How to Make a Good LinkedIn Profile

Your LinkedIn profile is more than just a digital resume, it's your professional storefront online. This guide walks you through transforming your profile from a simple job history list into a powerful tool that attracts opportunities, builds your network, and establishes your credibility. We'll cover everything from the first-impression elements like your photo and headline to the deeper sections that tell your full career story.

The Critical First Impression: Your Profile Picture &, Banner

When someone lands on your profile, their eyes are immediately drawn to two things: your profile picture and your banner image. Getting these right is non-negotiable because they set the tone for everything else a visitor will read. They are your digital handshake.

Your Profile Picture: Professionalism Meets Personality

Your profile picture is the face of your personal brand. A blurry, cropped-out vacation photo sends the wrong message. Aim for a high-quality headshot where your face takes up about 60% of the frame.

• Keep it Current: Use a recent photo that looks like you. People want to recognize you if you meet them for a video call or in person.
• Simple Background: A neutral, uncluttered background keeps the focus on you. This could be a solid-colored wall, a blurred-out office setting, or even a clean outdoor space.
• Dress the Part: Wear what you would wear to work in your industry. If you're a software developer, a clean t-shirt or polo is fine. If you're in corporate law, a blazer is more appropriate.
• Smile Genuinely: Approachability matters. A warm, genuine smile makes you appear more inviting and trustworthy than a stiff, passport-style photo.

Think of it this way: if a recruiter or potential client sees your photo, what three words do you want them to think? Confident? Friendly? Professional? Aim for a photo that communicates those attributes.

Your Banner Image: The Professional Billboard You Didn't Know You Had

The default blue star-and-line banner is a massive missed opportunity. Your banner image is prime real estate to visually communicate who you are and what you do. It's your billboard.

• Showcase Your Work: A graphic designer might display a collage of their best logos. A photographer could use a striking landscape shot. An author could feature their book cover.
• Highlight Your "Why": Use an image that represents your industry or passion. A sustainability consultant might use a photo of a wind farm. A public speaker could use a shot of them on stage.
• Add Text for Context: You can use a tool like Canva to create a simple banner. Include your name, your core value proposition (e.g., "Helping SaaS startups scale with content marketing"), or your website URL. This immediately tells visitors what you’re all about.

Don't overthink it, but don't ignore it. A custom banner instantly makes your profile look more complete and intentional.

Beyond Your Job Title: Crafting a Headline That Stands Out

Your headline appears everywhere your name does on LinkedIn - in search results, connection requests, and comments. The default format, "Job Title at Company," is descriptive but misses the opportunity to sell your value.

Your headline should answer the question: "What do you do, and for whom?" Think of it as your professional elevator pitch packed into 220 characters. Here's a simple formula to get you started:

[Your Role/Expertise] | Helping [Your Target Audience] [Achieve X Result] with [Your Skill/Method]

Headline Examples in Action:

• Instead of: "Marketing Manager at ABC Corp"
• Try: "Demand Generation Manager | Helping B2B Tech Brands Drive Pipeline with Data-Backed SEO & Content Strategies"
• Instead of: "Software Engineer at Tech Innovations Inc."
• Try: "Senior Frontend Engineer | Building Intuitive User Interfaces with React & TypeScript | Passionate About Web Accessibility"
• Instead of: "Founder at Startup Co."
• Try: "Founder & CEO | Building Tools to Help Creators Monetize Their Passion | Ex-Google"

These upgraded headlines are powerful because they include keywords that recruiters and potential clients are searching for (e.g., "Demand Generation," "React," "TypeScript"). They also clearly state the value you provide, making someone far more likely to click on your profile.

The Heart of Your Profile: Writing a Compelling "About" Section

If your headline is the hook, your "About" section is the story. This is your chance to expand on your headline, inject some personality, and connect with the reader on a human level. Avoid writing in the third person, it can feel distant and corporate. Write as if you’re speaking directly to the reader.

A great "About" section often follows a simple, effective structure:

1. The Hook (First 1-2 Sentences): Start with a strong statement that summarizes your passion, mission, or core expertise. This is what people see before they have to click "see more," so make it count.
2. The Story (2-3 Paragraphs): This is where you connect the dots. Don't just list what you've done, explain why you do it. What problems are you passionate about solving? What's your professional journey been like? You can talk about your unique approach, your core philosophies, and key achievements you’re proud of.
3. The Proof (Specializations & Call to Action): End by clearly listing your areas of expertise or skills in a digestible format, like a bulleted list. This makes it scannable and keyword-rich. Finally, tell people what you want them to do next. Do you want them to connect? Visit your portfolio? Send you an email?

An "About" Section Template:

"For the past [X] years, I've been fascinated with [Your Core Field]. What I love most is [A Quick Summary of Your Why/Passion].

Currently, as a [Your Role] at [Your Company], I specialize in [Key Responsibility 1] and [Key Responsibility 2]. One of the achievements I'm most proud of is [Quick Quantifiable Win], where my team and I [Briefly Explain What You Did].

I believe that [Your Core Philosophy or Belief about Your Work]. My goal is always to deliver [Result] for my clients/team.

Areas of Expertise:

• Skill 1 (e.g., SEO Strategy)

• Skill 2 (e.g., Content Marketing)

• Skill 3 (e.g., User Experience (UX))

• Skill 4 (e.g., Team Leadership)

Feel free to connect or reach out to me at [Your Email Address] if you'd like to talk about [Your Industry]!"

Upgrade Your Experience Section From a Job List to an Achievement Log

Most people treat their Experience section like a copied-and-pasted list of job responsibilities from their resume. This is a mistake. Don't just tell people what you did, show them how well you did it.

The key is to focus on achievements and quantify them whenever possible. Instead of saying "Managed the company blog," show the impact of that management.

Use bullet points to describe your accomplishments under each role. A great framework for this is the STAR method, adapted for LinkedIn:

• Strong Action Verb: Start each bullet with a powerful verb.
• Quantifiable Result: Use numbers, percentages, and dollar amounts to show impact.
• Brief Context: Briefly explain the skill or method used.

Experience Section Examples: Before &, After

Before:

• Responsible for social media accounts
• Wrote blog posts
• Created email newsletters

After:

• Grew our organic social media following by 45% across all platforms in one year by implementing a new content pillar strategy.
• Published over 100 long-form articles, resulting in a 200% increase in organic search traffic and 3 articles ranking #1 for high-intent keywords.
• Managed a monthly email newsletter sent to 50,000+ subscribers, consistently achieving a >35% open rate and a 5% click-through rate.

The "After" version tells a much more compelling story of competence and impact. Also, don't forget to add rich media to your top roles. Link to projects, presentations, videos, or articles you’ve worked on to provide tangible proof of your work.

Skills, Recommendations, & Other Details that Matter

The smaller sections of your profile are often overlooked, but they add critical layers of credibility and searchability.

Curate Your Skills & Seek Endorsements

The Skills section is invaluable for keyword optimization. Add relevant skills to your profile, but don't stop there. Reorder your list to pin your top three, most important skills to the top. These Pinned Skills are more prominent on your profile. Endorsements from your network add weight to these claims, so don't be shy about endorsing others - they'll often return the favor.

Social Proof Through Recommendations

Recommendations are gold. A glowing one-paragraph review from a former manager, client, or teammate is a powerful piece of social proof. They are far more impactful than endorsements because they require genuine effort.

How do you get them? Ask! Reach out to a few trusted connections you've had a great working relationship with. When you request a recommendation on LinkedIn, make it easy for them by reminding them of a specific project you worked on together and what you'd love for them to highlight.

Become Discoverable: Optimize For LinkedIn Search

Remember, LinkedIn is a search engine. When recruiters or potential clients search for someone with your skills, you want your profile to appear at the top of the list. We've talked about it throughout, but it's worth summarizing: strategically place relevant keywords throughout your profile:

• Your Headline
• The first sentences of your About Section
• Your job titles and descriptions in the Experience Section
• Your listed Skills

Think about the terms someone would use to find a professional like you, and make sure those words appear naturally throughout your profile.

Final Thoughts

Building a great LinkedIn profile is an exercise in professional storytelling. By optimizing your headline, crafting a compelling narrative in your 'About' section, and quantifying your achievements, you transform your profile from a static document into a dynamic tool for career growth. It’s an investment that continually pays off as you connect, engage, and grow your personal brand.

Once your profile is polished, the next step is to stay active and share your expertise. We created Postbase because we found that managing a consistent presence on LinkedIn - and other platforms - was far too complicated with older tools. Our visual planning calendar and reliable scheduling help you line up your content weeks in advance, so you can build your personal brand without the daily stress of figuring out what to post.