What is a Headline in LinkedIn?
Imagine standing on a massive stage along with millions of people, in front of an invisible audience that is even bigger. How do you attract the attention of the invisible crowds that is surging every second, to drop what they’re doing, and look at you?
A LinkedIn headline is like an article heading that entices the audience to read it.
Your headline in LinkedIn is one such unique opportunity, that lets you announce yourself to your profile visitors within 120 characters.
It is the first thing that gets noticed by visitors when they land on your profile. So, if you are not paying enough attention to this section, you’re probably leaving a lot of money on the table(!).
In this blog, we will explore what is a headline in LinkedIn and the biggest personalities who are crushing it right now.
What is a Headline in LinkedIn?
Let’s first understand what is a headline in LinkedIn. It is the short description that appears right below your name on your profile.
For example, ‘s LinkedIn headline says ‘ Co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’ — explains in simple terms what his position is after stepping away from Microsoft. Here’s a screen grab of Gates’s LinkedIn profile.
Here’s why your LinkedIn headline is important
A LinkedIn headline is important because:
Most of us commit the blunder of having the default LinkedIn headline, which is our job title. So, if you are a Chief Financial Officer of a company, the default LinkedIn headline will read the same unless you change it.
Here’s what you get when you look up Dharmesh Shah on Google. The first result is his LinkedIn profile with the LinkedIn headline. You know what he does for a living (although, probably he is chilling off right now :))
Now, imagine somebody looking up your profile on Google — you’d obviously want the right information about you to be displayed. Let us now see how can we get it right on LinkedIn.
What is a professional headline in LinkedIn?
How do you get a professional headline in LinkedIn that will enable you to stand apart from 30 million profiles so you can attract the right kind of audience?
Here are a few ways of doing it correctly:
1. Keep Your LinkedIn Headline Simple
Remember that you are trying to give people a reason to click on your profile. So, why not write a headline that they can easily relate to.
So, if you are a digital marketer and are creative in how you help your customers, then your LinkedIn headline could read as: ‘ Combining creativity with digital marketing for turning opportunities into sales. ‘
It conveys what you are good at and how you go about your job.
Here’s Michal Eisikowitz’s LinkedIn headline that is amongst the simplest that we have seen in our research. Michal is a B2B copywriter and calls herself as a slayer of boring content. She implores the visitor to read her LinkedIn headline and think — is their content merely filling up space or is it fetching them leads?
Shaina Keren uses the word ‘You’ to very good effect. Career coaches are always coaching about how to become a better ‘You’ — so, why not put it to use right where it matters.
Pro tip #1: Speak to your visitors directly in LinkedIn headline. Do not write complicated things that visitors will struggle to understand. It will only discourage them from engaging with you.
2. Be Clear, Compelling and Specific
LinkedIn gives you only 120 characters to explain yourself. But, while you have the liberty to use all of them, being clear and specific to your role as shortly as you can is key.
A LinkedIn headline that reads, ‘ Translator with Marketing and Localization expertise for Japanese Market ‘ explains what you are skilled at in very few words.
A recruiter who is looking at suitable profiles will want to scroll further down in this LinkedIn profile to know what more can the candidate offer.
Besides, no one has the time to solve cryptic puzzles in a LinkedIn headline, so make it compelling enough.
Here’s a snapshot of Kate Forgione’s LinkedIn headline. Kate has clearly called out that she is a customer success leader and is not soliciting for any job prospecting. It tells us in simple terms that she loves helping customers and that is her forte.
Dave Jackson’s LinkedIn profile is even more clearer. He specializes in enabling B2B companies drive net revenue retention and is a top 100 customer success strategist. Using keywords such as ‘customer success strategist’ and ‘revenue retention’ helps in identifying Dave from a number of LinkedIn profiles.
Pro Tip #2: Use keywords that visitors are looking for. Notice how we used the keywords ‘ Translator’ and ‘ Japanese ‘ in the above sample LinkedIn headline.
3. Offer Unique Value
When people land on your profile, there has to be a unique value that you can offer them. When you just let LinkedIn put in your current role or job at a company, you’re aren’t using valuable real estate space.
This unique value could be the skills that you are known for. For example, some people say ‘ Managing Director at ACME Corp.’ Well, that does not convey anything substantial to the viewer.
Instead, here’s what you could say:
Each of the above headlines indicate what you are uniquely known for.
Stefano Solferini’s profile offers unique value to his LinkedIn profile visitors. It tells them that Stefano helps CEOs with revenue generation, improving cash flows and achieve impressive valuations — all these backed by numbers.
Pro Tip #3: Make your headline is action-oriented. If you are using words that signify action, such as ‘ Created,’ ‘Sold,’ ‘Managed,’ ‘Designed,’ and ‘Assisted,’ your profile is likely to attract more visitors.
4. Be a Little Boastful
This might sound a bit outrageous, but there is no harm in showing off because that is a good way of drawing attention. Show off the awards that you have won or the patents that you have been awarded. A LinkedIn headline that says:
Boasting about your awards and accolades in a Linked headline is a good way of telling visitors about your accomplishments and entices them to your profile.
John Turner’s LinkedIn profile is an apt example. Josh is a Wall Street Journal best-selling author and and an entrepreneur of an Inc 500 company — all of which find a mention on his LinkedIn headline.
5. Change Your Profile to Suit the Situation
The skills that you had when you began as a rookie are not the same as you move ahead in your career because you acquire new skills and becoming an expert in them. So, don’t forget to update your LinkedIn headline from time to time.
A LinkedIn headline for a professional who’s spent years in the industry should be more current and provide more value than a fresh out-of-the-college graduate.
Pro Tip #4: Make sure you plug in all your associated skills that link with your core skills. For example, if you are a Sales leader who loves speaking, your LinkedIn headline could read: ‘ Sales Leader | Entrepreneur | Speaker | Community Worker.’ That way, people know what you have a diverse skill set.
What is a Catchy Headline on LinkedIn?
While LinkedIn is a place for professionals, nobody ever said that you cannot be creative in projecting yourself in front of a global audience. Here are a few examples:
- An architect could say ‘Designed buildings that have withstood 16 earthquakes in 3 years.’
- A software programmer for drones could mention ‘An aeronautical engineer who builds drones that can fly over the Atlantic non-stop.’
- A lawyer could say ‘I am a corporate lawyer who does things legally.’
The advantage of having a catchy LinkedIn headline is that it grabs people’s attention easily and they tend to remember your profile longer.
Here is Ryan Reisert’s LinkedIn profile. He has used all the headline space that he could and has a very clear message that is simple to remember for peers and sales reps looking at his profile. The tagline ‘ Target + Message + Channel + Timing’ is easier to recall as that is most sales professionals are trying to get right.
Sam Feldotto is head of sales at Pipestry. His LinkedIn headline is short (has just five words), quirky, rhymes with his company name and says what he loves doing. Even his background image shows his affinity to his company.
Some people prefer using numbers in their LinkedIn headline and that’s why we liked Kevin Perelstein’s LinkedIn profile. While it may not be very catchy, the headline clearly says that Kevin helps B2B sales reps experience 10x pipeline growth, which is easy to remember.
Laura Belgray’s LinkedIn headline consists of only 8 words. But, she has conveyed effectively that newsletters are out of vogue, yet, she knows what it takes to convince recipients to engage with them.
Updating your LinkedIn headline
Let us now look at how you can update your LinkedIn headline. Here’s a step-by-step guide to it.
Step 1
Log in to your LinkedIn profile. By default, you will land on your homepage that shows feeds from the activity of the people you follow.
Step 2
Notice your profile picture at the top left of your screen. Click on it to view your profile. You can even click on the down-arrow at the far right top of your page as well to get to your LinkedIn profile.
Step 3
Now, notice the option to edit your LinkedIn headline. Click on it and you will be able to create your LinkedIn headline or make edits to it.
Step 4
Make the necessary changes and hit ‘Save’ at the bottom right. Your new headline is ready for the world to gaze at your profile.
Let us now look at the top LinkedIn profiles across different professions so you have a fair idea on how to create a LinkedIn headline that makes your personality stands out.
What are the LinkedIn Headline Examples for Sales Professionals?
We have shortlisted a few LinkedIn headline examples for sales professionals that our sales reps look up to and have analyzed their headlines to know what differentiates them.
Alex Boyd is the CEO of RevenueZen whose LinkedIn headline says that he is an expert in building B2B lead generation models. People searching for the keyword ‘lead generation’ are bound to come across Alex’s profile.
Matt Macnamara’s LinkedIn headline is the among the most attractive that we came across. It explains in simple words how his company offers architectural solutions to businesses. He has an active YouTube channel too that gets a mention in here so visitors know where to look for more content.
Stu Heinecke’s LinkedIn headline is quite powerful and mirrors his biggest asset — his book and podcast titled ‘ How to get a meeting with anyone.’ He clearly states that he works with B2B clients in connecting with their clients.
Rachel Gray’s LinkedIn headline tells us that she is a SaaS and Inside Sales professional, and an account executive — keywords that are prominent about her profile.
is co-founder of The Copywriter Club and co-host of The Copywriter Club podcast. Her LinkedIn headline calls this out explicitly without any ambiguity into what her core skills are, i.e., content writing and speaking about it on podcasts.
Here is a screen grab of Darryl Praill’s LinkedIn profile. His headline lists all the things that he is good at. Darryl’s background images lays bare a number of hard facts and numbers about marketing, which shows that he is a Thought Leader.
Our LinkedIn headline examples for sales professionals are only a brief shortlist of how you could tweak your profile to suit your skills and job profile.
What are the LinkedIn Headline Examples for Job Seekers?
Let us now look at the different options for LinkedIn headlines for job seekers.
It is easy to get demotivated when you’re running out of options and a LinkedIn headline will probably be the last thing on your mind. But, having a great-looking positive headline can make a world of difference to your job prospects.
In this section, we will look at how can you put your best foot forward and what should your LinkedIn headline say when you’re unemployed.
To start with, don’t state the obvious :).
A lot of job seekers make the mistake of stating the obvious and use words such as ‘ unemployed,’ ‘ actively seeking employment,’ and ‘ looking for the right opportunity.’
By doing this, job seekers are not helping recruiters to spot their profile amongst the thousands of applications that abound LinkedIn. We suggest you steer away from using such words that do not let you to appeal to the right audience.
Recruiters can scroll down your profile to know if you are available for a job (based on your last work experience, start date and end date).
Instead, list out your key skills, qualifications, accomplishments, and experience that convey a lot more about you than words that suggest that you are looking for a new gig.
Here are a few actionable LinkedIn headline examples for job seekers:
They include keywords and offer a glimpse into your personality while enhancing LinkedIn search appearances.
Pro tip #5: Make sure you are aiming for the job that you desire, and not for the last job that you left.
However, if you still insist on being upfront, go for it — but, do not forget to offer value as well. Here is how you could do it:
We liked Laura Hilty’s LinkedIn headline because despite looking for a new role, she is quite clear about her priorities — that she’d like to work with international NGOs.
Dana Trent too has highlighted her intent for a role in office administration having spent a year or so working as a receptionist.
Michelle Mastrorio has spoken about all her top skills that include digital communications, content marketing, and social media while also mentioning that she is open to new opportunities.
Deepti Bahel too has specifically called out her skills in Analytics, Program Management, Data Science while looking for new opportunities in her LinkedIn headline. Analytics, Program Management, Data Science are keywords that a lot of recruiters will use to search for suitable LinkedIn profiles.
Pro tip #6: Recruiters will rarely look for the keyword ‘ unemployed’ or ‘ seeking’ while searching for candidates. So, make sure you mention all your skills for recruiters to scan your profile effectively.
What are the LinkedIn headline Examples for Entry-Level Folks?
Now, let us look at the best LinkedIn headline examples of entry-level graduates.
When you have freshly graduated out of college, you are eager to prove yourself. You’ve probably spent a few months in companies working as an intern and you have a fair idea how the corporate life can be unforgiving.
Yet, there is much more that you have got to offer the world.
Now, if everybody were to mention the word ‘graduate,’ or ‘student,’ how does the recruiter differentiate from the swarm of profiles on LinkedIn?
Here are a few things to keep in mind while typing out a LinkedIn headline that helps your profile surface on top:
Here are a few LinkedIn headlines for entry-level graduates:
In our research of LinkedIn headlines, we noticed that students and graduates tend to mention their education profile, but had left out their key skills and associated roles.
Let us look at a few LinkedIn headline examples of entry-level folks and fresh graduates who have nailed it:
Albert Zhang is a student of Economics at the University of Chicago graduating in 2020. His LinkedIn headline is short, succinct and conveys his present occupation, i.e., Investment Banking Summer Analyst at Goldman Sachs. Scroll down his profile and you can’t help notice the impressive resume that he has built for himself.
Sejal Parmar is an undergraduate at the University of Illinois and has a short, yet impactful LinkedIn headline that talks about her internship, community service and fellowship responsibilities.
We liked Kallum Titchmarsh’s LinkedIn headline as well. Kallum had graduated in 2018 and had specifically called out his major subject and his present occupation as an analyst at Bank of America, which is in sync with his previous stints.
Anya Edlestein will complete her graduate degree in 2022 and her LinkedIn headline explains that she works at Armoire as a Marketing and Operations intern.
Our list features the most effective headline for LinkedIn profiles by freshers across a range of skills, internships and industries.
Pro tip #7: Use 3 LinkedIn headlines to pen down what comes to you naturally and select the one that best suits you. Don’t select a headline in the first attempt — leave it overnight and come back to it the next day. You will easily notice what you can let go for an effective LinkedIn headline.
The good thing about a LinkedIn headline is that it is a flexible text field and there is no one-size-fits-all format. You can change your LinkedIn headline any number of times.
If you are looking for inspiration, take a look at what your peers have said about themselves. Keep working on it until you are sure about its worth to your profile visitors.
Additional Reading:
Did you know that you could customize your LinkedIn URL for your personal branding? Read our detailed blog to know.
Originally published at https://www.paperflite.com.
