LinkedIn Elevate was a paid service offered by LinkedIn to help users gain more visibility and engagement on the platform. It provided suggestions and tools aimed at improving your LinkedIn profile, content, and network. However, LinkedIn discontinued Elevate in 2018.
Why did LinkedIn discontinue Elevate?
There are a few potential reasons why LinkedIn may have decided to shut down Elevate:
- Declining user interest – Elevate may not have been gaining enough traction or delivering enough value to justify the cost of maintaining the service.
- Shift in product strategy – LinkedIn may have decided to focus development resources on other new products and services instead.
- Integration into existing products – Some of Elevate’s features for improving profiles and content may have been integrated directly into LinkedIn’s core platform.
- Introduction of other paid services – LinkedIn introduced their Sales Navigator paid subscription around the same time Elevate was discontinued, so they may have wanted to promote that offering instead.
The discontinuation of Elevate appears to be part of LinkedIn’s strategy to streamline their product portfolio and concentrate resources on offerings aligned with their core value propositions for users and businesses.
What features did LinkedIn Elevate include?
LinkedIn Elevate provided users with the following key features and tools:
- Profile optimization – Suggestions and tips for improving your LinkedIn profile to increase visibility and engagement.
- Content recommendations – Strategies and best practices for creating engaging LinkedIn posts and articles.
- Network expansion – Tools to identify and connect with relevant contacts and opportunities.
- Analytics – Insights into your LinkedIn activity and tips to boost reach.
- Expert support – Access to LinkedIn specialists who could provide personalized advice and support.
These services were aimed at individual users looking to enhance their personal brand and presence on LinkedIn. Elevate provided customized recommendations and one-on-one support to help subscribers improve their profiles, posting strategy, and networking opportunities on the platform.
What tools and services replaced LinkedIn Elevate?
While LinkedIn Elevate is no longer available, there are some other LinkedIn tools and premium services that provide similar capabilities:
LinkedIn Premium Subscriptions
LinkedIn offers several paid subscriptions that give users enhanced visibility and access to premium features:
- LinkedIn Premium Career – Includes profile branding, expanded search, and professional insights.
- LinkedIn Premium Business – Provides insights about competitors, lead generation, and messaging tools.
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator – Gives sales professionals advanced search, lead recommendations, and team management tools.
- LinkedIn Recruiter – Enables advanced hiring, sourcing, and pipeline management capabilities.
These subscriptions provide some overlap with Elevate’s profile optimization, content recommendations, and networking expansion features.
LinkedIn Content and Publishing Tools
All LinkedIn members have access to basic content creation and publishing features, such as the ability to post articles, videos, and photo posts. LinkedIn also provides analytics about content performance.
Some elevated content tools are now included in LinkedIn Premium subscriptions, such as expanded analytics, image editing, and coaching suggestions.
LinkedIn Services for Businesses
For companies and organizations, LinkedIn offers a suite of premium services to help manage pages, showcase products and services, advertise, and generate leads and connections. This includes tools for content marketing, company page optimization, ad campaign management, and developing talent pipelines.
Third-Party Tools and Services
Many third-party apps and software integrations are also available to augment LinkedIn’s capabilities for individuals and businesses. These range from tools for automation and analytics to services for managing advertising and employer branding.
While not a direct replacement for Elevate, these other solutions can provide users and organizations with ways to enhance their LinkedIn presence and activity.
What was the cost of a LinkedIn Elevate subscription?
LinkedIn Elevate was priced on a monthly subscription model. Here were the costs for individual subscribers:
- LinkedIn Elevate Starter: $49.99/month
- LinkedIn Elevate Plus: $99.99/month
- LinkedIn Elevate Pro: $249.99/month
Each tier provided additional features, analytics, profile branding, and one-on-one support from LinkedIn specialists.
For an annual subscription, LinkedIn offered discounts of around 20% compared to paying month-to-month.
In addition to individual plans, LinkedIn also offered Elevate packages for small business teams starting at $799/month for up to 5 users. Enterprise pricing was also available for larger organizations.
So LinkedIn Elevate positioned itself as a premium service with pricing to match the elevated level of features and personalization offered. It was not a low-cost upgrade – it really targeted professionals willing to invest substantially in amplifying their LinkedIn presence.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn Elevate offered useful tools and guidance for maximizing individuals’ impact on the platform, LinkedIn ultimately decided to sunset the service in 2018 in favor of focusing on other product initiatives. Some of Elevate’s capabilities live on through LinkedIn’s premium subscriptions and partners, but there is no direct replacement for the end-to-end optimization service Elevate provided.
For any professionals or businesses still looking to make the most of their LinkedIn presence, exploring the platform’s evolving premium tools, third-party integrations, content best practices, and advertising solutions can help fill some of the void left by Elevate’s discontinuation. But the unique combination of profile management, content coaching, and network expansion assistance Elevate offered is no longer available as a standalone LinkedIn solution.