The Best LinkedIn Profile for a Founder
- Build You Marketing
- Nov 10, 2023
- 8 min read
Updated: Jul 18
LinkedIn is one of the most powerful social media tools for founders to grow their company and spread their message.
Founders NEED to be using LinkedIn... the most random benefits come from it. A few examples:
A client was featured in a news article because of her post about representation within the entrepreneurship space.
We landed a new PR client because a PR firm founder was at capacity and referred one of her clients to us.
A CPG brand we work with had an investor reach out to invest who she didn't know simply because he liked her LinkedIn content.
One of our clients raised funds for her crowdfunding campaign from LinkedIn connections she didn't know.
Simply from posting on LinkedIn.
When someone comments or likes your post, it gets pushed to their network. LinkedIn makes it easy to generate new leads and expand your network. Someone from your ideal customer profile likes your post? You're in luck because it is likely that person has similar people in their network who your post will now reach!
Great -- you have reached people with your content, but if you don't have a fantastic profile, that might mean nothing now. So today, we are taking you through each section of your LinkedIn profile and how to optimize it to improve conversion and capture business opportunities for you.
Headshot, Banner & Title
Your profile header is important for branding and for people to quickly understand what you do.
The first thing people will see in their feed when you either like, comment or share a post is your profile photo; therefore, it needs to be GREAT.
A Great LinkedIn Profile Photo:
1. See your face clearly
You want to make sure people know it is you. Grab your camera (or a friend with one), find some great lighting (light in front of you) and snap a headshot photo.
2. Zoom In (Shoulder Length)
Ensure your headshot is zoomed-in to a shoulder length height. Any headshot that is too zoomed out will make it hard for people to see your face.
3. Clean Background
Using a solid colored OR blurred background is recommended because it helps make your headshot 'pop' and easier to see.
Banner:
This is where you want to represent your company and make it a part of your personal brand.
1. Logo on the Right
Position your logo on the right side of your banner as this optimizes your banner for mobile and also allows people to clearly see both your logo and headshot side-by-side.
2. Dark Background
Make sure your banner background is NOT white because it will not mesh properly with your headshot. Your company's 'third' color could make for good use here.
Profile Title:
Every time your content pops into the LinkedIn feed, users get one lightning-fast snapshot of who you are through your profile headline. Most people use the default formula:
“Founder & CEO of [Company].”
But, it adds no value. Unless you’re a national brand, people won’t know what your company actually does just by seeing the name. Let’s trade that label for a line that sells your value with a single glance. A great headline boils down into two key sections:
Outcome: Start with the result you deliver.
“Creating LinkedIn Content & Landing News Features”
Audience: Name who benefits.
“…for Founders, Executives, and Companies.”
By stating the exact outcome and who you serve, people viewing your headline know instantly if your page is for them.
Plus, it builds name-topic association. “Oh, Jake’s that guy that writes LinkedIn content.”
About Section
This is your chance to tell people a little bit more about yourself and improve your profile's Search Engine Optimization.
About:
1. Start with 'Why'
Begin your about section with 1 sentence about 'why' you do what you do. This is a quick way to engage profile viewers with the deeper meaning of your venture and can reveal your mission
2. Insert your venture 1 Sentence Description
Insert your business one-liner to connect your 'why' with your venture, and show people that you are actually doing something about the problem you are solving.
3. Keep it Short
2-3 sentences MAXIMUM. People like to scan and do not have a lot of time. Nobody wants to read a 10 paragraphs (or 1 for that matter). Be concise and get your point across.
Top Skills:
Let everyone know what you can do in your sleep! List of 3-5 of your top skills to feature on your profile.
1. Make them Industry Related
In you run a marketing agency, then all 5 of those skills should encompass some part of your business' services. If you run a tech company, your featured skills should relate back to the mission you are trying to solve.
2. Think about Thought Leadership
What categories do you want to be known as an expert in? Brainstorming those skills / activities can help you decide what to feature in this section.
Featured Section
This section is all about getting people to take action and building credibility. Why should someone trust you? Link articles, posts or other items that build your ethos.
1. Lead Magnet
The first link in your featured section should be a lead magnet: a free resource you provide to your target audience that helps them solve a problem. Generally, in exchange for downloading the resource, people should give you their email to add to a newsletter/email marketing list. This allows you to know who may be a lead for your services and build trust with them by giving them a glimpse into the value that you provide.
2. Press Pieces
Prioritize featuring any sort of press that you have received. Press pieces and articles are the biggest driver of trust. If the Boston Business Journal trusts you, that helps a potential customer trust you too. This also shows that people CARE about what you do.
Experience
Nobody cares what you do as the CEO of your firm (i.e. focus on long term strategy) -- they want to know more about your company and traction. Use your experience section as another 'about' section of your business to drive growth and brand awareness.
1. Company Title/Role
Let people know your role within the company. Being a founder (or co-founder) does not necessarily mean you are the CEO. If you are head of partnerships, let people know so they know what to contact you about.
2. Company Description
Similar to the "About" section, keep the experience section to 2-3 sentences maximum. The first sentence should be a description of your business, so that people instantly understand what you do. This should be followed by 1 sentence that highlight key traction points in your business to show off your success. Any can claim they run a LinkedIn content agency, but prove to them that you're actually successful.
3. Lead Magnet
Resurface the link to your lead magnet, so that if someone has not clicked on it yet, then they will now!
4. Business LinkedIn Profile
Make sure your company has a LinkedIn profile with the proper logo so that you can connect your experience section to the official page so that people can learn more about your company right on LinkedIn.
5. Past Experiences
For your past work experiences, follow the same structure in steps 1-4, except instead of a lead magnet, simply link out to that company's website, so that people can learn more about where you worked prior. This also allows people to find you easier as LinkedIn can recommend connections that may be relevant if they worked at the same company that you did. The only downside to this is if you used to work for a competitor.
Education
Definitely add your college and high school educational institutions because this allows LinkedIn to recommend connections to you of people that went to the same schools. These people are more likely to help you out or purchase your offering since they have a connection to you. This is AMAZING for visibility.
Adding your grade, activities & societies is completely optional.
Licenses & Certifications
Don't overcomplicate this section. Simply list the name of the certification, the organization that issued the certificate, and 1-3 associated skills you gained while earning the certificate.
Projects
1. Your Title / Project Name
Let people know your role within the project and the name of the project that you worked on.
2. Associated With
LinkedIn will give you the option to select either an educational experience or work experience that the project is associated with.
3. Description
Similar to the "Experience" section, keep the project description section to 2 sentences. The first sentence should be a description of the project, so that people instantly understand what you did. This should be followed by 1 sentence that summarizes the impact of your role or the results of the projects. People care about impact, so use that second sentence to show it.
4. Media
Add any associated media to each project whether it's a press article or a final deliverable you made for the project. You want people to be able to visualize what you completed.
Volunteering
1. Volunteer Title/Role
List your role within the volunteering experience to provide insight to what you did. Ideally, make your title related to the work that you do within your venture as it shows that you give back to your industry's community.
2. Company Description
Similar to the "Projects" section, keep the experience section to 2 sentences. The first sentence should be a description of the non-profit or organization that you volunteered with. Follow this with 1 sentence that outlined exactly what your role was and any impact that you made.
3. Connect the Non-Profit's LinkedIn Profile
Make sure the non-profit has a LinkedIn profile with the proper logo so that you can connect to the official page.
Skills
Just another spot on your profile to allow other people to endorse your skills to build your credibility. LinkedIn will automatically adjust this section for you when you update your skills on other sections of your profile.
Honors & Awards
Add any of your accomplishments to this section to build your ethos even more. Awards for impact or recognition can go a long way when someone is choosing whether or not to work with you and your team.
Plus, it's a bonus if you have media to include associated with the award, as it increases the credibility of the award.
Organizations
This is a new section added by LinkedIn that you can now use to list organizations you're apart of such as CHIEF, Entrepreneur's Organization, BNI and many other business groups.
The "Organizations" section can also be a great spot to add societies/clubs you were apart of at college, if needed.
1. Organization Name & Your Role
Name the organization and add your role. Most of the time, you will "Member" or "Selected Member" for many of the groups here.
2. Associated With
LinkedIn will give you the option to select either an educational experience or work experience that the organization is associated with. We highly recommend using your current venture as the association for any professional groups that you are apart of.
3. Description
Similar to the "Volunteering" section, keep the organization section to 2 sentences. The first sentence should be a description of the organization that you're apart of. Follow this with 1 sentence that outlined exactly what your role was and any impact that you made.
NOTE: if you had more than 1 role within the organization, in a list format, write the role timeline and name as shown above.
Other LinkedIn Tips & Tricks
Boom! Now you have the most optimized founder profile to start getting the business results you want to see. If this was helpful, you may be interested in a few other LinkedIn secrets that you can check out below:
If you are interested in posting more personal LinkedIn content and optimizing your profile to increase your leads, investment opportunities, business partnerships and much more, we are here to take care of the entire process for you!
Reach out to us today to see how we can increase your professional community engagement.
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