Everyone can get a basic LinkedIn account for free. Simply visit the LinkedIn website, sign up, and set up your profile. Of course, the basic account will have certain limitations. But for those who are interested in investing in a premium LinkedIn account, they can unlock a lot of useful tools and features that can help them step up their game. They can take their social marketing to the next level.
LinkedIn Premium does not come cheap—but most subscribers say that the service is well worth the money. The improved access to data, analytics, and training, plus the helpful features that are exclusive to LinkedIn Premium are certainly valuable.
LinkedIn Premium plans come in four tiers: $29.99 to $59.99 per month for job seekers, $79.99 per month for sales professionals, and $119.95 per month for recruiters. If you decide to go for the annual subscription, you will enjoy some slight discounts.
These tiers offer various special features and data. Despite Premium being rather expensive, a lot of users still pay for it on a monthly basis. It is important to consider why people invest on LinkedIn Premium and what advantages it could offer. This should help businesses and professionals decide if Premium is a good fit for them.
LinkedIn Premium: What to Expect?
The first tier is the base version of LinkedIn Premium, also known as Premium Career. At $29.99 a month or $239.88 annually, this version is aimed at job seekers. This version gives users three InMail messages a month, allowing them to send messages directly to any LinkedIn user—even if they are not yet connected. Premium Career also gives additional details on the people who viewed their profiles. It also provides more tools to help make profiles stand out to recruiters.
The next tier is Premium Business, which is available for $59.99 a month or $575.88 when billed annually. It gives 15 InMail messages per month, as well as advanced search filters, unlimited searches in your extended network, and additional company data.
LinkedIn’s Premium Sales Navigator is suitable for sales professionals, and is available for $79.99 per month, or $779.88 a year. Sales Navigator gives users 20 InMail messages, a lead-builder tool, and real-time insights on existing accounts and leads. LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator also has a multi-seat version, called Sales Navigator Team, which includes 30 InMail messages, 25 out-of-network profile unlocks, and 10 PointDrive presentations, among other features.
Another version of Sales Navigator is called Sales Navigator Enterprise, which offers unlimited seats, 50 InMail messages per month, per seat, 25 out-of-network profile unlocks, and unlimited PointDrive presentations. It also includes advanced admin functionality.
The final tier is the LinkedIn Premium Recruiter Lite, which costs $119.95 per month, or $1,199.40 as a one-time annual payment. It gives users 30 InMail messages, advanced search options, unlimited visibility of their extended network, candidate tracking, and integrated hiring. Recruiter Lite is also the base tier of LinkedIn’s Talent Solutions.
All four tiers can each be demoed for free for one month, which helps users decide if one plan is more suitable for them over the others. Some LinkedIn users quickly decide to return to the free version, but many others continue to pay for LinkedIn Premium after seeing all the advantages that it could provide in terms of data and functionality.
It was in 2017 that LinkedIn decided to add new features to its Premium subscription plans. This was following the company’s acquisition by Microsoft. They redesigned LinkedIn Premium to make better use of both existing and new data sets the company was gathering on salary, company details, and educational courses users were completing on LinkedIn Learning.
Now that LinkedIn has surpassed 500 million registered users, Premium subscriptions allow professionals to stand out in the crowd and make better use of the social networking platform.
Is LinkedIn Premium Worth the Money?
The answer depends on the user’s goals. Most users who subscribe to LinkedIn Premium see it as a sound investment because of the tools and insights it offers. InMail messages, in particular, are considered very valuable because they allow users to message other LinkedIn professionals without having to connect with them. Users say that people are more likely to respond to InMail messages than to traditional emails.
The benefits of LinkedIn Premium aren’t always immediately apparent, because it mostly depends on how the user utilizes the various tools made available to them. For those who are looking to expand their network and make the most out of LinkedIn, a Premium subscription may be a worthwhile investment. Ultimately, it depends on your goals and how you are planning to use the platform.
