How to Optimise Your LinkedIn Headline

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How to Optimise Your LinkedIn Headline

I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn and have seen every type of individual profile possible.

From the fully complete, detailed, emoticon packed ones, to the basic, incomplete and bleak ones that leave me wondering what the individual actually does.

Today I want to focus on your LinkedIn Headline – the content that appears just under your profile picture.

Your Headline is the most visible part of your profile. Every time you comment on a post, your Headline is visible just under your name.

When you send a private message, your headline is always displayed at the top of the message box under your name. It is imperative, therefore, that your Headline accurately reflects who you are as a professional and effectively communicates your personal brand and value proposition.

The facts

LinkedIn allows you to use 220 characters for your Headline on a desktop and 240 on a mobile device, so you can actually fit quite a lot of information into this space.

LinkedIn will also default your Headline to your current position and employer – please please change this!

While what you are currently doing is important, I am positive that you have a lot more to offer than just what you are doing right now. Furthermore, some job titles don’t accurately represent your expertise or professional level and could actually be detrimental to your positioning.

How do you write a compelling, keyword optimised and effective Headline?

My personal formula that has been tried and tested and reaped significant results for my clients is as follows:

  • Define who you are as a professional
  • Provide approximately 3 keywords (more if you can fit them in!) that represent what you specialise in
  • Write a short branding statement such as what your purpose is, what you are passionate about, who you help or what motivates you
  • Separate these sections with symbols or emoticons to make it visually appealing

For example, my headline is this: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissydeblasis/

Certified Career Practitioner ✦ Career Coach ✦ Director @ Career Revival ✦ Job Search & Interview Coach ✦ Resume & LinkedIn Writer 👉Helping individuals seek and secure meaningful work so they can live their best life ✨

As you can see, I have told the reader who I am in the context of my career, what I specialise in and what my purpose is.

Think about when someone is searching for a professional like you. What keywords will they be using in the search bar to find you?

Highlighting text in your Headline

You can also highlight in bold or change the text in your LinkedIn profile by using a text converter.

There are several free online text converters such as http://textconverter.net/ that you can use to convert your text.

You just type in what you want converted, select the font that you want, copy it and paste it directly into your LinkedIn profile. Just be mindful though that LinkedIn will use up more characters for converted text.

When was the last time you changed your LinkedIn Headline?

It might be time to re-visit this very important part of your profile to ensure it is optimised and working for you in the best way possible.

If you need any professional advice or assistance with your LinkedIn profile, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love to help!

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