Using LinkedIn Premium is one of the best ways to leverage the power of LinkedIn.
But, sometimes it isn’t really for everyone.
The good news is that there are alternatives to get the most out of LinkedIn Premium without having to subscribe to it.
They might not be as powerful as having access to the full powers of Premium, but they can sure make a difference in your lead generation.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to cancel LinkedIn Premium subscriptions and what you can do instead
Why Cancel Your Premium Subscription? (Should I?)
Let’s face it.
LinkedIn Premium isn’t for everyone, and it can get really expensive to maintain an account.
If you find that you’re not using the features of your Premium subscription to the fullest or don’t use LinkedIn regularly, then it’s probably fine time to think of canceling it altogether.
Another reason that you might be canceling is that you might have gotten the wrong subscription for your needs.
A while ago we created a guide that will help you pick which LinkedIn Premium subscription you should choose depending on your need. Feel free to check it out here ? if you’re still on the fence.
But, wait.
Does this mean you should cancel LinkedIn premium right away?
No.
Even if you’re not using LinkedIn Premium to the fullest, you can still do something about it.
An option is to consult with a LinkedIn marketing service (like ours!) to see how they can help you use your Premium features. There are times where we’ve dealt with clients that have been underutilizing their premium accounts, put them on a growth plan, integrated new strategies, and taken their revenue to the next level.
Also, consider if you’re doing the right thing with your overall LinkedIn strategy.
A common problem with people who want to grow is buying tools that they can use but having the wrong strategy or implementation.
If you aren’t optimizing your profile or using an active content and outreach strategy, you won’t have much success even with the most expensive version of LinkedIn Premium.
If you’re still not convinced or if you just want to cancel your subscription in the meantime, here’s what you have to do:
How to Cancel LinkedIn Premium
First, you want to head over to your LinkedIn homepage and click on “Me” to access the dropdown.
Click on “Settings & Privacy.
Once you’re on the settings page, navigate to “Account preferences” on the left and click on “Subscriptions & payments”.
Click on “Cancel subscription”.
LinkedIn will now show you one final page that will try and stop you from canceling your account. (Yes, they’ll make you feel bad about your decision.)
Click on “Cancel and lose credits”.
Alternatively, you can access the same menu from your “Premium” to by clicking on “Access My Premium” in the “Me” dropdown menu.
This will take you to a new page where your Premium options are and you’ll have access to specialized features.
You want to select “Manage Subscription” on the right-hand side to access options for your subscription.
It will take you to the settings page again where you can cancel.
So, in just a couple of clicks, you’ve managed to cancel LinkedIn Premium.
Easy right?
Can I Request for a Refund for LinkedIn Premium?
LinkedIn doesn’t offer refunds when you cancel LinkedIn Premium.
What happens is that when you cancel, all your Premium features will be forfeited/expire by the end of the billing cycle.
This also includes your unused InMail credits if any.
This is why it’s advised that you use your Premium along with your InMail credits to the fullest before the end of the billing cycle.
However, there are some exceptions to the refund rule.
If you live in the EU, you can get a refund within the first 14 days that your subscription has been active. People in Denmark and the Netherlands, are even entitled to a refund of their subscription that will remain after cancellation.
LinkedIn does provide an option for special cases if you feel like you really deserve a refund.
Here’s the link where you can submit your account to LinkedIn for review.
We don’t hear of a lot of people getting refunds under normal circumstances, but it’s worth a shot.
What Alternatives Do You Have?
Doing it Organically (With or Without Premium)
We highly recommend LinkedIn Premium, especially if you’re trying to prospect or supercharge your LinkedIn lead generation.
However, if you really don’t want to deal with the subscription process, that’s fine.
There’s still a lot you can do with a normal LinkedIn account.
A lot.
I’ll outline the steps that you can do without a premium account, but these are also steps that you should take regardless if you have a LinkedIn premium account or not.
First of all, you need to optimize.
Optimizing your profile is your first step because it serves as your landing page on the network. You can use it to build trust, generate interest, and showcase your skills. The goal is to turn it into a passive lead generation machine.
We have plenty of guides on the site that deal with everything from LinkedIn header image creation to LinkedIn skills assessments you can take to get badges.
Next, you need to expand your network.
This means adding people in your industry, connecting with your peers, and making sure that you’re joining pertinent groups.
By expanding your network, you can reach more people, have your content appear on more feeds, and have access to more prospects that you can market to.
While you’re expanding your network, you can start to create posts and articles.
This is a critical part of your presence on LinkedIn because it can generate new leads for you.
But, you need to provide value.
Content can easily be gated and used as a lead magnet, prospects can be drawn to your content and then land on your profile, and publishing articles are a great form of social proof.
It doesn’t just stop there, whatever content you release on LinkedIn also serves a lead nurturing function. The more your prospects are exposed to your content, the more they will want to transact and connect with you.
Finally, it helps with establishing your presence as a rising industry leader or influencer. Remember, leaders on the network always give out value to the people that follow them.
Since your activity has started to pick up, it’s time for you to start engaging with everyone.
It starts with engaging people that have already engaged with your content and posts, you want to communicate with them and answer their questions, comments should also be addressed, and sometimes you can talk directly to them in the comments section.
You should also seek to be active in other influencers’ posts. Leave a comment if you like something, answer a question that someone else has, and react to others’ posts.
This paints the image of your activity on LinkedIn and it helps spark new conversations with people.
Don’t just stop there.
Make sure you’re also commenting on groups and sharing your knowledge. You want to establish your presence on the platform so it’s good to be known in groups related to your industry.
The steps should increase your level of activity on LinkedIn and get you started on doing outreach.
By this time, your profile – and quite possibly, your name – will have gained enough traction to get you one foot through the door.
It’s time to start looking for potential prospects on LinkedIn. You can use an external list and try to connect with them on LinkedIn or start exploring your LinkedIn searches. The caveat here is that if you’re not on premium, your LinkedIn searches might not be that fruitful.
Make sure you use personalized messaging in the entirety of your outreach. This helps you create messages that resonate with your recipient making it more likely they will reply to you.
You want to find out about your prospect, so do your research beforehand.
Follow-ups are also standard procedure here and they also have to be personalized.
Using LinkedIn as a Secondary Channel
Another option that you have is to use LinkedIn as a secondary channel.
This means relying on another primary channel such as email, Facebook, third-party lead generation, etc. then using LinkedIn as a means to follow up on the prospects that you have reached out to.
We’ve talked about multidimensional campaigns in the past and it’s one of the ways that companies can create a larger reach for their campaigns.
Our caveat is that you should still allocate a significant amount of resources to the platform.
LinkedIn is still the biggest professional social network in the world and it is still a gold mine for primary lead generation.
LinkedIn Marketing Services
For people who don’t have the time to make the most out of their LinkedIn Premium account, LinkedIn marketing services can be a viable option.
These third-party agencies can help with everything from content creation and strategy, to ensure that leads are being prospected properly.
In some campaigns, they will still require that you have a LinkedIn Premium account, since they’re helping with your positioning and placement, you don’t have to worry about your Premium account not being taken advantage of. They can leverage it and take your growth to the next level.
BAMF is an example of a LinkedIn marketing services provider.
We provide assistance we DFY lead generation, LinkedIn marketing, and positioning your account for influencer status.
Takeaways
Before you cancel LinkedIn Premium, ask yourself this:
“Am I implementing the right strategy?”
More often than not, the problem could be in the LinkedIn strategy and not the tool itself.
You have to think of it this way.
LinkedIn Premium isn’t magic.
Just because you have Premium doesn’t mean that you’ll start bringing in hundreds of leads a month.
You still need to strategize your use of the tool and the campaigns you’ll be running.
If you find that you need help with your strategies, you can always talk to us.
We’ve helped countless companies with the same problems before.
Let’s figure out how you can keep growing.
