LET’S CREATE:
Your Headline text will appear on LinkedIn Search Results and suggested connections making it vital retail space.
When crafting your headline it is important to remember that your prospect doesn’t know you and at this stage isn’t interested to find out more. They are just going about their day, either passing away time on LinkedIn with no direction or actively looking for something.
Whatever mode they’re in, its up to us to grab their attention.
The best way to do this is to create a sentence that sums up the problem you solve i.e. their problem. If they are your prospect it will instantly resonate with them and create curiosity.
A headline allows for 185 characters including spaces however since it crosses over two lines it’s important to consider how it sits on the profile. Having the last word sitting on a new line or keywords split over two lines, will detract from the impact you’re looking to create.
You might opt for a sentence with a few keywords to further set the context, or you might go for just a sentence or just keywords. The choice is yours, but remember it is all about impact.
It’s best to avoid using your job title, as at this stage, your prospect won’t care and most job titles are descriptive anyway. If you’re a ‘Telemarketer’ or ‘Sales Rep’ for example, saying so will likely put your prospect off since people generally don’t like sales people.
The same is true for your company name. Since it automatically appears to the right of your headline, there is no reason to include it in your profile.
- What industry keywords do I need to include?
- What problem do I solve for my clients?
- What is relevant to my prospect?
- Why would someone click on my profile over any other?
These paragraphs have been constructed especially for you. Pick one paragraph from each section and customise your entry until you are happy.
Sentences
Your Headline can be made up of 2-3 sections depending on the length of each section. The most important part is the ‘Setting the Stage’ sentence as it is this that will grab people’s attention and have them view your profile.
From here, you have the choice to add your job role as well as keywords. See the next section for keywords.
Select the sentence that best sums up what you do, and is reflected in the content of your profile. Feel free to create your own or edit until it fits how you’d like it to.
Full Example:
Helping Manufacturers accelerate their end-to-end sales process with tailor-made Financial solutions | Country Sales Manager
Helping Companies Access the Right Funding | Senior Account Manager | Construction, Transport and Industrial
Helping Companies Finance The Equipment They Need To Thrive | Construction, Transportation and Industrial | Job Role
If you’re in a senior position, you may want to add your job title first. Not recommended for other roles.
Vice President of Fleet Solutions | Helping Companies Leverage Flexible Financing Programs to Grow Their Businesses
IMPORTANT: Setting the Stage
The suggestions below were created before LinkedIn increased the 120 character limit, so now you can choose one of these sentences and include other key words as well.
Helping the Manufacturing Industry Keep Pace with Innovation by Providing Innovative & Flexible Finance Solutions – 113/120
Helping Companies Leverage Flexible Financing Programs to Grow Their Businesses – 79/120
Helping Manufacturers accelerate their end-to-end sales process with tailor-made Financial solutions – 100/120
Accelerating Business Growth with Innovative Financial Solutions 64/120
Helping Companies Access the Right Funding 42/120
Helping Companies access the equipment they need when they need it with an innovative approach to Finance 105/120
Providing Global One-Stop-Shop Financial Solutions within Construction, Transport and Industrial 96/120
Helping Companies Finance The Equipment They Need To Thrive 60/120
Breaking down the barriers to automating your processes with flexible financing solutions (78/120)
Keywords
These words can be added after your ‘Setting the Stage’ sentence. You may opt for these words instead of stating your job role. Remember your job role is still stated on the profile so it doesn’t matter if it’s not in your headline. The key is having the person visit your profile in the first place.
NOTE: The total number of characters is 185.
Choose from:
Financial Solutions
Construction, Transport and Industry
Flexible Usage-based Financial Solutions
Fair Market Value Leasing
Commercial Solutions
Pay-Per-Use Solutions
Fleet Solutions
Used Equipment Financing
Asset Management
Intralogistics

Visit your LinkedIn profile and click on the blue pencil that appears to the right of your photo.
Update your headline within the pop-up that appears
Click Save

Write your headline offline so you can check the length first
Try to avoid the sentence formatting awkwardly over multiple lines, and consider that saying less is more.
Add Emojis to brighten your profile, but only if it is inline with your company brand image.

Create a sentence that uses keywords and highlights the problem you solve.
Have your prospect front of mind.
For inspiration look at your company slogan, blog titles or popular blog titles within your industry. This will give you keywords and even the problem sentence.
Make sure it sets the context for the conversation you’re about to have on your profile
Avoid adding in specific words that you then don’t mention in your profile i.e. Coaching with the Precision of a Michelin Star Chef when you aren’t one or don’t list that you were in your experience. Everything needs context.
More advice