Is your LinkedIn headline a hook?
What’s drawing your ideal client towards you?
Certainly not ->
Accountant at ABC Accountancy Ltd
You’ve got to give your ideal client a reason to read on. Your LinkedIn profile is your business’ shop window. And the LinkedIn headline is the bloody huge banner you’ve strung up outside with your very best offer to tempt the punters inside. So, are you making the best use of those canny little characters that follow you all over LinkedIn?
What is the LinkedIn headline?
Your LinkedIn headline is the piece of text on LinkedIn immediately beneath your name. The headline can include up to 220 characters which is around 25-30 words.
Why is your LinkedIn headline so important?
The headline follows you all over LinkedIn. It can be seen in the posts you write, the comments you leave and when you direct message someone. From a business owner’s perspective, it’s a great way for a huge network to understand what you do, for whom and why.
What should you include in your LinkedIn headline?
If you don’t change your headline, LinkedIn will auto-populate it with [Job title] at [Company]. For a business owner, this isn’t going to attract clients. If you don’t put some thought into how you can stand out with your headline, for sure, you will be missing new client opportunities. Let’s look at how to create a headline that can help you grow your personal brand and the line of people queuing up to work with your business.
Your LinkedIn headline should include:
- What you do (briefly)
- Who is your ideal client
- And the benefit you provide to that client or the pain point you solve.
It’s as simple as that. How you craft these three pieces of information together can make the difference between being noticed and people scrolling by.
A simple starting point, if you are lacking inspiration, is
[Job title] for [ideal client] who [specific pain point].
Alternatively [job title] for [ideal client] who [desired outcome].
After you’ve got that into the first few words of your headline, you can add more specifics about the service/product you offer.
13 examples of a more impactful LinkedIn headline
The first LinkedIn headline example is my own. I’m a financial service copywriter working with accountants, financial advisors and mortgage brokers. I write blogs, articles and LinkedIn content mainly for people who understand the value of content marketing but are too busy to write themselves. It’s a pretty simple proposition. Here’s my headline:
As you can see, I have followed the [job title] for [ideal client] with [pain point] formula. The first 45 characters are the ones that are visible on a mobile phone, so these are the most important as 65% of people access LinkedIn via mobile. Make the first 6-7 words count.
Of course, there are other ways to include the important information in your LinkedIn headline without sticking to the formula I’ve suggested so here are 12 more examples of profiles that have nailed their headline, with clarity and personality.
Lea Turner
Lea positions herself as ‘probably the best’ LinkedIn trainer in the world by using an advertising slogan by Carlsberg. Her LinkedIn headline is clear about who she serves and what she offers.
Richard Van Der Blom
Richard leads with what he does and follows it up with social proof. He also breaks up the headline with relevant emojis to add more personality.
Richard Moore
Richard is another LinkedIn specialist. His headline follows the suggested formula more closely including who he works with and the desired outcome.
Andy Barden
Andy leads with the outcome you can expect from working with him, followed by the specific services he offers and ends with who he does it for. It’s the same information in a different order.
Catherine Gladwyn
Catherine calls out to her ideal client showing the transformative journey she will take them on. She also includes some social proof (‘Multi-Award Winning Bestselling Author) in her LinkedIn headline.
Darren Pallatina
Darren’s headline is a little more edgy, using slang but essentially it still delivers the vital information of what he does and who for.
Tanya Hopper
Tanya begins with the outcome and then clarifies who she can help. She also includes her guarantee in her headline to break down the barriers to working with her.
Chris Hall-Franzkowiak
Chris’ headline uses emojis to draw the eye in and show his personality. Again the most vital bits of information are includes – what and who for.
Samantha Bradbury
Samantha is very clear on what she does and who for. She’s also included more details on the services she provides.
Sarah Hull
Sarah shows exactly who she helps – individuals 40+ who are getting divorced and presents the outcome – confidence, strength and dignity. She finishes with more benefits to the client.
Meena Adnani
Mina highlights the transformation she provides in her first sentence as well as explaining how. She includes her other services as well as some social proof.
Nausheen l. Chen
Nausheen’s Linkedin headline leads with the outcome her clients are looking for explaining how it will be achieved. She then follows up with her job title and ideal client. All the information you need for a hard-working headline.
A few don’ts for your LinkedIn headline. Don’t…
- Have no headline at all.
- Create a ‘clever’ headline that only you understand
- Leave out the keywords your clients are searching for
- Forget to proofread for typos
- Make yourself look desperate for more work
- Take too long getting to the point
- Promise things you can’t deliver (that’s called clickbait)
So, there you have it – now, go and craft your own better LinkedIn headline.
An offer for your LinkedIn profile
Of course, if you want some help, there’s my LinkedIn profile makeover package which includes:
- 60-minute LinkedIn strategy/training session
- Headline x 3
- About Section
- Latest Experience section
- Banner
- Photoshoot including 30-40 images for socials/web
This package is a set price of £1,020 (can be paid in 3 monthly instalments of £340)
Having a great profile on LinkedIn is the first part of a four-part strategy for getting clients on LinkedIn. Learn more about the second part in my blog ‘Growing the Right LinkedIn Network.’
You might also be interested in my article on ‘How to write your LinkedIn About section.’