6 Ways to Message Someone on LinkedIn Without Premium

LinkedIn is the best place for sales people to build relationships. There is no better place on the internet to connect with prospects, build your network, promote yourself, and send personalized messages. 

But if you don’t have a LinkedIn Premium account, you will quickly feel the limitations and find that you are locked out of some key features. So what if you need to send a message to a prospect? In this guide, I’ll show you how to message someone on LinkedIn without a premium account. 

Do you need Linkedin Premium to message someone?

You will need a LinkedIn premium account to message someone you are not connected with. But you can still send messages to your 1st-degree connections with a basic (free) account. Here’s how to send a message on linkedin to people you have already connected with:

1. Navigate to the person's LinkedIn profile that you want to message
2. Click the blue “message” button below their profile picture
3. Type your message or use the Write with AI too for assistance
4. Hit the Send button

Now if you want to send a message to somebody who is not a 1st-degree connection, it gets a little tricky. But that doesn’t mean you are out of luck. There are plenty of ways you can still get in touch with prospects who are out of network without signing up for a Premium account. 

How to Message Someone on LinkedIn Without Premium

LinkedIn offers several ways to connect and message other users without upgrading to a paid Premium account. Understanding these methods can help you reach out to potential connections, clients, or employers without the additional cost of a premium account. 

So if you’re wondering how to message someone on linkedin without Premium, consider using one or more of these methods:

Method #1: Message 1st-degree connections

If you're already connected with someone as a 1st-degree connection, you can message them directly without any limitations. Just use the steps I outlined earlier if you are not sure how to send a message on linkedin. 

You can also check to see if their email address is visible on their profile. If it is, you have the option to contact them via email.

Method #2: Utilize shared connections

For 2nd-degree connections, consider asking a mutual connection to introduce or forward your message to the person you wish to contact. Just make sure to provide as much context as possible and make your intentions clear.

Method #3: Join LinkedIn Groups 

If you and the other person are members of the same LinkedIn Group, you can send them a message through the group. There are a few different ways you can check to see if you are members of the same group:

1. Check the Highlights sections at the top of their profile to see mutual groups
2. Check their activity feed to see if they made comments in a group recently
3. Find groups that are popular in your industry and use the Search Members feature

Note that there's a limit of 15 messages per month across all groups.

Method #4: Send an Invitation to Connect 

You can send a personalized invitation to connect with someone. Once they accept your invitation, you can message them directly. Be sure to personalize your invitation with a note explaining why you want to connect.

Find more tips in this article about sending connections requests on LinkedIn.

Method #5: Look for email addresses

Some users may include their email address in their profile's About section or within posted content. If you find an email address, you can reach out to them directly via email.

But in some cases, it might not be that easy. This article on finding somebody’s email address on LinkedIn will show you some different ways to find your prospects' contact info, such as using our LinkedIn Data Scraper to locate emails.

Method #6: Open Profile Messaging

Premium users may have the Open Profile Messaging feature enabled, allowing anyone to send them a message without using InMail credits. You won't know if this feature is enabled until you attempt to send a message.

Learn more about the differences between InMail and messages in this article LinkedIn InMail vs Message: Key Differences and Uses.

Sending a Message on LinkedIn: Final Thoughts

In most cases, you need to get a LinkedIn Premium account if you want to directly message people out of your network. But there are creative ways to get in touch with those prospects such as utilizing shared connections, joining LinkedIn groups, using direct email, and open profile messaging.

By leveraging these methods, you can effectively communicate with other LinkedIn users without needing a Premium subscription. Remember to always approach new connections by sending a personalized message that clearly states your intent and reason for reaching out. 

While the article outlines traditional methods to message someone on LinkedIn without a Premium account, there's a more innovative approach to enhance your networking strategy. Automating your LinkedIn activities with Bardeen not only saves time but also personalizes your outreach efforts for better engagement. From creating personalized sales emails to extracting valuable profile information for tailored messages, Bardeen's LinkedIn automation capabilities can elevate your networking game.

Explore these Bardeen automations for effective LinkedIn messaging:

1. Connect with a LinkedIn user and display a message: This playbook personalizes your connection requests by crafting custom messages using profile data, increasing the likelihood of acceptance and fostering meaningful connections.
2. Create a personalized sales outreach email in Microsoft Outlook from a LinkedIn post: Automate the creation of sales outreach emails by leveraging LinkedIn post content, enhancing your sales prospecting efforts with personalized communication.
3. Send an email to the currently opened LinkedIn user: Directly engage with LinkedIn profiles by sending personalized emails, streamlining your outreach process and saving valuable time.

Taking advantage of Bardeen's LinkedIn automation playbooks can significantly improve your networking and outreach efficiency. Start automating by downloading the Bardeen app at Bardeen.ai/download.