LinkedIn Profile Optimizer

Audit the nine components of a LinkedIn profile (photo, banner, headline, About, Featured, Experience, Skills, custom URL, recommendations) against 2026 best practices, then rewrite each section that needs it. Optimized profiles get ~3.9x more views and convert visitors 3-5x better than default/resume-style profiles.

When to use

• User pastes their LinkedIn profile URL and asks for an audit
• User wants to rewrite their headline, About section, or Featured section
• User is launching a content strategy and needs the profile to match
• Any of: "review my profile", "fix my headline", "optimize bio", "profile audit", "LinkedIn optimization"

Input

• Profile URL (or screenshots of sections)
• Goal: clients / job seeking / authority — Featured and CTA vary by goal
• Optional: draft content to grade against the existing profile

Output

A structured audit + rewrite in this shape:

1. Scorecard (9 sections, pass/fail/needs-work)
2. Priority fixes (ranked by impact)
3. Before → After rewrites for each failing section
4. Expected uplift (based on benchmark data)

Steps

1. Intake. Collect profile state + goal. Flag missing sections.
2. Score each of 9 sections against the checklist (see references/).
3. Rewrite headline using [What You Do] | [Who You Help] [Achieve What Result] — fit all 220 chars.
4. Rebuild About with 7-step structure; verify first 265-275 chars hook before "see more".
5. Curate Featured (3 strong items) matched to the goal:
   • Clients: lead magnet + case study with results + calendar link
   • Job seeking: portfolio + best work samples + top-performing post
   • Authority: best content + media/podcast features + newsletter signup
6. Rewrite Experience bullets as action verb + specific metric. Add 5+ skills per role. Pin top 3 skills.
7. Claim custom URL (linkedin.com/in/firstnamelastname, not the -123abc456 default).
8. Draft recommendation requests with specifics ("about [project/skill]") — don't send LinkedIn's generic template.
9. Deliver before/after diff + expected uplift (3.9x views, 3-5x conversion, 71% more likely to land interviews).

Nine-component scorecard

| # | Section | Pass criteria (2026) | |---|---------|----------------------| | 1 | Photo | ≥400x400, face fills 60% of frame, <3 years old, natural light, slight smile | | 2 | Banner | 1584x396, text in right 2/3, high contrast, includes value prop + CTA, tests well on mobile | | 3 | Headline | Uses all 220 chars; format [What You Do] | [Who You Help] [Result] | | 4 | About | 200-300 words, first-person, 7-step structure, hook in first 265-275 chars | | 5 | Featured | 3 items, matched to goal, custom 1200x627 thumbnails | | 6 | Experience | Every bullet = action verb + metric, 5+ skills per role, media attached | | 7 | Skills | 50 listed, top 3 pinned, mirrors target job descriptions, ≥1 endorsement each | | 8 | Custom URL | linkedin.com/in/firstnamelastname (not the default hash) | | 9 | Recommendations | At least 3 recent, specific (not generic), from diverse contexts |

Key benchmarks (from co.actor research)

• Optimized About sections: 3.9x more views
• 5+ listed skills: 3x more connection requests
• Comprehensive profile: 71% more likely to land interviews
• Featured section content: 30% longer viewing time
• Personal founder profile vs company page: 315% more engagement, 270% more conversions

Hard rules

• No em dashes in any profile copy (AI tell, penalized by 2026 detection tools)
• First person ("I help...") never third person ("Jane is a passionate...")
• Never "passionate thought leader" / "driven professional" / "results-oriented"
• Capitalize all names, companies, products
• Avoid wall-of-text — use line breaks in About section
• 80% of users leave Featured empty — filling it is a free edge

Reference files

• references/profile-headline-formulas.md — 220-char formula + before/after examples
• references/about-section-templates.md — 7-step structure with character budgets
• references/featured-section-playbook.md — goal-matched content types
• references/banner-photo-specs.md — dimensions, composition, mobile test
• references/experience-skills-rules.md — bullet rewriting + skills strategy + custom URL + recommendations

Related skills

• linkedin-content-planner — post pillars should echo the profile's headline/About thesis
• linkedin-post-writer — Featured section rotates quarterly; pin your flagship post
• linkedin-humanizer — scrub profile copy for the same AI tells we scrub from posts