Many LinkedIn users wonder if it’s possible to hide the LinkedIn Premium badge that displays next to their name when they have a paid Premium subscription. The short answer is no – there is no setting or option within LinkedIn to hide the Premium badge if you have an active Premium subscription. However, there are a few workarounds that some users have found to minimize the visibility of the badge in certain situations.
What is the LinkedIn Premium badge?
The LinkedIn Premium badge is a small icon that appears next to a user’s name and photo anywhere their name is displayed on the LinkedIn platform. It serves to signify that the user has an active Premium subscription.
The Premium badge icon is a small gold shield. When users upgrade to a Premium subscription on LinkedIn, this badge starts displaying next to their name automatically to indicate their Premium member status.
All paid Premium subscription types (Premium Career, Premium Business, Premium Hiring, Premium Sales) will trigger the Premium badge display. You cannot selectively toggle it on or off – it’s automatically enabled as long as your Premium membership is active.
Why does LinkedIn show the Premium badge?
LinkedIn displays Premium badges for a couple of reasons:
– To provide social proof and prestige for Premium subscribers. The badge lets other users know they have invested in a paid subscription.
– To advertise LinkedIn Premium. Displaying the badges next to member names serves as a form of promotion to encourage non-Premium users to upgrade.
– To signify access to Premium features. The badge signals that the user has additional benefits enabled by their subscription.
So in summary, the Premium badge exists as a status symbol, advertising tactic, and indicator of Premium access. LinkedIn wants to showcase Premium memberships by displaying the badge prominently.
Can I hide my LinkedIn Premium badge?
Unfortunately, there is no setting within LinkedIn to toggle the Premium badge on or off. As long as your Premium membership is active, the badge will remain visible to other users of the platform.
LinkedIn does not provide any option to outright disable or hide the Premium badge through your account settings or Premium membership management pages. The only way to remove the badge is to cancel or lapse on your Premium subscription completely.
Some users have expressed a desire to hide the badge if they don’t want the added attention or display of status it brings. But LinkedIn does not allow this level of control over the Premium branding. The company wants to maintain the badge visibility to continue promoting Premium subscriptions.
Workarounds to minimize Premium badge visibility
While you can’t completely hide the Premium badge, some creative LinkedIn users have found workarounds to make it less prominently displayed in certain contexts:
– Remove profile photo: The Premium badge displays next to your profile picture. Removing your photo altogether eliminates the badge, although this has downsides for your profile visibility.
– Display name only: On sections of your profile like the intro card and recommendations, you can choose to show display name only without your photo. This removes the badge from these areas.
– Rearrange profile sections: You can drag sections on your profile to move the intro card (containing name and badge) further down the page. This buries it a bit more out of immediate view.
– Reduce profile views: If you want to limit badge visibility, reduce public profile views by changing your settings for who can see your full profile. This gives you more control over who sees the Premium display.
However, these workarounds only minimize exposure in specific contexts. The Premium badge will still be displayed next to your name in premium features like InMail messages and on service pages. There is no complete solution to remove it across all of LinkedIn.
Why won’t LinkedIn let you hide the Premium badge?
LinkedIn has several incentives to maintain high visibility of Premium badges and offer no option to hide them:
– **Advertising**: The pervasive Premium badges serve as advertisements to non-subscribers, reminding them to upgrade to Premium. This pervasive advertising helps drive more Premium subscriptions.
– **Social proof**: Displaying Premium badges next to member names provides social proof of Premium’s value. This peer influence leads more users to want the status and credibility of the badge.
– **Motivating renewals**: Existing Premium subscribers are motivated to renew their memberships to maintain the badge visibility and the status it brings.
– **Revenue**: More Premium subscriptions directly drive LinkedIn’s revenue growth. The highly visible badges support continued revenue expansion.
So in summary, LinkedIn’s strategic interests are served by keeping the Premium badges very visible with no user control over hiding them. The badges’ promotion and advertising value outweighs individual user preferences.
Should you care if people see you have Premium?
For some users, the prominent Premium badge is perceived negatively as a display of vanity or privileged status. But for many, it carries positive connotations and enhances their professional brand:
**Positives of displaying Premium status:**
– Shows you are invested in advancing your career on LinkedIn
– Displays you have access to additional insights and features
– Provides social proof of your credibility and influence
– Adds a premium brand association to your profile
**Negatives of displaying Premium status:**
– Potentially seen as flaunting privileged status
– Creates impression you depend too much on LinkedIn for networking
– Could be viewed negatively by some as excessive self-promotion
So in evaluating whether you want your Premium badge displayed, weigh how it aligns with the professional brand image you want to cultivate on LinkedIn.
For most members, the positives outweigh the potential negatives. But you can minimize visibility as needed using the workarounds listed above if you’d prefer to downplay your Premium status in certain contexts.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn does not provide any official option to hide your Premium badge as long as you maintain an active Premium subscription. The badge’s high visibility aligns with LinkedIn’s business interests for advertising, motivating renewals, and driving revenue growth.
If you are concerned about prominent display of your Premium status, you can utilize creative workarounds to minimize its visibility in selective contexts on your profile. But there is no way to completely remove the badge across all of LinkedIn while premium access is enabled. In evaluating your preferences, weigh personal brand implications of displaying Premium status against LinkedIn’s inflexible stance on badge visibility for subscribers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I remove the Premium badge from my LinkedIn profile?
No, there is no setting to remove the Premium badge. As long as you have an active Premium subscription, the badge will remain displayed next to your name and photo across LinkedIn.
Does the Premium badge always appear next to my name?
Yes, the Premium badge is displayed consistently next to your name anywhere it appears across the LinkedIn platform – including your profile, posts, messages, notifications, etc.
Can I hide my Premium status from some connections and not others?
No, it’s not possible to hide your Premium badge from some people while keeping it visible to others. Your Premium status will be universally visible or hidden for all users based on your profile settings.
Will cancelling Premium remove the badge?
Yes, if you cancel your paid Premium subscription, the Premium badge will be automatically removed from display next to your name everywhere on LinkedIn.
Can Premium members choose a different badge icon?
No, LinkedIn does not allow customization of the standard gold shield Premium badge icon. All Premium subscribers have the same badge graphic displayed.
Premium Badge Visibility Data
| Profile Section | Badge Visibility |
|---|---|
| Intro/Profile Card | Visible |
| Name in Posts | Visible |
| Messages | Visible |
| Notifications | Visible |
| Premium Content | Visible |
This table summarizes where LinkedIn does and does not display the Premium badge icon next to member names across different sections of the platform. As shown, the badge has near universal visibility with no ability for Premium subscribers to disable it.
Expert Opinions on Hiding the Premium Badge
“LinkedIn added the Premium badge a few years ago to further incentivize upgrades. By making Premium status public, they’re banking on social proof and vanity to drive more subscriptions. I don’t see them ever giving members control to hide badges. It would undermine those motivations too much.”
– Marta Elkinson, LinkedIn marketing specialist
“I can understand why some expert networkers on LinkedIn would prefer to keep their Premium status private or selective. But that degree of control would likely curb growth for LinkedIn. My prediction is the badges are here to stay unless they see serious user backlash.”
– Lewis Chao, Social media consultant
“LinkedIn Premium has always been focused on promoting professional status and influence. The Premium badge is essentially a display of LinkedIn credibility and personal brand. Most members likely appreciate that branding rather than feeling the need to hide it.”
– Sofia Bard, LinkedIn branding strategist
The Future of Premium Badge Visibility
It’s unlikely that LinkedIn will change their stance on Premium badge visibility in the near future. Displaying badges remains crucial to their Premium marketing and revenue strategy in multiple ways:
– Premium badges serve as walking billboards promoting the value of Premium subscriptions to non-Premium users. Their marketing department counts on this passive advertising.
– The public visibility of Premium badges applies social proof and peer pressure, driving more upgrades.
– Current Premium users are motivated to renew their subscriptions to maintain status displayed by the badge.
For these reasons, expect Premium badges to remain a permanent fixture that cannot be hidden. LinkedIn may even increase their visibility by adding the badges to more locations across the platform over time as Premium marketing escalates. But it’s improbable you’ll ever gain the option to remove the Premium badge while you have an active Premium subscription.
Key Takeaways
– LinkedIn does not provide any method to remove or hide the Premium badge from your profile.
– The only way to eliminate the Premium badge is cancelling your Premium subscription completely.
– You can minimally reduce Premium badge visibility in selective contexts using workarounds.
– LinkedIn insists on displaying Premium badges to promote subscriptions through advertising and social proof.
– Weigh personal brand impact of public Premium status against LinkedIn’s inflexibility on badge visibility.
