InMail is LinkedIn's paid direct messaging feature that lets you send messages to people you are not connected with. Pretty powerful, right?
You can automate InMail outreach as part of your campaigns in HeyReach, but this comes with several limitations (that are dictated by LinkedIn). This guide covers all of them and how best to approach InMails.
⚠️ InMail in HeyReach requires Sales Navigator. LinkedIn Premium accounts and Recruiter accounts cannot send InMails through HeyReach. Only LinkedIn senders with an active Sales Navigator subscription can use the InMail feature.
Open Profiles vs Closed Profiles — The most important distinction:
LinkedIn divides accounts into two categories regarding InMails:
Open Profiles: LinkedIn Premium members who have opted in to receive InMail from anyone. Sending an InMail to an open profile costs zero credits.
Closed Profiles: Standard LinkedIn members who have not opted in to receive free InMail. Sending an InMail to a closed profile deducts one InMail credit from your Sales Navigator monthly allowance.
⚠️ How does HeyReach identify open profiles?
HeyReach uses Sales Navigator data to determine whether a lead is an open profile. This is why Sales Navigator is required. Without it, HeyReach cannot reliably differentiate open from closed profiles. If your selected sender doesn't have Sales Navigator you won't be able to launch campaigns with InMails at all.
How InMail credits work?
Sales Navigator accounts come with a monthly InMail credit allowance (typically 50 credits per month, although this varies by subscription tier). These credits reset at the start of each billing cycle.
Key rules or InMails by LinkedIn:
Open profiles: 0 credits deducted.
Closed profiles: 1 credit deducted per InMail sent.
Credit refund: If a lead replies to your InMail (whether open or closed), LinkedIn refunds used credit.
Reply costs: Replying to an InMail reply does not cost a credit, only the initial outbound InMail does.
Credits do not roll over: unused credits expire at the end of each billing cycle.
How to check your remaining InMail credits:
Log in to Sales Navigator directly.
Click your profile icon in the top right corner.
Select Settings.
Your remaining InMail credits will be displayed on the left side.
LinkedIn's three limitations with InMails:
LinkedIn controls the number of InMails senders can send in three different ways:
Monthly InMail limit: This determines the total number of InMails you can send per month (both to open and closed profiles). It's highly dynamic and depends on various factors, which LinkedIn does not publicly disclose. If crossed, the sender will hit 'Cooldown Mode' and a snowflake will appear next to the sender.
Open Profile InMail limit: This determines the total number of InMails you can send to open profiles per month. It's highly dynamic and depends on various factors, which LinkedIn does not publicly disclose. If crossed, all profiles effectively become labeled as closed and sending an InMail to them costs one credit.
InMail credits: This determines the total number of InMails you can send to closed profiles. It's rigidly defined per sender, and users can check their InMail credits in Sales Navigator. Once depleted, senders cannot send more InMails to closed profiles until replenished.
⚠️ What happens when credits run out?
Leads with closed profiles will fail the InMail step and move to a failed status in your campaign. The sender can still successfully send InMails to open profiles.
⚠️ What happens when the open profile InMail limit is crossed, and the InMail credits are depleted?
The senders will be unable to send more InMails until the InMail credits are replenished. All profiles will still be closed, so sending an InMail costs one credit.
👋 Setting up an InMail Campaign in HeyReach
The best way to set up an InMail campaign in HeyReach is to use the "If Open Profile" action to filter the leads into open and closed.
By doing so, you can target only open InMails and maximize your outreach in line with the three limits (monthly InMail limit, open profile InMail limit, and InMail credits).
How it works:
In your campaign sequence, add an If Open Profile conditional step.
HeyReach checks each lead against Sales Navigator data to determine whether it has an open or closed profile.
Leads identified as open profiles are routed down the "Open Profile" branch - where "Send InMail" should be.
All other leads follow the "Not Open Profile" branch - where "Send Connection Request" should be.
By doing so, you can maximize your outreach across InMails and Connection Requests.
‼️ This step requires Sales Navigator.
If you see the error "Your sequence contains an if open profile check, please select accounts with Sales Navigator" or "Your sequence contains InMail actions. Please select accounts with Sales Navigator", then the LinkedIn sender assigned to the campaign does not have Sales Navigator connected.
Either connect Sales Navigator to that sender, or remove the "If Open Profile" branch from the sequence.
🕵️ Troubleshooting Common InMail Issues:
1. "This step requires Sales Navigator", but I have a Sales Navigator license:
Please check whether your Sales Navigator license has been synced and connected to HeyReach.
2. I have a "Send InMail" step in my campaign after "If Open Profile", but no InMails are being sent, and the leads aren't failing either:
Most LinkedIn accounts have closed profiles. As such, "If Open Profile" will route the leads to the "Not Open Profile" branch and not send InMails to these leads. It's not uncommon for campaigns to send a significant number of Connection Requests and a few InMails.
3. I'm only sending to open profiles, but credits are being spent:
The only reliable way to determine an open profile in HeyReach is to use the "If Open Profile" action. Externally determined open profile leads might have stale data (leads can change their open profile status) or not use Sales Navigator to determine open profiles.
4. I'm only sending to open profiles using "If Open Profile", but credits are being spent:
If you're using "If Open Profile", but credits are still being spent, it is most likely that the open profile InMail limit has been crossed.
5. A lead failed due to "No InMail Credits", but the lead is marked as open on LinkedIn:
HeyReach uses the Sales Navigator inbox to send InMails, not the regular LinkedIn inbox. The two inboxes have distinct open profile checks and limits.
What's crucial for HeyReach is whether the account is open in Sales Navigator, not the regular LinkedIn platform.
6. Leads failed due to "InMail Error":
Please check with your Sales Navigator license admin whether you have permission to send InMails.
7. My Sales Navigator shows I have credits, but leads are failing in my campaign due to "No InMail Credits":
Please double-check if you have more than one Sales Navigator license. It might be that the license connected to HeyReach has 0 InMail credits, while the one you're logged into does. If so, please contact our support team for instructions on how to rotate the licenses.
8. Credits renewed, but HeyReach hasn't picked up the new balance yet:
After a Sales Navigator billing cycle renews, HeyReach may take a short time to detect the new credit balance. Try re-syncing the LinkedIn account to force a refresh.
9. Sequence continued after InMail reply:
This is a timing issue. If HeyReach sent a follow-up InMail after a lead had already responded, the reply came in after HeyReach had already queued the next step. This can happen when the delay between steps is very short.
To reduce the chance of this happening, add a longer delay between the InMail step and any follow-up steps (at least 24-48 hours)
10. InMail campaign not sending at all
If your InMail campaign is active but no InMails are being sent:
Check the sender's Sales Navigator status - go to LinkedIn Accounts and confirm the sender shows as connected with Sales Navigator active. A "Disconnected Sales Navigator" status will block all InMail sending.
Check sending limits and working hours - InMail campaigns respect the same sending limits and working hours as other campaign types. Confirm the sender is within their active sending window.
Check lead statuses - if all leads in the campaign have a "Failed" status (e.g. due to no credits), the campaign will show as active but not sending. Review the leads tab to see which status is blocking progress.
Check if the campaign paused automatically - campaigns with a high failed lead rate can pause automatically. Check the campaign status and resume if needed.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use InMail with a LinkedIn Premium account (not Sales Navigator)
No, HeyReach InMail automation requires Sales Navigator. LinkedIn Premium and Recruiter accounts are not supported for InMail sending through HeyReach.
Does replying to an InMail reply cost a credit?
No, credits are only deducted for the initial outbound InMail to a closed profile. Replying to a reply (i.e. continuing the conversation) does not cost a credit.
How does HeyReach know if a profile is open or closed?
HeyReach uses the Sales Navigator session to query each lead's profile status at send time. This is why Sales Navigator is a hard requirement - without it, HeyReach cannot access this data.Can I run InMail and Connection Request campaigns to the same leads?
It's best not to run two separate InMail and Connection Requests campaigns for the same leads so that you do not double-contact them.
Can I send an InMail to a 1st-degree connection?
Yes, this is possible. However, 1st-degree connections can be directly messaged, so it's better to use 'Send Message' instead.
My client purchased a new Sales Navigator license, but leads are still failing due to 'No InMail Credits'. Why?
The Sales Navigator license needs to be rotated. Please contact our support team on how to do so.
Can I send more than 40 InMails per day through HeyReach?
This is not possible as it could impact your account's health.
Can I send InMails from multiple LinkedIn accounts at once in one campaign?Yes, if multiple senders are added to an InMail campaign, HeyReach will distribute the leads across the senders and attempt to reach the daily InMail limit for each sender.
Still running into InMail issues? Chat with our support team via the widget in the bottom-right corner - share the campaign URL and the affected sender account, and we will investigate. 🚀