How to Write a LinkedIn Summary (with Examples)

No matter how many people your page attracts, you'll shine from your competitors if you know how to write LinkedIn summary.

How to Write a LinkedIn Summary (with Examples)
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Learn how to write a good LinkedIn summary to stand out from your competitors. Get summary examples and tips.
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LinkedIn Summary: learn how to create a good LinkedIn Summary with examples
Many of us would think that having a photo and headline are enough to make our LinkedIn profile stand out. But sadly, we often forget about another key factor that makes our profiles more appealing.
This secret ingredient is called your LinkedIn summary.
No matter how many people your page attracts, you'll shine from your competitors with a strong LinkedIn summary. You'll get to show off your personality and experiences.
In this guide, we’ll teach you how to write a LinkedIn summary effectively. We'll also look at LinkedIn summary examples to give you an idea of what to expect.
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What is a LinkedIn Summary?

A LinkedIn summary is simply your LinkedIn About section. It's located under your profile's photo and before your list of experiences.
A usual LinkedIn summary has a 2,600-character limit. So that's around 370 words to summarize your entire personality.
You can write an overview of who you are or your previous roles and achievements. And if you're a company page, you can tell your viewers more about how you can help them.
Some burning questions to answer if you want to know how to build a personal brand on LinkedIn using your summary are the following:
  • What are my interests, experiences, and accomplishments?
  • What positions and roles am I open to?
  • What are my hard and soft skills?
Meanwhile, company pages can attract more job seekers if they incorporate the answers to the following into their LinkedIn summary:
  • How long have I been in the industry?
  • What are the products and services that I offer?
  • What makes me stand out from my competitors?
These are some of the usual questions that get you thinking about your About section. But in essence, a strong LinkedIn summary should summarize your background, personality, skills, experiences, or achievements.

Why is a LinkedIn Summary so Important?

Writing a good LinkedIn summary entails summarizing your outstanding qualities and experiences with a few words. Because of this, many individuals often feel this step is unnecessary. So we're here to tell you why having an about section is crucial.
Here are the top reasons why people and companies spend a lot of time working on their LinkedIn summaries:

1. You get to introduce yourself with some personality and style.

Having a LinkedIn summary will let you create a lasting first impression on other professionals. In addition, you can introduce your previous roles, accomplishments, and expertise concisely.

2. Professionals use your LinkedIn summary as a basis for culture fit.

Whether you're using a personal or company page, a LinkedIn summary will show other individuals what they can expect from you. It can be a basis for your adaptability in the workplace. It can also give a glimpse of the work culture and environment.

3. Your page can rank higher on LinkedIn.

Besides your headline and title, optimizing your LinkedIn summary is one of the best practices and tips for a great LinkedIn profile. However, it interferes with the platform's algorithm and can affect your ranking. Thus, strong keywords can make your page more visible in your search results.

4. It opens you to more opportunities for success.

Your LinkedIn summary brings you closer to potential clients and career opportunities. In addition, it can set you apart from more than 800 million users on the platform.

How to Write a Good LinkedIn Summary?

A LinkedIn summary isn't about filling up the character limit. It's also not about dumping all your achievements and experiences in one place. These mistakes will only make your write-up bland and generic.
Instead, writing a powerful LinkedIn summary takes some time. It also requires much effort and thought.
Before we dive into the general outline of writing a good LinkedIn summary, let's take a look at the top tips to make it more effective:

Tip 1 - Use a conversational tone

The only way to stand out from competitors is to write your summary in the first person. It also has to sound like you're telling a story to a friend rather than a generic academic essay.
Instead, focus on creating an interesting About section. Stay away from the detailed and wordy work history. That won't grab your reader's attention at a glance.

Tip 2 - Write concisely

Professionals don't have the time to read long paragraphs. Instead, they want a straight-to-the-point summary.

Tip 3 - Use strong keywords

A well-written summary makes your profile more visible to professionals. So to infiltrate LinkedIn's algorithm, take advantage of the industry- or position-based buzzwords.
You can find these keywords by looking at related job descriptions. First, check what words show up the most.
Now that you know the top LinkedIn tips and strategies to keep in mind when making a summary, let's discuss the entire process step-by-step:

Step 1 - Make an outline

A plain LinkedIn summary will bore your readers. Similarly, disconnected sentences may only leave them confused. So using a proven and effective structure can go a long way.
If you're curious, a good LinkedIn summary usually follows this general outline:
  • Hook: A hook grabs the attention of your readers.
  • Mission: Your mission tells your readers why you're doing what you do.
  • Experiences: In this part, you can tell your readers about your past experiences.
  • Skills/Products/Services: On top of your experiences, enumerating your outstanding skills or services can help your readers understand you better.
  • Achievements: Giving concrete results and accomplishments will show readers what you can deliver.
  • Call To Action: Finally, a solid call to action at the end will help readers know what you want to gain from them.
While personal and company LinkedIn pages follow this general outline, company pages focus more on their products and services.

Step 2 - Write an interesting hook

A typical LinkedIn summary will have around 370 words in total. But in reality, your profile viewers will only see the first three lines of your About section. After that, they'd have to click "See More."
Because of this limitation, the most crucial step in writing your LinkedIn summary is to make an interesting hook. Your first three lines must grab your readers' attention and make them want to read more.
To give you an idea of what to put in your hook, you can mix any of the following questions:
  • What sets you apart?
  • What's your story?
  • What results can you deliver?
Your answers to these questions will pique your readers' interests. They'll want to know how you delivered your results or how you can be a game-changer.

Step 3 - Say your mission

Remember that creating a powerful LinkedIn summary entails telling a story. So after writing your hook, mention your career mission.
As a rule of thumb, sticking with the generic "What do I do?" may not be the wisest thing to say. So instead, tell your readers, "Why do I do what I do."
By answering the "why" to the usual generic questions, you get to connect with your readers. You become more relatable. Hiring managers will also see how well you can adapt to different corporate cultures.

Step 4 - State your experiences

Don't treat your LinkedIn summary as your entire autobiography. Doing this will only bore your readers to death.
The key here is to create a sentence or two that would encapsulate your entire professional background. For example, for company pages, focus on your company's position in the industry.
If you have multiple roles and responsibilities, highlight your most current job. Otherwise, nothing outstanding will stick with your potential customers.

Step 5 - Write about your skills/products/services

Tell your readers your relevant skills and talents. They must be aligned with your target position, company, or industry.
But more than that, this part will likely contain the keywords that will rank your LinkedIn profile. You can personalize this by telling your readers how these skills helped you deliver results.
For company pages, discuss how your products and services are game-changers in the industry. Make them readable and engaging.

Step 6 - Mention your greatest accomplishment

Besides skills relevant to your job or services for your industry, you can also mention your achievements. But the key here is not to bombard your readers with all your accomplishments.
Instead, highlight the one that's most relevant to your job. You can also incorporate your skills and strengths here to show readers how you can help them.
Additionally, add some numbers, data, or statistics to your accomplishments. Doing this makes your achievements more concrete and realized.

Step 7 - Make a strong call to action

Finally, the last step in how to write a LinkedIn summary is writing a call to action. Here, encourage your readers to reach out to you.
You can add your contact information—contact number, website, and email address. With this part in your summary, you'll get more connections on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Summary Examples

After learning how to write a LinkedIn summary, it's always good to look at actual samples. That's why we gathered several write-ups that you may want to check out.
Here are some of the best LinkedIn summary examples to follow:

Example #1

In this example, the LinkedIn user highlights their relevant skills in their LinkedIn summary. They tell their readers how their talents make them a suitable candidate for the job. This write-up also shows hiring managers how their companies can benefit from the user.
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It's worth noting that they used their communication skills as their main selling point. It's relevant to their desired position and also shows concrete accomplishments like being on a debate team and joining competitions.

Example #2

Our second example encapsulates the art of storytelling. Here, the LinkedIn user engages us with their life story and how they became passionate about software engineering. It's straightforward and doesn't have any fluff.
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Besides this, the user uses strong industry buzzwords like C++, Java, System Programming, and Distributed Systems. Doing this makes them more visible on LinkedIn.

Example #3

This last example embodies the friendly and conversational tone of a good LinkedIn summary. The user identifies their target audience and starts with a relatable hook.
notion image
After capturing their readers' attention, they then tell their previous roles and range of capabilities. Doing this allows them to show what they can offer to their clients.
Finally, this LinkedIn user ends with a strong call to action. They encourage their readers to reach out through their scheduling form.

Wrapping It Up!

With over 800 million users on LinkedIn, a well-written LinkedIn summary can help you become more visible.
If you're having a hard time, third-party tools like Taplio can put your achievements and experiences into the right words. 👍 Try Taplio now for free!

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Flavio

Written by

Flavio

Writer @ Taplio

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