After seeing your photo and name, viewers will see your headline. As of 2021 [2], the headline allows a maximum of 220 characters, and it should be an eye-catching billboard that briefly describes you, what you do and perhaps how you are passionate about it.
This is your chance to make a first impression with you, your style and your voice. The headline will not only influence whether someone continues to read on to your “About” section, but also LinkedIn’s algorithm. Many people do not take advantage of the headline. Instead, they simply write their job title and company, like “Sales Executive at Uber”. This is a wasted opportunity to stand out.
Headlines strongly influence the platform when deciding which profiles to show for different searches or queries. Optimized headlines are important:
- Optimized headlines = more searches,
- more searches = more views, and
- more views = more opportunities and deals.[3]
To do well on LinkedIn’s algorithms, the headline provides the opportunity for you to
- Appear in LinkedIn searches performed by recruiters, prospects, or whatever your audience by keywords searches that match your profile content, and
- Sell yourself, your value, or your services once people get to your profile.
As mentioned above, LinkedIn users fall into 1 of 2 categories: they are either job seekers or networkers who are selling something (service, product, company, or themselves).
1. Job Seeker’s Headline
If you’re a job seeker and/or a passive user on the platform (meaning you don’t do much posting, commenting, etc.), your headline needs to cover both of those functions.
2. Sales Headline
If you are already networking on LinkedIn, (or you’re doing a lot of cold outreach) and you’re generating consistent profile views, you want to write this type of headline.
Belcak [3] recommends a 2-part LinkedIn Headline Formula to make your headline standout: 1. Use keywords in your work overview, and 2. Quantify your value or results. Here is the example he provides.
Part 1: Finding and selecting the keywords
This part is especially recommended for job-seekers, who should include 3-8 keywords that recruiters are looking for. If a recruiter at an ecommerce company is looking for a Marketing manager, then she would probably use a search term like “marketing manager ecommerce”. In this term, both “marketing manager” and “ecommerce” are key words.
How can you find the right keywords to fill your headline?
On LinkedIn, search for 30+ job posts you are interested in, and copy and paste these job titles into an app like www.wordcloudes.com to find the most common keywords.
From this word cloud, we can see that “sales”, “digital”, and “account manager” are the most common keywords, and so they should appear in the headline.
For other key words relating to important skills or personality traits, the same word cloud procedure can be used. But this time, copy and paste the job descriptions–not titles–into the wordcloud box.
In Revision example 2, the person does not have job related achievements yet, so adds key words relating to skills and abilities described in the job descriptions in the revised version.
Revision example 2a. Before → After. Plain headline with no keywords
| Original | Revised |
Online Marketer (15/220 chars) | Aspiring Online Marketer | Ability to Operate and Manage SNS | Video Editing | Work experience in Mandarin and English Bilingual Environments (140/220 chars) |
Part 2: Value illustration
This part of the headline can be called a mini pitch that highlights your value and achievements. This is where you can stand out from the crowd and also stand out in the search results. In Revision example 3, the two added accomplishments stand out and look impressive.
Revision example 2b. Before → After. Plain headline with no accomplishment
| Original | Revised |
Sales Executive @ Panda. (23/220 chars) | Passionate Sales Executive @ Snap | Generated $1.7 M sales | Increased conversion rate 184%. (91/220 chars) |
In the above examples, you will notice that the headlines are not complete sentences. They are phrases, or a series of phrases highlighting your strengths and achievements. It is a good idea to use strong vocabulary and numbers if they sound impressive.
Revision Example 3. Before → After. Grammar and phrase revisions.
Let’s take a look at an original and improved version of a “Headline” with revision notes in the middle column.
| Original (101 characters) | → (Revisions) | Revised (102 characters) |
| I am an Advertising Sales Representative and I help many clients make successful branding strategies. Grammar SVO | – More concise – no SV0 – Add 1 more strong adjs: “winning” and “successful” – Add number of successful clients→ | Advertising Sales Rep helping clients create winning branding strategies. Over 300 successful clients. GrammarAdj + noun + vingAdj + noun |
In these revised examples, we can see that more words and details were added. But we still want to be concise and deliver the meaning quickly so we use phrases and not sentences.
Grammar Box: Verb (v-ing / v-ed) and Noun phrases (esp adj + n)
| Information | Sentence | → | Phrase |
| Who I am | I am a Passionate Sales Executive S V O/SC | → | Passionate Sales Executive adj n. |
| What I (usually) do | I help many clientsS V O | → | helping clients v-ing O |
| What I achieved (noun) | I have over 300 successful clients S V O | → | 300+ successful clients adj n. |
| What I did(verb) | I increased the conversion rate by 184%.S V O | → | increased conversion rate 184%.V-ed O |
Practice 1. Which is the best headline revision?
Tip: details and being brief are important.
1. Original: I help companies with innovative ways of doing online marketing by data analytics and visual aids and infographics. I can help companies expand their market. (158/220)
Which is the better Revision?
- Helping companies with online marketing | able to analyze data and make visual aids and infographics. (101/220)
- Online marketer with data analytics and data visualization skills. (66/220)
- Innovative digital marketer | Google and Facebook analytics | data visualization using R. (87/220)
2. Original: I am a passionate and caring person seeking opportunities to make a difference. Nevertheless, highly organized and detail-oriented to make everything become better. (164/220)
Which is the better Revision?
- Passionate about marketing and PR | Spokesperson on smart pitch video that won competition | Represented university at Model UN | strong organization skills | detail-oriented. (174/220)
- Passionate and caring person seeking opportunities in PR to make a difference | strong organization skills | detail-oriented personality. (136/220)
- Passionate about marketing and PR | strong organization skills | detail-oriented. (82/220)
3. Original: Digital Marketer | Business Development Specialist | Performing artist
Which is the better Revision?
- Seeking opportunities in BD | Making Changes with Arts and Technology | Digital Marketer | Performing Artist. [109/220]
- BD Specialist | Passionate about Arts and Technology | Digital Marketer | Performing Artist [92/220]
- Aspiring Business Development Specialist | Striving to elevate our society with Arts and Technology | Digital Marketer | Dancer | Choreographer. [143/220]
Phrase bank 1. Personality (adj) and experiences (v)
When preparing your resume or LinkedIn profile, keywords are vital. These words cover your personality (adjectives), your experiences (verbs), and skills (adj + noun).
| Personality (adj) | |
| Adventurous: I take risks. Ambitious: I am driven to succeed. Approachable: I work well with others. Articulate: I can express myself well in front of groups. Autonomous: I use initiative. Calm: I stay level-headed in a crisis. Charismatic: I can be a leader when need be. Cheerful: I develop a positive work environment. Clever: I can juggle multiple tasks. Competitive: I thrive under pressure. Confident: I am not afraid to ask questions. Cooperative: I get along well in a team setting. Courteous: I care about workplace atmosphere. Creative: I think outside the box. Curious: I am eager to learn. Determined: I am self-motivated. Devoted: I am committed to the company’s success. Diligent: I always work my hardest. Easygoing: I easily adapt to new situations. Educated: I possess formal training. Efficient: I have very quick turnover time. Eloquent: I have strong communication skills. Energetic: I am able to work long and hard hours. Enthusiastic: I put my all into every project. | Flexible: I am able to adapt my priorities. Focused: I am goal-oriented. Friendly: I am easy to work with. Honest: I value virtue and integrity. Imaginative: I am inventive in my work process. Independent: I need little direction. Inexperienced: I am a blank pallet. Inquisitive: I am excellent at gathering information. Insightful: I can read between the lines. Intuitive: I can sense when there is a problem. Meticulous: I pay attention to the small details. Neurotic: I am a perfectionist. Open-minded: I take constructive criticism well. Opinionated: I am comfortable voicing opinions. Organized: I am a careful planner. Patient: I am not easily upset. Perceptive: I can read people effortlessly. Persuasive: I am a natural salesperson. Procedural: I work best with structure. Punctual: I have great time management skills. Quiet: I am a great listener. Relaxed: I do not stress easily. Resourceful: I use every tool at hand. Responsible: I always finish a task on time Talkative: I am comfortable initiating a dialogue. Technological: I know a lot about technology. |
| Experiences and Action words (V-O verbs) | |
| Communication Skills: Negotiated, Interpreted, Translated, Advocated, Clarified, Corresponded, Encouraged, Persuaded, Presented, Publicized, Solicited, Spoke, Translated Creative Skills: Created, Presented, Acted, Applied, Composed, Created, Established, Founded, Improvised, Introduced, Navigated, Originated, Presented Data / Financial Skills: Computed, Documented, Verified, Adjusted, Allocated, Budgeted, Compared, Computed, Counted, Documented, Estimated, Forecasted, Inventoried, Invested, Predicted, Projected, Quantified, Recorded, Retrieved, Verified Helping Skills: Assisted, Trained, Volunteered, Aided, Assisted, Built, Demonstrated, Facilitated, Familiarized, Helped, Performed, Represented, Solved, Supported, Trained, Upheld, Volunteered, Worked Management / Leadership Skills: Achieved, Administered, Implemented, Recommended, Assigned, Attained, Challenged, Coordinated, Decided, Delegated, Established, Executed, Handled, Headed, Implemented, Incorporated, Intervened, Launched, Led, Managed, Mediated, Motivated, Organized, Oversaw, Planned, Prioritized, Recommended, Scheduled, Supervised, United | Efficiency Skills: Eliminated, Maximized, Heightened, Accelerated, Allocated, Boosted, Centralized, Downsized, Edited, Eliminated, Enhanced, Expanded, Expedited, Heightened, Lessened, Leveraged, Maximized, Merged, Optimized, Outlined, Outsourced, Prevented, Prioritized, Reorganized, Reduced, Revised, Simplified, Standardized, Stream-lined, Synthesized, Systematized, Upgraded Research Skills: Analyzed, Identified, Examined, Surveyed, Collected, Compared, Controlled, Detected, Diagnosed, Evaluated, Examined, Gathered, Identified, Investigated, Located, Measured, Organized, Reported, Replicated, Researched, Reviewed, Searched, Surveyed, Wrote Teaching Skills: Instructed, Defined, Prepared, Aided, Advised, Clarified, Communicated, Defined, Developed, Encouraged, Evaluated, Facilitated, Fostered, Guided, Helped, Incorporated, Informed, Initiated, Instructed, Lectured, Prepared, Supported, Supervised, Stimulated, Taught Technical Skills: Analyzed, Assembled, Designed, Programmed, Built, Calculated, Computed, Conducted, Designed, Devised, Engineered, Maintained, Operated, Programmed, Reengineered, Remodeled, Transmitted |
Practice 2: Choose 3-4 Personality words and Experiences that best describe you.
Personality: __________________________________________________________________
Experiences: _________________________________________________________________
Phrase bank 2. Skills – technical vs people skills
In addition to personality and experiences, skills are very important to let people know what you have to offer. The following list of 8 skills are probably the most common that recruiters are looking for [4]:
- Communication skills
- Computer skills
- People skills
- Leadership skills
- Organizational skills
- Time management skills
- Collaboration skills
- Problem-solving skills.
Skills can be divided into either technical/hard skills or person/soft skills. Many of the person/soft skills can be seen as personality traits and turned into adj, like “adaptability” → “adaptable”.
| Technical/hard skills (nouns) | Person/Soft skills (nouns) |
Accounting or bookkeeping Data analysis Data privacy Enterprise resource planning Foreign language ability Human resources Mathematics Multilingualism Process automation Product design Project management Research skills Software proficiency Search engine optimization Typing skills Video/photo editing Website design Writing and editing | Adaptability: The new normal is changing jobs and responsibilities Attention to detail: Show prospective employers that you are careful and deliberate and submit a tailored, proofread resume and cover letter with work history highlights that exemplify diligence and conscientiousness. Collaboration : Ability to work with others in teams and across departments, is going to be critical to your career success. Communication: No matter the industry, no matter the position, verbal and presentation skills are an increasingly important soft skill in the workplace Creativity: Think outside of the box, challenge the status quo and offer novel solutions. Customer service: Dedicated to meeting the expectations of both internal stakeholders and external clients. Decision making: Autonomy so leadership can focus on the bigger picture Empathy: To effectively engage with coworkers, managers, direct reports, customers and clients. Leadership : Employers look for candidates who can inspire and motivate team members, and act with integrity, fairness, and a strategic mindset. Multitasking: Ability to juggle projects and competing priorities. Positivity: You approach difficulties with a can-do attitude. Resilience and determination Problem solving: What job doesn’t involve challenges and problems? Self-motivation: No boss wants to keep lighting a fire under their workers. Time management: Whatever role you’re seeking, time management is a prime skill to include on your resume. Work ethic: Honesty, punctuality, responsibility and reliability are all integral to a strong work ethic. |
Practice 3: Choose 3-4 Hard and Soft skills that best describe you.
Hard skills: ________________________________________________________________
Soft skills: _________________________________________________________________
We’ve seen samples, analyzed their grammar and looked through phrase banks for useful keywords. Now it’s time to put it all together. Think carefully about your purpose and audience on LinkedIn and represent yourself in the most suitable way.
Practice 4: Put it all together – Write your own heading
Tip: Make sure you do not write more than 220 characters, but try to keep it much less.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Pingback: Outstanding video self-introduction in 3 steps – The Daly Weekly Comm