How Many Messages Can You Send On Linkedin

So one of my favorite "secret hacks" on LinkedIn is under siege …

… by LinkedIn, of all people!

It involves sending 1-on-1 messages to people inside of LinkedIn's Professional Groups.

The strategy I teach is simple:

Join a Group where your ideal prospects are hanging out.
Click on the "Members" tab.
Once you do, it pulls up a page where you can send a 1-on-1 LinkedIn Message to another member of the Group, even if you are NOT connected directly to that person.

Here's a screenshot of what it looks like:

LI Group Msg 2

Why it Matters

The reason I love using this method is that it allows me to instantly send 1-on-1, direct messages to the EXACT prospects I want to target on LinkedIn.

Those messages go DIRECTLY to that person's LinkedIn inbox AND their personal or work email address too.

Best of all, we don't even have to be connected first for me to message them 1-on-1.

Pretty awesome, right?

No More Free Rides

Well, LinkedIn finally noticed this huge loophole was hanging out there.

The "loophole" being that LinkedIn wants you to PAY THEM anytime you want to send a direct, 1-on-1 message to someone you're not already connected to.

That's why they push their "InMail" program so much.

And of course that's their right … they built the platform, they get to make the rules and monetize it however they want.

Good News, Bad News

With all that said, I have GOOD NEWS and BAD NEWS.

The GOOD NEWS: This hack still works … you can continue doing it inside ANY LinkedIn Group you are a member of.

The BAD NEWS: LinkedIn now limits how many times you can do this in a given month.

It used to be unlimited, but now (according to LinkedIn Support messages I've seen) you are limited to just 15 of these messages per month.

Here's what one LinkedIn Support message to a LinkedIn Riches student of mine said:

"You can send 15 free 1-on-1 Group Messages to fellow Group members each month. This limit is set for ALL the groups you belong to and not for each group individually. If you go over the limit, you'll see an error message until the next month begins."

What You Need to Know

So heads up … you should still use this hack, but make your messages count. And if you get the error message (it usually says something like "You are no longer authorized to message this member") don't freak out.

Either way, you still want to reach out and send personalized invites to prospects you find inside of LinkedIn Groups.

Then, once that person accepts your invitation, just fire off the 1-on-1 message you wanted to send to begin with. (As long as you're directly connected to someone, you can send him or her as many 1-on-1 messages as you want without restriction or penalty.)

The reason I liked the "hack" I talk about in this email was that I didn't have to wait for someone to accept my invite to connect before I could send him or her a 1-on-1 message for free.

So this new change is far from the end of the world …

… but I wanted to make sure you were aware of it! 🙂