linkedin headlines

How to Write a Powerful LinkedIn Headline

by | Nov 4, 2020 | LinkedIn

What’s the one thing that makes you want to click on any piece of content to learn more about it? If you said an attention-grabbing headline, you win the day! Guess what? Your LinkedIn headline should be just as eye-catching. Your headline is located in your profile block, right underneath your name and it’s also prominent on your newsfeed posts. That means, when someone scrolls through their feed, they’re going to see your name, along with what you’ve included in your headline.

There are two schools of thought here, but I’m in the camp of creating an “I help” statement rather than the cut and dry job title. Your job title is automatically a part of your profile and it’s already listed a bit farther down in your Experience section. Upleveling your headline to something more descriptive will not only help you show up in search, but it will also help those visiting your profile better pre-qualify themselves as someone you work with regularly.

A great LinkedIn headline is like a quick elevator pitch. You have 120 characters (210 if you’re updating it on the mobile app but shh, that’s our little secret) to tell everyone what you do and who you serve. Another way to put it: If you were advertising on a billboard, you’d want to make sure your message is clear and concise for the people who have about 3 seconds to see it going 75 mph down the highway. Which brings me to my first tip for writing a standout headline: keywords.

A

Keywords

To make your profile search friendly, you want to make sure your headline includes keywords relative to what your target audience would search for on LinkedIn. These are common words or short phrases that people regularly associate with your company or profession.
A

Be specific about what you do AND who you serve

In addition to strategically selecting keywords to include in your headline, you have to be clear in communicating what you do and who you help in a concise way. Start with an action verb that draws in your audience. Next, share who you help and how you help them, and the transformation they will see when you do. As always, try to put yourself in your potential clients’ shoes when writing your headline. Speak their language, expose their pain points, and draw them in. The purpose of this initial headline is to draw them into your profile, so they want to learn more and eventually take an action – i.e. booking a call, sending you a message, or leaving a comment!
A

CTA and a Bonus!

Another key element to make your headline shine is a CTA – call to action. A call to action is just that asking your audience to DO something! It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. It can be something as simple as, “read more.” Anything that gives them a subtle push to read on and keep digging deeper into your profile to learn more. Your CTA propels them to take that next step.
via GIPHY

BONUS:

Now, this is cool. LinkedIn now gives you a 10-second voice recording to use any way you’d like in your profile. Though the most traditional use is to pronounce your name properly, I recommend using it more like a welcome mat to your profiles and as another way to insert a call to action in your profile.

This is a quick but helpful overview of how you can take your LinkedIn headline from average to quality advertising. If you’d like to talk more about taking your LinkedIn headline to the next level, book an Oh Snap! Strategy session where I will walk you through an audit of your LinkedIn Profile in real-time!

Click to schedule your session today! 

Get the latest in “been there done that” advice & tips. Subscribe to the Weekly ‘SNAP’shot.