The formula
Who you help, plus what you help them with, plus ideally how or with what result.
I help [who] to [result] through [how].
// The formulaTwo examples that follow the formula: Helping B2B companies fill the calendar with the right customer meetings via LinkedIn. Or: Getting industrial companies to find new customers without chasing reach. Both say in one line who, what and the result, without a single job title.
Three rules for a headline that works
Build on the formula, write for the person searching, lead with the benefit, and remember what the line cannot do for you.
Follow the formulaWho you help, what you help them with and ideally how or with what result. I help [who] to [result] through [how]. One line, one promise.
Write for the searcher, not the mirrorThe headline is searchable. Put in the words your customer types in the search box, naturally. Not titles like visionary or passionate, but what they are actually looking for.
Talk about the benefit, not about youSwap I am for I help you to. The reader cares about what they get, not about your job title. A title describes you. A promise attracts the right people.
And now what the headline does not do
A perfect line at the top of your profile gives you zero business on its own. It makes the right people understand you faster once they land there. It does not replace you reaching out.
The headline is the sign. It pulls in whoever is already passing by.
// Sign × conversationIt is still you who has to go out and start the conversations. Write a line you are proud of, set it, and then put your energy where the business is made: in the contact. How to take that step is in the guide on selling on LinkedIn.
Write a promise, not a title, then go out and start the conversations
Follow the formula who plus what plus result, weave in the words your audience searches for and lead with the benefit. And remember: the headline is the sign, your own conversations are the engine.
LinkedCoach helps you sharpen your profile so it attracts the right people, and turn those visits into conversations. With a team of nine coaches we help everyone from global companies to the one-person business use LinkedIn for business. The common denominator for our clients is the insight that their potential customers are on LinkedIn.