Your LinkedIn Headline is critical… 3 tips to create it wisely
If you’ve ever struggled with what the heck you’re supposed to write in the headline section of your profile then this is for you! I’m going to break it down in 3 simple tips that will help you create a headline that stands out and differentiates you from the rest.
Most headlines you see are the most recent job title of someone… blah and boring. For you, as an entrepreneur, this is PRIME REAL ESTATE! I want you to think of this part of your profile as your elevator pitch or your bumper sticker. You want to condense down all that you do into 120 characters. Now, I know for some of you that freaks you out a bit… how in the world can someone understand all that I do in 120 characters or less?! Fear not… that’s where your About Section comes into play. Feel free to expand on all the juicy details of what you do, there.
Do you remember that frozen orange juice concentrate your mom would buy as a kid? With two or three spoonfuls she could make an entire pitcher of O.J. for the week. Think of the frozen concentrate as your headline and the juice as your juicy about section.
So, now that you know how to look at your headline on LinkedIn as an entrepreneur (or orange juice lover) you can begin to properly craft your profile’s headline.
Here are the 3 things to remember when curating your LinkedIn Headline.
- It follows you everywhere...
Think of your headline as one of the first impressions someone has of you on the platform. Leaving a good impression is what you want right?! Remember that when someone searches for you and you pop up on their Google search or on the platform itself, your headline is what they see first! If you reach out to someone in hopes to connect because you know they’re your ideal client, before they open your message, what’s the first thing you think they see? That’s right… your headline.
- Keep in mind the 120 character limit...
We only get 120 characters in this space of your profile so use it to tell people who you are, what you do and if you can squeeze it in, who you serve or your transformation statement (“helping [your ideal client - example: entrepreneurs] go from [their challenged position, example: confused and overwhelmed] to [their desired position, example: confident and winning with LinkedIn])
Again, you only have 120 characters so you might need to write and refine a few times. Keep it simple and searchable.
- Search engine optimization (SEO) matters here...
Which brings me to my next point...while creativity and sharing your personal brand is super important as you use LinkedIn, it’s also important to hold the creativity for your About Section and content. This is a space to think about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or what terms is your ideal client googling to find you. Words that most people are searching that relate to what you do are most likely “expert”, “specialist”, or “coach”. The average person is not looking for a “ninja”, “guru”, or “genius” (but feel free to use these in your about section if you feel so inclined and it aligns with your brand). So keep that in mind as you're creating your headline!
If you know any entrepreneurs looking to use LinkedIn for their business and unsure how to create a headline for their profile, please pass this along!
