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Your LinkedIn Headline: What to Write and Why it Matters

Jun 30, 2021 7:37:00 AM

A LinkedIn headline is the section at the top of a LinkedIn user's profile where they can describe what they do in 120 characters or less. This brief description appears...

next to the user's name in search results. It should entice readers to click the profile to learn more about the user's experience and background.

Letting LinkedIn choose your headline for you is a mistake. With a customized headline, you'll instantly distinguish yourself, give hiring managers and recruiters a reason to view your profile and start building the case for yourself and your ROI.

What should your LinkedIn headline be?

 

Now that you know what a LinkedIn headline is and why a custom one is the best choice, it's time to put pad to paper. On one hand, you want to simply describe what you do, but at the same time, you want your headline to be attractive to prospects (and avoid scaring them away).

To make coming writing your headline easier, here's a simple formula (you don’t have to stick to it religiously, but it’s an easy place to start)

“I help X to do Y.”

Got it? Simple! But there are a few rules which really are worthwhile following.

1) Include your value proposition.

Explain how you’d help a potential employer solve their problems or address their business challenges.

For instance, say your marketing analysis enables businesses to grow. Your headline could be: “Marketing Data Hacker. Helping businesses to scale and grow.” If you’re not sure how to describe your value, you can often gain inspiration from customer testimonials or adapt it from your company's value proposition.

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2)Tailor your title to your audience.

The essence of this is to avoid - at all costs - jargon that won’t be understood by people outside of your sector or function. 

3) No Bragging Rights.

Don’t show off. There's nothing more off-putting (or less believable) than someone who publicly compliments themselves, so be careful about the words you use here. Would you honestly go up to someone you don’t know and toot your horn without providing some evidence? I doubt it, so avoid doing it here if you want to avoid sounding arrogant.

Humility goes a long, long way…..

4) Use your prospect's language.

Simple - skip the jargon (see above). You’ll know you’ve done this by testing it on a friend who is in business, but that doesn’t specialize in your area. 

Good adverbs to consider using, which don’t showboat, but add value might be words like:

  • Disrupting
  • Innovating
  • Helping
  • Pushing
  • Accelerating
  • Connecting etc.

Pro-tip:  In addition, the emoji adds a little bit of flair that draws attention and shows personality. We like GetEmoji where there’s a huge selection to paste from without needing any apps etc.

So now you can get to it. There is a real upside in spending some ’sweat’ time creating a perfect headline because you'll immediately start noticing a difference in the quantity and quality of hiring manage and recruiter leads you generate on LinkedIn. 

When you’re done, here’s a simple LinkedIn profile checklist to run through before setting your profile live.

Philip Browne

Written by Philip Browne

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