LinkedIn Premium Account Types – What to Choose?
Do you have a LinkedIn account? Not yet? We recommend you create one as soon as possible! Especially if you run your own business, are a manager, or hold another decision-making position. A profile on this social media platform is now a must-have. LinkedIn is growing in strength and, in the context of business development, it's quite a useful tool. More and more people see LinkedIn's potential not only for recruitment but also for strong sales and marketing opportunities.
A basic account on LinkedIn is free and, until recently, hasn't differed significantly from a premium account. Only recently has LinkedIn begun implementing changes aimed at reducing the basic account's capabilities (e.g., limiting the range of contact searches) and enhancing the premium account's capabilities (e.g., the ability to see who viewed your profile and when).
How much does a LinkedIn Premium account cost?
Linkedin offers as many as 4 Premium plans, depending on the purpose for which we want to use the platform, we can choose from:
- Career Account – for those who are looking for a job (the first month is free, then if you choose a monthly subscription you pay PLN 99,99 per month and if you choose an annual subscription, PLN 79,99 per month (PLN 959,88 per year – payment in advance),
- Business Account – for professionals who want to expand their account with a few additional features and thus expand their network of friends or manage their reputation (in this case we also have the first month free, then the cost is PLN 199,99 monthly or PLN 149,99* / month (if we bill annually),
- Sales Account known as Sales Navigator – for those who want to effectively find customers. This plan can be purchased for one person, a team, or an entire company (the price for one person includes a free month of subscription and then PLN 299,98/month, or for a full year, PLN 239,99/month, for a total of PLN 2,879.89 per year),
- Employment Account – for companies whose goal is to find and hire new candidates faster (this is the most expensive package, which after a month of free use costs PLN 399,98 per month and with an annual subscription (PLN 3,839.88 per year – PLN 319,99/month).
In this post, we'll focus on two Premium plans: Business and Sales (Sales Navigator). For an individual, this is undoubtedly a significant expense. However, if you plan your activities and utilize Premium account features carefully, the investment will certainly pay off. So how can you best leverage the potential of LinkedIn Premium accounts?
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Discover the benefits of a LinkedIn Premium profile
If, after reading the advantages listed and described below, you decide that YES, this is what you are missing on LinkedIn to work more efficiently, then it turns out that it is worth purchasing a Premium account.
- Ability to search for 3rd degree contacts
Previously it was also available for basic accounts, now, after Linkedin changes , it is only available for Premium accounts.
Who are 3rd degree connections on LinkedIn?
Let's start with the fact that first-degree connections are our friends with whom we're already connected on LinkedIn . Second-degree connections are friends of our friends (the more friends we have, the larger our second-degree network). Third-degree connections are completely independent. These are people, you might say "strangers," with whom we don't have mutual acquaintances, but with whom we often want to connect.
When will you need this additional feature?
Third-degree connections are particularly important in sales. Among our contacts, we often have people in our own or similar industries, with similar experience, etc. However, to reach our target audience, we often have to look for people in a completely different industry than ours, with different experience. If this is the case for you, then you already know that this additional feature will be useful!
- Additional search options
Advanced search with additional filters is available in the Sales Navigator version. In addition to the filters available in the basic version, there are more options for searching for people. Therefore, if we have a well-defined target group, Sales Navigator allows us to precisely search for people who meet their criteria.
Additionally, after searching, we can filter a given group of people and find only those who, for example, changed jobs in the last 3 months, published something on LinkedIn in the last month , people who have the same experience as us, or people who follow our company fan page.
When will you need additional search capabilities?
These additional options will allow you to better target your audience. And if you plan to sponsor company content, they'll allow you to fine-tune your LinkedIn ad targeting . Better defining your audience also allows you to see what content they post and engage with, which can be used to plan the content you plan to use in your communications strategy.
- Ability to save searches/specific contacts
After finding a specific audience we're interested in, we can save it. This allows us to create lists of leads that match specific criteria (e.g., a group of IT managers in the Computers and Software industry who have been active on LinkedIn in the last 30 days, are from Wrocław, and their profiles include keywords like "SaaS system"—quite a specific targeting!) LinkedIn suggests similar people to those we previously searched for. Additionally, we can track the activity of saved individuals and engage with their posts on an ongoing basis.
- InMail included in the price
InMail, meaning sending a message to someone who isn't in your contacts' network, is only possible with Premium profiles. Sending one requires an additional fee. When you purchase a Premium profile, you have a set number of InMails in your package, which is updated monthly. If you don't use up a certain number in the first month, it rolls over to the second (and you also get a new quota in the second month).
According to LinkedIn, profiles with premium accounts are visited more often (up to six times more in the case of Sales Navigator). And many of us would probably agree that the gold badge works! It improves the image of both the individual and the company they work for.
Other benefits of the LinkedIn Premium gold icon
The person with this profile paid for a premium account, so when they contact us (requesting friends, sending an in-mail), they likely know what they're doing and why! From Verseo's own experience, we can say that messages sent by people with premium accounts were opened more often, and invitees were often very eager to connect and open to conversation. If you think you'll find the additional features LinkedIn offers for premium accounts useful, try them out for 30 days for free and see if you find your way around. Some people find them completely useless, while others use them as tools they use every day.
Who should have a premium account?
If you're wondering who in your company should have a premium account, we've got a suggestion. Not everyone in the company needs a premium account. It's important to fully utilize the potential of the tools available in the paid version, so anyone with a premium account should be familiar with its use. A premium account is ideal for managers and business owners, who will find it easier to make valuable connections. Additionally, salespeople, customer relations staff, and recruiters will certainly benefit from these paid options. Do you feel like you could benefit from a step-by-step guide on how to operate on LinkedIn? Download our free guide – effective operations on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Premium FAQs
Yes, this is one of the key benefits of a paid account. With the free version, you only see the last few people. LinkedIn Premium unlocks the full list of users who have viewed your profile in the last 90 days, allowing you to quickly connect with people who are genuinely interested in your offer or candidacy.
InMail is LinkedIn's internal communication currency and feature. It allows you to send a direct message to absolutely every user on the platform—even those you don't have a personal connection with. It's an incredibly effective tool for B2B sales and recruitment.
The basic, free account has a "commercial limit." If the platform notices you're actively searching for other users (e.g., potential clients), it will block you from further viewing results until the end of the month. A Premium account completely removes this limit, giving you the freedom to search for profiles without limits.
A Premium account gives you access to in-depth statistics. When job searching, you'll see how your skills compare to other candidates applying for the same position. For business analysis, you'll gain insight into company data, such as hiring trends, employee turnover, and company growth.
Absolutely. Every Premium account holder receives automatic, unlimited access to the LinkedIn Learning educational platform. It hosts thousands of professional video courses in a wide range of fields (business, IT, marketing). After completing the training, you can attach your certificate to your profile with a single click.
No, LinkedIn offers several different subscription options tailored to specific user goals. The most popular are Career (for job seekers), Business (for building a personal brand and network), Sales Navigator (an advanced tool for salespeople), and Recruiter Lite (for HR professionals).
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- LinkedIn Premium offers four subscription plans ranging from PLN 79,99 to PLN 319,99 per month.
- The key benefits of the service include: third-degree contact search, advanced search filters, saving lead lists, InMail messages included in the package, and a gold profile badge that increases credibility and visit frequency.
