With over 722 million users worldwide, LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for professionals looking to network, build their personal brand, and advance their careers. As LinkedIn continues to add new features and expand its offerings, one of the premium services it provides is LinkedIn Premium. This service unlocks additional capabilities beyond the free version, providing users with more insights, search filters, messaging tools, and profile highlights.
For recruiters, salespeople, and anyone looking to make strategic connections on LinkedIn, it can be useful to know whether a prospective target has invested in a Premium subscription. However, this information is not always readily apparent or easy to find on someone’s profile. So how can you discern whether a LinkedIn connection is a basic or Premium member? Here, we’ll explore some telltale signs and methods to detect if someone has LinkedIn Premium access.
Signs Someone Has LinkedIn Premium
While LinkedIn does not outright display “Premium Member” badges on profiles, there are some clues you can look for to determine if someone has paid for Premium status:
Open Profile Badge
One of the perks included with all tiers of LinkedIn Premium is the ability to display an Open Profile badge on your profile. This signals to others that you are open to hearing about new job opportunities and connecting with professionals outside of your network. If you see the blue Open Profile badge on a profile, it’s a clear indicator that the user has Premium.
Profile Statistics
Premium members gain access to expanded profile statistics that show who’s viewed their profile and how they rank for profile views compared to others in their industry or location. If you notice a profile has detailed stats like total profile views, skill views, or search appearances, it’s likely that individual has Premium.
Profile Highlights
Premium allows members to pin rich media elements like images, videos, presentations, and documents to the top of their profile as “Highlights” to showcase their best content and accomplishments. Spotting these highlights reel is a strong tell the user is a Premium subscriber.
InMail Capabilities
One of the most valuable features of Premium is the ability to directly message anyone on LinkedIn, even if they’re not in your network. This is done through InMail messages. If someone sends you an InMail, you can safely assume they have a Premium membership.
Profile Badges
In addition to the Open Profile badge, Premium members can add other badges to their profiles to stand out, like a Veteran indicator, Honor Roll status, Volunteering badge, and more. These badges signify the user cares about their LinkedIn presence enough to pay for Premium status.
Ways to Confirm LinkedIn Premium Status
In addition to watching for Premium indicators on someone’s profile, here are some proactive tactics you can use to confirm if someone has a paid Premium membership:
Premium Ads or Sponsored Content
One of the perks of Premium is the ability to promote content and run ads on LinkedIn without paying additional fees. If you see someone consistently advertising on LinkedIn, it’s highly likely they have Premium access. You can click on the “Sponsored” tag on their post to verify.
Send an InMail
Try sending the person an InMail message. If the message goes through, it means they have Premium. If you receive an error that they can’t receive InMails because they aren’t a Premium member, then you have your answer.
View Their Connections List
Premium members can see the full list of who’s in their network. As a non-Premium user, you’ll only see a partial preview before being prompted to upgrade. But if you’re connected to the person, test by clicking on their connections list – if you can view it in full, they have Premium.
Check Who’s Viewed Their Profile
Similarly, Premium members can see the full list of who has recently viewed their LinkedIn profile. Try looking at the “Who’s viewed your profile” section on their page – if you can see the complete list, it indicates they have Premium access.
Use LinkedIn Recruiter or Sales Navigator
Premium status is included with LinkedIn Recruiter and Sales Navigator paid plans. If you have access to either of these tools, you can definitively see Premium badges on member profiles who have it.
Other LinkedIn Features that Require Premium
Beyond the visibility tactics above, here are some other LinkedIn capabilities that can only be accessed through a paid Premium subscription:
- Unlimited InMail messages
- Know when your InMail is read
- Reminders on messages
- View full profile visitor insights
- Know when new jobs are posted
- See expanded company information
- Take unlimited advanced LinkedIn Learning courses
- Browse profiles anonymously
So if you notice someone using any of these specific features, it’s a confirmation they have upgraded to Premium status.
Limits of Seeing Premium Status
While the signs outlined above can help identify Premium users in many cases, there are some limitations:
- Users can choose to keep Premium status private and remove open profile badges
- You won’t know for sure if viewing someone’s 2nd-level connections
- Premium is included free with some corporate accounts
- Someone may no longer have Premium but badges remain on profile
- Users can selectively turn on/off Premium features
So it’s not an exact science. But looking for the indicators above gives you a good chance of determining if someone is paying for Premium access based on how they engage and the benefits they can access on LinkedIn.
Conclusion
LinkedIn Premium provides power users and career-minded professionals with additional capabilities to manage their brand, extend their network, and unlock insights. While Premium status is not prominently advertised on member profiles, there are observable signs like badges, highlights, statistics, and enabled features that hint someone likely has a Premium membership. Looking for these signals – as well as directly testing InMail messaging and profile visibility – can reveal whether you’re connecting with a regular or Premium subscriber on LinkedIn. For sales, recruiting, and strategic networking purposes, being able to segment Premium users can be valuable.