Reply to a conversation

Answer a LinkedIn message from Swimlane without switching to LinkedIn. Your reply goes out through your own LinkedIn account and is recorded on the contact.

Steps

1. Click Inbox in the main navigation. Messaging opens.
2. Optional: pick a view such as Last message by contact or Never replied to see only the conversations waiting for you.
3. Click a conversation to open it.
4. Type in the Type a message... field at the bottom. Press Enter to send, or Shift + Enter to start a new line. The field grows as you write.
5. Use the toolbar under the field if you need it:
   • the image icon and the GIF icon add pictures (see Send images and GIFs)
   • the smiley icon inserts an emoji where your cursor is
   • the sparkles icon opens your message templates (see Create and use message templates)
   • the hand icon sends a poke (see Nudge a contact with a poke)
6. Click Send.

If the contact wrote last, Swimlane may already show a greyed draft in the field. You can accept it, edit it or ignore it (see Write faster with the AI draft).

What happens when you send

• Your message shows up in the conversation right away. If LinkedIn refuses it, it disappears and an error message tells you why.
• The conversation moves to the top of Messaging with the YOU label and now appears under Last message by me.
• The contact's last message and last-contacted date are updated.
• The contact's Activity tab shows a Conversation with [first name] entry. There is one entry per day, however many messages you exchange that day.
• The message counts toward your Daily Messages Sent ceiling. The first message you send to someone on a given day also counts toward Daily Conversations. You set both in Settings → Import & Automation Limits.
• Links starting with http:// or https:// are replaced with tracked short links for the contact. You still see the original link in Swimlane (see Track clicks on the links you send).
• Messages you write yourself help Swimlane learn your writing style (see How Swimlane learns your writing style).
• A new exchange can refresh the contact's Swimlane Analysis if the current one is more than 7 days old.

Good to know

• Replies go out immediately. Messages you send by hand from the inbox don't wait for a random delay and aren't blocked outside your Virtual Office Hours. Those rules apply to automated sending.
• Variables are not replaced in the composer. If you type {{firstName}} directly in the field, the contact receives it exactly as typed. In the inbox, variables only work through templates.
• There is no scheduled sending. A message leaves when you click Send.
• Older messages load as you scroll up in the conversation.
• Your reply is visible on LinkedIn too, like any message sent from your account.

Troubleshooting

• "Daily message limit reached. Try again tomorrow." You reached your Daily Messages Sent ceiling. The counter resets the next day.
• "Daily conversation limit reached. Try again tomorrow." You already messaged your daily number of different people. You can still write to people you have already messaged today.
• "You can't send another message until they reply to your InMail." LinkedIn doesn't allow a second InMail before the recipient answers. The field unlocks once they reply.
• "Failed to send message": LinkedIn refused the message or couldn't be reached. Wait a moment and try again.
• "This contact needs to be synchronized to use the inbox features": click Enrich with LinkedIn to fetch the profile first. This uses your daily profile sync quota.