You probably already have a free LinkedIn account. At some stage, though, you’ll likely need to consider upgrading to a Premium account, especially if you plan to use it for outreach and lead generation.
So, in this post, I’ll explain LinkedIn Premium costs in detail, as well as some of its pros and cons. Ultimately, you’ll learn if LinkedIn Premium is worth it for you.
LinkedIn Premium offers a few choices at different price levels:
Each of these plans serves a specific purpose. If your focus is lead generation, you'll likely need either LinkedIn Premium Business or Sales Navigator.
Premium is ideal for network growth, offering unlimited people browsing and some InMail credits. For lead generation, Sales Navigator is superior with features like 50 InMail credits, lead and account lists, lead recommendations, advanced lead search, and more.
Determining if LinkedIn Premium is worth it depends on the plan you choose and your needs. Let's review each plan.
This plan helps you find a job faster and costs $39.99 per month.
With LinkedIn Premium Career, you get:
Pro: LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Premium provides access to a vast library of courses presented by industry experts on LinkedIn Learning. These courses cover various topics, including business, communication, technology, and marketing. This allows you to expand your skill set, aiding lead generation and sales. The library is frequently updated with new courses.
Con: Limited Contact Utility
LinkedIn Premium Career may not be worth it for job seekers as InMail is not often used to apply for jobs, and the "Who Viewed Your Profile" feature is less useful if the viewers do not contact you.
Designed for network growth, LinkedIn Premium Business starts at $47.99 per month.
With LinkedIn Premium Business, you get:
Pro: Extended Capabilities
Premium Business removes many restrictions of a free account, like limited advanced searches and people browsing. It allows potential leads to message you even if they're not in your network, eliminating friction for interested leads.
Pro: Profile Views
With a Premium account, you can see everyone who viewed your profile in the past 90 days, helping you gauge your profile’s effectiveness.
Pro: InMail
InMail credits enable you to reach out to people outside your network, providing higher response rates and more message space.
Con: Pricey
LinkedIn Premium Business can be costly, which might not be justified if you're a new business managing expenses. You might get better value by upgrading to Sales Navigator.
Sales Navigator is ideal for sales professionals and costs $79.99 per user per month.
It includes all LinkedIn Premium Business features plus:
Pro: Access to Sales Navigator
Sales Navigator offers one of the best B2B contact databases with up-to-date information directly from LinkedIn profiles. Although it does not allow bulk-exporting leads, tools like Findymail can help you export and enrich leads with B2B emails for effective outreach.
Con: Additional Tools Needed
To scale outreach effectively, you may need additional cold outreach tools and LinkedIn scrapers.
Tailored for recruiters, Recruiter Lite costs $140 per user per month and includes features like:
Pro: Recruiter Specific Tools
Recruiter Lite offers tools specifically for recruitment, making it essential for recruiters managing their day-to-day tasks.
To decide if LinkedIn Premium is worth it, consider your professional needs and goals. Sales professionals and teams can benefit significantly from Sales Navigator, though it's not the only tool needed for effective outreach. Testing the plans with a one-month trial can help determine their value.
Ultimately, LinkedIn Premium can be a valuable investment if it helps you find and connect with the right leads for your business.