“Instagram is cute, but I need you to take LinkedIn seriously.” – Brandon Smithwrick 🧠
Invest in your professional presence. Optimize your LinkedIn profile.
1. Use a Professional Photo
Importance: Profiles with photos get up to 21x more views.
Action: Choose a recent, professional, and approachable photo.
Pro Tip: Set your profile visibility to ‘Public’ to increase reach.
2. Create a Short Profile Post or Video Introducing Yourself
Purpose: Introduce yourself in a post or 30-second video.
Action: Be conversational, share your story, and highlight your expertise.
3. Craft a Headline That Shows Who You Are
Opportunity: Showcase who you are, not just your job title.
Action: Highlight your expertise, personality, and what you bring to the table.
Pro Tip: Add name pronunciation and pronouns.
4. Turn on Creator Mode to Highlight Your Content
Benefit: Access features like analytics, newsletters, and LinkedIn Live.
Action: Turn on Creator Mode.
5. Feature Your Best Work in the Featured Section
Use: Highlight important work, links, videos, and articles.
Action: Select 2-3 pieces of content you are most proud of and showcase them in the Featured section.
6. Write a Compelling About Section
Function: Your personal elevator pitch.
Action: Summarize your mission, motivation, and skills in a few paragraphs or bullet points. Include key achievements and what drives you.
7. Detail Your Experience with Clear, Concise Achievements
Content: Focus on your current role, projects, accomplishments, and impact.
Action: Write about specific projects, results, and the value you brought to your roles. Use bullet points for clarity.
Pro Tip: Pin work (e.g., videos, presentations) to each experience to showcase your work.
8. Post Valuable, Engaging Content Regularly
Content: Share insights, tips, and stories that add value to your audience.
Action: Post weekly, using a natural and conversational tone. Use 3-5 relevant hashtags.
Pro Tip: Share leadership or career advice with personal stories to make it unique.
9. Engage with Your Network Authentically
Engagement: Like, comment, and share posts from your connections.
Action: Ask questions, join discussions, and provide thoughtful feedback to others’ posts.
10. Build Meaningful Connections
Networking: Connect with people in your industry, mentors, and peers.
Action: Personalize connection requests and follow up with a message to start a conversation.
Your network wants to support you. They want to refer you for jobs and recommend your business. Make it easy for them by having a strong LinkedIn presence.
Don’t underestimate the power of LinkedIn in shaping your career.