Whoever is using LinkedIn knows that it's not only an excellent platform for professionals but also a great resource for job seekers, interns, marketers, and recruiters. And, if you are actively using it, you've probably noticed by now that little ad right under your profile picture suggesting you should try Premium for free. But, should you? Is LinkedIn free for real when it comes to their Premium plans? And more importantly, is LinkedIn Premium worth it? Let's take a look at some of its features and benefits to find out, shall we?
Premium LinkedIn Membership Levels
Before we tackle the features and advantages of LinkedIn Premium, here’s an overview of all the subscriptions plans offered:
- Premium Career
- Premium Business
- Sales Navigator Professional
- Recruiter Lite
- LinkedIn Learning
The main difference between these plans is in the number of InMails as well as some exclusive features only available in certain versions. Also, note that LinkedIn Premium does include Learning — all Premium plans come with unlimited access to LinkedIn's popular learning courses.
LinkedIn Premium Benefits
If you spend a lot of time on Linkedin looking for new sales possibilities, recruits, or just growing your network, it's only natural to consider switching to Linkedin Premium. In fact, statistics say approximately 39% of the LinkedIn user base is paying for Premium and they are perfectly happy with their choice. So, what does LinkedIn Premium offer? Well for starters, you get InMail credits which are LinkedIn’s way of letting you contact anyone you want, regardless of whether you’re connected or not. But there’s also:
- Linkedin Learning
- Premium search filters
- Saved searches
- Expanded profile views
- Profile folders and organization
- LinkedIn Premium badge
Other benefits of LinkedIn Premium include extended access to LinkedIn's most popular feature "Who's viewed your profile" plus alerts, which is not only extremely insightful but also allows you to strategize your moves better and learn exactly what type of audience is interested in your profile.
Note, however, that these are just the key features. Each Premium plan comes with some extras and a different number of LinkedIn InMails. So let's see what makes the features so awesome, does LinkedIn premium help job seekers and marketers in particular, and why it might just be a good bang for the buck.
Benefits of LinkedIn Premium for Job Seekers
If you are actively looking for a new job, LinkedIn should already be your go-to platform. It's full of recruiters and it gives you a great way to showcase your skills, experience, and network. And with LinkedIn Premium, your job search becomes even easier and more efficient.
The advanced search features, for example, let you filter users by location, job title, company name and even look at a company’s hiring trends. This way, you can target your job search better, improve how you stand against other candidates, and focus only on the most relevant results. What’s more, you can save your searches and keep track of your progress.
Additionally, the "Who’s viewed your profile" option lets you see everyone who's been on your profile in the past 90 days. The benefit? Well, you can use the information to better optimize your profile, understand your strengths in the job market, reach out to the recruiters who’ve visited your profile, and maybe even score an interview. And, thanks to the InMail message credits, you can contact your profile visitors even if they're not your connections.
There's also LinkedIn Learning which alone is worth paying the LinkedIn Premium cost. With over 16,000 expert-led courses on everything from software engineering to personal branding, you can upskill yourself and make your profile even more attractive to recruiters. It's one of the biggest advantages of LinkedIn Premium and a great way to keep your skills sharp and up-to-date because, let's face it, when you've been doing the same job for a long time, you easily let your skills get a bit rusty.
Last but not least, you get to unlock and use your LinkedIn Premium badge which will definitely boost your visibility on the platform. And while it may seem inconsequential, that little gold icon showing next to your LinkedIn profile picture in search results signals you're serious about your career and willing to invest in it.
LinkedIn Premium Benefits for Marketers and Salespeople
If you're in sales, then LinkedIn is most likely your best friend. It gives you access to an almost limitless pool of potential customers and helps you easily connect with them. And with a Premium LinkedIn membership, your job becomes easier simply because you have more tools to help you close deals.
Among the many LinkedIn Premium advantages for sales professionals and marketers is the option to conduct demographic research. In fact, with Premium, you get robust search filters and access to more user data so you gain as much information as possible about your prospect's industry. To put it plainly —instead of just selling to them, you get to learn more about them, their needs and wants, and then use this to tailor your offer accordingly.
Add the LinkedIn profile views to this and you're a winner because as soon as someone looks at your profile you have your cue to follow up on them and turn them into a lear or better yet, a customer.
And don't worry if you're not connected. Included in the cost of LinkedIn Premium's Sales Navigator are InMail message credits which, as we've mentioned earlier, allow you to reach out and connect with potential clients that aren't in your network. This is a crucial tool for salespeople who are always on the lookout for new leads.
You also get some useful organization and automation tools so you can keep track of your leads and sort them according to your preference. And the best part is that you can save an unlimited number of leads and even get recommendations on who to prospect to. This way, you can focus your outreach on those that are most likely to convert into paying customers.
Final Decision: Is LinkedIn Premium Worth it?
That depends on how much Linkedin Premium does cost, right? And this is something we haven't discussed so far. So, here it goes:
Currently, the cost of LinkedIn Premium Career is $39.99/month while the Premium Business plan is $55.99/month with Recruiter Lite and Sales Navigator being a bit pricier starting at $119.99/month and $79.99/month respectively. However, given the amount of data and insights, advanced search filters, and unlimited profile views, paying the LinkedIn Premium price is definitely worth it. Especially if you take into account that LinkedIn Learning alone costs 29.99/month and is featured in all plans free of charge.
Moreover, the additional features and benefits make it a no-brainer for professionals who are looking to take their careers to the next level. It’s ideal for job seekers as they get more visibility and outreach opportunities which in return increases their chances of landing their dream job. Meanwhile, salespeople and marketers get more data to work with such as hyper-targeted search filters which not only help target their audiences better but also produce more leads.
So, the answer to the question of whether LinkedIn Premium is worth it is a resounding yes — it is definitely worth its price. And just in case you're on the fence about whether or not you should upgrade, the option to check out the free trial first and then decide is also available.
