# start_conversation: Start a conversation (InMail, group, company)

Start a new conversation: an InMail, a message through Sales Navigator or Recruiter, a group, a company page, a job applicant. This action can change or spend something, and it happens right away. Plan: Free and Connect.

```
POST https://api.heyreagent.com/v1/actions/start_conversation
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY
content-type: application/json

{
  "to": [
    "PASTE_PROFILE_LINK_HERE"
  ],
  "text": "Hello!"
}
```

## What you give it

- `to` (needed): a profile link or a member id or a Sales Navigator id or a Recruiter id or a company messaging id. Who to write to: LinkedIn profile URLs or member ids. One person, or several for a group conversation. For a company page pass its messaging id. Where to get it: Open the person's profile on LinkedIn and copy the address from your browser. It looks like https://www.linkedin.com/in/their-name Or: Run `search_people` and use `people[].profileUrl`.
- `text` (needed): text, up to 8000 characters. The first message.
- `subject` (optional): text, up to 200 characters. Subject line (InMail).
- `via` (optional): one of: classic, sales_navigator, recruiter. Which LinkedIn product sends it. sales_navigator and recruiter need that seat on your account.
- `inmail` (optional): true or false. classic only: send as an InMail (to someone you are not connected to).
- `companyTopic` (optional): one of: service_request, request_demo, support, careers, other. Required when writing to a company page.
- `applicantId` (optional): a applicant id. Required when writing to an applicant of your job posting (from list_job_applicants). Where to get it: Run `list_job_applicants` and use `applicants[].id`.
- `invitationId` (optional): a invitation id. Required when writing to someone whose invitation you have neither accepted nor declined (from list_received_invitations). Where to get it: Run `list_received_invitations` and use `invitations[].invitationId`.
- `groupId` (optional): text. Required when writing to someone through a LinkedIn group you share. A LinkedIn group you share with the person. No action here lists your groups.
- `recruiter` (optional): a group of fields. via recruiter only: signature, hiringProjectId (the project to start the conversation in), jobPostingId, sourcingChannel, emailAddress (send by email instead of InMail), visibility (default PRIVATE), inmailIntent, and followUp { subject, text, days 3–28 or weeks 1–4, timezone } to schedule a follow-up (Recruiter PRO).
  - `signature` (optional): text. 
  - `hiringProjectId` (optional): a hiring project id.  Where to get it: Run `list_hiring_projects` and use `projects[].id`.
  - `jobPostingId` (optional): a job id.  Where to get it: Run `list_job_postings` and use `jobPostings[].id`.
  - `sourcingChannel` (optional): one of: JOB_POSTING_RECOMMENDED_MATCHES, JOB_POSTING, REFERRAL, INTERNAL_CANDIDATES, AUTOMATED_SOURCING, RECRUITER_SEARCH, CAREER_SITE. 
  - `emailAddress` (optional): an email address. 
  - `visibility` (optional): one of: PUBLIC, PRIVATE, PROJECT. 
  - `inmailIntent` (optional): one of: HIRE_FOR_CLIENT, HIRE_FOR_OWN_COMPANY. 
  - `followUp` (optional): a group of fields. 
- `attachmentUrls` (optional): a list (a link), up to 9. Files or images to attach. Public https links; each file up to 10 MB, 20 MB in total.
- `voiceMessageUrl` (optional): a link. An audio file to send as a voice note (.m4a preferred). A public https link, up to 10 MB.
- `videoMessageUrl` (optional): a link. A video file to send as a video note. A public https link, up to 10 MB.
- `connectionId` (optional): a connection id. Which of your LinkedIn accounts to act from (its id from list_linkedin_accounts). Omit to use your first live one. Where to get it: Run `list_linkedin_accounts` and use `accounts[].id`.

## What you get back

- `sent`
- `chatId`: a chat id
- `messageId`: a message id
- `from`: the account it ran on
- `usedToday`: number
- `dailyLimit`: number

## Good to know

- The id must match the product in via: a member id or a profile link for "classic", a Sales Navigator id for "sales_navigator", a Recruiter id for "recruiter".
- A company page is written to at its company messaging id (get_company → messaging.id), with companyTopic set; its company id does not work here.
- An InMail spends one credit unless the person has an open profile: check get_inmail_credits, and isOpenProfile on get_profile_details.
- inmail true is added to the answer when the send was an InMail.

Page: https://heyreagent.com/docs/actions/start_conversation