It’s not the primary time I’ve tried out LinkedIn Premium — however it’s the first time I’m approaching the platform’s paid subscription as a creator.
Whereas actively trying to find my new function in early 2023, I took benefit of the free trial of LinkedIn Premium, then prolonged it for an additional few months. As a job seeker, the advantages had been nice — the platform advisable jobs I might be a prime applicant for and allowed me to succeed in out to hiring managers instantly, even when I wasn’t linked to them.
I didn’t find yourself as a content material author at Buffer due to LinkedIn (that was right down to a enjoyable Instagram put up, apparently sufficient), however I undoubtedly discovered it worthwhile in my job search. I landed a number of interviews because of the service and would extremely advocate it to these on the lookout for a brand new alternative.
However, after nabbing my dream function at Buffer, my objectives on LinkedIn shifted. I like creating content material on the platform, plus I’ve simply launched a podcast for B2B entrepreneurs that I’m eager to, properly, market. In a nutshell, I need to generate engagement and develop my viewers — may LinkedIn Premium assist with that, too?
It simply would possibly. I’ve observed an uptick in banner adverts promising every thing from AI help to elevated profile views — and I used to be curious to place it to the take a look at.
So, on the outset of 2024, I signed up for LinkedIn Premium once more and made it my mission to reply the query: “Is LinkedIn Premium price it for creators?”
Right here’s every thing it’s essential find out about utilizing LinkedIn Premium to construct your private model, enhance engagement, and develop your following.
What you get with LinkedIn Premium
First, let’s discuss in regards to the LinkedIn instruments and options you’ll unlock with LinkedIn Premium. All of the issues listed under can be found with all 4 tiers of the premium plans (extra on this under):
- LinkedIn Premium badge: A gold badge in your profile.
- InMail credit: The flexibility to message somebody you’re not already linked with.
- Profile view insights: See precisely who has seen your profile inside the final 90 or three hundred and sixty five days (relying in your plan) until that consumer can be on Premium and has set their profile to personal.
- Non-public looking: Entry to public, semi-private, or personal mode to maintain your id hidden whereas looking different profiles.
- AI Profile writing assistant: A comparatively new function that may assist you to polish up the headline and about part in your profile.
- AI message drafts: AI assist in composing messages (solely accessible within the U.S. now).
- LinkedIn Studying programs: Entry to LinkedIn’s intensive library of on-demand programs per week.
- Open profile: A setting you’ll be able to activate to make it potential for anybody to get in contact with you, whether or not you’re linked or not.
LinkedIn Premium pricing
How a lot does LinkedIn Premium price? That depends upon which plan you go for. LinkedIn Premium plans vary from $20/month to over $100/month. Costs will rely in your area.
Your choices, so as of price:
- LinkedIn Premium Profession
- LinkedIn Premium Enterprise
- LinkedIn Gross sales Navigator
- LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
The first variations between the plans are how far again you’ll be able to see profile views, folks looking, extra superior search filters, and saved leads. The dearer plans are focused at salespeople and recruiters.
This screenshot from my improve part in LinkedIn breaks it down rather well. I’m based mostly in South Africa, so the pricing is in South African Rand (ZAR).
As a part of the LinkedIn Premium sign-up, LinkedIn advisable the Marketing strategy for my wants. I went with that plan to make sure this evaluation was as complete as potential.
Are you able to get LinkedIn Premium without spending a dime?
Technically, sure! You’ll be able to check out a LinkedIn Premium account without spending a dime as a part of their 30-day free trial of the service.
There are a number of Ts and Cs, although. LinkedIn Premium’s free trial is barely accessible to customers who’ve by no means subscribed earlier than, and also you’ll additionally should enter your bank card particulars (nevertheless it’s fairly straightforward to cancel earlier than you’re charged when you determine the plan is just not for you).
How to join LinkedIn Premium
I used to be actually impressed by LinkedIn Premium’s onboarding course of. It’s extremely easy, and there are many suggestions and sources accessible that will help you profit from all the brand new performance you might have entry to.
First, I’ll stroll you thru how to enroll.
- Log in to LinkedIn.com.
- Click on the Me profile icon on the prime proper of your homepage.
- Select Settings & Privateness from the dropdown menu.
- Select Account preferences on the left pane.
- Underneath Subscriptions & funds, click on Change subsequent to Premium Subscription.
- Reply the prompts, and LinkedIn will advocate a plan that fits your wants (you’ll be able to select any, although!)
- Observe the prompts on the web page to complete.
Now, it’s time to discover. You’ll obtain a welcome e mail from LinkedIn, and it’s a good suggestion to discover the sources they direct you to.
There’s additionally a useful web page that may present you precisely what instruments you’ll be able to entry, plus easy methods to use them. Click on on the Me dropdown menu > Premium options.
LinkedIn Premium: My expertise as a creator
LinkedIn is now not only for jobseekers — it’s turn out to be a strong platform for creators, because of the rise of the private model. Nonetheless, LinkedIn’s Premium subscriptions are squarely aimed toward jobseekers, salespeople, and recruiters, with instruments explicitly constructed to satisfy their wants.
That stated, a few of these options may come in useful when you’re seeking to create content material and construct a following on the platform.
Right here’s a have a look at these and the way I’d advocate utilizing them.
Profile view insights
Profile views are the most effective LinkedIn Premium options. First, seeing precisely who’s taking a look at you is a great deal of enjoyable. However most significantly, this function could be an attention-grabbing one to keep watch over as a creator, too.
I see the oldsters heading over to my profile as an indicator of click-through price. There’s no easy technique to tie profile views again to a selected piece of content material, after all, nevertheless it’s helpful to get an image of the type of folks your content material is attracting.
Profile views provide extra of a deep dive into the particular folks your content material or headline evokes sufficient to click on over to your profile and take motion. To see this, head over to Profile > Analytics > Profile views.
From there, click on on ‘Present extra Premium analytics’ to get a breakdown of the highest corporations, places, and industries who’ve checked out your profile.
Is there a workaround for non-premium customers?
Kind of. When you can solely see the id of a small proportion of the oldsters who view your profile with a free LinkedIn account, you’ll be able to nonetheless get a stable breakdown of follower demographics — offered you might have Creator Mode turned on (it’s utterly free and never tied to any LinkedIn Premium subscription).
For viewers demographics in LinkedIn’s analytics, go to Profile > Analytics > Followers, and also you’ll see an identical breakdown (although that is for brand spanking new followers, not simply views). You’ll be able to filter these by job title, location, and business, too.
InMail credit
If you happen to’re on the hunt for a brand new job or working in gross sales, LinkedIn’s InMail messages system has some fairly apparent use circumstances — speaking to hiring managers or potential clients — although they’re much less overtly helpful for creators.
However while you’re constructing a following, tapping into the audiences of others generally is a win-win for each creators. In truth, social media collaboration is among the techniques well-followed creator Aarushi Singh advisable in her current Buffer visitor put up on how she grew on LinkedIn. These may take form in loads of methods — associate carousel posts, LinkedIn Lives, collab movies — however all that requires constructing a relationship first.
That’s the place InMails are available in. With 5 credit per 30 days on the LinkedIn Premium Profession plan and 15 on the LinkedIn Premium Marketing strategy, you’ll have greater than sufficient to get in contact with different creators in your area of interest {and professional} community and (when you play your playing cards proper) plan a collaborative technique.
Is there a workaround for non-premium customers?
Sure — a reasonably good one, too. LinkedIn presents a (extra restricted) technique to contact of us outdoors your community with a primary account: customized connection requests. All it requires is hitting the Join button on one other consumer’s profile after which clicking Add word.
You’ll be restricted to 300 characters, nevertheless it’s an amazing springboard. And as soon as that consumer accepts your connection request, their DMs are open to you.
Customized button
LinkedIn Premium members can create a custom-made button for his or her profile, which could be an effective way to direct followers to your link-in-bio or touchdown web page. That is significantly helpful when you monetize your work via consulting, a publication, or one thing comparable.
To edit yours, navigate to your profile, then click on the Edit button (the pencil icon) on the highest proper. Scroll to the underside of the pop-up to seek out the Edit customized button choice, then select Premium customized button.
The button textual content choices are:
- Go to my retailer
- Go to my web site
- View my portfolio
- View my weblog
- Guide an appointment
Is there a workaround for non-premium customers?
Sure! There’s one other nice choice right here for these utilizing the free model of LinkedIn. Whereas the button received’t seem as prominently in your profile because the Premium model, the free customized button is extra customizable. You’ll be able to select no matter textual content you’d prefer to be clickable and nonetheless use any hyperlink.
LinkedIn’s AI Profile assistant
All of the profitable LinkedIn creators I’ve spoken to have burdened the significance of your LinkedIn profile. I’m already pretty proud of mine, however I used to be excited to see if LinkedIn’s AI may assist make it actually stand out.
As a part of this function, the AI will evaluation your present headline and bio and make strategies to enhance it. I discovered the outcomes to be mediocre.
The headline strategies weren’t groundbreaking — however, I reasoned, the AI-recommended key phrases would possibly give me a leg up relating to LinkedIn search. I opted for the one under.
The about part AI suggestion was respectable. Whereas it was extra formal than I’d have favored, it didn’t have that clearly AI-generated tone. The suggestion additionally wasn’t 100% correct (possible right down to gaps in my profile), however with a number of tweaks, it will have been good to go.
That stated, I’m fairly keen on my present, pithy about part, and I really feel prefer it showcases my ability as a author somewhat higher than the AI’s tell-don’t-show choice. I opted to maintain my previous about part:
Is there a workaround for non-premium customers?
LinkedIn has no options that might work as an alternative to the AI profile assistant. Nonetheless, you must be capable to get comparable outcomes with an exterior AI device like ChatGPT, offered you give it sufficient data in your immediate.
My content material efficiency on LinkedIn Premium
LinkedIn guarantees 2.6X quicker hiring and 4X extra profile views — however not that content material by Premium members will probably be favored by the LinkedIn algorithm.
However, as social media platforms transfer more and more in direction of a pay-to-play future (Meta Verified for Instagram and Fb appears to be headed that approach), I felt it was price testing to see if LinkedIn Premium affected content material efficiency.
I stored my content material technique and cadence the identical throughout my two-week Premium trial to eradicate variables.
Right here’s a have a look at my analytics:
Impressions
I noticed a drop in my impressions throughout this era, however that was one thing I’d been anticipating. A number of weeks prior, I’d had a LinkedIn put up carry out exceptionally properly, and I used to be nonetheless feeling the tail-end of that nice efficiency within the run-up to this experiment.
With that within the combine, I felt that my impressions regarded precisely as anticipated — LinkedIn Premium appeared to haven’t any impact on my put up impressions.
Engagement
My engagement numbers painted an identical image. I cause that this drop has extra to do with the content material that got here earlier than this and little or no to do with LinkedIn Premium.
New followers
This quantity was fascinating to me since my content material was clearly not reaching as many individuals as I had been within the weeks prior — and but, I used to be changing extra. Whereas I can solely theorize why that is, I think it might have one thing to do with a rise in profile views under.
Profile views
I noticed a formidable enhance in profile views — 28 p.c — which I consider is the one metric impacted by subscribing to LinkedIn Premium.
My content material doesn’t appear to be getting a lift as a LinkedIn Premium subscriber — however it seems that my profile did. In different phrases, I think these new profile viewers weren’t discovering my content material of their feeds, however discovering my profile in LinkedIn’s search.
The decision: is LinkedIn Premium price it for creators?
If you happen to’re on the lookout for a brand new job, LinkedIn Premium will certainly provide you with a leg-up.
However as a creator, I don’t suppose LinkedIn Premium is price the price. A handful of options would possibly profit creators, however there are some nice workarounds without spending a dime LinkedIn customers that may have an identical impact.
If you happen to’re seeking to develop your following and enhance engagement as you share content material on the platform, turning on Creator Mode is much extra highly effective than Premium.
It offers you entry to a ‘comply with’ button in your profile, deeper analytics, that customizable button, LinkedIn Stay, newsletters, and extra.
Turning it on is very easy, too. Go to your LinkedIn profile, scroll right down to Assets, and click on on Creator mode.
You’ll possible additionally discover extra worth within the articles on rising on LinkedIn proper right here on the Buffer weblog. These are a few of my favourite sources:
Are you seeking to develop your following on LinkedIn? Be a part of us within the Buffer neighborhood, the place we’re studying collectively and supporting one another.
