Your LinkedIn Headline and Image: Tips to Make It Work for You

Please note that the tips in the below article have been expanded and re-written mid 2018 to: Symbols ★ Making your LinkedIn profile stand out?? and LinkedIn: Bring Your Background into the Spotlight

The LinkedIn user interface has changed. A lot! If you want your profile to keep working for you, you’re likely to have to make some alterations. Here, as the first in a series of three articles, I share a few Top Tisdell Tips on how to make your LinkedIn profile survive the new interface by making some simple changes to your headline and background image.

Why your headline matters

Your headline is what feeds the new LinkedIn algorithm that decides your position when anyone does a profile search. Aside from your name and picture, it’s the only part of your profile that users will see in search results. It’s crucial to get your headline right as it is your chance to interest other users enough to make them want to read the rest of your profile in order to find out more about you.

What should it say?

Your headline is the part of your profile that instantly gives other users an impression of who you are and what you do. It has to sum up your key skills within 120 characters, so choosing the right words is vital. LinkedIn’s default setting is to simply have your current position and company as your headline - but there’s no reason why you have to stick to that. However, 95 percent of users do, so if you have a headline that’s a little more creative it will instantly make you stand out.

Choosing the right words

Just like Google, LinkedIn uses keywords to decide how to rank your profile in search results. It’s important to use the most relevant keywords in your headline, as this will make your profile rank higher. The best keywords to use are those which your ideal prospective employers or customers would be the most likely to search for. Try to put yourself in their shoes – if you were an employer looking for the perfect candidate, what would you type into the search bar?

Also, make the most of the 120 characters. If you only have a couple of keywords, make descriptions or short sentences that sum up the services you offer.

Be creative

Just because you’re using keywords that people are likely to search for, doesn’t mean your headline can’t be original. Try to think of creative ways to put your chosen keywords together. Don’t forget, this is all about selling yourself – if you were a brand, what would your slogan be? Coming up with a catchy phrase or sentence around your keywords is a great way to make your headline stand out.

Make it visually appealing

There is no reason why all your 120 characters have to be letters, or even job titles, if you prefer, your headline can be a list of your skills. A good way to separate them is by using symbols between your keywords, such as:

★ ?? ?☆??? ╰☆╮? * ???⊙ ? ■ ●???????? 

 ? ??  ?? ?????? ??↙↖? ????? ? ?

# ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ???? ◆?????????? ? ? ? ?? ?

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ⊕ ? ? ? ? ?? ? ?

??????????????? ???? ??????? ????? ?

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

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

?????????????? ???? ?祝????? ????????

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

???? ?? ?? ???? ???? ????????????♂????????????

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

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

≤ ≥ ①②③④⑤⑥⑦⑧⑨⑩ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

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

Don’t dismiss these symbols – they may seem a little immature to you, but trust me, it will look better than you think on your profile! Making your headline visually memorable will give you an instant advantage over most other users, whose headlines only use text and don’t stand out in any way.

(If you have met me before | You might have pipes | Pipes mimicked the old user interface | On the new highly visual UI | Pipes look boring!)

Why you need a background image

The new LinkedIn UI has also resized background images – at 1584 x 396 pixels (as of Mar 2018), this image is now more dominant than your profile picture. It’s critical now to have a background image if you want your LinkedIn profile to stand out.

Already have a background image that you loaded before the new user interface was launched? It probably needs to be repositioned or resized.

What image should you use?

The image you choose should depend on what you want your LinkedIn profile to achieve. If you want your employees to increase the brand reach, offer each employee the option to upload an image that has a company logo - as Google, HP and countless other companies do.

If you are a consultant wanting to attract clients, your background image needs to have some text that explains the problems you solve. I would also recommend having your contact details in your image, because with LinkedIn’s new user interface you need to look to the right [an unnatural action, most people look to the left], and click on ‘see more’ to be able to see somebody's contact details. Just like a product, you want to be ‘easy to buy’ so don’t create a barrier by being difficult to contact... And of course remember that the more people have to click – the more they lose attention.

If you are looking for a new job or your employer has not provided you with a customised background image (their loss!) your background image should reflect your personal brand. For a ‘quick fix’ you can find a selection of appropriately sized images here.

If you’re not sure what image you want to use, consult with a graphic designer, who will be able to advise you on the best visual ways to sum up your skills. I use Matt Pritchard at [email protected] for this, he charges me $50. I also think Bob Strovern's work is stunning, he is at [email protected] and his website has downloadable instructions for creating a background image yourself https://www.thedigitalbob.com/design-services/social-media-branding/

Good luck!

Spending a little extra time on your LinkedIn profile is worth it if you want to remain visible now that the user interface has changed so much. It could save you a lot of time when it comes to searching for jobs or customers. If people like what you’re offering them, they may well save you the time and the trouble by approaching you first!

Keen to see how a LinkedIn background and a headline that uses all of the 120 characters (with icons separating them) could serve you better? Then check out my page here.

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