How can copywriting help you write a better LinkedIn presentation & make a difference
At 24, Julien Chorier was still looking for work. Like many, he had not been able to find anything for several years and was desperate to get an interview.
Any interview.
With any company…
But with the big difference that Julien’s profile was very different from the others: he is a well-known athlete in the world of sports. He is also specialized in business management, and he is passionate about the world of communication and marketing.
He began his search by sending his application by email, with a traditional résumé and cover letter. But he quickly realized that this was not enough.
Actually, after a lot of attempts, he still did not receive any feedback.
Sounds like something you know? Wait ’til you read the rest…
Tired of reviewing each word, each paragraph, each English Comma of his cover letter and résumé, he concluded that all his efforts led to nowhere and were just some kind of nonsense. He said that he was tired of always writing the same thing, or staying in such a formatted form of cover letter. “One day,” he said, “I told a friend that all that was nothing more than ‘verbiage’ and that companies surely did not have time to read anything like it.
That’s when he thought about replacing the core of his résumé with this simple word: “blablabla”
And he did…
Much to his surprise, he immediately received a response from a company that develops professional social networks aimed at schools, universities, and alumni associations.
Amazingly, they were not interested in his résumé but about what was hiding behind that “blablabla.”
After the positive reaction of the company, Julien understood that the key to be noticed is the differentiation. “For me, differentiation is a mandatory step when it comes to finding work, whatever the scope of activity. It is true that communication allows you to go a little further, but you always have to try to stand out.”
Why does this relate to your Linkedin profile?
Well, it’s never easy to talk about yourself. That is especially true when you want to introduce yourself to the cyberspace in an attractive and different way.
Very often, you start by writing the first thing that comes to your mind. You write about what makes you unique, without stopping to think about the potential reader. Of course, it seems logical to do it that way because selling is an awkward and unnatural process and it’s not your fault: that’s what you were taught to do.
Or so you think…
You spend an entire morning creating different descriptions of yourselves and presenting your life and work through stories on your multiple social networks and end up with clichés like:
I am a consultant
I studied at the NYU
I am married with children
I live in Los Angeles
I am a vegetarian
I love Lil Nax X
All those are just empty labels that you associate with our person. Those are just tags that define you in the eyes of the reader who visits your profile, and that will help you create that first impression of you.
One of the social networks in which you will feel more exposed is Linkedin.
That’s especially true because when you set up your Linkedin profile, you need to talk more about yourself, what you have done in the past, the colleges or universities you went to, the diplomas you have, the jobs you had for the past 10 years… Blababa…
Linkedin has now more than 600 million users in the world. It boasts 160 million users in the United States, 13 million in Mexico, 10 million in Spain. LinkedIn users are senior level influencers, and 63 million are in decision-making positions.
LinkedIn is one of the most commonly used tools to find employment, contact other professionals, and make the famous “networking” from your sofa. It is also the ideal place to consult job offers and meet exciting people who can help you contact other professionals who otherwise would not be so accessible.
If you are a professional, you probably know LinkedIn very well, so I don’t need to explain in details how it works. Suffice it to say that it is a platform with infinite possibilities, whether you have a personal, professional, or company profile.
However, like we’ll see it, it is not always used correctly.
What you should know when writing your presentation or excerpt from LinkedIn
Writing a personal or business introduction on LinkedIn should not be that complicated.
It has similarities with that moment in which, if you have your own business, blog or website, you write the dreaded section “about us” (also called “about me” or “about” …).
That’s why you can’t start writing the excerpt by saying:
“I am a multidisciplinary, proactive, punctual, and responsible person. I have a global vision capacity in the resolution of delicate situations and a great sense of responsibility.”
Indeed, it can be done better.
Which leads me back to the Julien Chorier’s story of the introduction and the infamous “blablabla” in his cover letter that led him to a senior position.
So it’s time to look at a mirror, analyze yourself and be honest.
But above all, it’s time to dare to stand out from the rest if we want to leave a mark on the person reading you.
If you want them to read about you, you have to listen first and talk later.
And that leads to my #1 advice:
1. # Investigate as if you knew nothing and wanted to be part of an unknown tribe
In copywriting, even before you start writing your very first word, you need to investigate!
Research the sector in which you want to dive. Learn how it works, how people communicate, what keywords can’t be missing in your presentation.
In all industries, there are power words, essential words, and also words that become fashionable.
For example, I would tell you that in the entrepreneurship sector, there are words and expressions such as:
– sales
– income
– ideal client
– growth
– goals
– opportunities
-focus
– objective
– results-oriented
All those words are on everyone’s lips.
Use those keywords to show that you know what the sector is about, that you know “what is cooked” and that they will position you ahead, and in a prominent way, with respect to your competition.
2. # Short is beautiful…
Yes, throughout these years you have done a lot of things: you play drums better than Buddy Rich, you dive deeper than James Nestor, you have worked several months as a volunteer in a remote corner of this world, you also have two masters and a bachelor’s degree plus one year of Erasmus in Finland and you could even play the guitar with Van Hallen, if necessary.
Ah! And you speak 5 languages, including Algonquian and Aztec. You manage social networks like nobody else. You are a master at SEO. You have studied graphic design, and you are a soccer referee. You were the first of your promotion at school, you are tremendously proactive, and you love working as part of a team.
Of course, all of those things are important. All of those skills makes you who you are … but … could you put it in just one paragraph? Or maybe could you tell what you think is most relevant to the person who reads you?
Nobody reads eternal résumés that begin to relate your life from the moment of your birth, or too formal presentations full of abstract data and countless adjectives.
Studies show that it takes a HR “head hunter” 6 seconds to figure out the first impression about any candidate.
Make those 6 seconds worth it.
How?
You need to prioritize the information you offer.
You should not present the information chronologically, but starting from the most important to the least important.
You need to understand that there will even be information that you will have to leave out because at this time it is outdated or not relevant to the sector you are targeting.
Of course, you don’t want to bore your reader.
Be direct, brief, and get to the point.
3. # Be clearer than water
Think that the one who visits your LinkedIn profile is very likely not to know you and may not even know much of the terminology of the industry in which you are or have worked.
Many people want to prove that they are experts in their field and use and abuse verbiage, technicalities, and far-fetched words that complicate reading.
In your presentation, clearly explain all the things you have done as if you were telling them to a friend, but without losing sight of that professional point.
Now, it is important to be close, but without being colloquial. That can be perceived as disrespectful.
Remember: do not bore your reader with dates, acronyms, technicalities or words with doubtful meaning.
If the HR person doesn’t know what you’re talking about, you’ll lose all his attention and discard your profile.
4. # Use power words and verbs
Yes, your training and career are important. However, do you know what most interests a person who lands on your LinkedIn profile? Know what you can do for him or his company.
Let’s say that you have been working as an international textile buyer for three years. On top of that, you have also been in charge of buying all the furniture in the new stores that you have opened.
Could you give details about what you have achieved with your work? Would you be able to tell what part of your work helped to achieve the results the company was looking for?
This is what a homepage looks like when a company don’t know about copywriting.
We are the best agency! We have the best tool! We sell the best paint in the United States!
Who says that is true? You will have to demonstrate the value of what you sell through data, facts, testimonials or some example.
Your customers will need proof. They will want to know your achievements and results. They will want to know what can you do for them thanks to what you’ve already done before.
To talk about it I recommend that you use action verbs.
I have already spoken in other posts, but verbs are action, they are results and objectives achieved.
And that’s what your reader wants to know.
5. # Know yourself better than anyone and be honest
You will not be able to write a good presentation about yourself, on LinkedIn or anywhere, if you do not know yourself well, if you are not able to analyze yourself, if you don’t know what your virtues are, what are your strengths and weaknesses, what you are not Good or you could improve.
You must show your strengths in an honest and real way. Do not invent anything and use words to actively describe your story. Tell what you do and what makes you unique.
And finally, take care of your spelling, grammar, and syntax. Nobody hires someone who can’t write well.
How about you, have you worked your LinkedIn profile?
I would love to know if this social network is useful for you to connect with other professionals, if you have managed to attract customers or if you simply use it to share your content.
I wait for you in the comments. Thank you for reading, reflecting, commenting, and sharing every week.
