How to Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn

Build a Personal Brand That Stands Out and Attracts Rapid Flow of Happy Customers

LinkedIn Profile is Your Landing Page

Think of your LinkedIn profile as sales landing page for your personal brand. It should present you as the service provider. Or as someone connected to business brand as a founder, owner, or employee.

There’re couple of important sections on LinkedIn profile. It’s a system where each part amplifies and supports other parts. Every section should build trust, showcase value and professionalism, and guide the visitor toward one clear action: work with you, book a call, explore your services, or start a conversation. Just like in sales landing page, LikedIn profile should have one specific call to action (CTA) or more.

Your banner is your visual hook, your headline is your value prop, your featured section is the proof, and your About is your story that makes them say, “I need this.”Well, idea is to provide a streamlined experience that turns profile views into real opportunities.

Part 1: Setup

This is where we build your personal brand foundation. Here, we optimize your LinkedIn profile. You should work on every part of your profile, but there are key elements to pay special attention to.

Profile Picture

You see, profile picture is the first visual cue people associate with your personal brand on LinkedIn, so it should reflect both your professionalism and personality. Profile picture is the most important part of your profile. So, create carefully. It assumes a fine balance between authority and empathy, professionalism and connection, serious business and fun.

A good profile photo is clear, well-lit, and focused on your face, with a confident, yet approachable expression. People call it aura or charisma. Again, this is the fine balance between power and warmth.

You see, it’s important that it matches the tone of your industry—whether it’s creative, corporate, academic, or entrepreneurial. Your clothing, posture, and even facial expression should subtly communicate who you are and how you want to be perceived. For instance, a tech startup founder might choose a smart-casual look with a warm smile, while a lawyer might opt for a more formal appearance with a poised demeanor.

Cover Photo

The cover photo is a prime real estate on your LinkedIn profile. It exists to express your personal or professional mission. You should treat it as a billboard. Cover photo can tell a story about what you do, who you serve, or what you stand for. A speaker might use an image of themselves on stage, while a designer might showcase a sleek portfolio snapshot. Alternatively, it can be symbolic—a skyline representing global reach, a creative pattern reflecting innovation, or bold text with a personal mantra. The key is to make it intentional: choose an image that complements your headline and summary and reinforces the narrative you're building about your personal brand.

A bit about brand design… Consistency across platforms builds trust and recognition. Consistency is a defining factor of good branding. The colors, style, and mood of your LinkedIn profile should align with your personal website, portfolio, or other social media platforms to create a unified brand experience. If your website uses minimalist design with calm, neutral tones, your LinkedIn visuals should echo that same aesthetic. If your brand is bold and energetic, your cover photo and profile picture should reflect that vibrancy through color, composition, and tone. Think of your LinkedIn visuals as an extension of your overall brand identity (your personality)—each element should reinforce the same story and make your presence memorable wherever people find you.

Headline

The Headline section on a LinkedIn profile is a short, impactful statement that appears directly below your name and serves as your personal tagline or one-liner. It’s one of the first things people see about you. It plays a key role in shaping their first impression. Rather than just listing your job title, a good headline highlights your expertise, value proposition, or what makes you unique. It should include relevant keywords to help you appear in searches and attract the right audience—whether recruiters, clients, or collaborators. Think of it as your elevator pitch in one concise line.

Where it appears:

• Right under your name on your profile.

• In search results, comments, posts, and connection suggestions—making it one of the most visible parts of your profile.

Purpose of the Headline:

• To quickly tell who you are, what you do, and ideally who you help.

• It’s your elevator pitch in 220 characters.

• Often includes a value proposition and optionally a call to action.

Since the headline is limited to 220 characters, it’s important to be:

• clear

• specific

• concise

Formula for LinkedIn headline:

[Who you are] + [Who you help] + [How you help] + [Result or Benefit]

This format is flexible, clear, and audience-centered. Perfect for personal branding.

[Who You Are] — 20 Examples:

• Brand Strategist

• Supportive Guide

• Creative Coach

• Personal Branding Expert

• Business Bestie

• Visual Storyteller

• Growth Mentor

• Copywriting Specialist

• Content Designer

• Mindset & Strategy Coach

• Identity Designer

• Community Builder

• Big Brother

• Confidence Coach

• Purpose-Led Marketer

• Visual Identity Mentor

• Creative Strategist

• Transformation Partner

• Branding Ally

• Clarity Coach

[Who You Help] — 20 Examples:

1. Creatives

2. Coaches

3. Freelancers

4. Personal brands

5. Women entrepreneurs

6. Small business owners

7. Purpose-driven founders

8. Service providers

9. Consultants

10. Designers

11. Niche experts

12. New entrepreneurs

13. Solopreneurs

14. Content creators

15. Mindful business owners

16. Mission-led brands

17. Authors & speakers

18. Social media professionals

19. Online educators

20. Multi-passionate professionals

[How You Help] — 20 Examples:

1. Build their brand from the inside out

2. Clarify their message

3. Show up confidently online

4. Craft irresistible offers

5. Design a cohesive visual identity

6. Tell their brand story

7. Create content that converts

8. Align their brand with their values

9. Launch with clarity and confidence

10. Stand out without burning out

11. Turn ideas into action

12. Build audience trust through storytelling

13. Find their authentic voice

14. Build systems for consistent growth

15. Create a strategy that feels aligned

16. Position themselves as experts

17. Attract aligned opportunities

18. Speak to their dream clients

19. Package their services for premium pricing

20. Go from invisible to unforgettable

[Result or Specialty] — 20 Examples:

1. Brand clarity that attracts

2. A scroll-stopping visual identity

3. More aligned clients, less chasing

4. A confident, cohesive online presence

5. A brand that feels like them

6. Better clients, stronger positioning

7. Magnetic messaging that converts

8. A portfolio they’re proud of

9. Recognition in their niche

10. Sustainable brand growth

11. Engagement that drives sales

12. An audience that buys and refers

13. Clarity that fuels momentum

14. Branding that matches their mission

15. Messaging that sticks

16. Brand loyalty and community

17. Expert positioning in their field

18. A smooth, soulful brand launch

19. Strategic content that leads to leads

20. Confidence to sell without selling

Feature Section

Feature section is a place where you should put call to actions, like:

• Newsletters

• Substack

• Ebooks

And so on.

The Feature section on LinkedIn is a powerful space where you can showcase your most important work, achievements, or content to help visitors quickly understand your value. Located prominently on your profile, it allows you to highlight posts, articles, external links, documents, or media that represent your expertise and credibility. Whether it’s a viral LinkedIn post, a project case study, a podcast appearance, or a portfolio piece, this section gives you the chance to go beyond your resume and show real-world examples of your impact. Curating this space intentionally can strengthen your personal brand and guide viewers toward what you want them to notice most.

Newsletter

The Newsletter feature on LinkedIn allows you to regularly share valuable insights, updates, or thought leadership content with your professional network in a structured and consistent format. It functions like a blog or email newsletter but is native to LinkedIn, making it easy to reach and grow your audience directly on the platform. Subscribers get notified each time you publish a new edition, which helps maintain visibility and engagement. Whether you're sharing industry trends, behind-the-scenes stories, or practical advice, a newsletter positions you as an authority in your niche and builds deeper, ongoing connections with your audience.

The big idea behind a LinkedIn newsletter should be rooted in delivering consistent, high-value content that speaks directly to the interests and challenges of your target audience. Whether you focus on career advice, industry insights, leadership strategies, or personal branding tips, the core purpose is to educate, inspire, or empower your readers. People should subscribe because they know they’ll receive actionable insights or thought-provoking content that helps them grow professionally. It’s not just about updates—it’s about creating a meaningful reason for readers to keep coming back, knowing they’ll walk away with something useful every time.

A well-crafted newsletter acts as proof of your thought leadership by showcasing your depth of knowledge and unique point of view. Each edition reinforces your positioning by consistently addressing topics aligned with your niche, industry, or personal brand. For example, if you’re a marketing strategist, your newsletter should reflect your approach to marketing trends, campaign strategies, or brand storytelling—subtly reminding your audience why you’re a go-to expert in your field. Over time, this consistent content builds authority, trust, and familiarity, helping to establish you as someone worth following and potentially collaborating with.

Promoting your newsletter doesn’t stop at publishing—it requires ongoing visibility through strategic promotion across your LinkedIn presence. This includes sharing highlights or key takeaways from each edition in regular posts, pinning the newsletter to your Featured section, and referencing it in your About section or Headline. Engaging visuals, compelling hooks, and personal commentary can help drive curiosity and encourage new subscribers. The goal is to make your newsletter easy to discover and hard to ignore, so it becomes a natural extension of your content strategy and personal brand.

Part 2: Action

Now that we build a profile, it’s time to take serious action.

Posts

Let’s break down LinkedIn posts—what types exist, how they behave in the feed, and how to format them for best results.

Types of LinkedIn posts (from simple to complex):

1. Text-only post
   This is the simplest format. It’s fast to write and very effective when done right—especially for storytelling, advice, or sharing thoughts. But it relies entirely on the words, so your first few lines must be strong.

2. Image post (text + image)
   Probably the most scroll-stopping format. Visual + short copy = high engagement. Bonus: LinkedIn shows up to 3 lines of text above the image without needing to click "see more"—this is key for your hook. More about that soon.

3. Document post (PDF carousel)
   My favorite. Maybe I like it because I goat the best results from it. LinkedIn likes when people spend time on your posts and this format is great for that! Great for educational content, guides, checklists, slides… It allows users to swipe through multiple pages and gives a sense of depth. It’s visual, but also content-rich—ideal for showing off your expertise.

4. Video post
   Video is the most engaging of all. It asks more effort from you, but it’s highly engaging. And it pays off! Best used when your audience already knows you or when you have something expressive to share. Video with captions performs even better. TikTok thought us that.

5. LinkedIn article
   Long-form. Good for deep dives or when you want to build thought leadership. Doesn’t get as much reach as regular posts, but it positions you as an expert and builds trust.

How to format a post

Use the “hook – empty line – re-hook” formula at the top.
That means:

• This is your scroll-stopping first line.

• This is your second punch that makes them want to read more.

This structure works because when someone sees your post with an image or PDF, LinkedIn shows only the first 3 linesbefore the “...see more” link. That’s your window to grab attention—so spacing matters!

If your post is text-only (no image, no PDF), LinkedIn often shows just the first 1-2 lines, depending on device. That means no guaranteed re-hook unless they click to expand. That’s why adding an image can help extend your real estate and improve visibility.

LinkedIn post formula:

One-line hook
Grab attention with a bold question, claim, or insight

Empty space
Leave it empty.

Re-hook
Build upon first hook for even more attention-grabbing power.

Format body text

Use the copywriting formatting secret for easy reading.

I call it “Formula 1-2-3” format and it works like this:

Variation 1:

• One-liner 1.

Variation 2:

• One-liner 1.

• One-liner 2.

Variation 3:

• One-liner 1.

• One-liner 2.

• One-liner 3.

Just combine those three variations in your LinkedIn post text. Don’t use any of those variations two times in a row. For example, avoid Variation 2 and Variation 2. Instead, place Variation 1 next to Variation 2 or Variation 3 next to Variation 2.

It should look something like this:

One of my LinkedIn posts.

Here, I showed you a post where I didn’t follow Formula 1-2-3 100%. And that’s ok. But overall idea is the same. Your readers should run through your LinkedIn post fast. They don’t have time to read a long essay. Most of the people whey want their information fast and digested.

If you’re wondering why we’re starting with hook - empty space - re-hook at the start of our text, here’s why.

If you post a text with an image, your audience will see only three lines of text. And they’ll have to click for more if you caught their interest. Experience showed me that this hook-empty space-re-hook is the optimal structure for this.

One more thing.

So, you can use all three variations interchangeably, based on your valuable information. And the information you put in your posts should indeed be valuable for your target audience.

Write your posts in a friendly, natural way. It should feel like they’re talking with an old friend. Of course, this depends. If your target audience is hyper-rational, then, you can tweak it, but this basic idea stays the same. Be friendly and don’t over-complicate. Use simple language, everybody can understand. Write in a way your audience would speak to each other.

Friendly CTA

Call people to some specific action.

Keep in mind that LinkedIn doesn’t like when people leave the platform.

So, leave calling people to action beyond LinkedIn to bare minimum.

P.S. question

Ask relevant question to boost engagement. Don’t be generic.

The best questions are easy to answer. I recommend yes or no questions.

Connections and Followers

On LinkedIn, consistently adding new connections is key to expanding your professional network and increasing visibility. It's a good practice to send a few connection requests daily, especially to people in your industry, potential clients, or those who engage with your content. However, free LinkedIn accounts have a weekly connection request limit—typically around 100 invites per week—so it's important to use them strategically.

If you're looking to follow more people without sending connection requests, you can do so freely, and others won't be able to see how many people you're following. This allows you to stay updated with industry leaders and influencers without affecting your connection limit.

Additionally, it’s the best to send connection requests without attaching any note. If your profile, starting with your profile picture, looks great—people will connect with you. So, don’t overcomplicate and start connecting. It’s a long-term game.

By regularly adding relevant connections and following key industry figures, you gradually build social proof on your profile. A strong, growing network signals credibility and influence to others viewing your page, making you more appealing to potential employers, clients, or collaborators. Over time, this will enhance your authority in your niche and increase engagement with your content.

Commenting

Lastly, commenting is one of the most effective ways to increase your visibility and build meaningful relationships on LinkedIn. If you want more engagement on your own posts, you must engage more with others—it's that simple.

Thoughtful, relevant comments on posts from your network or industry leaders show that you're active and provide value, which can encourage others to check out your profile and engage with your content in return. The key is to focus on bringing value. It’s a numbers game. More you show up in people’s feeds, the more people will discover your profile. Consistent commenting not only boosts your presence in the feed but also helps establish your voice and expertise within your field.

But there’s more.

See you next week and let's build your brand empire!