Posting roles on LinkedIn provides access to quality candidates aligned to open positions. But what does LinkedIn charge for job posting services? This guide examines pricing models, factors impacting costs, tips for optimizing budget, and answers common questions employers have regarding LinkedIn job advertisement costs.
Table of Contents
LinkedIn Job Posting Options
LinkedIn offers several options when posting open roles across their platform both organically and through sponsored promotions.
1. Free Organic Posting
Any company page or user account can directly publish open roles through status updates allowing candidates to organically discover and apply.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Appears in the feed to your current followers | Only visible to existing connections |
| Appears in feed to your current followers | Free, unlimited postings |
| Lacks advanced candidate targeting or tracking |
So organic posting works best rallying existing networks like employees to share opportunities their circles may be interested in but lack advanced talent pooling capabilities maximizing exposure.
2. LinkedIn Job Slots
LinkedIn job slots enable the creation of customized job postings searchable by candidates. Each Lite subscription includes limited monthly slots with add-on purchase options.
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Included Job Slots |
|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn Lite | Free | 1 |
| LinkedIn Business Starter | $49.99 | 30 |
| LinkedIn Professional | $99.99 | 150 |
| LinkedIn Premium Career | $359.88 | 300 |
Pros and Cons LinkedIn Job Slots
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Appears in candidate job search queries and alerts | See anonymous analytics on post-performance |
| Advance targeting by criteria like skills or location | |
| See anonymous analytics on post performance |
So purchasing slots facilitates dedicated job promotion to aligned candidates. But base packages only include limited postings before extra fees apply.
Also read: How to See Jobs You Applied for on LinkedIn: A Step-by-Step Guide
3. LinkedIn Sponsored Job Postings
For urgent hiring needs or roles requiring maximizing exposure, LinkedIn Sponsored Job Postings push openings directly into more candidates’ feeds through targeted promotions.
Packages operate on prepaid budgets with delivered impressions:
| Duration | Cost | Estimated Impressions |
|---|---|---|
| 30 days | $195 | 30,000 |
| 60 days | $375 | 60,000 |
Pros and Cons of LinkedIn Sponsored Job Postings
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Broadly expands job visibility through member feeds | No guarantee clicks convert to applicants |
| Advanced targeting by traits like groups, skills, companies, etc | Cost racks up quickly without diligent targeting |
| Pay only for actual impressions delivered | Prepaid budgets may deplete rapidly |
So sponsored ads work best temporarily elevating exposure for hard-to-fill niche roles or quickly hiring at scale requiring more candidates reviewing opportunities.
LinkedIn Recruiter and Career Pages
LinkedIn Recruiter licenses provide enterprise recruiting and analytics tools combined with higher job posting limits.
Official Company Career Pages showcase brands, culture, and values helping candidates evaluate alignment.
Now that we’ve covered the main job posting options on LinkedIn, what factors impact costs incurred when utilizing their services?
What Impacts LinkedIn Job Posting Costs?
If buying dedicated job slots or sponsoring openings, pricing fluctuates based on:
Slot Volume
Naturally purchasing higher quantity bundles reduces per-unit costs through bulk discounts, similar to minutes and data on cell phone plans.
Those uncertain of volume needs can start small while high-frequency recruiters save long-term through larger commitments.
| Quantity | Price Per Slot | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Slots | $2.50 each | $75/month |
| 150 Slots | $1.25 each | $187.50/month |
| 500 Slots* | $0.90 each | $450/month |
*only available on an annual subscription
So slot demand and hiring velocity determine ideal bundle sizes balancing savings versus unused budget.
Location Targeting
Which geographic regions you promote openings to impacts potential audience size and thus cost per impression.
Targeting only a single smaller city keeps spending lower than broadly showing across entire countries with higher candidate volumes.
However limited reach may yield insufficient applicants. Evaluate hiring funnels when adjusting targeting parameters.
Also read: How to Post a Job on LinkedIn in 2024: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Impression Duration
Sponsored ads operate on prepaid impression budgets where duration controls the pacing rate.
30-day campaigns serve ads more aggressively attempting full delivery within the month compared to 60-90 day ranges allowing slower consistent exposure.
End dates before impression goals are met result in leftover budgets while short bursts without enough time risk limited applications.
Audience Targeting
Dialing into specific candidate personas using sophisticated filters like member skills, groups, company followings and more reduces potential impression volumes lowering costs.
But niches may lack talent pools large enough to still reach application goals.
Test targeting narrowly then expand if applicant flow inadequately meets hiring demands.
Now that we’ve covered the key factors impacting spend, here are some tips for optimizing the job advertisement budget on LinkedIn while still attracting talent.
Tips for Optimizing LinkedIn Job Posting Costs
Balancing exposure reach with precisely aligned targeting controls spending while generating ideal applicants.
Research Audience Interest
Analyze target member activity evaluating demand driving budget and duration decisions:
- Member growth rates on niche skills
- Company follower counts in the industry
- Group sizes for key interests
- Content engagement levels
These signals size reachable audiences.
Optimize Organic Postings
Rally employees share openings through company networks before paying to promote exposure.
Encourage referrals adding credibility.
Launch Limited Duration Sponsored Campaigns
Initially test demand running 30-day sponsored ad campaigns monitoring resulting applicant quality and source effectiveness before committing higher budgets to longer campaigns.
Pilot results guide ideal duration and audience targeting strategies.
Report Actionable Metrics
Go beyond surface level vanity metrics tracking and instead assess tangible hiring outcomes like:
- Applicants screened progress to subsequent pipeline stages
- Interview-to-offer or source-to-hire rates
- New hire retention by channel origin
- Time-to-fill or cost-per-hire improvements
These data guide effective resource allocations to what delivers results.
Refine Targeting Filters
Experiment with audience segmenting by parameters like member skills, company types, and follower categories to eliminate untargeted impressions until channel cost per applicant or hire improves.
Make Roles Standout
Invest in crafting compelling job posts highlighting arousing problems addressed rather than just listing basic qualifications demanded.
Differentiation entices more ideal candidates.
Finally, let’s review commonly asked questions surrounding LinkedIn job advertising and sponsored promotion pricing to help model potential investments.
Also read: LinkedIn Reaches 1 Billion Members, Unveils AI Job Search Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to key questions employers have regarding LinkedIn job advertisement pricing and costs:
However, actual impression delivery varies depending on the targeting parameters used. For instance, a narrow country and industry focus may only yield 50% of possible impressions.
Start with smaller duration campaigns monitor spend pacing and adjust targeting filters until the cost per applicant meets hiring demands.
Summary
LinkedIn offers several options for posting jobs:
- Free organic posting through company pages and profiles. Reaches existing connections but lacks targeting.
- Job slots that appear in searches. Requires purchasing slots that start at $75/month for a 30-pack. More slots are included with Premium subscriptions.
- Sponsored ads push openings into candidate feeds. Prepaid impressions start around $195 per 30 days.
Main factors impacting costs:
- Volume discounts on more job slot bundles
- Location and audience targeting parameters
- Campaign duration pacing impression delivery
Tips to optimize budget:
- Research target audience demand signals
- Rally employees to share openings expand reach
- Start with short sponsored ad campaigns with tight targeting
- Analyze actionable recruiting metrics like cost per applicant
- Refine targeting filters to improve relevancy
Conclusion
Posting roles on LinkedIn securely attracts aligned, passive candidates. While organic updates have no costs, dedicated job slots and sponsored advertisements require proper investment balancing exposure reach with precisely targeted visibility by screening criteria.
Monitor analyzer performance through actionable, tangible recruiting metrics like cost per quality applicants, time-to-pipeline and source-to-hire rates optimizing budget allocations towards what fulfills hiring demand.
What creative targeting parameters and job advertisement content have you found best balances LinkedIn job promotion spend with applicant relevancy and pipeline velocity? Share additional ideas on maximizing results!
