How to Make a Great Linkedin Profile - TIPS + EXAMPLES

Summary

The video provides tips for creating an impactful LinkedIn profile to boost your professional branding. It advises having a quality headshot that makes you appear competent, influential and likable. It suggests crafting an attractive headline using keywords, your role and company, and an intriguing 'zing factor.' Finally, it recommends writing a strong summary that highlights your skills, offers solutions you provide, and includes social proof via links to external sites and media.

Takeaways

• 😀 LinkedIn is the biggest business-to-business social network, so having a good profile is important for success
• 👔 Use a professional, high-quality headshot as your profile picture
• 📸 Use Photofeeler.com to get your picture rated on competence, influence and likability
• 🌄 Customize your background picture to communicate your profession
• 🗣️ Optimize your headline to include important keywords people may search for
• ✍️ Write a strong summary highlighting your skills, strengths and solutions you offer
• 🔗 Include social proof like links to your website, blog, videos etc. in your summary
• 🎥 It's easy to add rich media like YouTube videos to your summary
• 💡 Leave your LinkedIn URL in the comments to get profile feedback and tips
• 👍 Like, follow and subscribe for more helpful video content

Q & A

What are some things to avoid in your LinkedIn profile picture?

Things to avoid are: wearing shades or sunglasses, headwear, showing alcohol, not looking into the camera, bad lighting, pictures taken inside a vehicle, and pictures that look like they were taken while on vacation.

How can you find out if your LinkedIn profile picture is good?

You can use the website Photofeeler.com to get feedback on your profile picture. It lets other professionals rate your picture on likability, influence, and competence.

Why is your headline important on LinkedIn?

Your headline is important because it's like the title of an ad - it needs to draw people into your profile and make them want to read more about you.

What are some tips for writing a good LinkedIn headline?

Tips include: use your job title and company name, incorporate important keywords people may search for, and add a 'zing factor' - something surprising or attention-grabbing.

Where can you explain your skills and strengths in your LinkedIn profile?

You can explain your skills and strengths in the summary section below your headline.

How can you add social proof to your LinkedIn summary?

You can add links to your website, blog, slideshares, and YouTube videos directly within your summary section.

Why should you include important keywords in your LinkedIn headline?

Including keywords helps your profile show up when people search LinkedIn for those terms. If you're a marketing professional, for example, include words like SEO or email marketing.

What type of background photo works well on LinkedIn?

A background photo that visually communicates what you do works well. For example, a market researcher could use graphs and charts as her background image.

What is the purpose of the 'zing factor' in your LinkedIn headline?

The 'zing factor' is something surprising or attention-grabbing that explains a bit more about what you stand for. It serves as a conversation starter.

What three criteria does Photofeeler use to rate your profile picture?

Photofeeler has professionals rate your picture based on likability, influence, and competence.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Key Elements for an Impactful LinkedIn Profile Picture

The first paragraph discusses recommendations for having a professional LinkedIn profile picture, including having a close-up headshot looking directly at the camera with a neutral background and appropriate attire. It suggests using Photofeeler.com to get unbiased feedback on profile pictures.

05:02

😉 Craft an Appealing LinkedIn Headline and Summary

The second paragraph explains best practices for writing an engaging LinkedIn headline, using keywords, company name, and a "zing factor." It also covers tips for an effective profile summary, like highlighting skills and strengths, adding social proof with external links, and inviting viewers to connect.

Keywords

💡LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the world's largest professional networking platform. According to the script, LinkedIn is the biggest business-to-business social network and having a good LinkedIn profile is important for professional success. The video focuses on tips to optimize your LinkedIn profile.

💡profile picture

Your LinkedIn profile picture is the first thing people see and it shapes their initial impression of you. The script emphasizes having a professional, high-quality headshot with a neutral background and appropriate dress.

💡headline

Your LinkedIn headline appears below your name and should attract attention like an ad title. The script recommends using your job title + company + important keywords + a "zing factor" that surprises people.

💡keywords

Including important keywords in your LinkedIn profile helps people find you when searching. For instance, if you're a marketing professional, use words like "SEO," "email marketing," etc.

💡summary

Your LinkedIn summary explains your skills, strengths, and offerings. The script recommends adding social proof like links to your website, blog, presentations, and YouTube videos.

💡social proof

Social proof refers to external validation and endorsements that build credibility. The script states that adding links and YouTube videos to your LinkedIn summary provides strong social proof.

💡background picture

LinkedIn allows you to customize the background photo behind your profile. The script suggests updating this, as the default is boring. It shows an example background that communicates a strategist's profession.

💡Photofeeler

Photofeeler is a free online app mentioned in the video. It allows professionals to receive feedback and ratings on their LinkedIn pictures for likeability, influence and competence.

💡feedback

At the end, the host offers to review anyone's actual LinkedIn profile and provide feedback and tips on how to improve it if they share their profile link in the comments.

💡optimization

The overarching focus of the video is how to optimize your LinkedIn presence, including your profile picture, headline, summary, background.

Highlights

Linkedin is the biggest business to business social network in the world.

Your profile picture is very important because on the basis of your profile picture people will want to connect to you.

Have a close up picture, look into the camera, smile, have a neutral background and dress appropriately.

Use Photofeeler.com to get your profile picture reviewed on likability, influence and competence.

Update your background picture on Linkedin to get a more professional look.

Your headline should draw people in to your profile and make them want to read more about you.

Incorporate important keywords in your headline so people can find you when searching.

Add a 'zing factor' to your headline to get attention and act as a conversation starter.

Explain your skills, strengths and solutions you can offer in your summary.

Add social proof to your summary like links to your website.

Transcripts

Forget about Twitter, Instagram and Facebook Linkedin is where the money is

Linkedin is the biggest business to business social network in the world.

So if you want to be there and you want to be successful on Linkedin than it's important

that you have a good Linkedin profile.

In order to have a good profile we want to review 3 key factors.

First thing is your profile picture.

Your profile picture is very important because on the basis of your profile picture people

will want to connect to you or offer you business proposals or maybe offer you a job.

Now, if you don't have a profile picture or if it's outdated than you really have to work

on that.

What do you need to have a good profile picture?

Well, first thing is that is has to be close up.

Look into the camera, smile, have a neutral background and dress appropriately, wearing

minimal jewellery and accessories and certainly no headwear or no sunglasses.

These are things to avoid in your profile picture.

Like shades This picture could work on Instagram but it's

not really suitable for Linkedin.

Ok, this one.

No explanation needed I think, no alcohol ever.

These are actually existing profile pictures that I found on Linkedin.

Ok, this one taken in a car, not looking in the camera, bad lighting.

The guy with the big cigar.

And this lady probably somewhere on holiday.

Now these pictures could work on Instagram but they are not really suitable for Linkedin

because you need a professional look on Linkedin.

So how do you know that your profile picture is good?

You could ask colleagues or maybe friends but there's another thing that you can do

and that's to use Photofeeler.com Now Photofeeler.com is an application, it's

a free one It's online and what it does is that professionals

like you and me they review your picture on the basis of three criteria: likability, influence

and competence.

Now let me give you an example, so here it is.

I logged in my existing Linkedin profile and you can see people rate my picture as very

competent and influential but as you can see I'm not considered very likeable.

So what I did I uploaded another picture where you see me smiling more.

And as you can see likability has improved but not dramatically but my competence and

influence have dropped.

So I decided to stick to my original picture because to me on Linkedin having an image

of being competent and influential is far more important that being likable.

So Photofeeler.com try it, use it and update your picture.

Now, another thing that you can do is to also update your background picture on Linkedin

because few people do that.

And standard, by default you have like this blueish background image which is a little

bit boring So you can update that.

And it''s really easy and it really helps you to get and even more professional look

on Linkedin.

So let me give you an example of a background picture

For instance here"s an example of Tara Hunt.

She's a market researcher and strategist and she communicates that perfectly is this great

background picture.

So make it work for you.

Second thing you want to do is to have a look at your headline.

Your headline is the piece of text that comes below your name.

And your headline you have to see that as an ad as the tile of an ad.

It has to you know draw the people in to your profile and make them want to read more about

you.

Now per default Linkedin uses your job title there.

There's nothing wrong with that but sometimes that can be a little bit boring.

Like marketing assistant or sales manager or whatever.

So there's a simple rule that you can use to enhance to make your title better on Linkedin.

And that's to use your job function and company name + most important keywords + Zing factor.

Now let me explain that.

Of course you have your job title and then your company name but it' also very important

to ad the important keywords.

Now why is that,?

Because when people go on Linkedin they often try to find certain profiles.

They use the search option to find certain profiles.

Now think of the keywords that people would use to find you and incorporate those in your

title.

For instance if you are a marketing manager or a marketing professional and you have experience

with SEO or e-mail marketing then it's important to use those words SEO and e-mail marketing

in your title.

And then the Zing factor.

That's something that surprises people, that could be a conversation starter, that explains

a little bit more what you stand for.

It's something to get attention with.

Let's have a look at an example.

This is the headline in my profile Communication trainer, coach and partner at

Expert Academy.

I included the most important keywords: like trainer and coach and communication and also

my company Expert Academy.

And then the zing is: Helping people in their professional growth

Here's another great headline from Tim Queen.

He managed to get all the important keywords in the headline and make it attractive and

teasing.

Marketing and Branding Strategist, Keynote Speaker, Youtuber and Founder.

Now the third thing you want to do is to write a strong summary.

The summary is the piece of text that you can find below your title.

In your summary you can explain what your skills are, what your strengths are.

For instance if you are a sales manager, then you can explain in your summary how you can

help other people, how you can help businesses to grow or what solutions you can offer to

them.

Also in your summary you can add social proof.

Now that is very very strong.

You can add links to you website, to a blog, a slide share and you can even add youtube

videos there.

And it's very easy to do, it's super easy.

Let me show you how it works.

Here is my summary and as you can see I have a link to my web page here and a link to a

Youtube video.

So when you click here people can watch the Youtube video inside the Linkedin application.

Adding external media is super easy.

Just click the pencil here to edit your profile.

Scroll down to the summary section and there you have the upload buttons for files and

links.

So let's say we want to link to a Youtube video, just paste the link here and as you

can see you get the preview and you can change the title and the description if you want.

Ok, so here's an extra bonus.

If you want you can leave the link to your Linkedin profile in the comments here below

and then I'll be happy to review it and have a look at your profile and to give you some

feedback and some tips on how to improve it.

Just leave the link to your Linkedin profile here below.

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