I have always maintained that there is a great deal of confusion regarding LinkedIn Free vs Premium accounts. Part of this is due to the large variety of LinkedIn premium accounts including those that specialize in certain areas such as sales, recruiters, and job hunters. This slide show, from LinkedIn, helps to clear up some of the biggest general questions.
Generally speaking, the more money that you will pay for a subscription option, the more you will get of certain features. Search parameters are a good example. A free account will let you search on “x” number of parameters, a low cost premium account will add “x” amount of additional parameters, and a more expensive premium account will add “x” more options.[Tweet “Watch these slides to determine if LinkedIn Premium is right for you!”]
Folks are always asking me whether or not it is worth it to invest in a premium account. Make no mistake … a free LinkedIn account is extremely robust! My answer then is … have you mastered all of the features of the free account? If yes, what do you hope that you will gain from a premium account? If everything matches up, go for it! After all … it’s not the premium price. It’s the return! That being said, always remember that any free account means that you are not the customer. Likely you will be the product.