InMail vs Email Showdown: What Top Sales Teams Choose in 2025
Are you tired of watching your outreach messages disappear into the void? You're not alone. Most sales professionals struggle with the same question: should I focus on LinkedIn InMail or stick with traditional email?
Here's what the data reveals: LinkedIn InMail messages achieve a 57.5% average open rate, while traditional emails struggle at just 21.6%. That's a 166% difference and a game-changer that could make or break your pipeline.
But here's where it gets interesting. Email marketing delivers an exceptional ROI of $36-40 for every $1 spent, while InMail boasts response rates between 10-25% compared to email's modest 1-10%. Yet at $1.60 per message, InMail demands a more strategic approach to justify its cost.
What if you didn't have to choose? What if you could use both channels strategically to double your results without doubling your effort?
The reality is that most sales teams planning their 2025 strategy treat this as an either-or decision. They're missing out on the real opportunity: combining both channels for maximum impact. InMail excels for native LinkedIn outreach, while email offers better scalability and personalization options.
You'll discover exactly when to use each channel, how top-performing sales teams are combining them for maximum impact, and the proven best practices that will set your outreach apart in 2025.
Sounds good? Let's get started.
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The Numbers Don't Lie: InMail vs Email Performance
The data reveals a striking reality about outreach effectiveness. When you look at actual performance metrics, the difference between InMail and email isn't subtle but it's dramatic.
LinkedIn InMail response rates typically range from 10% to 25%. With hyper-personalized outreach tools like SalesHero, these rates can increase to an average of 18% to 25%. In contrast, traditional email response rates are much lower, averaging between 1% and 10%. This isn't just a small improvement. It's a significant shift in how prospects engage with your outreach.
Here's a real-world example that demonstrates this gap perfectly. A sales team ran a week-long test, shifting their focus to LinkedIn InMail. Their reply rates more than doubled from 3.29% to 7.38%. Even more impressive? Their meeting-scheduled rate — the metric that directly impacts pipeline — skyrocketed from 0.2% with email to 3.28% with InMail. That's a potential 16x improvement in actual sales conversations.
The open rate difference tells the same story. LinkedIn InMail achieves 57.5% average open rates compared to email's 21.6%. Professional messages on a professional platform naturally receive more attention than communications buried in overcrowded email inboxes.
Industry and Role Make a Difference
Not all prospects respond equally. The LinkedIn InMail benchmarking reports showed that the oil, gas, and mining sector sees InMail response rates 24% above global averages, followed by utilities at 17% above average. Retail, accommodation, food services, and manufacturing also demonstrate above-average engagement.
Job function matters too. From the same reports, quality assurance professionals respond at rates 16% higher than average, while HR professionals respond 15% above average. Program managers, project managers, and communications professionals follow closely at 11-15% above average.
Message Format Drives Results
Shorter InMails that are 400 characters or fewer receive response rates 22% higher than the global average. This is crucial because LinkedIn messages typically require fewer follow-ups (3-4) to get a response, while emails often need 7 or more attempts.
Moreover, only 10% of all InMails are under 400 characters, whereas nearly half (46%) exceed 800 characters. This may explain why shorter InMails are so effective: they stand out from 90% of other InMails simply due to their brevity.
But there's a catch. Unlike email, LinkedIn doesn't allow automated InMail follow-ups, giving you just one opportunity to capture attention. LinkedIn monitors engagement metrics and may suspend users whose InMail open rates fall below 19% over a month. Quality over quantity isn't just a best practice. It's a requirement.
The Cost Reality
Additional InMail credits (beyond your monthly allocation) cost $10 each. Some analysts suggest maintaining a 40% response rate to justify this investment — a challenging benchmark that requires careful targeting and message crafting.
Here's the bottom line: InMail delivers superior response rates, particularly for targeted outreach to specific industries and roles. Yet email remains valuable for its scale, follow-up capabilities, and lower cost structure. The most effective approach combines both channels strategically rather than choosing one over the other.
When InMail Outperforms Email (and Vice Versa)
Here's the truth: most sales professionals use the wrong channel at the wrong time. They default to email because it's familiar, or they jump to InMail because the response rates look impressive. Neither approach maximizes results.
The key is matching your channel to your specific situation. Each has distinct advantages that make it the superior choice in different scenarios.
InMail Delivers Superior Results When:
Your prospect is highly active on LinkedIn. You can see when someone is online or recently active, allowing you to time your outreach perfectly. This visibility factor alone can dramatically increase your chances of receiving a response.
You lack verified email addresses for your prospects. Rather than spending hours hunting down contact information or risking deliverability issues with uncertain emails, InMail offers direct access to LinkedIn's vast professional network.
You need instant credibility. Your message arrives with your complete professional context—your name, photo, job title, and full profile . This built-in trust factor is something email simply cannot replicate. Recipients can immediately verify who you are before responding.
You want to bypass spam filters completely. While emails often get buried in promotions folders or junk mail, InMail messages go directly to your prospect's LinkedIn inbox with an accompanying notification.
Email Remains Superior When:
You're targeting larger prospect lists. Email allows you to scale your outreach efforts more effectively without facing the budget constraints of InMail's credit system.
You need complete control over message formatting, layout, and follow-up sequences. This flexibility allows for more sophisticated campaign structures than InMail permits.
You're running automated outreach sequences. Unlike InMail, which charges for each message sent regardless of response, email allows unlimited follow-ups at no additional cost. Considering that it takes an average of 8 touches, this advantage is substantial.
You require robust tracking and analytics capabilities. Though InMail provides basic statistics on response rates, email platforms typically deliver more comprehensive data to drive your outreach strategy.
The Practical Limitations You Need to Know
InMail operates with stricter limits. Messages expire after seven days unless they receive a response, and LinkedIn limits you to approximately 100 InMails monthly with a Sales Navigator account. Email faces fewer such restrictions.
Cost remains another crucial differentiator. InMail requires a premium LinkedIn account, with the most affordable option (annual Sales Navigator) costing approximately $1.60 per message. Email, meanwhile, is essentially free for most business operations.
Here's How to Combine Both Strategically
Start with email for initial outreach and broader campaigns, then use InMail for:
- High-value prospects who haven't responded to emails
- Active LinkedIn users who engage regularly on the platform
- Situations requiring the added credibility of your full professional profile
- Reaching decision-makers where email deliverability is uncertain
The most effective approach doesn't force you to choose. It uses both channels strategically to maximize response rates while optimizing your outreach budget and efforts.
Combining the Two for a 1-2 Punch
The most successful sales teams don't choose between InMail and email—they use both strategically to create a complete outreach system. Companies using multi-channel outreach strategies see a 37% higher engagement rate than those relying on a single channel. This isn't just about more touchpoints; it's about meeting prospects where they are and how they prefer to communicate.
Here's the framework that top-performing teams use:
Step 1: Start with LinkedIn connection requests for your top 20 prospects, followed by direct messages once connected.
Step 2: Email remaining candidates with personalized messages that reference their LinkedIn activity.
Step 3: Follow up via email to non-responders (these typically generate 50% of your responses).
Step 4: Deploy InMail strategically for high-value prospects who haven't engaged.
This sequence makes financial sense. Since InMail costs more than email, you'll want to save those valuable credits for situations where they'll have the greatest impact.
The Magic of Cross-Channel Coordination
Some sales consultants report an 8% increase in contact-to-meeting ratios when combining InMail with at least one additional contact method. This improvement happens because you're creating multiple opportunities for engagement across platforms where prospects already spend time.
The key is thoughtful coordination. Each touchpoint should reinforce your message while providing fresh value. Use LinkedIn to research and warm up prospects, then follow up with more detailed information via email.
Timing Your Multi-Channel Approach
The timing of your communications matters just as much as the content. Many successful sales professionals find that following up via InMail 7-9 days after initial email contact hits the sweet spot for engagement. This prevents overwhelming prospects while maintaining consistent presence.
Cross-channel coordination also enhances trust-building. When your messaging remains consistent across platforms, it establishes credibility with potential buyers. As one experienced sales professional notes: "It's not a one or the other sales environment anymore, it's a 'Yes and...' All of the above!"
Make sure your InMail messages reference previous touchpoints naturally. Your emails should direct prospects back to LinkedIn where they can see your face and profile, making it harder to ignore your outreach.
Remember that LinkedIn and email serve complementary functions in the buyer journey. InMail reaches prospects in a professional context where your profile adds credibility, while email allows for more detailed follow-up and scalable sequences.
Best Practices: Subject Lines, Intros, Timing
Getting responses isn't about luck. It's about mastering the fundamentals that drive engagement. Your approach to subject lines, message content, and timing can make the difference between inbox zero and a full pipeline.
Subject Line Excellence
Here's the hard truth: 64% of recipients decide whether to open or delete emails based solely on the subject line. That means your subject line isn't just important; it's everything.
For InMail, shorter wins every time. From our data, subject lines with just seven words achieve optimal open rates. Most people are doing this wrong.
Personalization amplifies impact significantly. From our data, including a company name in subject lines increases open rates by 10%, while personalizing emails generally produces a 50% improvement in response rates.
Skip the generic headings like "Meeting Request." Instead, try specific approaches like "Quick chat to discuss employee retention". The difference is night and day.
Message Content That Converts
First impressions matter tremendously in your opening lines. Keep your introductions concise. Remember the 400 characters rule.
Focus on personalization by referencing specific details from the recipient's profile, shared connections, or recent posts. This approach demonstrates genuine interest rather than template-driven communication. People can spot a template from a mile away.
Optimal Timing Strategies
Monday emerges as the champion for emails, delivering the highest reply rates. Thursday shows strong performance for LinkedIn outreach.
Timing throughout the day matters just as much. Although LinkedIn found there is no definitively "best" time to send messages, here’s what we suggest from our own experiences:
- ✅ Midweek advantage: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday typically see higher engagement rates.
- ✅ Monday effectiveness: Monday outperforms other weekdays for business prospects.
- ✅ Business hours sweet spots: 9:00-11:00 AM and 1:00-2:00 PM often yield better results.
- ❌ Weekend avoidance: Weekends generally show lower engagement, unless targeting specific professionals who work weekends.
The key is to test these variables against your specific audience. What works for one industry or role may underperform for another.
The Complete Breakdown: InMail vs Email
To sum up, here's how the two channels stack up across every metric that matters for your outreach strategy:
Open Rate
- LinkedIn InMail: 57.5%
- Traditional Email: 21.6%
Response Rate
- LinkedIn InMail: 10–25%
- Traditional Email: 1–10%
Cost
- LinkedIn InMail: $1.60 per message
- Traditional Email: Essentially free
Monthly Limit
- LinkedIn InMail: ~100 messages (with Sales Navigator)
- Traditional Email: Unlimited
Message Expiration
- LinkedIn InMail: 7 days
- Traditional Email: No expiration
Key Advantages
- LinkedIn InMail:
- Bypasses spam filters
- Shows complete professional context
- Higher credibility
- See when prospects are active
- Direct access to LinkedIn network
- Traditional Email:
- Better scalability
- Complete control over formatting
- Unlimited follow-ups
- More robust analytics
- Better for large prospect lists
Best Timing
- LinkedIn InMail:
- Thursday is strongest
- Avoid Fridays/Saturdays (lower response)
- Traditional Email:
- Monday has highest reply rates
- 8–10 AM is optimal
Best Message Length
- LinkedIn InMail: 400 characters or fewer (+22% response rate)
- Traditional Email: Not mentioned
Follow-up Requirements
- LinkedIn InMail: 3–4 attempts needed
- Traditional Email: 7+ attempts typically needed
Automation Capabilities
- LinkedIn InMail: Limited (no automated follow-ups)
- Traditional Email: Full automation supported
ROI
- LinkedIn InMail: Not mentioned
- Traditional Email: $40 for every $1 spent
The numbers make the trade-offs clear: InMail delivers higher engagement but costs more and has stricter limits. Email offers unlimited scale but requires more touchpoints to generate responses. Most successful sales teams use both strategically rather than choosing one over the other.
Ready to Put This Into Action?
You've seen the data. You know the strategies. Now it's time to implement a system that actually works.
Most sales professionals get stuck in planning mode, comparing features and reading more articles. The teams that win are the ones who start testing and optimizing based on real results.
Here's Your Cross-Channel Outreach Plan
Successful multichannel outreach isn't about using every tool available. It's about using the right sequence at the right time. A robust multichannel approach ensures all your interactions remain seamless and personalized, no matter where they happen.
Start with this proven sequence:
- LinkedIn research to understand your prospects better
- Personalized emails to establish initial contact
- InMail follow-up for prospects who didn't respond to emails
- Track engagement across both channels to identify preferred communication methods
- Adjust timing and messaging based on response patterns
The key is tracking which channels deliver the most value and whether your LinkedIn follow-ups drive more responses than email. This approach helps you refine your strategy based on actual performance rather than assumptions.
Scale With the Right Tools
Manual outreach only gets you so far. Automation tools simplify the logistics of multichannel outreach without sacrificing personalization. These platforms allow you to schedule messages, track responses, and manage follow-ups efficiently across both InMail and email.
That’s where SalesHero comes in.
SalesHero isn’t just another tool. It’s your unfair advantage for LinkedIn outreach. Track engagement, identify the prospects that matter, and automate your InMail follow-ups with precision. Everything syncs seamlessly with your CRM so you never lose sight of a warm lead.
If you want to maximize replies and close more deals on LinkedIn, SalesHero gives you the system, data, and automation to make it happen.
Want to turn more conversations into clients? Try SalesHero today!
