Hitting LinkedIn's messaging or connection limits is really frustrating.

You find the perfect lead. You try to reach out. And LinkedIn stops you with this message:

But here's the thing: some leads on LinkedIn can be messaged for free. No connection request. No InMail credit spent.

They're called Open Profiles.

LinkedIn has approximately 175 million premium users. And 95% of them have Open Profile turned on. That's a massive pool of leads you can reach for free, right now.

Yet most people don't target them first. They burn through InMail credits ($10 each) and connection requests before even thinking about Open Profiles.

In this guide, you'll learn:

• What LinkedIn Open Profiles are

• How to spot them manually

• How to find them at scale with LinkedIn Sales Navigator and GiveMeLeads

• How to use them to send more messages without burning your limits

Let's get into it.

🎥 If you want to know how to find Open Profile, you can check this video tutorial:

What Is a LinkedIn Open Profile?

A LinkedIn Open Profile is a feature available to paid LinkedIn users (Premium, Sales Navigator, Recruiter).

When someone turns it on, anyone can message them for free — even if you're not connected.

No connection request needed. No InMail credit used.

So if someone has Open Profile activated:

• You can send them a direct message instantly

• It won't cost you anything

• You don't need to be in their network

And here's why this matters at scale: you can send up to 800 free InMails per month to Open Profiles. No credits. No limits. Just outreach.

Compare that to a Sales Navigator plan that gives you 50 InMail credits per month. Open Profiles give you 16x more reach — for free.

What Happens if Someone Is NOT an Open Profile?

If a person isn’t an Open Profile, you’ll see a message like this when you try to contact them.

To send them an InMail, you’ll need to use your InMail credits.

Sometimes there's no other way. If you really want to reach them, you'll need to spend a credit.

💡 Pro tip: That's exactly why you should target Open Profiles first. Save your InMail credits for the leads that matter most.

How to Turn On Open Profile on LinkedIn?

You can activate Open Profile if you're on a paid LinkedIn plan.

Step 1: Click on the pencil

Go to your LinkedIn profile, and click on the pencil next to your LinkedIn Premium badge.

Step 2: Turn on your Open Profile on LinkedIn

Then, you have to:

1. Click on the "Open Profile" dropdown

2. Toggle the button to "On"

3. Click on Save

Done! Your profile is now an "Open Profile".

That's it. You're now an Open Profile. Anyone on LinkedIn can message you for free.

How to Find an Open Profile on LinkedIn

You’ve got two options to spot Open Profiles:

1. Manually by checking profiles one by one

2. At scale using Sales Navigator and a tool like GiveMeLeads to filter and export a full list

Use the manual method for quick checks. Use the bulk method when you're running outreach campaigns.

Method 1: Manual Method

Here's how to check if someone is an Open Profile when you're browsing LinkedIn:

1. Go to their profile

2. Click the "Message" button

3. If you see "Free message", they're an Open Profile

Simple. But not scalable. You can't do this for hundreds of leads per day.

Method 2: How to Find Open Profiles at Scale with LinkedIn Sales Navigator

LinkedIn Sales Navigator has 40+ filters. But there's no "Open Profile" filter.

LinkedIn does this on purpose. They don't want Open Profiles to be spammed.

But there's a workaround. You export your leads into a CSV and check the Open Profile status directly in the file.

If you want to detect Open Profiles from a full lead list, here’s how to do it:

1. Make a Sales Navigator Search

2. Export Your Search into CSV with GiveMeLeads

3. Check the “Open Profile” Column

Let's dive in!

Step 1: Build Your Lead List in Sales Navigator

Make a Sales Navigator search.

The best filters are:

• Company size

• Current job title (don't forget to use the boolean operators to narrow down your search)

• Years of experience

• Geography

• And more

🎥 If you want to check how to use the boolean operators to find better leads, you can check this video:

You can even leverage LinkedIn Intent Data like:

• Connections of (useful to check the people in the network of your competitors)

• People who posted on LinkedIn recently

• People who viewed your profile recently`

• People who are following your company

• Etc

🎥 If you don't know how to use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to generate leads, you can check this in-depth video:

Export Your Search into CSV with GiveMeLeads

To export your leads, you need a LinkedIn scraping tool.

Follow the 5 steps to export your leads from LinkedIn Sales Navigator and check if they are Open Profiles.

1. Create a GiveMeLeads account

2. Download the Chrome Extension

3. Select your target on LinkedIn Sales Navigator

4. Launch your export

5. Download your leads file

Let's dive in!

Step 1: Create a GiveMeLeads account

Go on GiveMeLeads. Then click on "Get first 10 leads for free".

Then, you have to write your:

1. First Name

2. Last Name

3. Email

4. Password

And click on "Create account".

Step 2: Download the Chrome Extension

The GiveMeLeads Chrome extension allows you to export your LinkedIn Sales Navigator leads with one click.

It's not mandatory to use it — you can also copy and paste the Sales Navigator search URL directly into the platform.

However, using the extension makes the process faster and easier, especially if you're just getting started.

Step 3: Select your target on LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Go to LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

Use filters to find your ideal leads (like job title, company size, or location).

Then click “Extract leads” using the GiveMeLeads extension or paste the search URL on the platform.

Step 4: Launch your export

You target is set up. Now it's time to export your leads.

For that, click on "New Leads Export".

You will get a pop-up where you can select:

• The number of leads you want to export

• If you want to schedule this export on a weekly basis.

Then click on "Export Leads".

Step 5: Download your leads file

When your export is finished, you’ll receive an email with a download link.

You can also download your file directly by clicking the "Download" button in your dashboard.

Click on "Download CSV"

This gives you the full file with all available data. For each lead, you’ll see extra info like:

• Whether they have LinkedIn Premium

• Their total years of experience

• Company details like size, industry, and location

• And of course, if they are open profile

Here's all the informations you can have:

💡 Pro tip: Don’t forget to scroll horizontally — there's a lot of valuable data in your lead file, including job titles, company size, verified emails, and even intent signals.

On top of that, GiveMeLeads automatically cleans your data:

• Fixes capital letters in names and job titles

• Removes emojis from job titles

• Removes legal suffixes in company names (like LLC, GmbH, etc.)

GiveMeLeads also checks if each lead matches your LinkedIn Sales Navigator filters.

If a lead doesn’t fit — for example, they have:

• An invalid job title

• Invalid location

• Wrong company size work

• Etc

We tag them in the column "filters" with the reason they’re invalid (like “Invalid job title” or “Wrong company size”).

That way, you keep full control of your data and don’t waste time guessing why a lead doesn’t match your targeting.

With GiveMeLeads, you get the verified professional email of every lead — even if they’re in your 2nd or 3rd-degree connections.

💡 Pro tip: No need to use separate tools to find or verify emails. Everything’s already cleaned, verified, and ready to go.

Step 6: Check the “is_open” Column

In the CSV file, look for the column called “is_open”.

• If you see "TRUE", the lead is Open Profile

• If you see "FALSE", the lead is NOT a Open Profile

How to Make the Most of LinkedIn Open Profiles

Now that you know how to find them, here's how to use Open Profiles to get more replies and book more calls.

Send Up to 800 Free InMails Per Month

When a lead is an Open Profile, you can message them for free.

LinkedIn allows up to 800 free Open Profile InMails per month. That's 800 messages. Zero credits spent.

Compare that to a standard Sales Navigator plan: 50 InMail credits per month.

Open Profiles give you 16x the outreach capacity for free.

🎥 If you want to check how InMail works, you can check this video:

Split Your Outreach Into Two Campaigns

LinkedIn limits you to 100 to 200 connection requests per week on a paid plan.

Here's the smart way to use that:

• Open Profiles → message them directly via free InMail (no connection request needed)

• Regular Profiles → use your connection requests

You stretch your weekly limit further. You reach more people. You spend less.

🎥 If you don't know how to create a LinkedIn outreach campaign, you can check this video:

Use the InMail Credit Refund System

Here's a mechanic most people don't know about.

If you send an InMail to a non-Open Profile and they reply — even to say no — you get your credit back.

So for the leads who aren't Open Profiles, make sure your message is good enough to get a reply. Every response refunds your credit and extends your reach.

Personalize your messages

You can message Open Profiles for free. But that doesn't mean you should send the same message to everyone.

Use the LinkedIn Alerts feature to find a recent post or activity from your lead. Use that as your icebreaker.

One personalized message beats 10 generic ones every time.

Conclusion

Open Profiles are one of the most underused features in LinkedIn outreach.

You can message decision-makers for free. No connection request. No InMail credit. No limit.

The problem is finding them at scale.

That's exactly what GiveMeLeads solves.

Export your Sales Navigator search, download your CSV, and check the "is_open" column. Done.

FAQ

What is a LinkedIn Open Profile message?

It's a free direct message you send to someone who has Open Profile turned on. You'll see "Free Message" instead of the InMail credits prompt. No credit spent. No connection needed.

Can you search for Open Profiles on LinkedIn?

Not directly. LinkedIn doesn't offer an "Open Profile" filter in search or in Sales Navigator. But you can find Open Profiles by exporting your lead list with GiveMeLeads and checking the "is_open" column in your CSV.

Can I message an Open Profile without a Premium account?

Yes. You don't need a paid LinkedIn plan to message an Open Profile. The Open Profile feature allows anyone to message them for free, regardless of your plan.

How many people on LinkedIn are Open Profiles?

LinkedIn doesn't share this number publicly. But Open Profiles tend to be active, engaged users who want to be reached. That makes them higher-quality leads for outreach.

Is it worth targeting Open Profiles first?

Yes. You save InMail credits, avoid hitting connection request limits, and reach leads who are already open to being contacted. It's one of the smartest ways to scale your outreach without burning your budget.