The LinkedIn Professional Headline is one of the most important aspects of your LinkedIn Profile
It’s why we’ve dedicated a blog itself to The Anatomy Of A Perfect LinkedIn Professional Headline
If you think about all the places where your LinkedIn professional headline is visible
– 4th area of your profile after Cover Photo, Profile Photo and name
– When you send a connection request to someone
– When you post a status update
– When you comment on someone’s post
– When you post in a group (OK – least relevant part as groups in 2020 are irrelevant)
That’s 5 places where if you’re active that your LinkedIn Professional Headline will be visible. And we all know how important it is for businesses to be visible
WHY IS A LINKEDIN PROFESSIONAL HEADLINE IMPORTANT?
As well as being one of the most visible parts of your LinkedIn Profile
1. It tells people what you do
2. It sells your USP
3. It can be the difference between someone accepting or declining your connection request
THE ANATOMY OF A PERFECT LINKEDIN PROFESSIONAL HEADLINE
This is my LinkedIn Professional headline
“Social Media Trainer – Ranked Number 1 For Social Media Marketing in the UK on Freeindex / 470+ testimonials on LinkedIn”
If you were to break down it’s anatomy it’s
“Clarity – USP + USP”
You immediately know what I do: Social Media Trainer. It isn’t vague, it doesn’t go around the houses, it doesn’t leave any guess work or puzzled faces. It does what it says on the tin
And the double USP are 2 USP’s that wow – there are many social media “experts”, but very few that claim to be anywhere close to 470 Testimonials. In a industry where there are no barriers to entry, the sheer amount of testimonials reduces any friction in the sales process. It makes buying from us a safe purchase.
In short it sells what I do and is unique
The headline works in tandem with everything else I do on LinkedIn from regular posting and engaging with others – but on a daily basis that professional headline draws the right people towards me
BE HONEST – HAS ANYONE EVER QUESTIONED YOUR LINKEDIN PROFESSIONAL HEADLINE?
About 1 in 1000 connections of mine has questioned what Freeindex is
When I explain it’s an independent review website similar to Trustpilot / TripAdvisor / Yelp etc they get it
Freeindex is UK based and has
– Over 1.5 million registered members
– 650,000+ local business reviews
– In my category for Social Media Marketing I’m Ranked 1st out of 747 UK Social Media Marketing Companies. The ranking is based on the number and the quality of reviews.
That’s partly why I go for the double USP in my headline – even if people disregard the Ranked Number 1 for Social Media Marketing, they can’t argue with 470+ Testimonials on LinkedIn
WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE PUT IN THEIR LINKEDIN PROFESSIONAL HEADLINE?
Job Title at Company Name is the most common structure
Your professional headline is your 1 line pitch to gain peoples interest and is included in so many places across LinkedIn
Which sounds better?
Alex McCann – Owner at Altrincham HQ
Or
Alex McCann – Social Media Trainer – Ranked Number 1 For Social Media Marketing in the UK on Freeindex / 470+ testimonials on LinkedIn
The headline can include your company name in – but sell yourself
Include
– Your USP
– Differentiate from competitors
– WOW people
I’VE NOTICED SOME PEOPLE HAVE HELPING IN THEIR LINKEDIN PROFESSIONAL HEADLINE – WHY DON’T YOU?
If you’ve read above you can see I’m giving you hints and tips rather than a formula
I don’t want you to copy a formula and that’s why I don’t recommend the word “Helping” at the start of a professional headline
The helping formula is basically Helping followed by description of the ideal client avatar (* see below)
It’s starting to become less popular nowadays, but the main reason I don’t recommend it is thus
Headlines that start with the word “Helping” never stand out from the pack
Imagine going to a networking meeting (and LinkedIn is the worlds best networking meeting) and the intro round everyone starts off in the same way – you start to zone out after you hear the word “helping” about 3 or 4 times.
It’s a bland nothingness. Everybody on LinkedIn is helping.
As someone said on LinkedIn ” I really don’t like cheesy sales pitch approach on how someone can help me when they don’t know me yet”
* And so often the “Helping ….ideal client” rarely relates to who they’re connecting with. Slight exaggeration here, but I’ve had helping headlines try and connect with me that state “Helping middle aged women in forests in Brazil find their mojo” and I look at my profile, photo and location and just think why connect with me?
SO, IF THERE’S NO FORMULA – WHAT SHOULD YOU HAVE AS A LINKEDIN PROFESSIONAL HEADLINE?
Look at your headline and see that it ticks the following boxes
1. More than just job title at company name
2. Clarity over what you actually do
3. USP (Unique Selling Point) or POD (Point Of Difference)
4. You feel comfortable with it
Or in short
Clarity + USP
IF THIS HAS INSPIRED YOU
Please connect with us on LinkedIn for regular LinkedIn tips
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amccann/
Please message me on LinkedIn or email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk and tell me
1. What your LinkedIn Professional Headline was before
2. What you’ve changed it to
I’d honestly love to hear the changes you make
NEED HELP WITH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA?
Chat to us about Social Media Marketing for YOUR organisation , so we can better understand YOU and what will grow your organisation
We can only find out what is unique to your business by chatting with you
Look at our Social Media Training and Social Media Management services
We offer Social Media Training on
* Twitter
* Facebook
* LinkedIn
* Instagram
* Blogging
We can do this
* 121
* Corporate Workshops
* Group Workshops
* Face to Face or Via Zoom / Skype
Please call Alex on 07806774279 or email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk
