On LinkedIn, the line under your name is seen more often than anything else you write. It appears in search results, in comments, in connection requests and in messages. Most people leave it as their job title. That is a waste of the most visible sentence you own.

What the headline is really for

A headline has one job: to help the right person decide that you are worth a click. It does not need to list everything you have done. It needs to say what you do, and for whom, in a way that is easy to remember.

A simple pattern

Try this shape and adjust it to sound like you.

I help [who] [get a result] | [your role] | [one piece of proof]

For example: "I help family businesses plan their next stage of growth | Strategy adviser | 15 years in manufacturing." It is plain, it is specific and it is easy to believe.

Put the important words first

LinkedIn allows about 220 characters, but in many places only the first part is visible. Put your main message in the first 60 or so characters, and keep the proof for the end.

What to remove

  • Empty claims: "Passionate", "results-driven" and "thought leader" say nothing and are on thousands of profiles.
  • Long job stacks: five titles separated by bars look like a menu with no focus.
  • "Seeking opportunities": it signals that you are asking, not offering. Say what you offer instead.

Use the words your client would search

Think about what a buyer types into the search box. If they would search for "fractional CFO" or "leadership coach", those words should be in your headline. Clever titles are lovely, but a search engine reads plain ones.

Keep your headline and your page in step

If your headline promises one thing and your About section tells another story, people notice. Make sure the headline, the About section and the website all say the same thing in different lengths.

Test it

Read your headline aloud and ask a friend outside your field what you do. If they can say it back in their own words, it works. If they ask a question, rewrite it.

You will write thousands of words this year, and few will be seen as often as this one line. Give it the same care you would give a handshake.