LinkedIn's new feature, aka the "LinkedIn Focused Inbox," promised a revolution in how we manage professional communications.
While it could have been a game-changer, many users found it somewhat underwhelming. In the realm of professional sales, hiring, and networking, every message holds potential value, and clarity in your inbox isn’t just a convenience—it's a necessity.
If you've been pondering how to truly optimize your LinkedIn communications and make every connection count, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive into the nuances of the pros and cons of the new LinkedIn Focused Inbox!
What is the LinkedIn Focused Inbox new feature
With the introduction of the "Focused Inbox" feature, LinkedIn aims to help users streamline their influx of messages.
Purpose of the Focused Inbox
The LinkedIn Focused Inbox is intended to prioritize your most important messages. LinkedIn's algorithm determines which messages land in the Focused Inbox based on factors like your interaction history with the sender and the sender’s profile relevance to you. The idea is simple: bring the most pertinent messages to your immediate attention while sidelining less relevant ones.
Who Ends Up Where?
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Focused Inbox: Messages from your first-degree connections, especially those you interact with frequently, are more likely to appear here. Additionally, messages from profiles that LinkedIn deems highly relevant to your industry or role might also find their way into this inbox.
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Other Inbox: This is where less pertinent messages usually land. These could be from distant connections, unsolicited or poorly written sales pitches, or sometimes potential networking opportunities that LinkedIn's algorithm didn't prioritize.
[Screenshot suggestion: A side-by-side comparison of the Focused and Other inboxes, highlighting the difference in message types.]
Both of these are additions to LinkedIn Sales Navigator Inbox. Which means that if you’re a Sales Navigator user, you have 3 inboxes to keep an eye on…
Limitations Ahead...
As much as the Focused Inbox might sound appealing, its algorithmic nature means some important messages could get sidelined or misclassified. LinkedIn knows that very well and the bar to land in the Focused inbox is, in our experience, quite low. That limits the risk of missing an important message, but also it purpose of better focus.
Limitations of the LinkedIn Focused Inbox
The LinkedIn Focused Inbox is great for most users. It will remove the worst messages for ones inbox, and make it a better place to have casual conversations. But what about recruiters, salespeople, networkers, influencers, and all those whose job depends on LinkedIn?
Potentially Missed Opportunities
Algorithms, while smart, aren't infallible. There’s a real risk of valuable messages—from potential clients, employers, or partners—landing in the "Other" inbox. For those who use LinkedIn for sales, recruitment, or building partnerships, this could translate to missed business opportunities.
Lack of Customization
The LinkedIn Focused Inbox offers little to no customization. Users can’t set their own rules or priorities for message sorting. What if you want to prioritize messages from a particular group of connections, type of messages, or importance? That level of specificity is out of reach.
Inefficiencies for Heavy LinkedIn Users
CXOs, influencers, networkers, and other frequent LinkedIn users can receive hundreds of messages weekly. Sorting through these without advanced filtering or tagging can become a tedious task, causing delays in response times and potential oversights.
Not Tailored for Sales and Marketing Professionals
While LinkedIn offers the Sales Navigator Inbox for sales pros, what about marketers who want to segment their contacts for targeted campaigns? The basic Focused Inbox doesn't cater to these nuanced requirements.
If you've ever felt restricted by the LinkedIn Focused Inbox or missed out on an opportunity because a message got lost in the shuffle, know that there's a solution on the horizon. A more organized, efficient, and user-friendly inbox experience awaits.
The Future of LinkedIn Inbox Management: Poked
LinkedIn is full of notifications, messages, pop-up, and posts that compete for your attenion. Therefore when you work on LinkedIn, you’re constantly at risk of wasting 10 min doom-scrolling for the benefit of someone else.
Poked messaging interface is 100% dedicated to work. It shows all the necessary information about your prospects in a focused view, blocks any type of distraction, and lets you process your messages efficiently and methodically.
Superior Inbox Organization
With Poked, you can effortlessly sort contacts, build lists, and take notes, ensuring that no conversation or contact gets lost in the mix.
Personalized Tags
Label your contacts based on your criteria, not an algorithm’s. Whether you're streamlining sales, recruitment, or general networking, Poked’s tagging system ensures you always have a pulse on your connections, and those tags become sub-inboxes of your LinkedIn inbox.
Advanced Filters
Swiftly sift through your messages using filters like unread, unreplied, starred, and archived, ensuring that you always prioritize what matters most.
Snooze messages
Poked empowers you to follow-up on important conversations by setting up a timer. Until said date, the conversation will be removed from your inbox, and on D-day, it comes back, ready for you to follow-up (unless your prospect has answered before that).
LinkedIn Focused Inbox FAQs
1. What is the LinkedIn Focused Inbox?
The LinkedIn Focused Inbox is a feature that segregates your LinkedIn messages into two categories: "Focused" and "Other." The goal is to highlight the most relevant messages while pushing less pertinent ones to the "Other" inbox.
2. How does LinkedIn decide which messages go into the Focused Inbox?
LinkedIn uses an algorithm to sort messages based on a variety of factors, including your interaction history, profile similarities, and message content. However, the exact details of this algorithm are proprietary.
3. Can I move messages between the Focused and Other inboxes?
Yes, users can manually move messages between the two inboxes. Over time, these manual adjustments can influence the algorithm's future decisions.
4. Have I lost messages with the introduction of the Focused Inbox?
No, you haven’t lost any messages. They are just sorted differently. Messages that the algorithm deems less relevant are found in the "Other" inbox.
5. How is the Focused Inbox different from LinkedIn's Sales Navigator Inbox?
While both are features designed to manage and organize messages, the Sales Navigator Inbox is specifically tailored for sales professionals, allowing for lead tracking and other advanced sales-related features.
6. Can I turn off the Focused Inbox feature?
As of now, LinkedIn does not provide an option to disable the Focused Inbox feature entirely. However, by regularly moving messages between inboxes, you can train the system to better recognize your preferences.
7. Are there any limitations to using the Focused Inbox?
While the Focused Inbox is designed to streamline your messaging experience, its reliance on algorithms can sometimes lead to important messages being pushed to the "Other" inbox. Additionally, power users might find it lacking in customization options.
Take a shot a the next gen LinkedIn inbox
With Poked, you're not just getting an upgraded inbox—you're becoming a professional people can your partners can rely on. Take a free 14-day test ride of the tool and get a taste of what your LinkedIn sales and networking could become with the proper tools.