August 2025 - LinkedIn Essentials: The Most Important Takeaways (Part 1)
Welcome to Be The Brand’s LinkedIn Essentials Series, where we answer the most common questions we’ve been asked over the years about professional branding. Whether you’re in a leadership role, considering a career move, or simply trying to show up with more purpose, your LinkedIn profile is one of the most important tools you have.
This month, we’re recapping the top five takeaways from the series so far. Think of it as your mid-year reset—and your quick-start guide to making LinkedIn work for you.
#1: First Impressions Matter
80% of visitors to your LinkedIn profile never scroll past the top section. That means your banner image, headshot, headline, and opening lines of your bio are doing almost all the work when it comes to shaping perception.
This space should reflect not just your current role, but your unique value, personal style, and professional direction. Ask yourself:
Does your headshot feel current and approachable?
Is your banner visually polished and aligned with your field or voice?
Does your headline go beyond your title to communicate your strengths and professional value and expertise?
Does your bio (About section) open with a clear, compelling summary of who you are, what you do, and why it matters?
✅ Treat this section like your digital handshake—it sets the tone before you say a single word.
#2: Know Your Brand Purpose
If you had access to 1 billion people, what would you want them to know about you?
That’s LinkedIn: a global platform with over 310 million monthly active users. To cut through the noise, you need a message that’s both clear and consistent.
Start by writing a simple 2–3 sentence summary of your brand purpose:
What do you do?
Who do you help?
What impact do you want to make?
✅ This statement becomes the foundation of your content, your bio, and how you introduce yourself.
#3: Engagement Matters
One of the most common questions we hear is: “How do I grow my audience on LinkedIn?”
The secret isn’t more posting—it’s more engaging.
Every comment you leave increases your visibility, builds relationships, and reinforces your expertise. Our advice:
Set a timer for 15 minutes.
Leave thoughtful, relevant comments on 3–5 posts from people in your network.
Share one post from someone else, adding your perspective.
✅ It’s not just about sharing your message—it’s about joining the conversation.
#4: Aim to Teach
Want to write posts that people actually read (and remember)? Make it valuable.
Here’s our go-to formula for crafting a strong LinkedIn post:
1️⃣ Start with a personal anecdote or insight
2️⃣ Explain the context clearly
3️⃣ Share what you learned
4️⃣ End with a question that invites others in
Your audience wants to learn from your lived experience—not just your resume.
✅ When you aim to teach, you build trust, authority, and meaningful engagement.
#5: Curate Your Feed
LinkedIn isn’t just where you post—it’s where you consume. And what you consume influences how you show up.
Here’s how to take control of your feed:
Follow individuals who inspire you or reflect the kind of content you want to emulate
Mute or unfollow accounts that leave you feeling drained or disconnected
Regularly engage with posts that align with your values and interests
✅ A curated feed gives you daily insight, motivation, and a clearer sense of how you want to contribute.
Try This:
Pick one of the five areas above and act on it this week. Update your headline. Leave a comment. Write your 2–3 sentence brand purpose. Just start somewhere.
✨ Small steps build serious momentum. And if you want help reviewing your profile, refreshing your content strategy, or building your executive presence—we’re just a message away.
Your brand already has power. Let’s make sure people see it.
—Madeline Fetterly Founder & CEO, Be The Brand Collective