Sending InMail
As you learned earlier in this chapter, InMail enables you to contact LinkedIn members who aren't in your network. In an effort to manage spam, LinkedIn requires members to pay to send InMail. InMail is most useful for members who want to contact a wide variety of people, such as recruiters or individuals using LinkedIn for business development.
LinkedIn premium accounts enable you to send a fixed number of InMail messages per month. To learn more about LinkedIn premium accounts and InMail, click the Upgrade Your Account link on the bottom navigation menu. You can also purchase individual InMails at $10 each. To do so, click the Account & Settings link on the top navigation menu and then click the Purchase link in the Account section. This is cost-efficient only if you want to contact just a few people by InMail.
See Lesson 1 to learn more about the OpenLink Network and premium account options.
To determine the InMail options available for a particular member, view the contact options on that person's profile (see Figure 6.5).
Figure 6.5 Determine the InMail options for a particular LinkedIn member.
To send InMail to a LinkedIn member, follow these steps:
- Click the Send InMail link on the profile of the person you want to reach. If you're sending paid InMail, the Compose Your Message page opens. If you're sending free InMail, the Compose Your OpenLink Message page opens (see Figure 6.6). These pages contain identical information.
Figure 6.6 Sending free InMail to members of the OpenLink Network.
- If you don't want to share your contact information with the person you want to reach, remove the check mark from the Include My Contact Information check box (selected by default). In general, it's a good idea to share contact information.
- In the Category drop-down list, select the reason for your InMail. Options include career opportunity, consulting offer, new venture, job inquiry, expertise request, business deal, reference request, or get back in touch.
- In the Subject field, enter the subject of your InMail.
- In the text box, enter your message. To increase your chances of a positive reply, be as specific as possible.
- Click the Send button to send your InMail. If the recipient doesn't respond to the InMail within seven days, the message expires.
For more information about InMail, see "Understanding InMail, Introductions, and LinkedIn Messages" in this lesson and see Lesson 1.