3 tips to write a LinkedIn summary that dazzles

Your LinkedIn summary is the most powerful online profile you have as an individual or a business. It showcases who you are, your brand, your personality and what you stand for. A bland, poorly written LinkedIn summary can send potential employers or prospective clients heading for the escape hatch, while a punchy, interesting summary can have them begging to connect. So how do you grab your readers’ attention? Here are some tips to make your LinkedIn summary dazzle:

1) Think outside the box.

Your LinkedIn summary should not read like a resume or a cover letter, but rather tell a story. It must peel back the layers of who you really are. Are you a “jazz-playing accountant with a penchant for wasabi-flavoured cocktails and circus performance”? That’s a hell of a lot more intriguing than “an accountant with three years’ experience”. Be creative, use some flair and sell your strong points. What are you passionate about? What are you like to work with?

2) Be specific.

By all means rave about your achievements, but provide specifics and explain how you achieved measurable results. What value did you create? Did you write an award-winning journalistic piece that brought your editor to tears, or did you catch the biggest fish in the history of commercial fishing by using your own severed finger as bait? Whatever your achievements, explain the how, not just the what. Don’t say you’re a good multi-tasker, tell your readers how you can juggle five oranges while listening to a podcast and practising your latest yoga move during your lunch break.

3) Start with a bang.

Humans are fickle. Unless they have a vested interest in reading something, they tend to skim or read a few lines and move on. That’s why you need to hit them with something juicy or interesting from the very beginning. Pose a question, write something abstract or use a couple of one-word sentences. Hook. Line. Sinker. You have up to 2,000 characters at your disposal in your LinkedIn summary, but they’re useless if you don’t grab your readers’ attention quickly.

Don’t forget to use striking photographs and add testimonials to your profile. If you need help crafting witty copy for your LinkedIn summary, Ink Big Copywriting can help. Please get in touch: hello@inkbig.com.au.