OPTIMIZE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE – Top to Bottom!
Recently I interviewed my friend, social media guru Andrew Jenkins about how to optimize our LinkedIn profiles. Immediately after the interview, I opened my laptop and started making some changes!
I hope this newsletter has the same effect for YOU! Read on to learn:
- now more than ever – why you need to optimize your LinkedIn profile
- the 3 most important elements of your LinkedIn profile
- LinkedIn quotes
Let’s do this!
Now’s the Time to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
“Now more than ever.” It’s a statement that we hear a lot lately, right? Well, given what’s going on in the world, NOW MORE THAN EVER, it’s time to optimize your LinkedIn profile:
- online events are replacing face-to-face conferences and meetings due to COVID-19
- almost 10% of the world’s population is on LinkedIn (700 million active users)!
- LinkedIn enables us to leverage a transparent network for professionals
So I interviewed Volterra founder Andrew Jenkins to help us all optimize our LinkedIn profiles.
Andrew’s firm Volterra provides social media strategy and implementation consulting to firms. He also teaches social media marketing at the University of Toronto. And – he coaches executives on how to optimize their linkedIn profile!
Andrew highlights that “LinkedIn is not just for job searching.” So what else happens on LinkedIn?
- LinkedIn can serve as your media-rich business card. You can connect with people in real time on LinkedIn when you meet them.
- LinkedIn can communicate your personal brand.
- You can share your thought leadership on LinkedIn
- LinkedIn can help you market your firm, your brand, and/or yourself.
- And yes, LinkedIn serves as a job-searching tool! In 2019, more than 4 million people were hired directly through LinkedIn.
In this podcast episode, you’ll learn how to optimize your LinkedIn profile from top to bottom. If you’re like me, you’ll make some changes to your profile immediately after hearing Andrew’s advice!
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? Click HERE to read the printable shownotes
Volterra founder Andrew Jenkins
The 3 MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS of Your LinkedIn Profile
In the podcast interview, Andrew Jenkins and I go through every element in your LinkedIn profile. Andrew highlights that the 3 most important elements are:
- the HEADLINE
- the HEADSHOT
- the BANNER
HEADLINE
- ***Your headline shows up with every post and comment you make on LinkedIn!
- It’s not just your title, (“V.P. Marketing”). Ask yourself, what do you want the LinkedIn community to know about you? Add your value proposition, strengths expertise, differentiator, certifications,… (Note this is an opportunity to summarize your personal brand story, as per my conversation with master storyteller Bobby Umar)
- Use up to 200 characters, with the most important phrases at the beginning of the headline.
- Use the keywords that you want to be found for in your headline (and in every other element of your profile). But no keyword stuffing!
- If you’re job-searching, avoid putting “open for new opportunities” in your headline. Recruiters will hire you because of your expertise and experience, not because you’re looking for a job!
- (I updated my headline immediately after my conversation with Andrew. What do you think?)
HEADSHOT
- A few pointers: neutral background, no vacation photos, no group photos, wear whatever you usually wear to work.
- Here’s a LinkedIn instructional video on how to take a headshot selfie.
- Get a professional headshot whenever you have the opportunity to do so – maybe at a conference or when there’s a professional photographer taking photos for a website.
- (My headshot was taken by a professional photographer who was hired to take a group photo of a board of directors. After he took photos of our group, he asked, “does anyone need a headshot?” – Yes! Thank you!)
BANNER
- Andrew Jenkins says that the banner photo is like free advertising for your personal brand. What do you want people to know about you?
- Consider an image that portrays your values, your expertise, your clients/customers, or perhaps you working – in action!
- (My current banner photo is one of my paintings. I need a new one! Any ideas? Maybe one of the hero images from my website?)
Inspired?
LinkedIn QUOTES



That’s it!
Hey – if we’re not connected yet on LinkedIn – please connect with me now! Here’s my personal profile and here’s Talk About Talk.
I hope you enjoy the ?podcast, and I hope it inspires you to optimize your profile!
If you know someone who could also use some help optimizing their LinkedIn profile, please forward this email. THANK YOU!
Have a great week.
Talk soon,
Dr. Andrea Wojnicki
Chief Talker & Communication Coach
P.S. – PLEASE forward this newsletter to your friends who would like to improve their Communication Skills. Thank you, I ?appreciate it!
Most Recent ?Podcast Episodes:
#61 – WHAT I LEARNED FROM PODCASTING
#60 – THE POWER OF STORYTELLING with Bobby Umar
#59 – CONFIDENCE Part 2 – IN THE MOMENT
#58 – CONFIDENCE Part 1 – MENTAL PREPARATION
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