A great LinkedIn headline can 10x your results.
But 99% of people’s headlines suck.
Here’s my 7 step formula for turning your headline into an opportunity generating machine:
1/ Everyone's Headline Is The Same
Don't believe me?
Run a search for any job title on LinkedIn.
Everyone's headline on the results page will be some version of:
[Job Title] at [Company]
With that headline, you're only competing on brand equity.
Not your own value.
2/ Great Headlines Have 2 Things
I've reviewed thousands of LinkedIn profiles.
My data shows that the most effective headlines include:
1. Relevant industry keywords
2. A unique value proposition
I like to lead with keywords and end with the value prop. For example:
3/ Start With The Right Keywords
Here's how:
1. Find 20+ job descriptions for target roles
2. Copy all 20 of them and paste them into http://ResyMatch.io 's job description scanner
3. Run the scan and save the top 5-10 keywords
These are the ones you want in your headline.
4/ Find Your Unique Value
Start by asking yourself 3 questions:
1. How have I helped the companies I've worked for?
2. What results has my work driven for them?
3. How is my approach different from others?
Build that all into a single sentence starting with, "I Help..."
5/ Examples of Unique Value
For example:
❌ SaaS Marketing Manager
Becomes:
✅ I help SaaS startups add 25k users in 12 months without ads
Or:
❌ Data Scientist
Becomes:
✅ I use big data to help hospitals reduce readmission rates by 17.5% across 2.5M patients
6/ What If I'm Not In A Numbers-Focused Role?
Every role has quantifiable value!
Instead of dollars, consider:
- Scope (Budget, # Users, etc)
- Efficiency / Productivity
- Time (how long something took)
- Comparison
- Asking other teams about the impact your work made
7/ Creating Your Headline
Now you have your keywords and your unique value prop.
Drop them into this LinkedIn headline formula:
[Job Title] | [Keyword 1], [Keyword 2], [Keyword 3] | [Unique Value Prop]
I recommend coming up with 3-5 different versions before choosing one.
8/ LinkedIn Headline Example #1
For this example, we'll focus on a Marketer
Their headline might look like this:
Marketing at Snap | B2B, Paid Social, Analytics-Driven | I Help Snap's B2B Clients Generate 500% ROAS With Social Advertising
9/ LinkedIn Headline Example #2
For this example, we'll focus on a Graphic Designer.
Their headline might look like this:
Graphic Designer at Hubspot | Human-Centered Designer | I Help Companies Create Ad Designs That Drive 30% More Conversions
10/ LinkedIn Headline Example #3
For our final example, we'll focus on a Data Analyst.
Their headline might look like this:
Data Analyst at Microsoft | Python, SQL, Tableau | I Help Companies Use Big Data To Tell Stories That Boost Customer Retention By 77%
11/ Want More Advice Like This?
1. Give me a follow (@austinbelcak)!
2. Sign up for my free Cultivated Careers Newsletter.
I'll send you my 5 most effective job search strategies + one new job search tip every Monday: https://cultivatedculture.com/newsletter
Have an awesome Thursday! 🤙
menu
Pay what you can