A Solid Linkedin Summary - Why Is It Good To Have One?
Write a Linkedin Summary that Focuses on the Client, not You
I’ve been active on Linkedin since 2017. Near the end of 2019 I’ve become a constant inhabitant of Linkedin.
First by publishing posts quite regularly, and then moving on to posting each day and writing a Linkedin newsletter (not a paid one, and I don’t know of any such newsletters).
Then came the possibility to go Live on Linkedin, which I also embraced very early on.
In fact, I was the first in the region where I live (South East Europe) to go live on Linkedin.
So, I really took advantage of all the functions and assets of Linkedin.
But you’re here to find about writing a Linkedin summary, and that’s what I’ll cover in this blog post.
Use Linkedin to Connect and Hire
Linkedin is a place where you have like-minded people coming from the same business areas you’re working in or working in fields that you may encounter and engage in from time to time to get some job done. Especially if you’re looking to outsource parts of your everyday tasks, it’s on Linkedin where you’ll find skilled candidates for that.
It’s a place where you can network.
Like at any such networking event, it’s good to have a business card. That business card is your Linkedin summary.
You can have a business card with minimum text written on it.
That would be the headline to your Linkedin profile and the Linkedin banner, which highlights the value or USP (unique selling proposition) you provide to your potential customers and clients.
Linkedin Summary - the Definition
A Linkedin Summary or the About Section, as it is more often called, is the part of your Linkedin profile where you add a longer text (2600 characters) to describe all the occasions and areas where you can help clients, and say exactly how you achieve that.
The yellow highlighted section is the Linkedin summary. It shows you my own Linkedin summary in which I write about my copywriting skills that draw attention to a client’s offer.
Not many people make the effort to fill out this section adequately.
They either add a text copy-pasted from other profiles they have visited that has the ever-persistent phrase of “with a demonstrated working history in...” in it, change just the profession they found it linked with, and never come back to the Linkedin summary again.
Imagine just visiting someone’s profile.
The person has, let’s say, 20 years of work experience in marketing, may have even received an award for an ad, but you don’t see that specific big moment shared anywhere.
For a person to have worked so long, an award-winner, and 2 sentences max in the Linkedin summary?!
That’s a wasted opportunity! Or modesty?
Who do we Write a Linkedin Summary for?
(for our next client, we want to convince that client)
It’s not ourselves that we write about in the Linkedin summary.
As is the case in website copywriting, a website visitor or potential customer doesn’t need any info about you, the maker of the product or provider of the service; the visitor needs information on what you and your product can do for them.
A customer looks for something that speaks to them. Something that gives them a reason to reach out to you and get that product or service.
A Linkedin summary must give exactly that- a reason to contact you, to order from you. If you manage to spot the pain point right away and you have the right solution to provide for a particular person, you’ve got it make it known in this section.
2 Linkedin Summary Examples
Here are 2 Linkedin summary examples that miss to achieve that contact, and terribly lack everything that should be mentioned in a Linkedin summary:
This Linkedin summary is a list, although it doesn’t appear in that form. It’s a mere enumeration of fields this freelancer is involved in. It lacks the “I”, begining the sentence with a verb, which sounds very unprofessional.
This Linkedin summary uses the 3rd person singular!
These 2 are extremely short.
Short to the point of very bad - the first treats the Linkedin summary as a list of achievements and business roles a person has, and the second has merely 2 short sentences.
It simply can’t be that someone finds it enough to write only 2 sentences to present themselves on Linkedin!
Especially if I tell you that the person behind this second Linkedin profile is a journalist.
Journalists are the type of people who are wordy, are they not?
What’s the use of Linkedin giving you a space of 2600 characters, when you barely even use it!?
Linkedin Profile Examples with no Personality and Substance
Linkedin summary is also the place where you can put all your social media channels, all the contact information, and invite the profile visitor to have a look at them.
What the two Linkedin summaries above have in common is that they:
LACK PERSONALITY,
LACK VOICE, LACK SUBSTANCE and
DO NOT FOCUS ON THE PROFILE VISITOR/CUSTOMER.
They are not showing what benefit or value you can bring to the potential client.
This part most heavily relies on copywriting, on choosing the right words to motivate the visitor to take an action.
How to Write a Really Great Linkedin Summary
Now look at this Linkedin summary:
It starts off very friendly, with the things the Linkedin profile owner loves.
Mentioning your loves adds much personality to your profile.
It brings you closer to the person reading the profile.
You may not find this acceptable in your case, and that’s fine.
It’s enough that you’ve seen this, and you’re giving it a thought.
The tone of this Linkedin summary is very friendly.
2. Now comes the professional part: where have you worked? Where have you shown your expertise?
Listing the companies and then the last sentence here adds a totally unexpected turn - even boasting.
3. The bit under No. 2 can be an important part for those employers or clients who search for candidates or service providers who have an extensive professional record.
What the person here can help a client with is large reach and visibility:
Showcase what you’re good at. Here, for example, at writing.
This is best said under 5.:
So, you see: you’ve got to use up that space.
Wisely, and efficiently. With the potential client in mind.
But don’t forget to add some personality. Something that differentiates you from other service providers.
Do you want to polish your own Linkedin profile and add a new Linkedin summary? Or create on from scratch?
You can book your session with me below.
