The idea and why it works
LinkedIn now lets you sell a paid 1:1 consultation straight from your profile. Advice Sessions was first announced on 12 May 2026 for US Premium Business subscribers, and the 15 October release made it available to Premium Business subscribers in the US: bookings, payments and video calls "all in one place", with more markets "coming soon".
This playbook uses it as paid discovery: a short, fixed-price call that diagnoses the buyer's problem and ends with a written roadmap that quotes your productised offer. Brennan Dunn calls this Roadmapping, and his argument is that a quote delivered inside a diagnostic report carries more weight than a cold proposal. Crediting the fee against the offer lowers the cost of saying yes.
Two older studies point the same way, and both should be read as directional. A hospital that collected deposits for sleep studies cut no-shows from 9.1% to 4.3%, a healthcare setting rather than consulting. The 2007 MIT/InsideSales lead response study found the odds of qualifying a lead fell 21 times between a 5-minute and a 30-minute response.
Who it's for
Consultants, coaches and solo builders in the US who already have a productised offer (an audit, a sprint, a setup package) priced well above an hourly rate.
What you need
LinkedIn Premium Business: US$69.99 per month or US$539.88 per year (as of 18 October 2026). Investment Executive reports that hosts and bookers both need verified profiles, payments run through Stripe and calls take place on Google Meet.
A productised offer with a fixed price and scope.
A form tool for intake and a doc template for the roadmap.
About three hours to set up, then two hours per session.
On fees: Engadget reports that LinkedIn won't take a cut of session earnings, and Investment Executive reported no revenue cut "at this time". LinkedIn's own announcement does not mention fees. Price caps, payout timing, refunds and cancellation rules have been reported but not confirmed by LinkedIn, so check the LinkedIn Help page for Advice Sessions before you set your terms.
How the fees compare
Platform | Commission | Fixed cost |
|---|---|---|
LinkedIn Advice Sessions | None, per press reports; Stripe pass-through undisclosed | Premium Business, US$69.99/mo |
Clarity.fm | None | |
Intro.co | None | |
Topmate | None | |
Calendly + Stripe | 2.9% + 30c (US domestic cards) |
If you already pay for Premium Business, LinkedIn is cheapest per session. For a few sessions a month, Topmate or Calendly plus Stripe costs less than the subscription.
Step-by-step
Price the session. Take your hourly rate and add about 20%, which is Intro.co's guidance for expert sessions. At US$210 an hour, list a 60-minute session at US$250. If standard Stripe fees applied, that would net about US$242.45.
Write the session description. Sell the outcome, a diagnosis and written plan, and name the buyer.
Add a pinned post and Featured link. Pin a post explaining the session and add the booking link to your Featured section. Use AI-powered network targeting to find the 20 connections most likely to book and message them directly.
Send a pre-call intake. Split 11 to 14 questions between the form and the call. Gong's analysis of 519,000 discovery calls linked asking 11 to 14 questions during a call to the best outcomes, and found the strongest calls uncovered 3 to 4 business problems.
Run the call. Confirm the 3 to 4 problems, quantify each, and agree which one matters most.
Deliver a roadmap within 24 hours. One to two pages: the problems, your recommended approach, and the productised offer with a fixed price as the final section.
Credit the fee. Deduct the session fee from the offer if they accept within 14 days.
Template / copy / example
Session description
A 60-minute diagnostic for [role] who want [outcome]. Within 24 hours you get a written roadmap with your top problems, my recommended fix and a fixed-price quote. If you go ahead within 14 days, the session fee comes off the price.
Pinned post
I now take paid diagnostic calls here on LinkedIn. You bring [problem]; you leave with a written plan within 24 hours. Book from my Featured section.
Intake questions (pick 6 to 7 for the form, keep the rest for the call)
What does your business sell, and to whom?
What made you book this session now?
What are the two or three problems costing you the most?
What have you already tried, and what happened?
What does this problem cost you each month in time or revenue?
What would a good result look like 90 days from now?
Who else is involved in deciding on a fix?
What tools and team do you have for this?
What budget range have you set aside?
What deadline or event is driving the timing?
What would stop you from acting on a plan?
Roadmap cover note
Thanks for today. Attached is your roadmap. Section 4 sets out the [offer name] at [price], less your [session fee] if you start by [date]. Reply "go" and I'll send the agreement.
Metrics to watch
Profile views to bookings, to judge your description and pinned post.
Hours from call end to roadmap sent (target under 24).
Session-to-offer conversion: the share of paid sessions that buy the productised offer.
Pitfalls
Giving the full solution on the call. Keep the call to diagnosis and put the prescription in the roadmap.
Assuming fee, payout or refund terms from press coverage. Confirm them on LinkedIn's Help page and state your own policy in the description.
Letting the roadmap slip past 24 hours, when the buyer's urgency is highest.
Variations
Free tier: use LinkedIn's Calendly-powered "Book an appointment" button for a free 15-minute fit check, and send qualified people to the paid session. Pair it with an auto-qualification workflow for LinkedIn leads.
Outside the US: run the same steps on Topmate or Calendly plus Stripe.