Set Up Your LinkedIn Profile

With the LinkedIn Profile format, here is a quick checklist to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward. Follow these steps to optimise your profile!

1. Headshot: Does it look like you?

Your profile picture should look like you! Ideally, it is less than 2 years old and reflect your current hairstyle and weight. People should be able to recognise you when you walk into a meeting. For a nice, clean headshot, there is a free tool called Remove.bg that crops around your head to remove the background. 

2. Name: Is it what people know you by?

If you have recently married and changed your surname, you may like to include your maiden name as well. eg. Mary (Smith) Brown. Or if everyone knows you by a nickname, pen name or an abbreviated name, use that as well. eg. Edward (Ted) Jones or Rowdy McLean.

3. Headline: Does it say what you do?

This is where you put your role, who you help and what you do. It’s what people will see beneath your name on LinkedIn and it’s what they’ll continue to see as they interact with you. That’s why it’s so important to consider what you write here. My tip is to use language your customers would use rather than industry or business jargon. eg. “Mortgage & Finance Broker” instead of “Director of XYZ Corp”

Ideally include a value proposition using this format “I help [ideal client] create [desired outcome- quality luxury homes in the XXX Region].”

4. About: Does it explain who you help?

Review your About because now you have 2000 characters to use. Plus ~40% more words appear ‘above the fold’. Use this space wisely to explain who you help and how you help them. I recommended formatting this section with some subheadings in CAPITALS and also some bullet points to make it easy for people to scan. Plus it’s a great idea to add PDFs or videos to the Media section at the very bottom. The About section is what people will most likely read when they do their research and google stalk you before they make an enquiry or engage your services.

5. Background Image: Do you have one?

Have you put up an appropriate background image? It’s probably time to ditch the boring, default blue background image and update it to jazz up your LinkedIn profile. They recommend an image size of 1,584 x 396 px. You can use Canva for free to create a perfectly sized background graphic. Since many people are visual, it’s also recommended that you overlay words on the background image (which Canva lets you do easily.)

6. Contact Info: Can people reach you?

Double check your contact info is exactly what you want your contacts to be able to see! If you’re in a sales or business development role it is usually advantageous if contacts can find your email and mobile number.

7. Experience: Have you fleshed this section out?

In the Experience section, LinkedIn now allows you to go into more detail about all the aspects of your roles at various companies you’ve been with. It’s well worth describing your professional journey and also explain the various ways you can help your clients.

8. Custom URL: Have you reserved yours?

You can create a Custom URL for your LinkedIn Profile for free. Edit this via Public Profile & URL in the top right-hand side. You can change your LinkedIn URL from a clumsy sequence of numbers and letters like this www.linkedin.com/in/leannecohens/b733a844 / to a nice clean URL like this www.linkedin.com/in/leannecohens.

Next Lesson: Creating Your Business Page