How to add private notes to a LinkedIn contact

LinkedIn messaging has no private notes; Sales Navigator has them on saved leads. How to keep a note on everyone you message, in Bokka.

By Amardeep Anand, founder of Bokka · Published 27 October 2026

LinkedIn's regular messaging has no private notes on a contact. Sales Navigator does, on leads and accounts you've saved. To keep a note on anyone you message, use an inbox tool: in Bokka, open the conversation and press N.

A private note is text about a person that only you can see: where you met, what they need, what you promised. Bokka is an AI-first CRM for your LinkedIn inbox.

Notes in Sales Navigator

If you pay for Sales Navigator, you can add a note from a saved lead's or account's page with Add Note, or from the Notes column of a saved list. Each note can be Private (only you) or Public (everyone on your contract), and you can see the history of your notes (LinkedIn Help: notes for leads and accounts, retrieved 24 October 2026).

The catch: notes live on the lead in Sales Navigator, not in your conversations, and not for people you message from your regular LinkedIn inbox.

How to write a note in Bokka

1. Open the conversation. The contact panel sits to its right; press I if it's hidden.
2. Press N, or click the note field.
3. Type. The note saves as you go and shows Saved. A note can be up to 10,000 characters.

Notes belong to the person, not to one conversation. You see the same note in the inbox, in People and on the pipeline board, and in your Sales Navigator conversations with them on Pro. A group conversation has its own note.

What to put in a note

• Where you met and who introduced you.
• What they need, in their words.
• What you promised and by when.
• Personal details they shared: a launch date, a holiday, a team change.
• The next step, if it isn't obvious from the conversation.

Who can see your notes

Only you. Notes are kept in your Bokka account, so they follow you to any computer, and they're never added to LinkedIn: the other person can't see them. Your messages themselves stay in your browser, on your device. See where your LinkedIn messages go in Bokka.

Notes are on every Bokka plan. Full details: Notes and details about a person.

About Bokka

Bokka starts with a free 14-day trial, AI included and no credit card. After it, Starter is $25 and Pro is $35 per user a month ($19 and $30 for your first month). Team, at $50, is coming soon.