Turning Heads With Your LinkedIn Headline
Change your headline once a month to keep it fresh and promote your latest content.
As we continue to see signs that the great resignation and quiet quitting are shadowed by mass layoffs, more people than ever are taking to LinkedIn to hunt for their next gig or even venture into entrepreneurship and step away from the corporate climb. If they were working for a company, it’s likely they were already using the social platform. Some took their first leap into the world of LinkedIn if they hadn’t already. And if you’ve been laid off, I get it because I’ve been there — 3 times.
When it comes to showcasing the professional version of yourself, LinkedIn is the most approachable, work-friendly social media platform out there. Especially if you’ve already been networking there (or posted your resume there and called it a profile).
Did you create a LinkedIn profile a decade ago and haven’t touched it since?
LinkedIn doesn't feel like other social media platforms. Depending on how you use it, it can go either way.
It can feel like a networking event that you put on your Spanx for while you tentatively walk through the room with a bulge of business cards in your blazer. “Um, hi, what do you do?”
LinkedIn is the place to practice your answer.
LinkedIn feels different from Facebook — where your feed is filled with everyone you’ve ever met since the third grade, every neighbor, parents from your kids’ sports teams, and people you meet in person.
LinkedIn also feels different from Instagram — here’s what I had for lunch, a car selfie, and an inspirational quote.
And today, LinkedIn is by far the social media platform I’ve consistently seen the most growth on — outperforming Instagram, Facebook, and X. I’ve also shown up consistently on LinkedIn since I started coaching full-time in 2017, and I was active on there while I was in corporate roles.
Just like how you engage with any social media platform — you decide what to make of LinkedIn.
My LinkedIn connections are everyone I’ve ever had a professional connection with. Some may be personal connections, but either way, they have a business or work at a company.
If you’re thinking about changing jobs, leaving your job, running your own business, or even starting a side hustle and want to use LinkedIn as a tool, I’ve been using it for years. It just hasn't been a tool I talked much about.
LinkedIn is rising in popularity and getting a lot of attention.
I used to do this service as a secret, but now that people are asking for it, I made it public. I’ve been writing and editing LinkedIn profiles since I was in my corporate career.
When I was in corporate consulting, I quickly built a reputation for being good with words. I would happily help people update their resumes and LinkedIn profiles.
I love sharing advice to help people stand out on LinkedIn in a wall of business casual.
First up is your headline. A complete LinkedIn profile will get you 21x more profile views and 36x more messages. Source
How to write a LinkedIn headline that gets clicks
Your headline is the invitation for a reader to click (or not) on your profile — make it stand out AND keep it simple. Your headline is where you’ll highlight what you do and what makes you unique. Use clear language that your people would use if they were performing a Google search for you.
The character limits have been changing over the past few years, so check the current limit before you start writing.
Intuitive Writing Tip: As of September 2024, your LinkedIn Headline character limit is 220 characters.
Go beyond #basic and share more than your job title and company name. Unless people are specifically looking for someone with your title, use something different. Now, if your job requires you to keep a presence on LinkedIn that requires you to have your title there, keep it. And my guess is you’re not reading this article.
If appropriate for your industry, you can use all the available characters to set yourself apart with your title (not a made-up one), skills, and important experience about who you serve.
Avoid using all the characters just because you can. Write your headline in as many characters as you need to get your point across clearly.
Don’t write a headline like these (actual examples):
I enable and empower others to maximize their potential through meaningful conversations and hands-on collaboration — How many people do you think go onto LinkedIn and search “I want to be empowered to maximize my potential through meaningful conversations and hands-on collaboration?”
Inspiring new outcomes for you — what do you do? What can you do for me? What new outcomes will you inspire?
Passionate about re-imagining employee experience — Great, so you’re passionate. What, specifically, can you help me do with my employee experience?
Helping people expand and grow — what kinds of people? Expand and grow how?
Why these LinkedIn headlines need some love: No one searches for these terms and your passion is what fuels your work, NOT what makes a headline.
How to brainstorm your LinkedIn headline:
When you sit down to the page and wish something magical would fall out of your fingertips, and it doesn’t, it can feel frustrating.
Instead, aim to brainstorm quickly. And the best way to move fast is to turn your brain off. We tend to overthink when we think, which leads to too much time thinking about a few little words and no action-taking.
Open a blank document or grab a fresh sheet of paper.
Set a timer for 15 minutes.
Write as many headlines as you can think of — not checking the character count, just fast writing. No judging or editing — you’ll do that later.
Step away for 5 minutes, an hour, or a day.
Come back to your brainstorm with fresh eyes and bold or highlight your favorites. You might find one that sparks your interest right away — try it on!
If there are some you like that are heading in the right direction, create more like your favorites.
Choose your best option, plug it into your profile, and move on with your day.
Once you land on a headline, you don’t have to keep it forever. In fact, I encourage you to change it up. Change it when you’re promoting a new offer, working on a new project, or have a specific call to action for your readers.
Here are some actual LinkedIn headline examples to inspire you
As you look at the examples, you’ll see various formats for different industries. And some are intentionally vague because they’re working on a few projects and need a higher-level profile.
“Writing coach & communications consultant for businesses who want human, authentic, and compelling messages. Explore services & schedule a free consult ⤵.” - me! (I change my headline roughly once a month)
“🔥 I coach men and teams, done with feeling lost, frustrated, and stuck, to turn things around, get what they’re after and be happy” - Sara
“Digital Productivity & Organization | Evernote Certified Expert & Regional Leader | GTD® Advocate | Training, Guides & Courses” - Stacey
“Professional Speaker | Empathy Advocate | Leadership Development Enthusiast” - Erin
“Talent Management/Leadership/Organization Effectiveness/Strategist/Belonging & Growth Enabler/On a mission to have each and every person love Sunday nights.” - Tracey W
“Brand Strategy & Design for women who are ready to Let Her Fly and look like the pro they are” - Michelle
“NLP Trainer & Master Coach. Podcaster. Optimist. Problem-Solver. Wholehearted Believer In You.” - Brenda
“Impact-driven innovator and entrepreneur” - Carlos
Your LinkedIn headline can tease how amazing you are, highlight the best of your experience, and drive the right connections to read your About section and connect.
We focus so much energy on writing a captivating headline so that we can connect with people to take the next step — click on your profile — not — call you immediately and hire you.
Stand out in a sea of jargon and get the right people looking at your LinkedIn profile.
Get an expert ghostwriter to write your LinkedIn profile for you. That’s me!
Want to read more articles like this? You might like these:
