Writing Your LinkedIn Headline - Don't Be Clickbait, But Do Learn From It

Clickbait is the worst. You've been there, right? A headline grabs your attention and compels you to dive into the accompanying story. Only to find it does not live up to your expectations.

I think I've just described YouTube, maybe TikTok, the news...

As much as we don't like it, the headline did its job: it got you to invest.

That's the point of your LinkedIn Headline. Get attention, not be clickbait.

Yet, often it is overlooked. We spend the majority of our time on our Summary and gloss over this little hotbed of opportunity.

Let's dive into this highly visible nugget to mine it for all it's worth.

Basics

You have 220 characters (including spaces and punctuation) in your headline.

The point is to get a message across to the reader. Get them interested enough to read your profile, find out more about you, and begin a conversation.

LinkedIn does an autofill if you ignore this section, so it isn't left blank; yet, it is, at best, very generic information.

Conversation

LinkedIn is a one-on-one conversation with the person you want to read your profile. Just as there are different types of conversations, there may be various headline styles to suit your comfort level and purpose.

These can range from the auto-filled 'just the facts' to an all-out energetic call out to connect.?There are no real wrong headlines. Wrong is pretty strong. Let's just say there are headlines that could be serving you better.

Writing

Before you write your headline, you should have your audience and purpose in mind. Know who you are writing to and what you want them to know based on what is important to them.

Then you need to know your comfort level in what you want to say or how you want to say it.

I've put together a free LinkedIn Headline Writing Guide (Click here to grab it ). It takes the stress and guess out of writing your headline. A clear, four-step guide to determine your style and what to include. Making sure you get the attention of recruiters or clients. And gives several bonus tips. Click here to get your free copy .

If you're in a rush and want an easy way to put together your headline, think of how your buddy would introduce you. We all have that friend, that buddy. If someone asked him if he knew of someone they could talk to about X, he would refer you.

How he would probably refer you would be a good template for your headline. Let's call our buddy Bob.

Imagine this conversation....

John: "Hey Bob, I've been meaning to ask you, I've been having a problem with my car, it's making some weird noise. Do you know anyone you trust I could talk to about it?"

Bob: "Heck yeah, you need to talk to my friend Joe. He's a Mechanic with TopRace, been doing it for 20 years. He's an engine expert, heck, he's the engine whisperer. There's no problem he can't fix."

Translation into a headline:

Mechanic @ TopRace | 20 Years Experience | The Engine Whisperer - There's No Engine Problem I Can't Fix

Conclusion

Your LinkedIn headline is important - it shows up every time you engage on LinkedIn with your name and photo. It is an always seen mini-advertisement. Make it count.

Take some time, use the free guide to help you craft yours, and have some fun with it.

?? ?What’s the hardest part for you in writing your headline? Comment below!

?? ?Comment below??? ?on a question you have that I can answer (or find the answer) for you.

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About me: I help amazing people get what they want from their career and life faster, easier & with more fun. For career focus, go to?CareerPolish.com ; for life balance, reach out to me at LisaKMcDonald.com

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