Using LinkedIn strategically to grow my network, build my personal brand and bring in work has been one of the smartest things I’ve done in my career. I didn’t always use it that way. Early on, I treated it like most people do, as a place to list roles and stay somewhat visible. Over time, I started to see how much more it could do. When you’re intentional, LinkedIn becomes a tool for building relationships, staying top of mind and creating opportunities that lead to real business.
When someone views your profile, they should be able to quickly understand what you do, what kind of work you focus on and why someone would want to work with you. Clarity matters. So does tone. The way you present yourself helps people remember you and reach out when the time is right.
Your Headline Does More Work Than You Think
The headline is that line of text right under your name. It appears every time you comment, post or show up in search. Most people let LinkedIn autopopulate it with their job title and company name. That’s a wasted opportunity.
Think of your headline like the tagline on a book cover. It should tell people what you do and why they should care.
Mine used to say “Director of Marketing at [Company Name].” Accurate, but meaningless outside the firm. It didn’t tell anyone what I actually do or how I can help. Now it’s specific and descriptive. It reflects what I bring to the table and gives people context about me. It answers the why about me – not just the who I am.
If you’re not sure what to write in your LinkedIn headline, start by answering these questions:
- What do you want to be known for?
- Who do you help?
- What kind of work do you do best?
- How would others describe you?
- How are you different from your peers and competitors?
Here’s a simple LinkedIn headline formula that works: [What you do] + [Who you help] + [Your differentiator or outcome]
For example: Helping lawyers build stronger personal brands and bring in business through LinkedIn and beyond.
You only get 220 characters. Make every one count.
The About Section Is the Most Underused Part of LinkedIn
Your LinkedIn About section is your bio and your chance to tell your story in your own words. Many people skip it or treat the About section like an afterthought. They either copy and paste their formal bio or write in the third person, which makes it feel disconnected and impersonal. That kind of language doesn’t help anyone understand what you actually do or how you work. It just adds more noise.
This is one of the most important parts of your LinkedIn presence. It gives people a chance to see who you are professionally, what kind of work you focus on and how you show up for clients and colleagues. When it’s written well, it helps attract the right opportunities, referrals and conversations. When it’s vague or generic, it gets overlooked.
I rewrote my About section because the version I had wasn’t doing anything for me. It listed jobs and responsibilities, but it didn’t say how I think, what I care about or how I approach my work. It didn’t sound like me, and it definitely didn’t make anyone want to reach out. When I took the time to write it in a way that reflected my actual experience, style and perspective, people started paying attention. I had more views, more conversations and more of the right kind of opportunities. It made a real difference.
If you’re not sure where to start with your About section, here’s a structure that works:
- Start with a clear sentence about what you do and with whom who you work.
- Explain how you approach your work in a way that reflects your perspective.
- Mention the types of clients, matters or industries on which you focus.
- Add one or two specific details that help people remember you. You might include the type of work you handle most often, the industries you focus on or an approach that reflects your perspective. These details should give someone a clearer picture of who you are and what you bring to your work.
- Close with a sentence that invites someone to reach out or continue the conversation without being salesy.
You don’t need to include your entire background. Just give people a sense of what you do, how you work and what matters to you. That’s what helps the right people understand who you are and why they might want to talk to you.
The Importance of the Featured Section
The Featured section is one of the most overlooked parts of LinkedIn. Most people either skip it or leave something outdated sitting there. But it’s the first thing someone sees after your bio. You control what shows up. Use it to highlight work you’re proud of, content that shows how you think or anything you want someone to notice first. If you don’t use this space, you’re missing a real opportunity.
Some ideas of what to include:
- A post that performed well and shows your perspective
- Your blog, podcast or video series
- A client alert or article you wrote
- A recent speaking engagement
- A noteworthy professional accomplishment
- A podcast episode you were on
- Your Substack or email newsletter
- An interview or profile featuring you
- A downloadable worksheet or guide
The Featured section is easy to overlook, but it’s one of the most useful parts of your profile. It gives you the chance to guide someone’s attention without making them scroll through everything you’ve ever posted. I try to keep mine current with things I’ve written, spoken about or shared that reflect the kind of work I do. If you’ve been part of a panel, published something or shared a post that really resonated, this is a good place to put it. It helps people understand what you’re working on and how you think.
Keep Your Experience Section Focused on Impact
Your Experience section is more than a place to list job titles and responsibilities. It’s a chance to show how your work has made a difference. When someone looks at this part of your profile, they’re not just looking for where you’ve worked. They’re trying to understand what you’ve done, how you work and what kind of impact you’ve had.
It helps to go beyond the basics. If you’ve worked across different practices, led projects, built something from the ground up or contributed to firm growth in a meaningful way, this is the place to showcase it. You’re helping someone connect the dots between your experience and your value.
Keep it skimmable and focused on the work that reflects where you want to go next. Think of it as a highlight reel, not a task list.
Post Strategically
Having a strong profile is important, but it’s only part of the equation. What really helps people understand who you are and how you work is seeing how you show up over time. That comes from what you post, what you comment on and how you engage.
You don’t need to post every day. You don’t need to treat LinkedIn like a second job. But some consistency goes a long way. Share something useful. Highlight a colleague. Add a perspective to a conversation already happening. None of it needs to be perfect. It just needs to reflect how you think and what you care about.
That kind of activity builds visibility and credibility in a way that a static profile never will. It keeps you connected and makes it easier for the right people to find you when it matters.
Here are some simple ideas on what you can post:
- Share a quick takeaway from a recent deal, event or article
- Highlight a colleague’s success or firm achievement
- Offer tips based on your own experience
- Repurpose something you wrote internally and make it public-facing
- Comment meaningfully on other people’s posts
Your profile matters, but it’s not enough on its own. People learn who you are by seeing how you show up. That means what you post, what you engage with and the conversations you contribute to.
You don’t have to post every day. You don’t need a content calendar. But if you want to stay visible and build meaningful connections, it helps to show up regularly in a way that feels natural to you. That could be sharing a perspective on something happening in your industry, spotlighting someone else’s work or commenting on a post that resonates.
Over time, that kind of activity helps people understand how you think and what you bring to the table. It builds trust. It keeps you on people’s radar without you having to push. And it gives others a reason to reach out when the timing is right.
Use LinkedIn to Stay Top of Mind With the Right People
Some of the most effective ways to use LinkedIn have nothing to do with posting. They have to do with staying in touch, checking in and showing up in small but meaningful ways.
It could be someone starting a new job, getting promoted or being quoted in an article. Those are natural moments to reach out. A quick note saying “congrats, I saw this and thought of you” can be the start of a real conversation. And those conversations can turn into referrals, collaborations or new work down the line. Not because you asked for anything, but because you stayed present.
I’ve seen this happen over and over. The people who build strong networks are the ones who pay attention and follow up. Not just when they need something, but consistently over time. They use LinkedIn as a way to stay connected, not just visible.
If you’re already checking your notifications, take an extra minute to send a message when something comes up. That one small action can lead to a big opportunity later.
Start Where You Are
You don’t have to do all of this in one day. But I promise you, even small changes can have a big impact.
Fix your headline. Rewrite your bio. Add one piece of content to your Featured section.
Show up. Be yourself. Share what you know.
When you start using LinkedIn with purpose, it becomes more than a profile. It becomes a business development tool, a relationship builder and a way to stay visible in the places that matter.
It changed everything for me. It can do the same for you.
Check out a video with more on this topic.
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