At £49.99 a month, you’d be forgiven for wondering whether LinkedIn Premium is really worth the price tag. 

After all, on the free version, you can still:

• Grow your network
• Write and send a LinkedIn newsletter
• Post content that attracts new followers
• Show off your expertise with an All-Star profile
• Keep in touch with connections through Messenger.

So, why pay more? 

As with any dilemma, being fully informed about what’s up for grabs is the only way to know for sure whether LinkedIn Premium is the right choice for you. So, read on for my take on the matter. 

LinkedIn Premium gives you more features and fewer limits than the free version

For absolute clarity (and to make sure this blog doesn’t become unbearably long!), I’m going to focus on LinkedIn Premium Business in this article – there are a few other versions you could choose from that would be slightly different. 

Here are the main features and benefits you have as a LinkedIn Premium member that you wouldn’t have access to if you remain on the free version of LinkedIn: 

Unlimited personalised connection requests

A personalised connection request means that you can add a note to your request, which, in our experience, makes it more likely that someone will accept. 

In 2024, LinkedIn imposed a limit on personalised notes for free accounts, so you can only send 5 – 10 a month. 

With Premium, there’s no limit, making it much easier to grow your network as people are more likely to accept your connection request if they know what’s in it for them. 

Unlimited searches

Free LinkedIn accounts are limited in how many searches they can perform each day, whereas they’re unlimited for Premium account holders. 

If your main goal is to grow your network with a specific target group, this could be a very useful feature to have. 

More information on who’s viewed your profile

If you hold a free LinkedIn account, you can only see a small number of your recent profile viewers – not so helpful if you want to understand whether your strategy is attracting the right leads and prospects! 

Premium will allow you to see exactly who’s viewed your profile (unless they have chosen to hide their name and/or job title) over the past 90 days. 

InMail to people you’re not connected with

Free account users can only send direct messages to people they’re connected with, but as a Premium account holder, you can send a limited number of “InMails” to LinkedIn users you’re not connected to. 

Receive direct messages from anyone on LinkedIn 

Earlier, I mentioned that free users can only send direct messages to their connections, but as a Premium user, you can turn on “Open Profile”. This means that any LinkedIn user can message you, even if you’re not connected. 

If you want to encourage more people to get in touch with you, this might be a useful feature to have enabled. 

Set an out of office

Premium account holders can essentially set up an OOO (called an “Away” message on LinkedIn). This could be useful for keeping leads and prospects informed if you’re away for a period of time. 

You could also use it as a holding message, letting people who’ve contacted you know when they can expect a response. A small touch, but it could make a real difference. 

Jazz up your profile with rotating banners and custom buttons

A Premium subscription can also help you enhance your profile’s visuals. Rather than being limited to one static banner on your profile, you have the option to add up to five banners, which rotate as someone is viewing your profile. 

This could be a great way to promote your services or upcoming offers and events. Phil has used his to advertise upcoming webinars, for example. 

You can also add a custom button to the top of your profile, which isn’t available to free users. This can take visitors anywhere you like, we’d suggest using it to promote: 

• Your website
• Upcoming events
• Your Calendly or meeting booking link.

On the free version of LinkedIn, your website is hidden underneath the “Contact information” button. The custom button removes that friction, making it much easier for profile visitors to get to the next step in their “digital journey” to your door. 

LinkedIn Premium may be worth it if you’re already exhausting the free features

So that’s what you have access to, but the question remains: is it worth it? 

The answer to this is personal, so here are a few questions to ask yourself that could help you make your decision: 

How important is LinkedIn within your overall marketing strategy? 

If the answer is “very”, Premium would likely allow you to squeeze even more value out of the platform. 

Are you exhausting the limits imposed on your free account on a regular basis? 

If you are regularly reaching the search limit or personalised connection request limit each month, this is a good indicator that the cost of Premium would be worth it. 

Do you have the time to dedicate to making the most of the benefits offered by LinkedIn Premium? 

This can help you to decide if you’d personally get a good return on your investment. Paying for Premium doesn’t mean you’ll automatically achieve better results; you still need to put the work in! 

Our team can help you get started on LinkedIn

Whether you’re a Premium or free LinkedIn account holder, our social media team offers a range of packages to help you make the most of the platform and achieve your goals. 

Get in touch today at hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk to find out more about how we can help you.