How to Write a LinkedIn Headline That Gets Clicks

Your Headline Is Your Billboard

When someone sees you on LinkedIn — in search results, in a comment thread, in a connection suggestion, or in a recruiter's inbox — they see three things: your photo, your name, and your headline.

Your headline appears in more places than any other part of your profile. It shows up when you:

• Appear in LinkedIn search results
• Comment on a post
• Send a connection request
• Get recommended as "People You May Know"
• Show up in a recruiter's candidate pipeline

Despite this visibility, most people leave the default headline that LinkedIn generates: "Job Title at Company Name." That's the equivalent of putting "I have a job" on a billboard. It's accurate, but it's not compelling.

Why the Default Headline Fails

LinkedIn's auto-generated headline uses your most recent position. If your profile says you're a "Marketing Manager at Acme Corp," that becomes your headline.

The problems with this:

It's not searchable. Recruiters search for skills, not job titles at specific companies. A headline that says "Marketing Manager at Acme Corp" won't surface for searches like "demand generation" or "B2B content strategy."

It's not differentiated. There are tens of thousands of Marketing Managers on LinkedIn. Your headline needs to answer: "Why should I click on this Marketing Manager?"

It wastes space. You get 220 characters. The default uses maybe 40. That's 180 characters of missed opportunity.

The Headline Formula

An effective LinkedIn headline has three components:

[What You Do] + [Who You Help / Your Domain] + [Key Result or Differentiator]

This formula works across industries and career levels. Here's how it breaks down:

• What You Do: Your core function, described with keywords recruiters search for
• Who You Help / Your Domain: The industry, audience, or problem space you operate in
• Key Result or Differentiator: A proof point, specialization, or credential that sets you apart

Combine these with pipes (|) or bullet separators to create a scannable, keyword-dense headline.

Examples by Career Level

Entry Level / Early Career

Default: "Analyst at XYZ Consulting"

Better: "Business Analyst | Financial Modeling & Data Visualization | Helping Teams Turn Raw Data into Strategic Decisions"

The improved version includes searchable keywords (financial modeling, data visualization, business analyst) and suggests the value you bring.

Mid-Career Professional

Default: "Senior Product Manager at TechCo"

Better: "Senior Product Manager | B2B SaaS | Led Products from 0 to $15M ARR | API Platforms, Growth, User Retention"

This version includes the industry (B2B SaaS), a quantified result ($15M ARR), and specific domains a recruiter might search for.

Executive / Senior Leader

Default: "VP of Engineering at BigCorp"

Better: "VP of Engineering | Scaling Engineering Orgs from 30 to 200+ | Platform Infrastructure, AI/ML, Cloud Migration"

At the executive level, the headline should signal scope and scale. Numbers and domain expertise matter more than company name.

Career Changer / Job Seeker

Default: "Seeking New Opportunities"

Never do this. "Seeking new opportunities" tells recruiters nothing useful. Instead:

Better: "Operations Leader Transitioning to Product Management | 10 Years Building Processes That Scale | MBA, Certified Scrum Master"

This version leads with the target role, highlights transferable experience, and includes credentials.

Keywords That Drive Search Visibility

LinkedIn's search algorithm weighs your headline heavily. When a recruiter searches for "data engineer Python," your headline is one of the first fields LinkedIn checks for matches.

To find the right keywords:

Step 1: Look at 5-10 job postings for roles you want. Note the skills, tools, and terms that appear repeatedly.

Step 2: Search LinkedIn for people in your target role. Look at what's in their headlines.

Step 3: Incorporate the most common and relevant terms into your headline.

Don't stuff keywords at the expense of readability. "Python | SQL | AWS | Docker | Kubernetes | Terraform | CI/CD | ETL | Spark | Kafka" reads like a tag cloud, not a professional identity. Weave keywords into meaningful phrases instead.

Good keyword integration:

Data Engineer | Building ETL Pipelines with Python, SQL & Spark | AWS & Kubernetes | Making Data Reliable at Scale

This headline contains 8 searchable terms while still reading like a coherent description of what you do.

The Pipe Character and Formatting Tricks

Most effective LinkedIn headlines use the pipe character (|) to separate sections. This creates visual separation that makes the headline scannable:

[Role] | [Specialization] | [Proof Point or Credential]

Other separators that work: bullet (--), dash (--), or the middot (the dot symbol). Avoid emojis unless your industry embraces them (some marketing and creative roles do). For most professionals, emojis in a headline look unserious.

Testing Different Headlines

LinkedIn doesn't offer built-in A/B testing for headlines, but you can test manually:

Step 1: Note your current weekly profile views (found on your dashboard).

Step 2: Change your headline on a Monday.

Step 3: Wait two full weeks and check your profile views again.

Step 4: If views increased, keep the headline. If they dropped or stayed flat, try a different version.

Run 3-4 tests over two months. You'll quickly learn what drives clicks in your space. Track your results simply:

Variables like posting activity and connection growth also affect views, so keep those roughly consistent during your test.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

"Open to Work" as your entire headline. This tells recruiters nothing about what you do. Use the Open to Work frame on your photo instead and dedicate your headline to your value proposition.

Listing only your company. Your company's reputation helps, but it doesn't differentiate you from every other person at that company.

Being too clever. "Revenue Alchemist" or "Chief Happiness Officer" might be memorable, but they won't show up in recruiter searches. Clarity beats creativity.

Not using the full 220 characters. Every unused character is a missed keyword or proof point. Fill the space.

Sources

• LinkedIn Official Blog: Finding Your Next Great Hire — LinkedIn's own insights on how recruiters search and evaluate profiles
• Forbes: How To Write A Great LinkedIn Headline — Practical headline frameworks with real-world examples
• Indeed Hiring Lab: The State of the Labor Market — Data on how recruiters source candidates and which platforms drive the most engagement

Pair Your Headline with a Resume That Matches

A strong LinkedIn headline gets recruiters to your profile. A strong resume gets you to the interview. Make sure your resume tells the same story as your LinkedIn presence. Superpower Resume helps you build a resume that's aligned with your LinkedIn profile, tailored to each role, and optimized for ATS — so the impression you make online carries through to the application.