Why is your LinkedIn headline important?
When you’re trying to search for someone on LinkedIn or even just scrolling through someone’s posts, what do you see apart from their names and profile pictures?
Their LinkedIn headline.
Your LinkedIn headline is the most visible element on your LinkedIn profile, as it appears in so many areas of the platform; for example, your newsfeed, search results, your comments, and the people you may know section.
And let’s be honest, as much as you want people to know who you are and how you’re different solely from your name and profile picture, it just doesn’t work like that in reality (unless you’re Gary Vaynerchuk).
Hence, your LinkedIn headline becomes the main differentiator that makes you stand out from the competition and hook your audience to check out your profile.
And since we’re talking specifically about sales, your differentiator should not just be your job title and what company you work at!
What makes a good LinkedIn Headline?
Before you start rewriting your LinkedIn headline, you need to try to think of your headline as a HOOK. A hook is catchy and tells just enough information about yourself that triggers curiosity from your audience, so they want to find out more about you.
Here are a few elements that you should consider when writing a great LinkedIn headline:
- Keywords: Think of what keywords your audience will use when searching for help about your products or solutions. Is it your title, your company name, the industry, or a particular skill? Have a think and make sure these main keywords are included in your headline.
- Mission statement: What makes you do what you do right now? What do you believe in? What is your goal?
- Personality: What are you like as a person? Showcase your personality a bit through emojis or the tone of your writing. What’s not on your LinkedIn profile that can drive the conversation?
- Credentials and achievements: Did you work at large companies? Received any awards or were you featured somewhere before?
- What you offer: What can you help your audience achieve? Getting them X results by doing Y. What problems can you solve for them?
- Be creative and memorable: You don’t have to be serious all the time. Make it fun, use your creativity to make your headline attention-grabbing, and get your message across.
6 ways to write a killer LinkedIn headline
On LinkedIn, you can use up to 220 characters to make up your headline but now you might think, how do you fit all of the above elements within the character limits?
I would like to remind you that you don’t have to include all elements. And including all elements doesn’t necessarily mean your LinkedIn headline would be good.
The key here is to be balanced. Pick a few that aligns well with the message that you try to bring across.
And here are 6 ways people are using to write a killer LinkedIn headline
1) Focus on using keywords:
Packing your headline with multiple relevant keywords will allow your profile to show up in more search results on LinkedIn. Play the LinkedIn SEO game!
2) Focus on including a mission statement or USP:
Lead with what you believe in and what values you are trying to bring to your audience. Achieving X without having to go through Y.
3) Focus on credentials and achievements:
Showcasing previous results, experience, and achievements. Also featuring different creditable groups and features that you’ve had before.
4) Focus on showcasing personality:
Use an informal and creative way to introduce yourself. Don’t follow normal practices so you can stand out from the crowd and trigger curiosity from your target audience.
5) Focus on results you can bring:
Showcase what potential results you can bring to your target audience. Get them excited and inspire them with success stories that others are achieving. This will encourage them to take action, instead of sitting around waiting for leads to come to them.
6) A bit of everything:
You can always try to mix things up. Include a few of the elements we mentioned above to try build a unique edge for your LinkedIn headline. Here are some good examples of balancing keywords, personality, and your mission statement together:
There are no one-size fits all solution!
Eventually, it comes down to what messaging style you think your audience would prefer and which of the elements above aligns best with your personality.
Now, you have a better idea of how to create a killer LinkedIn headline and you can see them in action with real-life examples of how to tackle them in different ways.
Remember, your LinkedIn headline is only one part of your profile. If you want to further improve your LinkedIn sales profile, you can check out our 6 Steps To Create An Amazing Sales LinkedIn Profile.
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