LinkedIn · 6 templates

LinkedIn InMail Templates

InMail is the only LinkedIn message that lands with a subject line, and the subject line does half the work: it's what shows in the notification and decides whether the message gets opened at all. Write it like an email subject — specific and short — not like a headline.

InMails also cost credits, which is a feature in disguise: it forces you to ask whether this exact person is worth this exact message. The templates below assume they are, and they front-load the evidence. Subject lines are included with each one.

As with all TemplateJet templates, first_name is a live placeholder — the Chrome extension resolves it from the profile you're messaging, so the template stays reusable across your whole shortlist.

Recruiter InMail — subject: 'Staff role, 120–140k, your infra background'

Hi first_name, the subject line is the whole pitch: Staff Platform Engineer, 120–140k, remote-first, and your Kubernetes migration writeup is why it's you I'm messaging. If any of those four facts is wrong for you, no reply needed — if they're all right, I'll send the full picture.

Putting the band in the subject line filters out mismatches before they cost you a credit's worth of conversation.

Sales InMail — subject: 'The reporting question your team posted about'

Hi first_name, one of your analysts asked (publicly, on your community forum) how to reconcile usage data across three tools. That's literally our product's job, so rather than a cold pitch: here's the workaround that fixes it without buying anything. If you want the version that doesn't need the workaround, I'm here.

Leading with the free fix earns the right to mention the paid one.

Executive outreach — subject: 'Two paragraphs, one question'

Hi first_name, you get fifty of these a week, so: two paragraphs, one question. We cut onboarding time for two companies in your space from weeks to days. The question — is onboarding speed a top-three problem for you this year? "No" is a complete answer and I'll leave you alone.

Executives reply to messages that demonstrate respect for their time in the structure, not just in the words.

Candidate reply-bait — subject: 'Not a role — a question about your talk'

Hi first_name, honest subject line: no role attached. Your conference talk on flaky test quarantine is making the rounds on our team and there's a debate about one slide. Settle it for us? (And yes, if we ever have a role worthy of that talk, you'll hear about it — but that's not today.)

The best sourcing InMail sometimes isn't a pitch. A real technical conversation builds a pipeline no template alone can.

Follow-up InMail — subject: 'Closing the loop on my last note'

Hi first_name, one follow-up and then I stop — InMail makes silence expensive for me, which keeps this short. Since my last message, the team shipped public pricing, which was your likely first question anyway. Same offer as before: worth a look, or should I close the file?

Acknowledging the economics ("silence is expensive for me") is disarming and honest — and "close the file" invites a real answer.

Event-based — subject: 'Before your Q1 planning locks'

Hi first_name, timing-based note: you posted that planning season starts next month. Teams usually discover us in February and wish they'd budgeted for it in December. One paragraph of what we do, in writing, before the spreadsheet freezes — want it?

Anchoring to their calendar, not yours, turns an interruption into a well-timed reminder.

These templates fill themselves in

Save any template to TemplateJet and the Chrome extension inserts the recipient's first name via first_name right inside LinkedIn, Telegram, and WhatsApp — Cyrillic names included.

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Frequently asked questions

What makes InMail different from a normal LinkedIn message?

InMail reaches people you're not connected to, carries a subject line, and consumes credits from a paid plan. The subject line is the biggest practical difference — treat it as the most important sentence in the message.

What's a good InMail response rate?

LinkedIn's own guidance puts typical response rates around 10–25%, with personalized, shorter InMails at the top of that range. Under 400 characters with a specific subject line is the consistent winner.

Are InMail templates worth using if credits are limited?

That's exactly when templates matter: a tested structure with the personal details swapped per recipient means each credit is spent on a message you know performs, not on a first draft.

Related template packs

LinkedIn Cold Message Templates

First messages after the connect — short enough to read in the notification preview, specific enough to answer.

All platforms

Recruiter Outreach Message Templates

Sourcing messages for a market where every strong candidate gets five recruiter DMs a week.

LinkedIn Follow-Up Message Templates

Second and third messages that add something new instead of "just bumping this up in your inbox."

Write once. Personalize every send.

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