LinkedIn InMail templates for recruiters: short messages that fit the limits
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A good LinkedIn InMail from a recruiter is short: a specific subject line, one sentence on why you picked this person, the role in a sentence with pay and location, and an easy question to answer. Aim for roughly 300 to 600 characters even though LinkedIn allows far more, and make declining easy. Below are InMail templates, connection request notes that fit the 200-character limit, follow-ups, and the platform rules that shape how you write them.
If you are contacting people by email rather than on LinkedIn, the candidate outreach email templates are longer and include re-engagement sequences. To find the right people in the first place, see how to source candidates on LinkedIn and the Boolean search strings for recruiters.
LinkedIn's limits, and what they mean for your message
These figures come from LinkedIn's own help pages, as of September 2026. LinkedIn changes them, so check before you build a process around them.
| Rule | Limit | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiter InMail subject | Up to 200 characters (LinkedIn Recruiter Help) | Long subjects get cut off on small screens; put the role first |
| Recruiter InMail body | Up to 1,900 characters (same page) | A ceiling, not a target |
| InMail credit return | Credit returned if the candidate accepts, declines or replies, including quick replies, within 90 days (LinkedIn Recruiter Help) | A polite decline costs you nothing, so invite one |
| Connection request note | Up to 200 characters (LinkedIn Help) | One sentence of reason, one of ask |
| Personalized notes on a free account | Up to three connection requests per month (same page) | Use InMail or a paid plan for sourcing volume |
The credit rule changes how you should write. A candidate who is not interested and ignores you costs a credit; one who declines or sends a one-line reply returns it. Ending with "a quick no is completely fine" is polite, and it is also practical.
InMail templates
Each template below is written to stay well under the body limit. Character counts depend on what you put in the brackets, so check the counter before sending.
1. The standard sourcing InMail
Subject: [Title], [remote/city], $[range] — saw your [specific thing]
Hi [first name] — your [specific: work on X at Company / post about Y]
is why I'm writing. I'm hiring a [title] to [one outcome], reporting to
[role]. $[range], [setup].
Open to a 15-minute call this week? A quick "not now" is completely
fine too.
[Your name]2. Agency recruiter, confidential client
Subject: Confidential [title] search, [location], $[range]
Hi [first name] — I'm recruiting a [title] for a [size/type] company in
[industry]. Your [specific experience] matches the core of what they
need: [one thing].
I'll name the company on a call, and I won't share your details
without your OK. Worth 15 minutes? If not, a quick no is fine.
[Your name], [Agency]3. For a candidate with Open to Work showing
Subject: [Title] at [Company] — hiring now
Hi [first name] — I saw you're open to [type of] roles. We're hiring a
[title] in [location/remote], $[range]. The core of the job: [one
sentence]. Your [specific experience] lines up well.
Could we talk [day or day]? I can send the full description first if
you prefer.
[Your name]Being open to work does not mean open to anything. Name what matches, and do not open with "I see you're looking" as if it were news.
4. Senior or executive candidate
Subject: [Company] — [title], confidential conversation
[First name], I lead the search for [title] at [Company], reporting to
[CEO/role]. The brief centers on [the business problem], which is
close to what you did at [company] with [result they made public].
I'd value 20 minutes of your perspective, whether or not the role is
of interest to you personally.
[Your name]5. Hiring manager sending their own InMail
Subject: Would you join my team? [Title], [Company]
Hi [first name] — I run [team] at [Company]. We're about to [real
challenge], and your [specific] is exactly the experience I want on
the team. $[range], [setup].
Happy to talk informally first. No pressure if the timing is wrong.
[Name], [title]6. Rare-skill or niche candidate
Subject: [Specific skill] role — few people have done what you have
Hi [first name] — very few profiles show [specific combination]. You
have it. We need someone to [outcome using that skill] at [Company].
$[range], [setup].
Could I tell you more in 15 minutes? A "no thanks" helps me too.
[Your name]Only use a line like "few people have done what you have" if your search results actually showed that. Flattery that the candidate knows is not true reads as a mass message.
A filled example
An invented candidate and company, using template 1. The body is about 350 characters.
Subject: Payroll Manager, remote (US), $95–110k — your multi-state rollout
Hi Renee — your note on moving 14 states onto one payroll calendar is why I'm writing. I'm hiring a Payroll Manager at Lakeshore Health to run payroll for 2,300 employees across nine states, reporting to the Controller. $95–110k, fully remote in US time zones.
Open to a 15-minute call this week? A quick "not now" is completely fine too.
Sam
Everything Renee needs to decide is in five lines: why her, what the job is, how big it is, the pay and the setup. Nothing in it would make sense sent to anyone else, which is the test every InMail should pass before you press send. If you cannot make the first sentence that specific, spend another minute on the profile, or choose a different person to contact.
Connection request notes under 200 characters
Each of these is under 200 characters with typical names and titles filled in. Count after filling in.
1. Hi [name] — I recruit [function] in [city]. Your [project] stood out. Hiring a [title] now; happy to share details if useful.
2. Hi [name], I lead [team] at [Company]. Loved your post on [topic]. We're hiring for [title] and I'd like to stay in touch.
3. [Name] — [referrer] suggested I connect. I'm hiring a [title], $[range], [remote/city]. Open to a short chat?
4. Hi [name], we met at [event]. Hiring a [title] at [Company] and thought of you. Happy to send details.A connection note should not try to be an InMail. Its job is to get accepted; the role details can follow in a message once you are connected.
Follow-ups on LinkedIn
Keep it to one or two follow-ups, whether you send them by hand or with a follow-up feature your LinkedIn plan provides. These work:
Follow-up 1 (4–5 business days later):
Hi [first name] — one detail I left out: [something new: team size,
tech, schedule, growth path]. Still worth a short call?
Follow-up 2 (a week later):
Last note from me on this. If the timing is off, reply "later" and I'll
check back in [3/6] months. Either way, good luck with [something
specific].If the candidate replied "not interested", do not follow up on that role. Log it with the date and move on; you may have a better reason to write in six months.
Writing the personal line
The personal line carries the message. Here are weak and strong versions from invented profiles:
| Weak | Why it fails | Stronger |
|---|---|---|
| "Your background is impressive." | Could be sent to anyone | "You moved your team's billing from batch to event-driven; that is the project this role starts on." |
| "I came across your profile." | Says nothing | "Your post on reducing on-call pages was shared in our engineering channel." |
| "You'd be a perfect fit." | Neither of you knows that yet | "Your five years in multi-site payroll covers the hardest part of this role." |
| "As a rockstar in your field..." | Reads as a template, and a dated one | Name one real piece of work instead |
Look at the profile's featured section, recent activity and the detail under each role before writing. If none of it says anything specific, lead with the role and the pay instead of inventing a compliment.
InMail mistakes and the fix
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Using the full 1,900 characters | Cut to what they need to decide: why them, role, pay, setup, ask |
| Subject line "Opportunity" | Title, location and one specific hook |
| No pay range | Add the approved range, or say when you can share it |
| Asking for a resume in the first message | Ask for a call; the profile is enough to start |
| Links to long job descriptions as the only content | Summarize in one sentence; offer the link |
| Messaging the same person from two recruiters at your company | Check the candidate's history in your ATS or Recruiter project first |
| No record of who declined | Log replies the same day, including "later" dates |
Privacy and platform rules to keep in mind
- LinkedIn's terms. LinkedIn's User Agreement prohibits scraping the service and using bots or other unauthorized automated methods to send messages or add contacts. Using unapproved automation risks restrictions on your account; use LinkedIn's own products or approved integrations.
- Candidates in the EU or UK. If you copy a LinkedIn profile into your ATS, you are processing that person's data. GDPR generally expects you to tell them the source and how you use it no later than your first communication (GDPR Article 14(3)); many recruiters include a short link to a privacy notice once the conversation starts. This is not legal advice.
- Agency permissions. A candidate agreeing to talk is not agreement to be submitted to a client. Get a separate right to represent before you send their details anywhere.
Once an InMail turns into a phone screen, the first call is where you learn whether the "why them" line was right. Interview Signal can take notes on that call without a bot joining; tell the candidate at the start that you are using a transcription tool.
Questions people ask
How long can a LinkedIn Recruiter InMail be?
As of September 2026, LinkedIn's Recruiter help pages say an InMail can have a subject line of up to 200 characters and a body of up to 1,900 characters. Most effective recruiting InMails use a small fraction of that.
Do I get my InMail credit back if the candidate says no?
In LinkedIn Recruiter, as of September 2026, LinkedIn says the credit is returned if the candidate accepts, declines or replies, including with a quick reply, within 90 days. That is one reason to make declining easy in the message.
Should I send an InMail or a connection request?
An InMail when you have credits and a specific role to discuss, because it arrives as a full message with a subject. A connection request with a note when you want a longer-term relationship, but the note is limited to 200 characters and free accounts can personalize only a few requests a month.
Should I include the salary in an InMail?
If you have an approved range, include it. It answers the first question most candidates have and filters out people for whom the role could never work, which saves both of you a call.