Having a catchy LinkedIn summary is essential. Along with your LinkedIn banner and profile picture, it is one of the first things potential employers or clients will see.

Imagine after you’ve sent them a cold message on LinkedIn, your lead visits your profile to find out more but finds no information about you, they will for sure think twice about your credibility. And you’ll say goodbye to your LinkedIn lead generation!

So, what do you do in such a situation? Write an impressive LinkedIn summary!

Unfortunately, a lot of people overlook taking care of their LinkedIn summary. They either don’t write one at all or they create a brief, generic one that doesn’t say much about their skills and experience.

So, what is a LinkedIn summary? Why do you need it? And how to perfect your own summary?

Let’s take a deep dive and unpack everything you need to know about this often forgotten section of the renowned job-seeking social media.

linkedin summary

What is a LinkedIn summary?

A LinkedIn summary is a 2000-character (max) section that appears under your name and headline on your profile page.

Many people treat the summary like an extended version of their resume, but it’s actually an opportunity to provide potential and existent connections with a more well-rounded picture of who you are and what you’re interested in.

A great summary will give readers an overview of your skills and convince them to keep reading.

You can use your summary to highlight your professional experience, your personal passions, or anything in between.

It’s up to you to decide what you want to include. The most important thing is to ensure that your summary gives readers a sense of who you are as a person, not just a list of your accomplishments.

Now that we got the definition out of the way, let’s what makes a LinkedIn summary so important and why you need to take care of it.

Get 3.5X more leads!

Do you want to improve the efficiency of your sales department? With La Growth Machine you can generate on average 3.5x more leads while saving an incredible amount of time on all your processes.

By signing up today, you’ll get a free 14-day trial to test our tool!

Try now for free!

What’s the benefit of having an effective LinkedIn summary?

An effective LinkedIn summary can do wonders for you. Read on to find out some of the advantages that a great summary can bring.

First of all, having a great LinkedIn summary is a must-have for your personal branding and to make your LinkedIn network grow!

Looking for ways to expand your network on LinkedIn?
We've written a great post about how to develop your network on LinkedIn. This post contains all our tips, crafted from our own experience as sales experts. Feel free to read it right away to discover everything you need to know about this topic!
Learn how to develop your LinkedIn network

At LaGrowthMachine, LinkedIn prospecting is at the heart of our business. We see a real impact in the response rates of our LinkedIn cold outreach campaigns, directly attributed to having a “good-looking” profile (Good summary, good profile photo, cover photo, etc.)

A/B Testing

Get found more easily by hiring managers or clients

LinkedIn’s search algorithm takes into account the keywords in your profile, so it’s important to use them wisely.

This means that potential employers or clients who use LinkedIn’s advanced search features to look for someone with your capabilities are more likely to find your profile.

Make a great first impression

virtual handshake

Imagine you’re in a social encounter. One of the first things people will see is your LinkedIn summary, so it’s important to make sure it’s well-written and gives a strong impression of who you are. A good summary will make you look more professional and credible, which can lead you to better opportunities.

Stand out from the competition

Most people either don’t write a LinkedIn summary or they create a generic one that doesn’t say much about their personality. Whether it’s to advance your career or increase your sales, this is your opportunity to stand out from the crowd by having a unique and engaging summary.

Helps you build your personal brand

While your LinkedIn profile as a whole is important, your summary is one of the first things people will see when they visit your page. This makes it the perfect place to make a strong impression and stand out from the competition.

Position you as an expert in your field

chart expert

A great summary can also position you as an expert in your field. By sharing your knowledge and insight on trends in your environment, you can establish yourself as a thought leader and build authority within your network.

This can open up new opportunities for your career management and/or get you more clients.

Gives you a chance to show off your personality

In addition to building authority, your LinkedIn summary is also a great opportunity to show off your personality. Unlike your resume, which is typically more formal, your summary gives you a chance to let your voice shine through. This can help you connect with others in your industry, reach out to them on the platform, and build relationships that go beyond the professional.

Network more effectively

social networking

Finally, an effective LinkedIn summary can help you connect with others in your field of work. By sharing your interests and experiences, you can attract the attention of like-minded professionals and start building meaningful relationships.

The bottom line is that an effective LinkedIn summary is essential for anyone looking to build their personal brand, position themselves as an expert in their field, or connect with others in their industry.

If you’re not sure where to start, check out some of our top tips for a killer LinkedIn summary.

That said, make sure you’re not connecting with and messaging too many people, otherwise, the algorithm will get suspicious and you’ll get your LinkedIn account restricted because of LinkedIn’s connection limits!!

Our top LinkedIn summary tips:

As we said, there is no perfect strategy for composing a LinkedIn profile summary. However, we can help you with some tips and best practices:

  • Start with a bang:

Grab your reader’s attention from the start by opening with a strong statement or an interesting story. The average person spends just seconds reading a LinkedIn profile, so you need to make sure your summary grabs their attention and keeps them reading.

  • Keep it short and sweet

Remember, people have short attention spans, so you want to make sure your summary is easy to read and to the point. Try to keep it under 200 words. The ideal length for a LinkedIn summary is between 400 and 600 characters or around 50-70 words.

  • Write in the first person

When it comes to your summary, it’s important to sound like yourself. Write in the first person and use a natural, conversational tone.

  • Be clear and concise

Your summary should be easy to read and free of fluff. Stick to the point and use simple language that can be understood by everyone.

  • Highlight your skills and experience

Use your summary to highlight your most relevant skills and experience. This is a perfect opportunity to share your accomplishments and show off your expertise.

  • Share your passions

Your summary is also a chance to share your passions and interests outside of work. This can help you connect with others who share your interests and build relationships that go beyond the professional.

  • Be yourself

Finally, don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through. A great summary should give the reader a sense of who you are as a person, so be sure to use your own voice and style.

  • Use Online Summary Generator

If you’re facing difficulty following the above tips at a time, then an easy way to create a perfect summary is by using an online summary generator. These tools use highly advanced AI-powered algorithms that work to create a summary of the given text within seconds. You just have to paste the content into an online summary generator, and it will give you the output according to your expectations. The good thing about them is you can also set the summary length according to your needs.

While it’s important to be aware of the general guidelines for writing a summary, don’t forget that the most important thing is to be yourself.

Use your own words, and highlight the things that make you unique

With a little bit of effort, you can create a summary that will help you stand out from the crowd and achieve your goals.

If you’re still not sure where to start, we’ve got you covered.

Best LinkedIn summary examples:

When creating a strategy for LinkedIn (prospecting, marketing, etc.), there is no one way of writing a summary that will be the most memorable or anything like that.. However, we’ve compiled some of our favorite examples to give you some inspiration:

LinkedIn summary templates for job seekers:

For a B2C business:

For a B2B business:

As you can see, there is no one-size-fits-all formula for LinkedIn summaries. However, all of the examples above have a few things in common:

  • Are all concise and to the point.
  • Highlight the writer’s most relevant skills and experience.
  • Share the writer’s passions and interests.
  • Let the writer’s (or the brand’s) personality shine through.

No matter what industry you’re in, there’s a chance that at least one example will give you some inspiration for starting on your own summary.

Remember to be clear, concise, and yourself. If you can do those things, you’re well on your way to writing a summary that will help you achieve your goals.

Key Takeaways

A LinkedIn summary is an important part of your LinkedIn profile. They are the first thing people read when they land on your profile, and they can be an amazing way to show off your skills and experience.

A good summary can help you stand out from the crowd and catch the attention of potential employers or clients. However, writing a captivating summary can be easier said than done.

We can’t say this enough, remember to stay true to yourself when writing your summary. If you can do those things, you’re well on your way to showcasing a great summary that will help you achieve your goals.