SD #14: 6 Steps to Making a Great First Impression on LinkedIn

6 Steps to Making a Great First Impression on LinkedIn

Read Time: 5.0 minutes

First impressions are very important. I tell my clients to write their "About" section first, and then from that extract the headline and create a banner.

— Sophie Lechner | LinkedIn Coach

Many of you joined us for our communicate4IMPACT LIVE show last week. For those who missed it, guest Sophie Lechner, LinkedIn expert and coach, shared some great insights on how to grow your LinkedIn presence. Today, we're going to highlight some takeaways from the show, specifically related to creating an awesome LinkedIn headline and banner.

What’s the Tip?

You can take 6 steps to creating a great first impression on LinkedIn. Obviously, a great first impression is key if you want to grow your presence and engagement with other LinkedIn members. Follow these steps to stand out: 

1. Create your "About" section on your profile page first, then from there extract your headline (the headline is the field below your name, and it is limited to 220 characters). Make sure your "About" section has a very clear and short description of who you help, how you help, the results you want them to get, and why you're passionate about what you do. Everyone is unique, and this should shine in your "About" section.
   
   
2. Make sure your headline covers who you're serving and how you're helping. This is where you have to leave your ego at home, folks. This is not where you should put your title (i.e., President, CEO, Golden-Globe Award winner (smile). Save those titles for your current and past work experience section. Instead, try something like "Lover of baseball cards who has built a highly valuable collection can help you build the best collection of all time". (Just made that up - but you get the drift). The words you put here are important because these are the words that are displayed next to your profile pic on every post or comment that you make. Think of it as a "mini billboard ad" for your expertise.
   
   
3. Smile in that profile pic! Make sure you're representing yourself as someone who is friendly so people will want to engage with you. Who wants to connect with someone unapproachable?
   
   
4. Size and create your banner correctly. Your banner should reflect your brand colors, say a little bit about you and be in large type (at minimum 20 pt. font). Remember that 60%+ people are looking at your profile banner on mobile, so they need to be able to read those choice words that you've so carefully selected on their phones.
   
   
5. Be generous - don't sell. Don't try to sell something on the first date. Remember, that people are often checking you out for the first time. Take this opportunity to establish your expertise and share something for free with a lead magnet. A free e-book, a quiz, a newsletter, etc., work great!
   
   
6. Consider putting a QR Code on your banner. Remove barriers and make it easy for your profile visitor to get your free offer or visit your website. We use a free QR code generator from PrintElf.

What Are Some Examples?

After our show with Sophie, Lisa-Marie made some changes to her LinkedIn banner. The first example is her banner before the show with Sofie and contains an offer for sale and has a lot of words with no QR code. The second example is after revision - and you can see in the third example, that the words are still readable even on mobile.

What’s the Benefit to You?

Making a great first impression is critical to growing presence and engagement. A great place to start is with your profile and banner.  

If you'd like more tips from Sophie, like LinkedIn etiquette dos and don'ts - watch the full show recording. You can also see Sophie's own example of a great LinkedIn banner by visiting her profile. While there, make sure to take her Quiz to find out what kind of LinkedIn user you are!

TL; DR

You can take 6 steps to creating a great first impression on LinkedIn. 

• 1. Create your "About" section on your profile page first, then from that extract your headline.
     
     
  2. Make sure your headline covers who you're serving and how you're helping.
     
     
  3. Smile and look approachable in that profile pic!
     
     
  4. Size and create your banner correctly.
     
     
  5. Be generous - don't sell.
     
     
  6. Consider putting a QR Code on your banner. 

Whenever you're ready to start creating powerful narratives in your business content, we can help!

1. Master the 3 StoryHacks you need to create powerful narratives in our On-Demand Course: Stress-Free Storytelling for Solopreneurs or in a Private VIP Workshop.

2. Get real-time feedback for a special project or presentation and elevate your business storytelling with live, virtual 1:1 Coaching.

We hope this issue has been helpful. We look forward to seeing you next week!