What is LinkedIn Premium, and Is It Worth It?

While LinkedIn is freely accessible to everyone, it also offers a paid tier called LinkedIn Premium. This guide explores the features included in LinkedIn Premium and provides guidance on whether you should upgrade.

Learn all about the professional social networking platform.

What is LinkedIn Premium?

LinkedIn Premium is a subscription-based membership tier that unlocks additional functionalities beyond those of a free account.

With a focus on meeting different user needs, LinkedIn offers four distinct versions: Business, Career, Sales, and Recruiter. Each offers functionalities relevant to its specific focus. Some features are available across all tiers.

What Features Do You Get With LinkedIn Premium?

The four different LinkedIn tiers offer slightly different features:

Career

LinkedIn Premium Career includes tools for finding new jobs and helps applicants see themselves at the forefront of listings.

• 5 InMail credits per month – InMail allows you to send direct messages to other users, even if they are not part of your network. In the free LinkedIn version, you have to connect to (select) users before interacting with them via messaging.
• Who viewed your profile – view the entire list of people who visited your profile in the last 90 days. You also have access to filters, such as Interesting Viewer, which highlights people that can get you hired.
• Stand out when you apply – offers the option to mark top-choice jobs to increase your chances of getting contacted by the company.
• LinkedIn Learning – opens up access to a host of on-demand courses. You can spend 30 minutes improving your skills on LinkedIn each week.
• Enhance your profile with AI – enables AI to scan your profile and provide suggestions for improving your profile headline and summary.
• Improve your interview skills – access interview Prep tools to take advantage of practice guides and guides from recruiters.
• Private browsing – allows you to view other profiles privately.

Business

If you upgrade to LinkedIn Premium Business, you’ll get all the benefits of Career and a bit more. You’ll have access to 15 InMail credits per month, as well as a few other additions:

• Insights about companies – allows you to get information about companies that are relevant to your business and industry.
• Advanced search – enables users to find the right people through advanced search filters.
• Profile tools – leverage AI writing assistant to help you craft a better profile.

Sales Navigator Core

This Premium tier is aimed at professionals working for companies in marketing or sales positions and includes all Business features. The number of InMail credits has been increased to 50 per month, while also adding some additional perks.

• New lead generation – a tool that allows you to find new leads by employing up to 50 search filters.
• Smart lead recommendations – find new prospects with recommendations personalized from your searches, saved leads, and connections.
• Personas – lets you define your target audience and find the right people.
• Track leads and account activity – gain comprehensive sales insights on your saved leads to foster stronger relationships and engage when the time is right.

Recruiter Lite

Recruiter Lite is a Premium tier designed for recruiters and talent acquisition managers. It offers all the features of Business, 30 InMail credits per month, and the following additions:

• Candidate recommendations – provides daily recommendations and search alerts.
• Templates access – allows the use of templates to communicate with candidates so that you don’t have to rewrite identical messages over and over.
• Candidate spotlight – highlights candidates who are connected to employees of your organization or those invested in your company.
• Job analytics – generates insights and reports to track and understand trends in candidate applications.

How to Sign Up for LinkedIn Premium

To sign up for a paid tier. Navigate to the LinkedIn Premium page. Click on the Start my free trial button in the upper-right corner.

Select the tier you want to sign up for, then click on the Try now for $0 button. For the purposes of this tutorial, we’re signing up with LinkedIn Premium Career.

To be eligible for the free trial on LinkedIn, you’ll need to add your credit card details.

Select a monthly or annual plan, add your information, then press the Start your free trial button.

Depending on which bank you use, you may have to authorize LinkedIn to access your card from within your banking app. You will then see a new greeting screen confirming that you’ve made it into LinkedIn Premium. Hit the Go to Premium Career button.

Go through the four steps to quickly get acquainted with your Premium account, and follow the suggestions by pressing on Continue.

You’ll be redirected to your LinkedIn Premium dashboard, where you can view all the features. Check the Recommended Weekly goals section to begin exploring. For instance, you can quickly check who viewed your profile or see how you rank with Applicant Insights.

How to Cancel LinkedIn Premium

If you eventually decide that LinkedIn Premium is not actually something you want to invest in, you can cancel the subscription at any time.

Open LinkedIn on your device, and click on My Premium in the upper right.

Click Subscription details -> Manage subscription.

On the LinkedIn Admin Center page, click your subscription.

Click Cancel free trial or Cancel subscription, then confirm your choice.

If you’re in the mobile LinkedIn app, it’s a bit easier. Tap your profile picture first, then select Premium features at the bottom. Select Subscription details -> Manage subscription, then tap Cancel subscription.

When using LinkedIn, ensure that your account stays secure by enabling two-factor authentication. Additionally, educate yourself on the most common LinkedIn scams so that you don’t fall prey to any malicious attempts.

Image credit: Pixabay. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.