LinkedIn Response Series - Your LinkedIn Headline | Donald C. Kelly - 2019

Your LinkedIn headline is one of the first things prospects see, yet many salespeople waste it by listing their job title and company name. In this first episode of the LinkedIn Response Series, I explain why your headline should focus on the problem you solve instead of who you work for.

A strong headline tells prospects immediately how you can help them, increases profile views, and encourages more conversations before you ever send a sales message.

Why Your LinkedIn Headline Matters

• Your headline is more than a job description. It helps prospects quickly decide whether you're relevant to them.

A well-written headline can:

• Increase profile views by making your profile stand out in LinkedIn searches.
• Encourage more inbound conversations from interested prospects.
• Clearly communicate the value you provide before someone reads the rest of your profile.
• Improve your visibility by using keywords your ideal buyers are already searching for.

Stop Leading With Your Company Name

• Most buyers don't care where you work unless your company is already widely recognized.
• Instead of using your company name or job title as the main focus, use your headline to explain the problem you solve. When prospects immediately recognize a challenge they're facing, they're far more likely to view your profile and engage with you.

Focus on the Right Audience

• A great headline only works when it's seen by the right people.
• Rather than trying to appeal to everyone on LinkedIn, narrow your focus to your ideal buyers. This could include people who:
• Recently changed jobs.
• Are active and posting on LinkedIn.
• Match your target industry or decision-maker profile.
• The more relevant your audience, the more effective your headline becomes.

Use a Simple Formula

One effective approach is to build your headline around three parts:

• Identify a specific problem your ideal customer is experiencing.
• Make the problem feel immediate and relevant.
• End with a question that points toward the result they want.

This approach sparks curiosity and encourages prospects to learn more about you.

Keep Your Message Simple

• Avoid technical language, company jargon, or long descriptions.
• Your headline should be short, easy to understand, and immediately clear. Prospects should know within seconds whether your profile is relevant to them.

Real Results From a Better Headline

• Even small changes can make a noticeable difference.
• After updating one team member's LinkedIn headline to focus on customer pain points instead of company information, connection requests began turning into real conversations.
• Prospects started asking buying questions and booking appointments without being pitched directly.
• The change wasn't in the outreach. It started with the headline.

What's Next?

In the next episode of the LinkedIn Response Series, I explain how to increase LinkedIn profile views so more qualified prospects actually see your profile and your headline.

"Address the problem your prospect is already thinking about, then show them the outcome they're looking for."

Resources

• Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.
• Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.
• Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.