How to Create a LinkedIn Profile that Lands Freelance Copywriting Clients (with screenshots!)
Feb 24, 2021
I did something crazy in my newsletter this week. I offered my subscribers a free LinkedIn profile audit and a cold-message role-play.
My goal is to get freelancers out of their comfort zone, hop on LinkedIn, and give this free platform a try.
That’s right - I’ll critique your profile and your cold messages for free. This exercise will help you get out of your head and to feel comfortable with cold messaging.
Need inspiration to get started?
In this post, I’ll show you step-by-step, section-by-section, what makes an effective LinkedIn profile + examples of people who are doing it right!
Section 1: Professional photo + headline
Photo:
Add a clear, professional-looking photo. A decent-quality profile photo will give you credibility and make your profile “pop.” You need a photo of you, not a logo.
You can get an average of 21 times more views on your profile than those who don't. Personalize your profile with a background image or else it could seem unfinished.
Headline:
Like any headline in copywriting, your LinkedIn headline is the first thing people see. Make it succinct, and make it stand out!
The goal of your headline should be to grab the attention of your target audience. Your headline will be automatically generated when you add your job titles to your profile, so make sure to re-write it to something more intriguing.
Section 2: The “About” summary
If your LinkedIn profile is your resume, the About section is your cover letter. Mine is short, which is recommended, but the examples I include are a bit longer since copywriters love to write.
See what works for you. Like any good piece of copy, make it readable by adding bullet points and dividing the text.
Section 3: Relevant work experience
If you don’t have experience as a writer (like myself at first) you can use other relevant work experience to prove your writing skills.
For instance, I tell all clients that I have a sales background, and that although it’s unrelated to writing, it helps me connect with their customers because I was in a customer-facing role.
Section 4: Skills
This list of relevant skills shows off your abilities to potential clients and recruiters. It also boosts your chances of showing up in their search results.
LinkedIn now offers assessments for the skills you selected on your profile to showcase your proficiency. I haven’t done this but anything helps, right?
Section 5: Recommendations
You can request recommendations from your connections. I do this with every client I have, then repurpose the LinkedIn recommendation as a testimonial on my website.
Having these on your profile creates more “social proof” so clients will see you’ve done a good job in the past. You may not get recommendations right away, but when you start getting clients, always be sure to ask for one when the time comes.
