LinkedIn Premium is a paid subscription service offered by LinkedIn that provides users with additional features beyond the free basic account. Some of the key benefits of LinkedIn Premium include seeing who has viewed your profile, sending InMail messages to anyone (even if you’re not connected), viewing full profiles of your 3rd degree connections, accessing more advanced search filters, taking unlimited online courses, and attending exclusive online events. But who exactly opts to pay for these extra capabilities? Here is a closer look at the key demographics and motivations of LinkedIn Premium subscribers.
Professionals Looking for Jobs
One of the most common reasons people subscribe to LinkedIn Premium is to aid their job search and career advancement. Premium gives job seekers more tools to stand out in the competitive landscape.
The ability to see who has viewed your profile is useful for gauging employer interest. Premium subscribers can target relevant companies and hiring managers by seeing who has already checked out their profile. They can then focus their application efforts on roles at those organizations.
Sending InMail messages also allows Premium users to directly reach recruiters and other contacts at companies that interest them. This can help make critical connections that lead to interviews and job opportunities.
Access to full 3rd degree network profiles provides additional visibility into a wider range of potential employers. Premium users can search for specific skills, titles, and companies within their 3rd degree network to find relevant contacts.
So in summary, Premium offers many advantages for professionals who are actively looking for new job opportunities and wanting to expand their network.
Sales & Business Development Professionals
Another major segment that invests in LinkedIn Premium subscriptions are sales and business development professionals. Premium can become an indispensable sales tool for identifying new prospects, engaging leads, and closing deals.
The ability to send InMail is particularly beneficial for initiating contact with potential customers. Salespeople can directly reach C-level execs, procurement managers, or other decision makers they normally couldn’t connect with.
Viewing full profiles also allows sales professionals to research prospects more thoroughly. The added background intel enables them to craft highly customized, relevant outreach messages.
Premium also unlocks statistics on profile views and post engagement. Sales users can gauge interest levels based on who has looked at their profile and content. These insights inform where they should focus their selling efforts.
In summary, Premium provides sales teams with robust targeting, messaging, and tracking capabilities to drive greater productivity. The paid features are viewed as a worthwhile investment for serious sales pros actively building their pipeline.
Recruiters & HR Professionals
Recruiters represent another major professional category purchasing Premium. The expanded search filters and visibility offered by Premium enable recruiters to identify and engage top talent more effectively.
Boolean search operators, proximity search, and keyword filtering allow recruiters to pinpoint candidates with very niche and specific skillsets. Premium provides access to search filters not available to regular users.
The ability to see full profiles is also invaluable. Recruiters can thoroughly vet candidates beyond just their current position listed on their profile. This provides a much richer evaluation of someone’s full work history and qualifications.
Messaging capabilities also facilitate outreach to passive candidates who may not be actively job hunting. Recruiters can use InMail to grab the attention of qualified candidates and sell them on new opportunities.
In summary, Premium offers immense utility to recruiters by supercharging their ability to discover and communicate with talent. These features make recruiters far more productive and successful in making the right hires.
Company Owners & Executives
Founders, executives, and business owners also see tremendous value in a Premium subscription. For leaders looking to attract talent, promote their brand, and form connections, Premium delivers useful capabilities.
Seeing profile viewers enables executives to know when key talent is researching their company. They can then engage standout candidates who have already expressed interest.
Messaging tools allow executives to directly reach other industry leaders, potential partners, and influencers. This facilitates relationship building with other important business figures.
Advanced Company Pages analytics provides insights into followers and content engagement. Leaders can track their company’s brand awareness and how content resonates.
The added search functionality also helps identify speakers, sponsors, or other players who may be strategic partners for company events and initiatives.
So in summary, Premium offers business leaders greater intelligence and agency to attract talent, forge partnerships, and sharpen marketing strategy.
Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners
For entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals, LinkedIn Premium also offers compelling advantages. Premium aids entrepreneurs in networking, thought leadership, and generating new business.
Messaging capabilities empower entrepreneurs to reach out to prospective customers, vendors and strategic partners who can help grow their business. This allows cold outreach at scale.
Premium also boosts the personal brand of entrepreneurs. With Premium, they can view statistics on content engagement and followers to quantify their influence as subject matter experts. These metrics also help shape their content strategy and areas of focus.
The additional search filters help identify relevant speaking, partnership, or media opportunities related to an entrepreneur’s expertise. Finding and vetting these opportunities is simplified for Premium users.
In summary, Premium provides indispensable business development, marketing, and branding capabilities to entrepreneurs looking to scale their solo ventures or small businesses.
Consultants & Freelance Professionals
Consultants and freelance professionals are another typical segment that purchases Premium access. For independent workers who rely heavily on LinkedIn for business, Premium delivers a strong return on investment.
Messaging capabilities empower consultants and freelancers to reach out to many more potential clients and decision makers. Increased exposure and visibility is critical for securing new business as a solo professional.
Premium also enables consultants to foster thought leadership. The profile and content analytics help track their personal brand clout across the platform.
Search filters allow quicker identification of project leads, speaking engagements, and other opportunities suited to their expertise. This accelerates the business development process.
In summary, Premium provides vital networking and marketing tools for freelancers looking to boost their solo careers. The paid features help drive more leads, projects, and exposure.
International Networkers
Professionals based outside North America and Europe are also prominent LinkedIn Premium subscribers. For international residents, Premium unlocks access to the full LinkedIn ecosystem.
In some countries, LinkedIn adoption and engagement is not yet as mature. So the visibility and connectivity of regular LinkedIn can be limited. Premium helps overcome geographic barriers.
Messaging features let international users proactively reach out to prospects despite lack of existing shared connections. This facilitates relationship building.
Premium also enables international users to view profiles and activities of professionals outside their regional network. This provides value to users based in regions with smaller LinkedIn adoption.
In summary, Premium helps professionals in international markets benefit more fully from LinkedIn’s global reach. Key tools aid relationship building beyond borders.
Younger Professionals
While LinkedIn has traditionally skewed toward an older demographic, younger professionals are a growing segment of Premium subscribers.
For recent graduates or those just starting their career, Premium aids networking, discovery, and skill development.
Messaging capabilities empower younger users to reach out to other professionals and build relationships despite having smaller networks. Premium helps them overcome limited connections.
The learning and content features help younger users demonstrate expertise, leadership, and other attributes to stand out. Younger workers know they need to amplify their personal brand.
Premium also unlocks internship and entry-level opportunities that may not be readily findable for early career professionals. The wider access aids discovery.
So in summary, Premium provides key tools to help ambitious younger workers maximize the career advancement power of LinkedIn.
Who Doesn’t Buy Premium?
While Premium serves many demographics and use cases, it does not appeal universally to all LinkedIn members. There are some notable categories of users who are less likely to pay for Premium:
– Senior professionals late in their career with well-established networks and little need for added search or messaging capabilities.
– Individuals who use LinkedIn very passively just to maintain a basic online presence. They see little need for amplified functionality.
– Users who are cost-conscious or unable to justify the monthly or annual fees. They make do with the free features.
– People who prefer other professional networking platforms like Facebook Groups, Slack, or email lists for making connections.
– Professionals who view social selling and self-promotion on LinkedIn as inauthentic. They shun the “commercialized” nature of Premium.
– Tech-savvy users who object to the principle of a paid social network and believe LinkedIn should be free.
– Skeptics who do not see enough added value over free LinkedIn to warrant the Premium fees.
In summary, Premium is not viewed as a necessity by all LinkedIn members. But for most active career-focused professionals, the paid capabilities provide abundant value and return on investment.
Most Common Premium Purchase Channels
LinkedIn Premium can be purchased directly through LinkedIn.com or accessed as an employment benefit. Here are some of the most common channels through which professionals obtain Premium access:
– Direct purchase via LinkedIn through monthly or annual auto-renewing payments
– Redeeming Premium as a special gift offer after accomplishing goals like new profile views or connections
– Select employers provide Premium to employees as a perk or professional development benefit
– Some companies purchase group or enterprise packages that include Premium licenses for all employees
– Premium student discounts allow college students to access Premium at reduced price for a period of time
– Promotional offers like free 1-month trials give sampling access to Premium and convert some users to paid
– LinkdedIn partners like Microsoft and American Express sometimes bundle Premium offers through customer loyalty programs
– Contests and giveaways provide Premium access to select participants for a limited duration
In summary, while most subscribers pay for Premium directly, a variety of creative promotional channels also help drive wider adoption.
Geographic Breakdown of Premium Users
LinkedIn Premium has its strongest penetration among professionals in North America and Europe. But its global user base continues to expand. Here is a look at Premium’s geographic distribution:
| Region | Estimated % of Premium Subscribers |
| North America | 45% |
| Europe | 30% |
| Asia Pacific | 15% |
| Latin America | 5% |
| Middle East & Africa | 5% |
North America and Europe account for the lion’s share of Premium users, but adoption is accelerating in Asia Pacific. Key factors driving growth include:
– Rising disposal incomes in developing markets
– Growing professional classes in major hubs like India, Southeast Asia, and Australia
– Multinational corporations purchasing Premium access for Asian employees
– Increased Westernization of professional networking habits
Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa currently represent smaller segments. But user bases here are expanding rapidly as economic conditions and LinkedIn penetration evolve.
Overall, Premium has achieved a truly global presence, even if maturity levels vary substantially across regions.
Premium vs. Free User Demographics
LinkedIn’s Premium and free users exhibit some demographic differences in terms of age, industry, and seniority. Here is a comparison:
| Premium Users | Free Users | |
| Average Age | 38 | 41 |
| Industry | Technology, media, finance | Education, government, non-profit |
| Seniority | Managers, directors | Entry-level, individual contributors |
Premium pricing skews adoption toward large for-profit company employees in higher cost-of-living metros. Free users follow a more even distribution.
Differing professional motivations also dictate willingness to pay. Premium thrives among ambitious networkers and corporate climbers.
In summary, typical Premium users run younger, occupy influential roles, and work in lucrative fields like tech. Free members show wider variation.
Sales & Marketing Roles Overindex on Premium
Examining Premium penetration by job function further clarifies adoption patterns:
| Job Function | Premium Adoption vs. Average |
| Sales | 152% |
| Marketing & PR | 146% |
| Recruiting & HR | 142% |
| Operations | 108% |
| Finance | 98% |
| R&D | 87% |
| Legal | 68% |
Positions like sales, marketing, recruiting, and operations — which rely heavily on professional networking — far overindex on Premium adoption compared to R&D and legal roles.
Buying intent clearly aligns strongly with networking orientation and business development needs by functional area.
This reinforces that Premium resonates most with roles focused on building connections, leads, and influence. Other applications like content, learning, and insights are secondary motivations.
Premium Pricing Options
LinkedIn currently offers Premium across 3 pricing tiers designed to serve varying user needs. Here’s an overview:
| Tier | Monthly Price | Key Features |
| Premium Career | $29.99 | Profilevisibility, expanded search, networking tools |
| Premium Business | $44.99 | Sales navigator, companybrand analytics |
| Premium Hiring | $99.95 | Recruiter Lite, candidate insights |
Premium Career focuses on individual networking capabilities while Premium Business targets sales professionals. Premium Hiring provides recruiter-oriented talent searching tools.
Higher tiers provide incremental capabilities. But even Premium Career offers robust functionality for active networkers and job seekers.
Annual plans offer moderate discounts. Premium is also sometimes discounted as a student or COVID relief offer.
Overall, tiered pricing expands addressable market by aligning to different professional needs and willingness to pay.
Growth Trajectory and Future Outlook
LinkedIn Premium has experienced solid growth over the past 5+ years across both subscriber counts and revenue:
| Year | Premium Subscribers | Revenue |
| 2018 | 10 million | $1.4 billion |
| 2019 | 12 million | $1.9 billion |
| 2020 | 15 million | $2.5 billion |
| 2021 | 17 million | $3 billion |
| 2022 | 19 million | $3.7 billion (projected) |
LinkedIn seems positioned for continued growth based on a few positive indicators:
– Increased spending power and Premium adoption among millennials
– Growing corporate budgets for tools to enhance productivity, sales, and hiring
– Rising global middle class and tech savviness expanding addressable market
– Ongoing product innovation and bundling with Microsoft tools
Projections call for Premium to potentially reach 25-30 million subscribers by 2025. But competition, pricing wars, or other unknowns could affect actual trajectory.
Conclusion
While Premium isn’t necessary for all LinkedIn members, it clearly provides amplified value to several core professional demographics. Salespeople, recruiters, executives, freelancers and entrepreneurs often derive immense utility and business impact from Premium’s paid capabilities.
As LinkedIn continues innovating features and expanding geographically, the Premium subscriber base seems poised for steady growth. But the product must maintain relevance by evolving along with user needs and competitive dynamics.
Going forward, LinkedIn will likely fine-tune its mix of free vs. paid features to maximize overall user engagement and financial sustainability. But the platform’s mission of creating economic opportunity for professionals will remain unchanged.
