How to Stand Out on LinkedIn
So many incredible professionals I know have mediocre LinkedIn profiles.
It's a shame and a lost opportunity, because your LinkedIn profile is usually the first place that someone will look for you.
Fortunately, if you use some simple digital marketing principles, you can spruce it up in no time.
Focus on the five areas below and you'll breathe new life into your profile!
Here you go:
1️⃣ Profile picture
Make sure you have a profile picture.
It should be a recent picture (within the last 3 years). You don't want anyone to be surprised with the real you when they meet you on Zoom or in real life.
Wear professional attire, or clothing that matches your personal brand or industry.
Your hair should be groomed.
Make sure it is a high-resolution photo that shows you from the shoulders up.
You don't need to drop $50 on an AI-generated photo.
Get gorgeous, use your phone, and ask a friend to take some pictures of you in natural soft light.
The sunlight outdoors in the late afternoon is universally flattering, but if you are indoors, be sure to illuminate your face well.
Use editing tools to finalize the image.
2️⃣ Banner image
Do you have a banner image across the top? If not, it's easy to add!
Even a simple banner adds polish and makes your profile more eye-catching.
Depending on your time, here are three options:
🔹Simple - upload a high-resolution horizontal landscape image from Unsplash or even your phone if you are a good photographer.
🔹Intermediate - upload an image that evokes your industry or shows you in action at work.
🔹Boss - Go to Canva's templates and create a custom banner that has a few words about your expertise and includes a way to get in touch with you.
3️⃣ Headline title
Create your own headline title that captures exactly what you do and who you are.
Get creative! You can use pipes - these simple lines-> | on the backslash key to write and separate several terms in your headline.
Avoid using your current job title as it is usually boring.
Drill down to what your unique expertise is and some of your key skills, and create your own new title.
If you can incorporate keywords or search terms for your industry, that's great!
You can include special skills or awards, and also mention the problem you solve.
Try this format: Cool title | Skill 1 | Skill 2 | I help X do Y successfully
3️⃣ About (your bio) section
Most of the About sections on LinkedIn are dry, and about as interesting as a box of sawdust.
Open with the problem you solve and how you solve it, highlight your unique experience and qualifications, and end with a way to get in touch with you.
Make your bio inviting by using a conversational writing style.
Keep your desired audience in mind. If someone would be interested in hiring you or speaking to you, what would they want to know?
Incorporate white space with line breaks for readability.
Stay away from long sentences and dense paragraphs, which are difficult to read online.
Incorporate industry keywords and search terms.
5️⃣ Recommendations
Don't neglect the recommendation section at the bottom of your profile!
Recommendations from bosses and peers who have worked with you provide social proof of your professional value.
Reach out to trusted colleagues who think you are a rock star, and politely request a recommendation.
Ask them for 3 sentences that talk about how you worked with them, what you accomplished, and why you are amazing.
You can offer to draft it for them so they can edit it to match their own style.
Give them a deadline (say, 2 weeks) and follow up. Remember to thank them.
Do this over email first if you can, and then once everything is teed up, use the "Request recommendation" feature to request it so that it gets posted to your profile.
You can also endorse colleagues you admire. That is a great way to put positive energy out into the world.
There are plenty of other fields to fill out in LinkedIn, such as your experience and skills sections, and they are all self-explanatory.
But if you take the time to polish the five sections above, you'll elevate your profile significantly.
NOTE: Free versus Premium
Finally, I want to say that the free version of LinkedIn is so robust that you can spend hours building out your profile and reap plenty of value from it without investing in Premium.
Premium does come with some sweet bells and whistles, including AI tools, extra messaging capabilities, and more, but it's not necessary. If you're curious, check out one of the free trials they offer periodically and see if it is worth the price tag.
