LinkedIn Premium acts as a sort of exclusive club for job seekers, recruiters and sales professionals, and the fees can be considered vanity costs. What to expect from LinkedIn Premium LinkedIn Premium is offered in four tiers, ranging from $29.99 to $59.99 per month for job seekers, $79.99 per month for sales professionals, and $119.95 per month for recruiters. The base version, Premium Career, is aimed at job seekers who are willing to spend $29.99 a month, or $239.88 annually, for three InMail messages (messages that can be sent to any LinkedIn user, no connection necessary), additional details on the people who view their profiles, and more tools to help make those profiles stand out to recruiters. Premium Business is available for $59.99 per month, or $575.88 when billed annually. For example, when Premium subscribers look at LinkedIn’s “Who’s Viewed My Profile” feature they will now see more pertinent data on the particular companies whose employees are viewing their profile. For most users, LinkedIn Premium is a sound investment, thanks to the tools and insights it offers. Mike O'Neil, who has paid for LinkedIn Premium since the day it was initially offered, says the most valuable tools you get with LinkedIn Premium are InMail messages, advanced search and additional results in search queries. Kirlew says LinkedIn Premium can quickly pay for itself for anyone in a business development role. InMail messages help facilitate connections with these people. O'Neil says the challenge for most people isn't paying attention to LinkedIn, it's deciding whether or not to pay for the premium service — and then what to do with it if they make the investment.
LinkedIn Premium plans aren’t cheap, and they’re not an easy sell for many users. Still, a large number of people pay for LinkedIn Premium on a monthly basis. Why do they pay $30, $60, $80 or even $120 per month for access to LinkedIn Premium’s special features and data? And more importantly, should you?
LinkedIn Premium acts as a sort of exclusive club for job seekers, recruiters and sales professionals, and the fees can be considered vanity costs. Some LinkedIn users quickly decide to return to the free version, but many others continue to pay for LinkedIn Premium even after they accomplish specific goals.
In February 2017, following the company’s acquisition by Microsoft, LinkedIn added new features to its LinkedIn Premium subscription plans, designed to make better use of both existing and new data sets the company is gathering on salary, company details and educational courses its users are completing on LinkedIn Learning, an online MOOC service the company repackaged in September 2016 after its 2015 acquisition of Lynda.com. The company has also more recently surpassed 575 million registered users, added more news curation with trending storylines in May 2017, and made further refinements to its messaging interface in July 2018.
These new additions increase the value of LinkedIn Premium and are aimed at improving the direct outcomes delivered through LinkedIn data on businesses, careers and education, says Gyanda Sachdeva, vice president of product management and head of LinkedIn Premium subscription products. “The goal for us on the Premium team is to deliver direct economic outcomes to our members.”
Here is an overview of what LinkedIn Premium offers and whether it’s right for you.
What to expect from LinkedIn Premium
LinkedIn Premium is offered in four tiers, ranging from $29.99 to $59.99 per month for job seekers, $79.99 per month for sales professionals, and $119.95 per month for recruiters. Annual billing offers slight discounts.
The base version, Premium Career, is aimed at job seekers who are willing to spend $29.99 a month, or $239.88 annually, for three InMail messages (messages that can be sent to any LinkedIn user, no connection necessary), additional details on the people who view their profiles, and more tools to help make those profiles stand out to recruiters.
The next tier, Premium Business, includes 15 InMail messages, advanced search filters, unlimited searches in your extended network and additional company data. Premium Business is available for $59.99 per month, or $575.88 when billed annually.
LinkedIn Premium’s Sales Navigator version gives you a lead-builder tool, lead recommendations and real-time insights on existing accounts and leads, as well as 20 InMail messages for $79.99 per month, or $779.88 as a one-time annual payment. Sales Navigator also comes in a multi-seat version, Sales Navigator Team, which includes 30 InMail messages, 25 Out-of-Network profile unlocks, 10 PointDrive presentations and more. Sales Navigator Enterprise offers unlimited seats, 50 InMail messages per month, per seat, 25 Out-of-Network profile unlocks, unlimited PointDrive presentations and advanced admin functionality. Sales Navigator Enterprise also includes Salesforce integration capabilities.
Finally, the crème de la crème, LinkedIn Premium Recruiter Lite, costs $119.95 per month, or $1,199.40 when billed annually. It gives you 30 InMail messages, advanced search, unlimited visibility of your extended network, automatic candidate tracking and integrated hiring, with a recruiting-specific design. Recruiter Lite is also the base tier of LinkedIn’s Talent Solutions.
Each Premium tier can be demoed for free for one month.
LinkedIn Premium bonus: LinkedIn Learning and LinkedIn Salary
LinkedIn Learning and LinkedIn Salary (a service launched in November 2016 to track and analyze salaries globally) are now included with all four versions of LinkedIn Premium. Job seekers…
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