Write a headline and About section that actually gets you noticed
Enter your role and who you help, pick a tone, and get ready-to-use options in seconds. No staring at a blank field wondering how to describe yourself.
What is a LinkedIn headline?
Your LinkedIn headline is the short line of text under your name, shown everywhere your profile appears. It shows up in search results, comments, connection requests, and messages. It's often the very first thing a stranger reads about you, before they even open your full profile.
Why your LinkedIn headline matters more than you think
Most people write their headline once, usually just their job title, and never touch it again. That's a missed opportunity, because your headline works in three places at once.
It shows up in LinkedIn search results, so it directly affects whether the right people find you. It shows up next to every comment you leave, so it acts like a tiny advertisement every time you engage with someone else's post. And it shows up in connection requests, often before someone decides whether to accept you or ignore you.
A weak headline like "Marketing Manager at XYZ Corp" tells people your job title. A strong headline tells people what you actually do for others, and why it matters to them.
What should a good LinkedIn headline include?
A strong headline usually has three ingredients, though you rarely need all three crammed into one line.
Who you help. Not your job title alone, but the actual people or businesses you serve. "Freelance Copywriter" says less than "Freelance Copywriter for SaaS Startups."
The outcome you deliver. What changes for someone because they worked with you? More leads, faster hiring, clearer messaging, whatever it genuinely is.
A keyword someone might search for. If people search LinkedIn for "content strategist" or "recruiter," and that's genuinely what you do, include that exact phrase. It helps you show up in relevant searches, which plain creative writing alone won't do.
You don't need flowery language. You need clarity. A headline that's instantly understandable beats a clever one that makes people pause and guess.
How long should a LinkedIn headline be?
LinkedIn allows up to 220 characters for your headline. You don't have to use all of it, but you also shouldn't waste the space with just your job title and company name.
A good practical target is somewhere between 80 and 150 characters, long enough to say something real, short enough to stay scannable. Every tool option above respects LinkedIn's character limit automatically, so you never have to count manually.
What should you avoid in your LinkedIn headline?
Words like "passionate," "results-driven," or "synergy" tell a reader nothing specific about you. Everyone claims to be passionate. Almost no one explains what they actually do.
This is the default LinkedIn gives you automatically, and it's the single most common headline on the entire platform. If you leave it unchanged, you're using the least differentiated headline possible.
Your headline isn't your biography. Save the full story for your About section. The headline's job is to earn someone's next five seconds of attention, not tell them everything.
"Growth Lead" or "Strategy Ninja" might sound fun internally, but if a stranger can't tell what you actually do from the title, it's not doing its job on a public profile.
How do you write a great LinkedIn About section?
Your About section is where you actually get to explain yourself, beyond the single line of your headline. Most people either leave it half-finished or write it like a formal resume summary. Neither works well.
Open with a hook, not your job title. Don't start with "I am a marketing consultant with 10 years of experience." Start with something that pulls a reader in, a specific result, a strong belief, a question, or a short story. The first two lines are the only part visible before someone has to click "see more," so they carry the most weight.
Explain who you help and how. After the hook, get concrete. Who do you work with? What problem do you solve for them? Avoid vague claims and use specific, real language instead.
Show proof, briefly. A number, a result, a client type, anything concrete that backs up what you just said. You don't need a wall of statistics, just one or two credible details.
End with a clear next step. Tell the reader what to do if they're interested, whether that's sending a message, checking your website, or just following you for more content. Don't leave your About section hanging with no direction.
Keep it readable. Short paragraphs, plain language, and normal punctuation. Avoid huge blocks of unbroken text. LinkedIn's About section supports basic line breaks, so use them.
How long should a LinkedIn About section be?
LinkedIn allows up to 2,600 characters in the About section, but you don't need to use the full limit. A focused, well-written 150 to 300 word About section usually performs better than a maximum-length one, since most readers won't finish a long block of text on a profile page anyway.
Aim for enough detail to be genuinely convincing, not so much that a busy reader gives up halfway through.
Should your LinkedIn headline match your job title?
Not necessarily, and often it shouldn't be identical. Your official job title tells people your position inside a company. Your headline can tell people something more useful, what you actually do and who you help, in language a stranger outside your company would understand.
If your title is genuinely clear and searchable on its own, like "Recruiter" or "Accountant," keep it, but still consider adding who you help or your specialty next to it. If your title is internal or vague, like "Growth Lead" or "Strategic Partner," lean more heavily on describing the actual work instead.
Does your LinkedIn headline affect search visibility?
Yes. LinkedIn's search system reads your headline as one of the strongest signals of what you do, alongside your job titles and skills section. If someone searches for a term that matches your headline exactly, you're far more likely to show up in their results than someone whose headline is just a generic title.
This is why including a real, searchable keyword in your headline matters, not for gaming the system, but because it genuinely reflects what people are typing when they look for someone like you.
Common LinkedIn headline and About section mistakes
Your profile is you speaking directly to the reader. Third person ("John is a marketing expert who...") feels distant and strange on a personal profile.
A stale headline that no longer matches what you actually do sends mixed signals to anyone checking your profile.
It might have worked for them because it matched their actual work and voice. A copied headline that doesn't match your real experience reads as hollow the moment someone talks to you.
An empty About section is a missed chance to explain yourself in your own words, and it can make a profile feel incomplete or abandoned.
Cramming ten different job titles and skills into one headline just to be found for everything makes the headline unreadable and undermines trust.
A simple before and after example
Marketing Manager at Company Inc.
Marketing Manager | Helping DTC brands grow email revenue without bigger ad budgets
The first tells you a title. The second tells you what actually changes for someone who works with this person, and it's still well within LinkedIn's character limit.
Quick checklist before you update your profile
- Does your headline say who you help, not just your title?
- Is there at least one real, searchable keyword in your headline?
- Does your About section open with something other than your job title?
- Did you include a specific result or detail, not just vague claims?
- Does your About section end with a clear next step for the reader?
- Have you removed empty buzzwords like "passionate" and "results-driven" unless followed by something specific?
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good LinkedIn headline?▾
A good headline clearly states who you help and the outcome you deliver, includes a real searchable keyword, and avoids vague buzzwords, all within LinkedIn's 220-character limit.
How long should a LinkedIn About section be?▾
Between 150 and 300 words is usually enough to be convincing without losing a reader's attention. LinkedIn allows up to 2,600 characters, but longer isn't automatically better.
Should my headline be the same as my job title?▾
Not always. If your title alone doesn't clearly explain what you do or who you help, your headline should say more than your official title does.
Does my LinkedIn headline affect how often I show up in search?▾
Yes. LinkedIn's search system uses your headline as a strong signal for matching you to relevant searches, so a clear, keyword-relevant headline helps you get found more often.
What's the biggest mistake people make in their About section?▾
Starting with their job title instead of a hook. The first two visible lines decide whether someone clicks 'see more' or scrolls past, so they need to earn attention, not just state a fact.
Can I use emojis in my LinkedIn headline?▾
You can, sparingly, if it fits your tone and industry. A well-placed emoji can add visual separation between phrases, but overusing them can make a headline look cluttered or unprofessional depending on your field.
Try the free headline and About section generator above
Enter your role and who you help, choose a tone, and get ready-to-use options in seconds. No sign-up needed.
Want a full profile review, not just your headline and About section? Inzaura's Profile Optimizer analyzes your entire LinkedIn profile and rewrites every section for you. Try it free.