail isn't magic. But when you stop treating it like email marketing and start having real conversations, those credits become incredibly powerful. The difference between wasting money on a Premium subscription and generating real business value comes down to three things: choosing the right plan for your actual usage, crafting messages people want to respond to, and tracking results to improve continuously.

Don't obsess over credit counts - focus on conversation quality. A Business plan generating three solid relationships monthly beats a Sales Navigator subscription with dozens of non-responses. Start with clear goals, track religiously, and remember: one great connection is worth more than a dozen generic outreach messages.

The professionals who get the most value from InMail credits treat them as part of a comprehensive LinkedIn strategy, not a standalone solution. When your outreach supports genuine relationship building, those credits become significantly more effective at opening doors and creating opportunities.