Attracting clients and employers on LinkedIn

By Lori De Milto

Lots of companies today are using LinkedIn to look for freelance and full-time editors and writers. If you want them to find you, you need to be near the top of their search results.

There’s an easy way to do this.

Step 1: Write a compelling headline

Your headline—up to 120 characters—is the most important part of your profile. You want to clearly and concisely describe what you do and explain how clients or employers might benefit from choosing you. Use keywords that are important to potential clients or employers—words like accurate, collaborative, detail-oriented, or consistent.

Here are some examples:

For a freelancer:

• Freelance Medical Copy Editor | Helping clients produce accurate, clear, and consistent content
• Freelance Editor and Writer | I help businesses communicate with their audiences
• Freelance nonfiction editor with a keen eye for accuracy and consistency and a deadline orientation

For an editor looking for a job:

• Technology Copy Editor | I make complex content easy to understand
• Senior editor and project manager who helps small businesses create compelling content
• Editor and writer specializing in consistent, high-quality digital and print content in education

Step 2: Write a conversational, concise summary

Every LinkedIn profile includes a summary below the headline. Here’s where you elaborate on what you do and what it’s like to work with you. Remember that viewers will only see the first 288 to 303 characters of your summary before a “Show More” prompt appears (and only about 60 on mobile). Make sure the beginning of your summary flows from your headline and focuses on how you meet the needs of clients or employers.

Be conversational and concise. Include only relevant information—what clients or employers most care about. And add in the keywords you’ve already used in your headline.

You can also make your profile easy to scan by including subheads like services, projects, specialties, and skills.

Step 3: Make it easy for people to reach you

There are two places you want to include contact information: the header and the summary.

To include contact information in your header, click the “See contact info” icon at the right side of your header, then click the pencil icon to add or edit your contact information. You can include something as specific as a phone number or email address, or as general as a website URL or Twitter handle.

Also include a call to action at the end of your summary with two parts: an action statement and your contact information.

Here are two examples:

• Contact me today! editor@greateditor.com
• Call or email me for more information: 444-333-2211 or editor@greateditor.com

Step 4: Use the right images

Make sure your profile photo is professional and is the right size: 400 x 400 pixels.

You can add a custom banner image, although sticking with LinkedIn’s default banner image is also fine. If you do upload your own image, choose something simple that works on smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. And make sure it’s the right size: 1,584 x 396 pixels.

Step 5: Build and engage your network

You’ll also rank higher in search results if you have a large, relevant network and are active on LinkedIn.

What should your network look like? Aim for 500 people you know or are “related to.” This can include members of ACES you’ve met at conferences or chatted with on Twitter, colleagues who do similar work, and others in your industry.

In terms of activity, one to two hours a week of activity is enough to help you rank higher in search results. To get there:

• Review your LinkedIn feed a few times a day. Comment on relevant posts.
• Write one to three posts each week. Find interesting articles, podcasts, etc., that are relevant to your connections. Add a few sentences about what you’re sharing and a link to it. Respond to everyone who comments on your posts.
• Invite relevant people you don’t know to join your network after you’ve commented on their posts or they’ve commented on yours. Always send a personal invitation rather than LinkedIn’s generic “request to connect.”

Taking these simple steps can help you stand out from the crowd on LinkedIn.

Lori De Milto is a freelance writer who also teaches other freelancers how to get the clients they deserve through The Mighty Marketer.

Attracting Clients and Employers on LinkedIn was originally published in Tracking Changes (Fall 2019 edition). Members receive a PDF of the quarterly Tracking Changes newsletter by email.

Header Photo by Pixabay