Part 4: Featured Section Essentials – Utilizing the Featured Section for Maximum Visual Engagement

Welcome to the fourth installment of my five-part series on enhancing the visual impact of your LinkedIn profile. This article focuses on the Featured section, a powerful yet often underutilized tool to showcase your best work visually.

The Featured section is your opportunity to highlight key pieces of content that represent your professional brand. Whether it’s an article you’ve written, a project you’ve led, or a video that showcases your expertise, this section is all about visual engagement.

Getting Started

If you haven’t yet added a Featured section to your profile, start by clicking the "Add profile section" button at the top. Once added, here’s how to make the most of it:

1. Choose Visually Engaging Content: The Featured section is inherently visual. Use it to display posts with images, photographs, or videos. While you could upload a resume or document, these text-heavy items are out of place here. Instead, focus on content that will stop someone in their scroll and draw them in.
2. Keep It Updated: Regularly refresh this section with your latest achievements and projects. An outdated Featured section can signal neglect, while an up-to-date one reflects your active engagement and ongoing success.
3. Check Your Links: Make sure the image or video you intend to showcase is visible. Broken links can result in an empty space where your content should be. If a link breaks, but you can still access the original image or video, upload it directly or use a screenshot.
4. Add Descriptions and Titles: Don’t just rely on the visual alone. Give each item a clear title and a brief description. This helps your audience understand the significance of what they’re seeing and can also enhance your profile’s searchability by contributing to your keyword count.
5. Prioritize Key Items: Remember, only two or three items are visible without clicking to see more, so make sure the most impactful pieces are front and center. However, don’t worry about adding more than that—if someone is interested, they’ll click through to see the rest.

The Featured section is a powerful tool to enhance your LinkedIn presence. By carefully curating this section with visually engaging, up-to-date content, you can make a strong impression and help others see the value you bring to the table.

Next week, we'll wrap up this series by exploring visual storytelling in your About and Experience sections.

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Watch the Replay: Two Live LinkedIn Reviews for You to Learn From

The C-Suite Network Women's Coaching and Consulting Council program from August 8, 2024, where I conducted two live LinkedIn reviews, was such a good teaching tool for our volunteers and program participants.

We addressed key issues, including:

• Interpreting the "Open to Work" photo frame on a consultant's profile
• Correcting a settings error that hides your profile picture from people who aren’t connected with you
• Reordering contemporaneous jobs in the experience section so that your most important role is listed first
• Showcasing consulting work effectively
• Creating impactful headlines that grab attention
• Establishing know/like/trust within your About section
• Maximizing your chances of being found through keyword searches
• And much more...

You can benefit, too. Watch the replay here: https://tinyurl.com/C-SuiteWCCCYouTube.

And I recommend you bookmark the site, too, because our Council's Founder, Kathleen Caldwell, has made over 100 excellent programs accessible to you.