By The PhantomBuster TeamLinkedIn is a goldmine for outreach, especially in B2B sales and digital marketing. But you've probably hit some frustrating limits if you’re not paying for Premium.
InMail credits are capped (5 to 50/month, depending on your plan), and free LinkedIn accounts come with restrictions on connection requests and messages.
Still, there’s good news—you don’t need Premium to build meaningful connections, start conversations, or generate leads. With the right approach, you can reach your target audience and scale your lead-generation outreach without spending a dime.
In this article, we'll show you how to message someone on LinkedIn without Premium with the right mix of strategy and automation.
Can I message people on LinkedIn without Premium?
Yes, and here are the main methods to message other users without upgrading to a paid Premium account:
Message your 1st-degree connections (limited to about 100/week).
Send connection requests with a note (limited to 5 custom notes/month on free accounts).
Message people in the same LinkedIn group.
Reach out to attendees of events you're both part of.
Contact users with Open Profiles.
Ask mutual connections to introduce you.
Send emails if the contact info is public.
Let's dive more into the methods you can use to message people without paying for a LinkedIn Premium account.
Message someone on LinkedIn using Open Profiles
Some LinkedIn users leave their profiles open, meaning anyone can send InMails to them directly. These are often industry leaders or decision-makers who expect to be contacted.
You can find them manually, but that’s slow. Instead, we recommend you use PhantomBuster's LinkedIn Profile Visitor to extract a list of people in your target audience. You’ll get a batch of profiles and can filter those open to messages.
Once you have your list, send LinkedIn messages that sound like they’re written by a real human. Reference something from their profile, mention a common interest, or ask a smart question.
💡 Pro tip: If you’re using LinkedIn automation, start small. Think 20 to 30 messages a day. Watch how people respond before scaling.
Message someone on LinkedIn from a shared group
Most people forget this, but if you’re in the same group as someone, you can directly message them even if you’re not connected. And it’s free.
Join LinkedIn groups where your ICP is already active. Look for groups with regular posts, recent comments, and decent moderation. Spend a few minutes engaging—like a post, drop a thoughtful comment, and show up.
Then use PhantomBuster's LinkedIn Group Member Message Sender to pull a list of LinkedIn group members and send messages that reference the group context.
Here’s an example:
Hey [First Name],
I saw your comment in [Group Name] about [Topic]. Loved your take on [Specific Thing].
I’ve been thinking about the same issue lately and figured I’d reach out.
No pitch, just connection. That’s usually enough to get a reply.
Send free messages to event attendees
If someone is attending the same LinkedIn event as you, you can message them for free. This is great for webinars, product demos, conferences, and anything else with a sign-up button.
Plus, many LinkedIn events feature exclusive insights or speakers that are great conversation starters.
Join events your audience is likely to attend. Then run PhantomBuster’s LinkedIn Event Guests Export to get a list of attendees.
Finally, reach out with something simple and timely:
Hey [First Name],
I saw you’re attending [Event Name]. I’m planning to join the [Specific Session] too.
Thought I’d connect beforehand in case we’re both up for chatting about [Topic].
People are generally more open to connecting around shared experiences, and events give you a natural opening.
Message someone on LinkedIn via mutual connections
You can’t message 2nd-degree connections directly without a Premium subscription. But you can still find a way to do it if you share a mutual connection.
Mutual connections are listed just below their profile picture on their LinkedIn page.
Start by identifying someone you both know. Then, send that mutual contact a quick message asking if they'd be open to forwarding your note or making a light intro. Keep it low-effort; they shouldn’t have to write anything themselves.
If that’s not an option, you can still reference the shared contact in your connection invitation. It adds context and increases your chances of getting accepted and starting a conversation later.
Email some when you've reached your message limit
Sometimes, LinkedIn won’t let you message someone. Either you’ve hit your weekly limit or got a LinkedIn automation warning. That’s when emails can be a great alternative.
You can use PhantomBuster’s LinkedIn Profile Scraper to collect publicly available email addresses from your lead list. Then, filter out irrelevant contacts and focus on people who match your ICP.
When you write your email, keep it tight and refer to LinkedIn so it doesn’t feel out of the blue. Mention something from their profile, and clarify why you’re reaching out.
Here’s a quick example:
Hi [First Name],
I came across your profile on LinkedIn while researching [Topic] and thought it made sense to reach out directly. I had a quick idea around [Pain Point/Opportunity] that might be useful for your team.
Would you be open to a short exchange?
Keep a quick log of who you’ve contacted and when, so you can track replies and improve your approach.
Get a LinkedIn Sales Navigator subscription
Sales Navigator gives you access to advanced filters, deeper visibility into second and third-degree networks, and more InMail messages.
It’s helpful if you’re running high-volume LinkedIn outreach or need to target leads with advanced filters, such as company size, job changes, or buying signals.
That said, you don’t need a paid account (Premium or Sales Navigator) to apply what we covered in this guide.
Messaging Open Profiles, group members, event attendees, or emailing prospects all work perfectly with any LinkedIn account type.
How to personalize LinkedIn cold messages at scale?
If you’re running a LinkedIn mass message campaign, the key is to make each message feel personal without doing everything manually.
Start by segmenting your leads based on role, industry, or recent activity. Then reference something specific from their profile, like a recent post or shared interest, to show it’s not a copy-paste job.
Keep your LinkedIn message short and relevant. Skip long intros and focus on something they care about. Make it about them, not you.
Instead of pitching, focus on their challenges or how you might be helpful. Add a simple call to action, such as asking a quick question or suggesting a next step.
Tools like the AI LinkedIn Message Writer automation help you craft personalized messages at scale while keeping them personal.
Even in automated LinkedIn outreach, this shift makes your message feel more human and more likely to get a real reply.
LinkedIn message FAQ
Do I have to pay to send messages on LinkedIn?
No, you can message your 1st-degree connections, Open Profiles, group members, and event attendees for free.
Should I connect before sending messages on LinkedIn?
Yes, it unlocks free messaging and increases your chances of getting a reply.
How do I send direct messages to my LinkedIn connections?
Go to the person’s profile, click the 'Message' button, write your message, and hit send. You can send up to 100 messages per week to your 1st-degree connections.
What if I don’t get a response after sending a message?
Follow up once after a few days. If you still haven’t received a reply, move on and focus on better-fit leads.
How many connection requests can I send on LinkedIn?
Around 100 connection invitations per week. You can include a personalized note on a free plan in only five of those.
How many messages can I send on LinkedIn?
You can send up to 100 messages per week to your first-degree connections. The limit is not applicable to group members, event attendees, or Open Profiles.
