Does LinkedIn Premium make a difference for creators?

Hey folks👋🏽

How are we doing this week? I’ve been dealing with the flu since the first week of the year, and it’s thrown me off balance.

So if, like me, you’ve been struggling to get in the groove of things, not to worry! A new year is just another mark on the calendar, and the spirit of it is a state of mind.

You have my permission to start your new year tomorrow, next week, or even in February.

Let’s get into it!

💌 In today’s email:

• 👩‍💻 Kirsti tried LinkedIn Premium as a creator — here’s how it went.
• 🤖 Use this AI Assistant prompt to get even more personalization in your content.
• 📱Mitra shares an Instagram Reels audio to show off your product
• 📣 The latest social news, features, and bonus reads
• And as always, all the latest and greatest content from the Buffer blog.

Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you next Friday!

Warmly, 

Tami & the Buffer team

P.S. Dive into our free tools — especially our AI-powered social media post creator

☑️ The question of the week

🖊️ Deep dive: I tried LinkedIn Premium as a creator — here’s my honest review

After using it for a (successful) job search in early 2023, Kirsti decided to give LinkedIn Premium another try, this time from a creator's point of view.

Since joining Buffer, her objectives on LinkedIn have evolved to a focus on content creation and boosting audience engagement, which led her to the question: could LinkedIn Premium be beneficial in this new role, too?

Here’s what she found.

What LinkedIn Premium offers

She explored various features of LinkedIn Premium: the profile badge, InMail credits, detailed profile views, various browsing modes, AI-assisted profile writing, AI-generated message drafts, comprehensive learning courses, and an open profile option.

Depending on the plan, the cost ranges from $20 to over $100 monthly. Kirsti went with the Business plan which was what LinkedIn recommended.

The sign-up experience

She found signing up for LinkedIn Premium a breeze. The process is user-friendly, with plenty of resources at hand. The system recommended a plan based on her needs, and she followed the prompts to complete the registration.

The overall experience with LinkedIn Premium as a creator

• Kirsti found the profile view insights particularly intriguing, illuminating who's engaging with her content.
• The InMail credits were a great asset for reaching out and collaborating with other creators.
• She also experimented with the customizable profile button to direct followers to her external content.
• The AI suggestions for her profile and messaging were a mixed bag – helpful but not groundbreaking. You can get the same results with ChatGPT or even Buffer’s AI Assistant!

Drilling into content performance with Premium

LinkedIn promises 2.6X faster hiring and 4X more profile views — but not that content by Premium members will be favored by the LinkedIn algorithm.

Interestingly, her content performance metrics, like impressions and engagement, didn't change much with Premium.

However, she did notice a significant increase in profile views and, subsequently, followers, which hints at greater visibility in LinkedIn's search results.

Final thoughts: Is LinkedIn Premium worth it for creators?

Ultimately, Kirsti’s not convinced LinkedIn Premium is a must-have for creators. While it offers some handy tools, many can be replicated through free features or external resources.

Instead, she found more value in LinkedIn's Creator Mode, which provides deeper insights and features like LinkedIn Live.

🏎️ Four creators speeding up their growth with Buffer

We pride ourselves on being an excellent tool for entrepreneurs and business owners to grow on social media — and our users were more than happy to back us up.

• Erik Berglund on Linkedin: “I've been able to consistently post for the last 5 months. I've never posted this frequently, and I've saved a ton of time while doing it. I likely save 4+ hours a month by using Buffer”
• Onlinemarketinges: “On TikTok we went from 110k to 310k with Buffer!”
• Reid on Twitter: “Doubled follower count and engagement has gone up 4x”
• Marian on Instagram: “I've saved weeks of time and have increased my engagement at 50%”

Want to skyrocket your growth? Click the link below to get started with Buffer today!

👇🏽 The latest from the blog

• What is Good B2B Content? Content Leaders on 9 Must-Haves for Standing Out From the B2B Crowd: Laura Martisuite (a returning guest poster!) spoke to leading B2B content marketers (an in-house content director, agency owners, top freelancers, and thought leaders) to find out what they think B2B brands can do to create good content in 2024.

• The Best Content for Major Social Media Platforms (+ Ideas and Examples): Kirsti put the best (data-driven) content for each social media platform measured by engagement rate, plus some ideas to get you started.
• A 2024 Guide to the YouTube Algorithm: Everything You Need to Know to Boost Your Content: We break down the YouTube algorithm according to YouTube insiders and share tips for applying this knowledge to your videos.
• Our First Fixathon: How We Squashed 44 Bugs in One Week: The Buffer Engineering team spent one week fixing bugs in the app — here’s how it went.

🤖 A tip for Buffer's AI Assistant

When last did you use Buffer's “Generate Ideas” button? This function lives in your Create tab and can be a powerful tool. Here’s some guidance on answering the questions:

What is your business about?

• Be Specific: Instead of just saying "clothing," specify "sustainable activewear for women."
• Highlight your unique selling points (USPs): If your business has a unique angle, mention it. For instance, "handcrafted wooden toys" rather than just "toys."
• Consider keywords: Think about the terms people might use to search for your business. This can help the AI generate ideas that are SEO-friendly.

What is your target audience?

• Demographics: Age, gender, location, occupation, etc. For example, "women aged 25-35 in urban areas."
• Psychographics: Interests, behaviors, values, etc. For instance, "eco-conscious individuals interested in sustainable living."
• Pain points & needs: Think about what problems your product/service solves for them. "Parents looking for educational toys for their toddlers" or "runners seeking durable and comfortable shoes."

I’ve included a link to get the prompt automatically in Buffer below, but it will only populate in a new Idea. You’ll need to fill out your answers to the template and then copy-paste them to the relevant fields. Remember to save it so you can use it whenever you’re stumped for ideas!

📱Social tip of the week from Mitra, Buffer’s Social Media Manager 

 “If this is your vibe, I wanna be friends” 💖

Here’s another really easy Reel that only needs one video clip (or more if you want - you could even use multiple photos)! Use this Reel to show off your product or your best work to grab some attention and potentially gain some new followers.

Here’s an example of how @mintdreamsmx used it to show off their jewelry.

🤳 What's happening in social?

TikTok is gaining traction as a search engine among Gen Z; YouTube is reportedly slowing down for users with ad blockers; LinkedIn's new AI feature helps people find jobs by grouping them into tailored categories; WhatsApp Channels gain new features like voice updates and polls; Artifact, the AI news app created by Instagram's founders, is shutting down.

Thanks for reading! 💟

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