How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile and Start Posting Like a Pro

I taught 100 college students what most professionals still get wrong.

A few months ago, I had the privilege of conducting a LinkedIn Masterclass at Vasavi College of Engineering.

It was a 2-hour intensive session covering —

• Optimizing your LinkedIn profile to make it stand out
• Documenting your journey while adding value to the world
• A solid content plan and posting strategy for LinkedIn consistency

The most fun part?

Live “LinkedIn profile reviews” of the students who volunteered.

We also did a “All hands on deck” session where I made the attendees brainstorm five content ideas they can post right away to kickstart their LinkedIn journey.

100+ students attended, and I’d say 70% stayed awake the entire 2 hours (What to expect, it’s an engineering college!).

In this article, I’m sharing the key lessons and takeaways from that session. It will cover insights on how to build your personal brand on LinkedIn, even if you’re just starting out, and how to use the platform not just as a resume, but as a stage for your story.

First things first: Why LinkedIn?

Here’s my controversial opinion: a good job title doesn’t automatically mean a person has the skills to back it up.

A great first impression is more often than not a deciding factor in the online world. That’s why I make sure to showcase my work rather than just listing it.

The biggest lesson I live by is: document your career.

When someone lands on my LinkedIn profile, they make up their mind about whether to keep scrolling in seconds. My profile is a landing page that has one main goal: to make it effortless for them to understand who I am, what I do, and why it matters.

Part one: LinkedIn profile optimization in 4 steps

Let’s dive deep into how to optimize your LinkedIn profile so it stands out.

Step 1: Profile picture, headline, and banner

My profile picture is basically what I’d wear to a meeting with a client, facing the camera with a genuine smile in natural, even lighting, and has a plain background that lets me steal the show.

Coming hotfooting out of nowhere with a strange angle, or a group photo where I’m barely visible doesn’t cut it. If a friend can’t recognize me, neither will anyone else.

I don’t mess around with headshots that are poorly lit, blurry, or are full-body shots where my face is minuscule. When using Remove.bg for a clean background, or BetterPic for a polished, brand-consistent look, I know I’m getting a good result.

My headline is an essential 220 characters that pack a lot of punch, and consist of my role, key skills, career aspirations and select achievements.

It’s written with my target audience in mind. The right keywords can help me get noticed in search, but clarity takes precedence over being clever.

If a stranger can’t tell what I do from my headline in the 5 seconds it takes for them to read it, I’ll rephrase it.

The banner is basically the most underutilised space on LinkedIn, and here it’s where I lay out my value proposition, tell people to visit my website/newsletter and give a glimpse of my personality.

It’s kind of like a billboard that says one thing, but says it clearly.

2. Custom URL and contact info

I’ve got a custom LinkedIn URL, neat and clean. Here’s how you can do the same, according to LinkedIn help —

1. Click the “Me” icon at the top right of your LinkedIn homepage
2. Click View Profile.
3. On your profile page, click the “edit” icon on the right pane.
4. Under Edit your custom URL, click the “pencil” icon.
5. Type or edit the last part of your new custom public profile URL in the text box.
6. Click Save.

You can also use this space to add a custom button. I’ve added my YouTube so people can easily find my videos. You can use the space to add links that are actually useful, like —

• Your resume or website,
• Portfolio on GitHub/Behance,
• Relevant social media links, etc.

Don’t make people dig through the weeds to find the most important documents that could get you hired.

3. About Section and Experience

My About section is written like a chat with someone I’m pitching to, with a focus on —

• the tangible results I’ve achieved,
• the special things I’m good at,
• and showing how what I’ve done in the past

This sets me up for what I want to do in the future.

My experience is listed in reverse chronological order, in a results-first way, so that the impact I had in each of my roles is front and centre.

For each job, I don’t feel like I need to list all of the tasks I’ve completed. Just 3–5 key results that speak for themselves, and if I’ve improved revenue, retention, reach, or reliability, they get a line.

For example, this is now how you list your experience. It just shows what you’ve done, when and where.

Alternatively, if you could list wins from your current or previous jobs like this, it could help you get noticed more, and hired faster.

4. Endorsements and skills

Coming to my skills and endorsements, I’ve chosen the top three skills that I want to be known for and asked the people I work with and used to work with to endorse them. People don’t tend to know what I’m good at if I don’t tell them that I care, so I don’t let my less relevant skills take up too much space.

LinkedIn Profile Optimization: Checklist

Make sure you cover the following when you’re setting out to optimize your LinkedIn profile —

• Professional headshot
• Custom banner
• Headline: Role, key skills, aspirations.
• Custom URL
• Experience in reverse chronological order
• Experience summary
• Measurable results
• Top 3 skills endorsed
• Relevant keywords wherever possible
• Ask for recommendations and endorsements.

Part two: LinkedIn Posting Strategy

The fastest way I’ve gained traction on LinkedIn has been by documenting my projects, false starts, ideas, and tiny wins, giving a genuine taste of what I do.

Types of LinkedIn posts

There are multiple ways and formats you can post on LinkedIn like —

• Text (short, snappy, and the easiest to post)
• Image (add a relevant image to your text post to boost visibility)
• Video (vertical video of 1–3 minutes length)
• LinkedIn Live (live sessions that can be accessed later)
• Polls (great way to engage with your audience)
• Articles (long-form content)
• Newsletters (great way to build a lasting connection with your audience)

I’ve summarized the key types of posts on this slide from my masterclass presentation —

Ideas on what to post on LinkedIn

When students asked me “What should I even post on LinkedIn?”, I showed them that there’s no single right answer, just endless creative possibilities. You can start with —

• Stories that evoke sentiments: How my family reacted when…
• Niche statistics: X% of ___ fail because ___
• Contrarian opinions: Life is not as rosy as you think at ___
• Self experiments: I did ___ and achieved ___
• Case study analysis: This 65-year-old Unicorn founder ___

The point is simple: every post that feels personal, insightful, or thought-provoking has the power to start a conversation, and that’s what LinkedIn users love most.

Some prompts to get you thinking

If you’re looking to start posting on LinkedIn, here are a few prompts to get the ideas flowing —

• Life at <your current role/company>
• Insights from a recent personal or professional experiment you performed.
• Advice related to your chosen profession.
• Some beginner mistakes people make in their career in your chosen profession.
• Personal stories that highlight some key personality traits you want to showcase on LinkedIn.
• How much time it takes to <achieve a particular desired milestone in your chosen profession>
• Your best month in your profession where you overcame some incredible odds

Remember, everyone starts somewhere. You don’t need a perfect job title or years of experience to share your story; you just need the courage to start. The more you post, the clearer your voice becomes, and the more opportunities you’ll attract. LinkedIn rewards authenticity, so show up, speak honestly, and let your journey inspire someone else to begin theirs.

Intrigued about LinkedIn but not sure where to start or how it can benefit you? Grab The Ultimate LinkedIn Guide and start building your personal brand on LinkedIn today.

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