7 Ways to Increase Responses to LinkedIn InMails

 

As a former executive recruiter, I used the InMail feature to reach out to candidates, and as a prolific networker, I often use it when it makes sense.

The use of InMails can help you reach out to people that you have had difficulty reaching otherwise. It is not the magic elixir of communication and should not be the first means of contact for most people, in my opinion.  However, to help you optimize the use of your InMails, consider the following tips/steps:

• Before you send an InMail, check whether the person is active on LinkedIn daily. If the prospective contact has a sparsely populated profile, no status updates over a two-week period, and very few connections (i.e., under 40 or 50), that person is probably not a prolific LinkedIn user. If the person is not a daily user, they will unlikely see your InMail until they log in to LinkedIn — and who knows when that will be. Send your InMails to active LinkedIn users to increase your chances of it being read, as those users likely have LinkedIn-generated emails (InMails being one form of those) forwarded to their regular email accounts, increasing the likelihood of the email being read.

 

• When crafting your InMail content, use the same social norms you would use in cold calling, in-person networking, emails, and other relationship-development communication tools. Those same relationship etiquette rules apply to InMails. Be polite–' Please’ and ‘thank you’ go a long way.  Be specific—don't include your entire professional history in this initial email. Don't be too forward too fast–but be direct. Keep it short and sweet. Show interest in the person you are speaking to/emailing by including why your request may be beneficial to them (if it truly will be).

 

• Be sure to ask for information at an appropriate level (about their experience, advice, or opinion) in a short, actionable request. For example, if the person you are InMailing is someone you have never met before and have no mutual connections, asking whether they know of any open jobs to refer you to may be too forward for some recipients. Most people receiving this type of email will ignore it (I would, anyway), and you will not receive a response. Use flattery in a modest manner.

 

• Think about how you would want to be approached as a general guide for approaching others. To drive this point home, would you ask someone to marry you upon meeting them for the first time? Would you want someone to ask to vouch for them in a professional setting, when you have not met them before?  Again, use LinkedIn InMail as a relationship starter with new contacts and not as a transactional exchange or a deal closer.

 

• Keep your request short and sweet. Less is more. Long manifestos rarely get read (Think about it, how motivated are you to read lengthy emails from people you do not know?). Ask a short, actionable question that makes it easy for the person you are asking to say yes and help you.  I suggest asking for an exploratory conversation by commenting on a post they made and suggesting a 10-15-minute call in a short note.

 

• Optimize your profile so that when the recipient views it attached to your InMail, they are impressed by your background and the choices you've made to present yourself. When I receive an InMail request asking me for a favor or pro bono assistance, if I look at the person's profile and see that they are not the most professional in their LinkedIn presentation, it can make me wonder about their judgment and slow down my response.  (Cleaning Up & Polishing Your Online Image.)

 

• Before sending the InMail, see if you can find other contact information for the person and reach out to them using those other means (Email, Twitter, Facebook, etc.). By reaching out to the person using another medium, maybe a medium the person tends to use more, you are preserving your InMails for times when you really need it and increasing the chance of you getting a response—which is what this game really is all about.

 

Having access to InMails is very helpful, but given the limited number of members who receive them and the limitations the format imposes, it is important that they are used properly to achieve the desired results. Simply having access is not the answer. While you are guaranteed responses for the allotment you are allowed, you can receive credit from those InMails that do not receive a response and send InMails to different contacts until you receive a response. It is best to write the best possible InMail to increase your chances of getting a response from the first person you reach out to.

Use them selectively and wisely, ensuring you are positioned properly to attract the right people and elicit a stronger response.