A practical, no-hype breakdown for authors trying to decide if a Premium subscription actually earns its keep
Every few months, another author asks the same question: should I be paying for LinkedIn Premium? It's a fair question, and it deserves a better answer than “probably” or “everyone else has it.”
I've been on LinkedIn since 2013 and didn't really show up consistently until 2019. I've written five books and spend a lot of my working life helping authors use LinkedIn to build their platforms. Through all of it, I've stayed on the free plan. Not because Premium is a scam, but because most of what makes LinkedIn work for authors has nothing to do with a badge or a subscription.
This article breaks down what LinkedIn Premium actually includes, which features are genuinely useful for authors, which ones are mostly hype, and how to decide, honestly, whether it's worth the monthly charge for you.
What Counts as “Premium” for Authors
LinkedIn sells several tiers of Premium, but for authors the relevant ones are Premium Career and Premium Business, along with a new Premium Business Suite that LinkedIn has been rolling out. This article isn't about Company Page Premium, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter tools — those solve a different problem for a different audience.
If you want to compare plans side by side, LinkedIn publishes a comparison matrix on its help site that's more readable than you'd expect.
The Truth About Premium: Activity Beats the Badge
LinkedIn likes to advertise that Premium members get far more profile views than free users. That statistic is technically true and also a bit misleading. The people who buy Premium tend to already be the people who post consistently, engage with others, and show up regularly. They would likely see similar results even without the subscription, because the activity is what's driving the results, not the badge.
So before you consider paying for anything, it's worth asking yourself a more useful question:
Am I even using the free plan fully?
- Do you post consistently?
- Do you engage with other people's content?
- Is your profile fully optimized?
- Do you show up weekly, or ideally more often?
If the answer to most of those is no, Premium won't fix it. It won't make your posts travel farther, grow your network on its own, or sell your book for you.
Premium Features That Actually Matter for Authors
Rotating Profile Banners
Premium allows you to upload multiple banners that rotate like a slideshow, which is genuinely useful for authors juggling several messages: your book, your services, your speaking topics, an upcoming launch, or a podcast guesting graphic. Used well, it's visual and dynamic without feeling cluttered.
A Custom Call-to-Action Button
Premium lets you add a button to your profile that follows you around LinkedIn, sending visitors straight to your Amazon author page, a book landing page, a discovery call link, or a newsletter sign-up. For an author actively marketing a book or service, this is prime real estate and arguably one of the strongest arguments for upgrading.
Full Visibility on Who Viewed Your Profile
Free users see blurred silhouettes. Premium users see full names, roles, and locations for a full year. For authors, that means being able to spot podcasters, event organizers, or industry contacts who've checked out your profile and reach out directly instead of hoping they come back.
Expanded and AI-Powered Search
This is where Premium quietly becomes powerful. Along with more search filters and unlimited profile views, Premium now includes an AI-powered search that favors what's listed in your Experience section rather than your headline or About summary. Listing “Author” as an Experience entry, with concrete details like the number of books you've written and exactly who you serve, helps you get surfaced in these results — whether you're searching for editors, podcasters, or event organizers, or being found by them.
An Out-of-Office Auto-Reply for Messages
Premium allows a custom auto-reply for direct messages, similar to email. Authors can use this creatively — pointing people to a new book, a free chapter, or a newsletter — though it's worth watching that an auto-reply doesn't bury messages you actually meant to read.
Features That Sound Good but Rarely Move the Needle
- More profile views — meaningless unless you're already active
- Built-in AI writing tools — general-purpose tools like ChatGPT do this better
- Unlimited connection requests — the real limit is only on personalized notes, and most authors don't need to send hundreds of requests anyway
- InMail credits — largely ignored by recipients and rarely worth it outside of sales or recruiting
Gillian's Framework: The Premium Decision Test
You don't need a spreadsheet to decide whether Premium is worth it. You need an honest answer to five questions.
Step 1: Audit your current activity:
Look at the last 30 days. Are you posting and engaging consistently on the free plan, or is your account mostly dormant? Premium amplifies existing effort; it doesn't create it.
Step 2: Name the one feature you'd actually use:
Not “all of it sounds nice” — pick the specific feature (the banner, the button, full visibility on profile views, AI search) that solves a real problem you have right now.
Step 3: Commit to a real trial:
Ask a Premium user for a gift trial code if you can (most get several per quarter) rather than using LinkedIn's shorter self-serve trial, and use those weeks to genuinely test the feature you named in Step 2.
Step 4: Compare the real cost:
Ask what else that monthly fee could buy: a better podcast mic, a professional author headshot, a month of dedicated writing time. Premium has to earn its place against those alternatives.
Step 5: Set a decision date and stick to it:
Put a reminder two to three days before your trial ends. LinkedIn will charge your card automatically, and it does not issue refunds.
Watch out: If you're already paying for Premium and can't point to a feature you're actually using, that's your answer. Cancel it and put the money toward something that will serve your author career more directly.
So, Should You Get Premium?
Consider Premium if:
- You're already posting and engaging consistently
- You're building your author brand intentionally
- You want the rotating banners or the custom CTA button
- You care about seeing exactly who's viewed your profile
- You use LinkedIn search heavily to find editors, podcasters, or event contacts
- You can commit to actually using the features, not just paying for them
Stay on the free plan if:
- You're not posting or engaging consistently yet
- Your network is small or largely inactive
- You don't yet have a clear LinkedIn strategy
- You're upgrading mainly because it feels like something a “serious” author should do
Real Examples Worth Learning From
A recent LinkedIn for Authors Masterclass with LinkedIn strategist Kevin D. Turner — a Premium user since 2012 and a beta tester for LinkedIn's newest Premium plan — surfaced a few examples worth noting.
Author and LinkedIn expert Sandra Long uses the rotating banner feature well, cycling through images that highlight her books, her speaking availability, and her LinkedIn expertise, all in a cohesive, easy-on-the-eyes style. It's a good template for authors experimenting with the feature for the first time.
Ashley Leeds uses his out-of-office auto-reply to point connections toward his latest LinkedIn posts, turning a routine feature into a low-pressure way to showcase his book without it feeling like a sales pitch.
And Kevin's own test of the Premium AI search tool turned up a surprising result: Gillian's profile appeared in his results as a recommended podcast guest match, purely because of how her Experience section was structured — concrete proof that the Experience section, not the headline, is doing the heavy lifting in LinkedIn's newer search.
Pull Quotes from the Masterclass
The people who buy Premium tend to be the people who already show up consistently. They would probably get the same results even on the free plan, because the activity is what's driving it — not the subscription.
LinkedIn is a microcosm of the real world. Know what job you're trying to do, then decide what tools you actually need.
If you're paying for Premium but doing nothing with it, cancel it today. That money will serve your author career better as a new podcast mic, a professional headshot, or a month of dedicated writing time.
The Bottom Line
Premium can genuinely help an author who is already active, intentional, and building a platform — but it is not a substitute for showing up. If you're not yet getting traction on the free plan, a subscription won't manufacture it for you.
Start with the free plan. Post consistently. Engage with your community. Build real momentum. Then, if you find yourself running into the specific limits Premium solves, upgrade with a clear reason — not just a feeling that you should.
Want to learn more? Watch the Replay of the LinkedIn Live
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About Gillian Whitney
Gillian Whitney is a business book coach and the host of Easy Peasy Books: From Author to Authority. She helps professionals write and publish books that build credibility, attract the right clients, and establish lasting expertise. Learn more at easypeasybooks.com