Should You Get a Paid LinkedIn Account?

Many LinkedIn users wonder if they should invest in a paid LinkedIn membership. The purpose of this blog post is to give you a brief overview of each membership level. Please note the membership fees referenced are paid per month. You can save up to 25% per year if you pay on an annual basis (of course).

• Who’s Viewed Your Profile – See who viewed your profile and how they find you. 

• Full Profile – See full profiles of all the people in your network including 1, 2nd and 3rd degrees.

• Full Name Visibility – See complete names of 3rd degree connections and group connections. 

• InMail Messages – Send direct messages to anyone on LinkedIn. If you don’t receive a response within seven days, LinkedIn will return the InMail credit to your account. Also, unused InMails roll over and accumulate for three months while you are a paid member. 

• Introductions – Get introductions to LinkedIn members through your LinkedIn connections. 

• OpenLink – Let anyone on LinkedIn message you. This is an optional feature and needs to be activated. Premium Search – Get up to 8 search filters. Filters include Seniority, Company Size, Interests, Fortune 1000, etc. 

• Profiles Per Search – See more profiles when you search. 

• Saved Search Alerts – Save searches and get email notifications when LinkedIn profiles fit your specifications. 

• Reference Search – Get a list of people in your network who can provide a reference of someone you are interested in researching. 

Benefits of a Free Membership

Stick with a free membership if you are a new LinkedIn user. A free membership will allow you to:

• Grow your network with unlimited connections

• Join up to 50 LinkedIn Groups

• Create a Profile 

• Give and receive Recommendations

• Request up to 5 Introductions 

• Do general searches 

Benefits of a Paid Membership

A paid membership is only beneficial if you use all the features. Do you research conference attendees prior to attending? Are you interested in finding out which connections can introduce you to leads you want to meet? If your answer was yes to either of these questions, a paid LinkedIn membership is for you. A paid membership will also allow you to:

• Send a message to anyone on LinkedIn regardless of their play in your network

• Send more introductions 

• View more profile information of 2nd and 3rd connections and people not in your network

By Samantha Collier