LinkedIn Premium Utilization

Most people who pay for LinkedIn Premium are wasting their money.  Not because Premium is bad—because they use it like a slightly fancier digital résumé. When I work with clients on LinkedIn strategy, I make sure they don't follow the same pattern I often see: The many who upgrade, poke around a few features, and then go back to passive scrolling. The real value of LinkedIn Premium appears only when you use a few specific features deliberately to drive business outcomes. Here’s where to focus: 1. Advanced Search Filters Use this to build targeted lists, not just “browse people.” - Find the exact roles, companies, and locations you care about.   - Save these searches and turn them into a weekly prospecting routine. For B2B sales and consultants, this is your starting point for a predictable outreach system. 2. InMail Credits InMail is not an excuse to send mass, generic pitches. - Use it to reach decision‑makers directly when you can’t get a warm intro.   - Reference something specific from their profile or content to earn a response. Used well, InMail response rates are consistently higher than "spray and pray" cold email—especially for high‑value conversations. 3. Profile View Insights & “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” Treat this as a signal dashboard, not a vanity metric. - Look for patterns: which industries, titles, and companies are showing up?   - Prioritize people who view your profile multiple times or after you post. These are often your warmest leads, partners, or speaking opportunities—you just need a simple follow‑up play. 4. LinkedIn Learning If you’re paying for Premium and ignoring Learning, you’re leaving value on the table. - Use it to upskill yourself or your team in areas directly tied to revenue: sales, marketing, leadership, AI.   - Build learning plans around your quarterly goals (not random courses). Continuous learning is still one of the most underrated competitive advantages. The cost vs. ROI, you ask? LinkedIn Premium is not cheap. But one closed deal, one strategic partnership, or one key hire can easily pay for a year—or more. The key is to treat Premium as part of a deliberate LinkedIn system, not as a nice‑to‑have subscription. Here’s a simple workflow I recommend: 1. Define your primary outcome (deals, hires, partners, roles).   2. Build and save targeted searches aligned to that outcome.   3. Reach out with personalized InMails and connection requests.   4. Monitor who’s viewing your profile and engaging with your content.   5. Follow up thoughtfully and nurture the right relationships. LinkedIn Premium is not for everyone. But if LinkedIn is a meaningful channel for your business or career, using Premium strategically can turn the platform from a passive network into an active growth engine. That’s when it stops being a cost—and starts behaving like an investment. What ROI (or missed opportunities) have you seen from LinkedIn Premium?

Most people use LinkedIn to post, but the real growth happens when you start using its features strategically. Here are a few underrated yet powerful ways to expand your reach, influence, and credibility on LinkedIn 👇 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 “𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲” Turn it on and choose your top 5 hashtags. It signals your niche to LinkedIn’s algorithm and unlocks analytics, newsletters, and follower insights. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 “𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀” Add your perspective to industry-specific topics curated by LinkedIn. Each thoughtful contribution increases visibility, credibility, and the chance to earn a “Top Voice” badge. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮 “𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿” A newsletter builds loyal readership and authority. Every subscriber gets notified directly in their inbox, a perfect way to turn followers into fans. 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁 “𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲” 𝗼𝗿 “𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀” Go beyond posts and have real-time conversations. Share insights, invite guests, and connect deeper with your community. 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 “𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻” Pin your best work, a viral post, case study, video, or website to convert visitors into followers or leads instantly. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 “𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘀” These are native PDFs you can swipe through, perfect for storytelling, mini-guides, or frameworks. They get 3× higher engagement than plain text posts. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 “𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴” LinkedIn now allows scheduling directly within the platform. Plan a week’s content in one sitting, stay consistent, and never miss your best posting time. 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 “𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘀” Ask questions, spark debate, and gather insights. Polls drive high engagement especially when you add thoughtful follow-up comments once results come in. 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 “𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀” 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲 Go beyond vanity metrics. Check engagement rates, top-performing post types, and follower demographics to shape a smarter content strategy. 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 “𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀” Find niche-specific groups, add value to discussions, and connect with like-minded professionals. Many collaborations start here and not in DMs. 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙪𝙨: 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙪𝙢-𝙊𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙂𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣 𝙀𝙙𝙜𝙚 If you’re serious about accelerating your growth, LinkedIn Premium offers a few hidden superpowers: 𝗜𝗻𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀 – Reach out to anyone directly, even outside your network. 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 (𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆) – Track who’s engaging with your brand. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 - Add multiple cover images to share your story or journey. Growth on LinkedIn isn’t about posting more, it’s about using the platform smarter. Combine these tools with consistent engagement, and your reach will compound over time. Follow #socialJJ to read more of my posts. #linkedIn

Should I signup & pay for LinkedIn premium? And if so, what tier? We get this question ALL the time and these days LinkedIn premium is definitely an investment for your business. So here’s our best answers - (from 2 founders who run the majority of their business on LinkedIn): 1. It really depends on what your intention with LinkedIn is 2. You might not need it *right away* and can experiment with the existing features before upgrading (or start with the lowest tier and then upgrade when you’re clear you need more features). If you’re just here to: - Post content & have a presence - Modestly grow a following - Keep in touch with industry peers You probably don’t need to be paying $100+/mo for a full on LinkedIn premium & salves navigator account. You may like the “Career” tier ($29.99/mo) which gives you the ability to see who’s viewed your profile, the ability to send more customized connection requests, and get 5 InMail credits a month. Or the “Business” tier ($59.99/mo) which gives you all of that plus the “custom button” feature for people to click onto your calendar or website directly from your posts plus 10 more InMail credits per month. However, if: - Your content is well received here - You’re starting to get inbound business - You want to experiment with proactive outreach to continue building the momentum and add more leads to your pipeline The full-on Sales Navigator Core might be right for your business ($99/mo). This tier is built for the business owner that: - Wants to be building & saving “searches” and “lead lists” to proactively reach out to each week (users with the title of your ICP or decision makers in orgs you want to pitch / develop relationships with)  - Wants *highly* customized searches (crazy how detailed you can get in Sales Navigator, this is great if you have a particularly specific ICP)  - Wants the most amount of InMails every month (50) Sales Navigator is no joke, it is a mega robust database/internal LinkedIn CRM you can do SO much with and save all sorts of custom lists with for your prospecting. But it’s definitely for the business owner who wants to be doing consistent, proactive lead gen right in LinkedIn. I don’t recommend signing up and paying unless you’re going to dedicate time utilizing its features. We really like LinkedIn (obviously) and love all our clients that come from this platform so for us it makes sense to be continuously expanding our networks and reaching new segments from. There’s certainly LOTS to say on this topic but hope this helps for now. Curious, out of all of them, what’s your favorite feature of LinkedIn? 

Job seekers guide on how to best use LinkedIn's new AI capabilities: **AI-Powered Premium Experience 1. Analyze Feed Content: The AI analyzes posts, articles, and conversations in your feed to reveal key opportunities relevant to you. 2. Get Timely Information: Leveraging Microsoft Bing, the AI provides up-to-date information on trending topics, combining insights from LinkedIn and across the web. **Enhanced Job Search Features 1. Natural Language Job Search: Premium subscribers can use conversational prompts to find jobs. For example, you can type "find me a remote marketing job in Detroit that pays at least $110,000". 2. Resume Optimization: AI can review your resume and provide personalized suggestions for improvement, tailored to specific job postings. 3. Cover Letter Assistance: There's a tool to help build cover letters "from scratch" with AI assistance. 4. Job Fit Assessment: The AI can help you evaluate if a particular job is a good fit for your skills and experience. **Profile Enhancement 1. Writing Suggestions: The AI offers personalized writing suggestions for your About and Headline sections, highlighting key skills and experiences. 2. Profile Summary Generation: AI can generate personalized summary suggestions that effectively capture your professional essence. **Networking and Learning 1. AI Personas: LinkedIn is piloting AI-powered personas of experts that you can chat with to learn about business topics. 2. Personalized Career Coaching: Premium subscribers can access AI-powered career coaching for advice on topics like negotiation and business strategy. 3. Enhanced LinkedIn Learning: AI is being integrated into LinkedIn Learning courses to provide more personalized coaching. **How to Access These Features 1. Sign in to your LinkedIn account and navigate to the relevant section (e.g., Profile, Jobs). 2. Look for AI-related buttons or options, such as "Get AI-Powered Suggestions" or "Generate Job Description with AI". 3. For job searches, use the search bar with natural language prompts. 4. Explore the Premium dashboard for AI-powered insights and recommendations.

"Should I get LinkedIn Premium for my job search?" Every week, I get this question. Here's what nobody tells you: Free users can do 80% of what Premium offers. But that remaining 20%? Life-changing. Not for: ❌ Learning courses (YouTube is free) ❌ Applying to more jobs (waste of money) ❌ Have AI write your profile (worse than ChatGPT) But absolutely YES for: 1/ Personalized connection notes The brutal math: - Free: 5 custom notes/month - Premium: 100 custom notes/week That's 400 vs 5 per month. 80x more chances to connect with decision-makers. They're your golden tickets. "Hey, loved your post about X" > spam requests. 2/ Who's viewed your profile See EXACTLY who's checking you out: - That hiring manager from your dream company - The VP who viewed you 3 times this week - Recruiters actively sourcing for roles Then reach out while you're fresh in their mind. 3/ Direct messaging anyone If they haven't accepted your request... - Message that CMO directly. - Reach out to remote-first founders. - DM people who can actually hire you. That's it. Those 3 features. Everything else? Nice to have, not need to have. My advice? Test it for 1-2 months during your active search. Define if it accelerates your networking. Keep it if it's working, cancel if it's not. Simple as that. Speaking of which... I have 7 free 2-month Premium trials (only if you haven't used your 1-month trial yet). Drop a comment with EXACTLY how you'd use these features in your job search and I'll gift you one 💥

Is LinkedIn Premium worth it if you’re job hunting? 100% YES - for two key features. Who has viewed your profile and how you stack up versus the competition in a job posting. Here’s how to make it work for you. 1. You get full visibility into who’s viewing your profile for the last 90 days. That’s gold because if recruiters are checking you out, that’s your chance to reach out and start a conversation. You could simply say: “Hi [Name], I noticed you viewed my profile. I see you recruit in [industry/role]. I’d love to know if my experience aligns with anything you’re currently hiring for.” It’s not pushy — it’s proactive. 2. You see how you rank against other job applicants. LinkedIn tells you how many of the required skills you already match for a role. That means you can make quick adjustments to your profile before applying, so you show up as a stronger fit when recruiters search. Those two features alone make Premium worth it if you’re serious about your job search. The LinkedIn Learning courses those are nice add-ons. But the real value is visibility and data. If you’re signing up, choose the Career Plan (start with the free month, then it’s about $30 USD after). If you’re in the middle of a job search, this is one of the few investments that actually moves the needle. Yellow Out 💛