9 Stats That Will Help You Write Better LinkedIn InMails

Let’s face it, a lot of the time, your first contact with a prospect is through a LinkedIn InMail. That means on a basic level, if you consistently write really great InMails, you are going to have a lot of candidates to pick from.

Conversely, if you don’t, it’ll be slim pickings.

Now there’s undeniably an art to writing a great InMail, which is part of being a great recruiter. But there’s also a science, as our own LinkedIn data reveals some best practices to follow.

To make it easier to consume, we consolidated that data into nine highly relevant statistics that will help you write better InMails. They are:

1. 87% of professionals are open to new job opportunities

We’ll start here – the vast majority of professionals are at least somewhat curious to hear about new job offers. So don’t be afraid of InMailing someone. Eight out of nine professionals are at least willing to consider a new job opportunity.

2. InMail response rate is three times higher than a regular email

People are far more willing to respond to a LinkedIn InMail than just a traditional email. So, if you are going to reach out, InMail beats email.

3. The number one reason people both leave an old job and take a new job is career advancement

While compensation naturally plays a role, the leadership of the company and work-life balance are all very important. LinkedIn survey data revealed that the main reason professionals both leave jobs and join new jobs is for career advancement.

Keep that in mind when writing your InMails, as you are not just selling the offered position, but where the position can take them.

4. The best time to send an InMail is between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. on a weekday

Our LinkedIn data shows InMails sent between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. on weekdays get the highest response rate. So send yours mid-morning when possible.

5. InMails sent on Saturdays are 16% less likely to get a response

Here’s the other side of the coin: Don’t send InMails on Saturdays. This makes sense intuitively, considering most people often won’t check LinkedIn again until work on Monday, which will effectively mean a buried InMail.

6. Referencing a former common employer in your InMail increases your chances of getting a response by 27%

The bigger message here is you should customize each InMail you send and take advantage of any commonalities you share with the candidatein. Copying-and-pasting one generic InMail to dozens of candidates is both ineffective and will hurt your employer brand.

Here’s an example: If you and the prospect worked for the same company at one point, bring that up in the InMail. Your chances of a response will increase by 27%.

7. You’re 21% more likely to get a response from a prospect when they are in the same LinkedIn Group as you

The next three stats all fall under the same umbrella: Target people who have some connection to you or your company. In this case, if someone is part of the same LinkedIn Group as you, that’s a good thing. They are 21% more likely to respond to your InMail.

8. People who follow your company on LinkedIn are 95% more likely to accept your InMail and 81% more likely to respond to it

No surprise here, as people tend to follow a company on LinkedIn because they admire it and therefore would be flattered to receive an offer to work there. So it makes sense to reach out to these people first when recruiting.

9. A prospect is 46% more likely to accept an InMail if they are connected to someone who works at your company

Again, this just reinforces the idea to take advantage of people who have some connection to you or your company.

That said, there’s an even better solution here. If a prospect you want to target is connected to an existing employee at your company, talk to that employee. Find out what that person would be interested and if that employee would be willing to introduce the prospect to you. That will drastically increase not just your chances of starting a conversation with the prospect, but actually closing them.

The larger takeaway for recruiters

Really, the two golden rules to follow when writing InMails is to make sure they are customized to the candidate and to target people who have some connection to you or your company. That’s your best chance of getting a response.

But here’s another factor that’s going to drastically effect your response rate: Your employer brand. If you InMail someone regarding a job opportunity, they are going to check out your LinkedIn page, see what your employees are saying about your company on the Internet and, if they know anyone at your company, ask them how it is to work there.

Obviously, if what they hear is positive, they are much more likely to respond. If what they hear is negative, they probably won’t.

So yes, the content of your InMail is important. But if you believe you are writing strong InMails and not getting a response, there’s a good chance your employer brand is to blame (which we wrote a whole ebook about to help you improve).

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