How to add an Emoji or Symbol to your LinkedIn profile and content using ? copy and ??paste

I've made a living as a LinkedIn profile writer since 2009 – I was actually one of the first to offer these services. Things have changed a lot since. In particular, LinkedIn has become increasingly visual, and it’s become harder and harder to cut through the noise. If you want your profile to capture attention and your short-form posts to stand out, you’ll need to do something some people still aren’t – use emojis.

You heard right. Emojis are a powerful tool on LinkedIn. They make your headline more visually memorable and help you appear more friendly and approachable.

Adding emojis to your LinkedIn profile and content is as easy as copying and pasting. It’s even easier if you favourite or bookmark this article on your browser so you can easily access the full spectrum of available emojis:

?★????☆????╰☆╮★彡 * ? ■ ??? ?? ??●? ????????????

???◆???????????????????????????? ?????????????

????⊙??????????⊕????????????? ? ??? ? ? ?

?????????????????????????????????????? ?????

???????????????????????????????? ?? ?? ?? ???? ??

??????????????????????????????????????????????

?????????????????????????祝????? ?????????

?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?????????????????? ?? ?? ??????

????????? ? ?????? ?? ?? ?? ???? ????

???????????????????????? ??? ?????????????

???????? ????????????????????? ?????????? ?????????????? ????

????????????????????????????????????????????? ??

?? ?? ???? ?? ?? ?????????????? ?????????????????

?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ???????? ????????

??????? ? ???????????????? ????? ??????????? ??????

????? ????? ?? ?? ????? ??????????????????????

???????????? ?????????????––> ??? ??? ? ??

???????????? ????????? ≤ ≥ ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? # ?

??????? ①②③④⑤⑥⑦⑧⑨⑩ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

1?? 2?? 3?? 4?? 5?? 6?? 7?? 8?? 9?? 1?? 0?? ? ??? ?? ??

???? $ ￠ ￡ ￥ €?? ? ? ? ????????????????

???????????????????????????????????????

????????????????? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ???? ??

When it comes time to compose your short-form post or refresh your profile, open this article in a new tab. Then copy and paste from there. This will save you from endlessly searching through emojis using either keyboard shortcuts or external sites that may, or may not, display the emojis properly. These images, have been tested.

That’s how you add emojis to your LinkedIn content. Now, the why. Here’s what we’ll discuss:

The science behind the emoji

How to use emojis on LinkedIn, including in your:

• Headline
• About
• Experience
• Short-form posts

Let’s get started.

The science behind the emoji

Humans mimic each other. You might not be aware of it, but that’s what we do. In person, we mirror each other’s expressions and emotions. It helps us connect more deeply, show empathy, and build genuine relationships.

Online, we can’t do this. Text-based communication makes it difficult to gauge the emotion behind the sentiment. And, that leads to miscommunication and misunderstanding. Ever tried to capture irony online? It often gets lost in translation.

That’s where emojis come in.

According to scientists , when we look at a smiley emoji online, the parts of our brain that activate when we look at a real human smile light up. Our mood shifts, and we even adjust our own facial expressions to better match the emoji.

Emojis aren’t all about conveying emotion, either. The bright colours and bold shapes stand out among text and ensure content actually gets read by LinkedIn users.

How to use emojis on LinkedIn

The golden rule when it comes to using emojis on LinkedIn is this: Be refined in your approach. Too much of a good thing can distract from whatever it is you’re trying to communicate or make you look overly emotional.

Also, you don’t have to worry too much anymore about emojis and symbols showing up as squares. As more and more of us use modern phones and devices that automatically update, emojis tend to appear as intended.

Here are my #TopTisdellTips for using emojis across LinkedIn.

Add emojis or symbols to your LinkedIn headline

Your headline is what feeds the LinkedIn ranking that decides your position when anyone uses the search filters. Aside from your name and picture, it’s the only part of your profile that users will see in search results.

What’s more, every time you comment on a post, it’s your headline that people look at and remember. It should pique their interest enough to make them want to click through and read through the rest of your profile.

Headlines are now 220 characters long. So just a few emojis or symbols used to separate short, keyword-rich sentences are all your need. Here’s mine:

The emojis increase legibility and add character.

Add emojis to your LinkedIn About section

To be honest, big blocks of text can put readers to sleep. They lose interest. But a strategically positioned emoji can wake up a reader and highlight your personality. Try positioning an emoji about two-thirds the way down your About section.

I also like using emojis to draw attention to those all-important contact details. You certainly don’t want to miss out on a sale because a potential client can’t find your email or phone number.

Here is an example:

and another:

Add emojis to your LinkedIn experience

And:

Add emojis to your LinkedIn posts

How many posts do you scroll past on LinkedIn every day without reading? Hundreds? More?

Emojis are a crucial element in short-form posts because they add nuance to the text – they create emotion and show intention. They also provide a pop of colour.

Remember, your words are competing for attention against a background of images, videos, and gifs. They need that extra something to stand out and get read.

Here are some examples of how you can use emojis in LinkedIn posts:

Bonus tip: Fancy text generator

As well as using emojis on LinkedIn, you can use fancy text to add visual interest to your content. I like this site: https://yaytext.com/

Keep in mind though that for the visually impaired who are using a reading app - it can't be read, also fancy text does not show up when converting your profile to PDF.

I rarely use it anymore. Because I don't want keywords to be hidden and inclusion matters.

Now, it’s your turn

Click the ??on my profile and follow #TopTisdellTips to see how I use emojis, and for other tips on LinkedIn. Then go ahead and add some emojis to your profile, too. Share a link in the comments below for everyone to see. Have fun with it!