How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile to Get More Clients

Here are some LinkedIn profile tips that will help you get more clients and show up in searches. Learn how!

If you’ve just stepped into freelancing, or you’re looking to get regular clients, you need a solid platform for them to land on. You can stand out from the crowd by optimizing your LinkedIn profile.

Follow these steps to set yourself apart from the crowd and show how you can help your prospective clients. Let’s dive right in.

1. Create and Upload a New Header

When a recruiter first lands on your profile, the first thing they see is your header. So you must ensure that it acts as an introductory element for you and specifies the necessary information.

A generic cover photo, like the one you may have on Facebook, can be a bad choice here. Instead, create a professional header using a picture editor. That’s because personal branding can help freelancers go miles.

Here’s the step-by-step process to create a header using Canva.

Step 1: The obvious: open the site.

Step 2: Click on the Create a Design button and start typing “LinkedIn” in the search bar. It’ll automatically show you the dimensions of the LinkedIn banners to use.

It’s wise to choose from the given dimensions. That’s mainly because if you select the dimensions yourself, and they turn out to be wrong after creating your design, you’ll have to pay a little fee to fix it.

Results by typing LinkedIn on the search box of Canva

After clicking on it, you’ll see a screen like this:

Step 3: Select one of the free or paid templates or upload your own background image.

After selecting the template, it’ll appear in the blank field like this:

Step 4: Add your picture to the banner by clicking on the Upload Media button given on the left side of the screen. The image will appear in your Canva gallery once uploaded.

Click on the image and drag it to the preview shown on the template, then release the button. The image will automatically appear in the round section of the banner. Once it’s there, rearrange it to get your face in the right position in the frame.

If you’re creating a header from scratch, you can choose your frames from the Element section. Then upload the image in them as shown in the previous step.

Uploading frames from the element section of Canva editor menu

Step 5: Edit your headline by clicking on the text button at the left of the banner.

If you’re creating an image from scratch, you can also add the headline by clicking on the text on the left side of the screen.

Step 6: Click on the expand button at the bottom of the page to review your banner once. You can adjust the positions of the text and the image if needed.

For instance, we may have to pull the banner headline a bit upward or the display picture may cover it on LinkedIn.

Step 7: Save the image by clicking on the Download button in the top right corner of the screen. You can also select the format in which you want to download your image. I prefer PNG as it doesn’t compress your image while downloading.

Downloading the optimized LinkedIn header

Step 8: Once it’s all done, just upload the banner to your LinkedIn profile.

2. Edit Your Tagline

Your next step is to edit your tagline (or headline). It should be more than just plain text like “open to work”. So write something that clearly explains what type of freelancer you are—for instance: Pet writer, website designer, SEO consultant & specialist, UX designer, etc.

If you offer more than one service, you can add them all in your headline by separating them with a vertical bar (|). Consider writing you’re “Open to Work” or “Available for Hire” at the end, just to make sure your prospective clients get the idea.

3. Rewrite Your Summary

Your LinkedIn profile summary is not just about the degrees you hold or what experience you have, but also about how you can actually help your potential clients solve the problem they’re facing.

So, brush up on your copywriting skills before you write this section. The following tips can help:

Define your prospects, ensuring they’re the ones you serve.
Describe their pain points, defining you get them.
Add your experience and credibility, explaining why you’re the best person to get help from.

4. Edit the Rest of Your Information

The next step is to optimize the rest of your profile.

Step 1: Start by personalizing your URL.

When you create a new LinkedIn profile, it gives you a generic and ugly URL. But don’t worry. You can change it. Just go to your profile and click on “Edit your profile and URL” at the right corner of the screen.

Then personalize your URL from here.

Step 2: Upload your already published work in the featured section. It’ll help your potential clients take a look at your work if needed.

You can also upload media to this section to make your profile pop up. For instance, if you spoke at a conference or have made a great personal branding video, this is the place to add that. If you face difficulty uploading it, fix it like this.

Step 3: Add all the companies you’ve worked for in the past. If you’re a fresher, your volunteering experience will work just fine.

Step 4: Add your educational details in the following fields.

Step 5: If you have any certificates and licenses, add them here.

5. Less Known Ways to Find Work on LinkedIn

When it comes to finding work on LinkedIn, most people just click on the job searches and start applying. Even though that’s one of the good ways to find work, but that’s not all. You can leverage LinkedIn for more.

If you’re into cold pitching, consider exporting your LinkedIn connections on a spreadsheet. Yes, LinkedIn allows that. To export your connections.

Step 1: Click on My Networks.

Step 2: Click on Connections.

Step 3: Go to Manage and Sync contacts.

Step 4: Click on the Export Contacts button on the right section of the screen.

Step 5: Click on Archive Request.

LinkedIn will send you an email when your downloads are ready.

Apart from this, use the advanced search option in different ways to find the best matches.

Here are a few ways to do it.

Look for companies in the niches and the location you’re willing to serve.
Find people in your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd connections.
Search for people currently working in the company you’re looking for.
Find former employees of companies by selecting past companies in all filters. [Tip: Network with them. You may find a way to get in or find out about the person involved in the decision-making process.]
Locate people based on the language they speak, the categories they have listed on their profiles, and by using various keywords.

LinkedIn at Its Best

Most people check their LinkedIn profiles once or twice a week without realizing how much they’re missing out on.

Don’t be those people. Optimize your LinkedIn account to get the best out of it. Who knows, your potential client is looking for just what you have to offer, but it’s not clearly visible to them yet.