[Final Answer] Is LinkedIn Premium Worth It?

LinkedIn is a must-have item in your business toolkit if you're a business professional looking to network, obtain leads, and make sales. It is also highly beneficial to both job seekers and recruiters. Is it, however, worthwhile to upgrade to LinkedIn Premium?

Let's start with the accessible version of LinkedIn. With LinkedIn being the only business-focused social network, the free version is an excellent place to begin for professionals, as you can benefit from the following:

Standard (Free) Features on LinkedIn

• Establish a trustworthy personal and corporate brand
• Look up and view the profiles of other LinkedIn members.
• Message LinkedIn connections
• Build and keep an extensive professional network
• Find and reconnect with former coworkers.
• Participate in relevant Group discussions.
• Request and provide recommendations and endorsements.
• Save up to three searches and receive weekly alerts on them.

Most individuals stick with the free version, but there are compelling reasons to consider the paid LinkedIn Premium Business version, also known as LinkedIn Premium. Subscription accounts are also available for job seekers (Career), sales (Sales Navigator), and recruitment professionals (Recruiter).

Upgrading to LinkedIn Premium unlocks several features, but in summary, subscription accounts help you expand your network, develop your career, enhance your skills, and to do better business. Here are the specific features from which you can benefit.

Business Features on LinkedIn Premium

1. InMail

This valuable feature allows you to message any of LinkedIn's 706 million members. The only exceptions are high-profile individuals such as Richard Branson. According to LinkedIn, InMails are seven times more likely to be read than emails and are 2.6 times more effective than email and cold calling.

You can target your InMails by using LinkedIn's search features, and recipients receive an email in addition to the InMail, making them difficult to avoid. You'll get 15 InMails per month and a credit to your account when you get a response. If you do not use your credit, it is carried over to the next month for three months. So the maximum number of InMails you can have at any given time is 45. It will help if you read our article on LinkedIn Inmail and how to maximize it.

2. LinkedIn Learning would be available to you.

LinkedIn Learning offers a massive library of professionally produced online video tutorials on various business topics presented by industry experts.

150 virtual training courses on Project Management, for example, and 121 courses on Microsoft PowerPoint. It's an excellent resource for improving your business skills but it requires a subscription.

3. Additional Search Results

The maximum number of profiles displayed in results when using LinkedIn Search with the free version is 100, but there are no restrictions when using LinkedIn Premium. 

To further enhance your reach on LinkedIn, read our articles on 7 LinkedIn Growth Hacks and how to increase your LinkedIn search limit.  

4. Access to LinkedIn’s Salary Checker 

Although there is another LinkedIn Premium subscription called Premium Careers, Premium Business includes three features that can help your career.

To begin, you can use LinkedIn's Salary Checker to see a detailed breakdown of salaries by job title and location. Excellent for negotiating your next raise and determining the wages of new positions you're interested in.

Second, you will have access to Job Insights. For more information, see the following point. Third, you can make use of LinkedIn's CV Builder. These three features are not available on LinkedIn's free version.

5. Gaining Access to Job Insights

You'll see if you'd be the top candidate for roles based on your experience and skills, indicating that you have an advantage over other candidates. You can view such roles on the LinkedIn Jobs page if you have Premium.

You'll also see the number of people who have applied for the job you're looking at, a list of top skills among the applicant pool, including those you share, and the applicant's experience and education levels. This information is beneficial if you are considering or applying for a new job.

6. Build your CV/ Resume

LinkedIn's CV builder is a quick and straightforward way to create a CV using your LinkedIn profile. When you finish, you can save it as a pdf or print it. The tool also provides you with helpful hints and examples.

7. Additional Saved Searches

You can use Save Search after configuring a suitable Advanced Search (see point 3). This is far more convenient than manually entering your search criteria each time. New results are emailed to you whether you have LinkedIn Premium or not. 

The free version allows you to save three searches. Premium includes 7; useful for targeting different business sectors or roles and a real-time saver.

8. More results about 'Who has viewed your profile?'

On the free version of LinkedIn, the number of people who have viewed your profile and their profiles is limited. Premium is required to see everyone who has viewed your profile in the last 90 days. This is an excellent feature for expanding your network and generating leads.

9. Access to Company Insights

LinkedIn Premium gives you valuable information about your competitors' LinkedIn Company Pages, including information about employees, notable company alumni, and job openings.

Should you pay the extra money for LinkedIn Premium?

LinkedIn has become more commercial in recent months, limiting some of the features available to free members.

For example, the number of search results has been reduced. LinkedIn members are also encouraged to upgrade. If you run a lot of searches or frequently use 'Who's viewed my Profile,' for example, you might get a message encouraging you to upgrade.

LinkedIn Premium users benefit from new features such as Salary Checker (see 4 above) and CV Builder (see 6 above), so the case for upgrading grows stronger over time.

I recommend that you take advantage of LinkedIn's free version; you should soon see benefits and find yourself using it daily. You should strongly consider upgrading to one of the subscription accounts at this point. In addition to the premium service, you can also use a tool like Spylead to scrape emails and contact information of your target audience 

The good news is that LinkedIn now offers a free one-month trial to everyone. If you do not cancel after the trial period, you will be charged a monthly subscription (see below for rates). 

However, before you hit the upgrade button, make sure you have a daily plan that includes goals for how you will make the most of your upgraded LinkedIn. 

For example, who will you find using Advanced Search, and how many searches will you run? Who will you send InMails to, and how many will you send?

At the end of your trial month, you'll be able to decide whether or not to continue. If you've generated leads, made sales, or found a recruit, the decision will be simple, but don't overlook the numerous other benefits that may be worth the investment.

How much does a LinkedIn Premium subscription cost?

Here’s a look at the different LinkedIn Premium subscription plans

• Career: £24.98
• Business Premium: £39.99
• Sales Navigator Professional; £49.99
• Recruiter Lite: £79.99

Remember that all subscription plan prices are quoted as monthly payments BUT are paid annually.

How to Cancel Your LinkedIn Premium Subscription

If you need to cancel your subscription for any reason, follow these steps to revert to the standard account:

• At the top of your LinkedIn homepage, click the Me icon.
• From the dropdown menu, select Premium subscription settings.
• On the right rail, click Cancel subscription under Manage Premium account.
• To cancel, click Continue.