How to add featured section on LinkedIn [Types & best practices]

There’s a cool new way to enhance your LinkedIn profile and make your accomplishments a little more prominent for the world to see. LinkedIn introduced the “Featured” section to help users enhance their profiles by displaying their accomplishments, selling points, and opinions front and center. This has helped users put their best feet forward and also make a lasting impression on viewers.

It’s a new and dynamic way in which one can take control of their online professional presence and it’s helpful for building a brand, showcasing expert opinions, and your accomplishments effectively. Even from a networking standpoint, a “Featured” is highly likely to make your profile more relatable and relevant to your viewers and in turn help connect you with a wider audience.

This write-up discusses the merits of having a pristine featured section while also taking a look at what the best options for featured content are for different industries and professions. However, before we delve deeper and understand how to add a featured section on LinkedIn, let’s talk about what it truly is.

What Is the Featured Section on LinkedIn

The featured section on LinkedIn, is a prime spot on your profile where you get to showcase your creations and your accomplishments in the best way and place possible. You can highlight your opinions in all kinds of different mediums and have a new and effective way to interact with the viewers and visitors of your profile.

Here’s why you should leverage the Featured section on LinkedIn:

• Put your best foot forward: Highlight the strengths of your experience and accomplishments by selecting relevant posts, articles, projects, or certifications.
• Promote your business: You can leverage this section to build your personal brand and also your business. Make sure to “feature” content that can effectively attract potential employers, collaborators, buyers, and clients.
• Drive traffic to your page: Use the Featured section to direct viewers and visitors to the most important content you have created that translates to your academic and professional growth.
• Give it a personal touch: You can also use the “feature” section to make sure that your voice does not get lost by where you’ve been and what you’ve done. This section will ensure that your profile has your own authentic voice.

The featured section, all in all, is sort of like a billboard that you design for your professional self. And, hence, by strategically aligning content that fuels what you need to accomplish, you can make the Featured section a focal point of making an impact through LinkedIn.

How to Add Featured Section on Linkedin

Fortunately adding a Featured section on your LinkedIn is not even close to being hard. However, we want to make sure that you understand all of your options and know which path to take, hence the slight detour. However, the wait is over – we have added below the pointers that will help you opt for and then set up your Featured section with the most relevant piece of content that makes sense for your profile.

Click on your picture on the top right corner of your LinkedIn then click “View Profile”. Now click on the button, “Add profile section” present on your profile and select “Recommended”. Now hit on “Add featured” and add the content you want to feature.

Here is the step-by-step process:

Add a Post to LinkedIn Featured Section

If you are a professional looking to build a solid profile on LinkedIn to build your personal brand, promote your business, or attract potential employers, chances are that you have a considerable amount of posts that you have put out. These might be posts where you have shared valuable insights, industry-specific advice, promotions for your product line, or even about your learnings and accomplishments.

It is important to feature the best of these posts so that the viewers and visitors of your profile are able to quickly guage the energy you are trying to build and decide if they are willing to buy what you are selling (so to speak).

The process to do this is pretty simple. All you have to do is click on “+” and hit “Add a post”. You will be able to scroll across all of the posts you have added to your profile and select the one you want to put on a wide display.

Add a Link to Featured Section

This is something truly inspired. LinkedIn allows users to feature content from other websites. If there are certifications you are proud of, dissertations you have put out, publications that are out there created by you and your team, or articles that you have written for some major websites, this is the way to go for you.

You can also use “Add a link” to feature your resume, portfolio, work samples, and even video introductions of yourself to attract potential employers and give your profile an edge over other candidates.

The process to do this is quite simple. Once you hit the “+” button, you can select “Add a link” from the drop down. This will lead you to a window where you can add the link with the content that you would like to prominently display on your profile using the Featured section.

Add a Newsletter to Featured Section

This is one of the most effective personal brand-building strategies for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and brand envigorators alike. Adding a link to your newsletter (and updating it once there’s a new one in the series) not only attracts visitors, but also helps you build a loyal follower base.

Adding newsletters will allow you to address your followers and visitors on a regular basis and it will become a way for you to showcase how your brand evolves over time. It will also be a way to show the desired audience how committed you are to reaching your people, position you as an industry expert, and eventually help you build loyalty among your followers.

Additionally, if you are a business owner or a freelance worker, these newsletters found in the Featured section of your profile are also going to effectively fetch you leads and potential clients.

Add an Article to Featured Section

Adding an article to your featured section translates to the fact that you have a ton of more articles on your LinkedIn profile. This gives the visitors an impression that you are effective in communicating complex ideas to your audience with ease – positioning you as a thought leader in your particular industry.

Putting up a published article on your featured section will also help you garner more engagement on that article, help you initiate conversations, and as a result, help you build more connections.

Add Media to Featured Section

Featuring a truly impactful graphic on your profile can help you effectively grab attention, garner engagement, start conversations, build connections, and also help you set up your personal brand. Here are some reasons why an infographic, a poster, or, better yet, a video will be a wise choice of content for your Featured section:

• Since people have such short attention spans these days, pictures are videos are more likely to click with the modern audience.
• Infographics, posters and videos may help you deliver a long message in a short and visually appealing way.
• A well-crafter media file, especially a video can be an effective tool if you want to showcase your brand story and get your audience where you want with relatability.
• Visual content is also more effective because it is more likely to be shared across social media which helps with visibility and networking.

How to Reorder your LinkedIn Featured Section

To reorder the items in your Featured Section on LinkedIn, follow these steps:

1. Access the Featured section: Go to your LinkedIn profile. Click the “Edit” button on your Featured section.
2. Reorder Items: You will now see a list of your featured content. You may simply click and drag the items to rearrange them in the order that you desire.
3. Save Changes: Once you have reordered your LinkedIn Featured section, you can finally hit “Save changes” to save this progress.

And, that is it! Your Featured section should now display the items in the new order that you have set.

Best Practices for Curating Your Featured Section

The featured section is a powerful tool to help you get your foot in the door when it comes to attracting customers, building loyalty, and promoting your brand. However, you can achieve all of that and more if you do it just right. Here we have curated a list of tips you must follow to ensure that your featured section is air-tight:

• QA the contents of your content: You must choose what you want to feature wisely. Select the kind if content that aligns with what you are trying to achieve. Introspect a bit about what your end goal is and select your content accordingly.
• Consistency is a must: Just like you should be regular and frequent with your LinkedIn posting, you should also show some consistency when it comes to the Featured section. You should try to update the content on this section so that it evolves and scales with your own skillset.
• Everyone appreciates a mixed bag approach: make sure to include a diverse range of content items in your featured section to make it look vibrant and also make your profile a bit more lively.
• Optimize the section well: You must ensure that the content piece(s) you put out on the Featured section of your LinkedIn are looking their best for both desktop and mobile users.
• Leave them wanting more: You must make sure that your featured section not only attracts and engages, but also leaves a lasting impression. Encourage your visitors to take action - visit your website, make a connection, engage with your content, and more.

Types of Content to Feature on Your Profile

For the featured section, you’re putting up the kind of content that is going to highlight your accomplishments and also position you as a thought leader in your industry. To do that effectively, you must take certain steps to align your profile with industry-specific messaging.

Here are some suggestions:

For Founders/Entrepreneurs

• A brief film that summarizes the goals, vision, and distinctive selling proposition of your business.
• The most recent news article or press release should highlight noteworthy events or recent media attention.
• Product Demo or Tutorial: If appropriate, give a brief demonstration of your product or service.
• A brief video or written statement from a happy customer is called a testimonial.

For Marketers/SDRs

• Case Study: Describe a profitable sales transaction or marketing initiative.
• Client Testimonial: A favorable assessment or recommendation from a customer.
• Recent Marketing Campaign: Highlight a recent marketing campaign’s main outcomes and metrics.
• Relevant Industry Article: Provide a piece that highlights your experience that you have written or contributed to.

For Professionals

• A skill showcase is a graphic representation of your abilities, like a portfolio of your prior work or a skill matrix.
• Accreditation or Certification: Emphasize any pertinent accreditation or certifications.
• Article on Thought Leadership: Provide a link to a piece you’ve contributed to a respectable journal.
• Professional Portfolio: A URL pointing to your own website where you can view your work.

For Job Seekers

• Resume or Cover Letter: A link to your most recent resume or an eye-catching PDF.
• A brief film that highlights your abilities and experiences is called a “skill highlight reel.”
• Relevant Project: An in-depth account of a current project that highlights your contributions and role.
• A LinkedIn recommendation from a former manager or coworker is a positive recommendation.

How the Featured Section Impacts Your Personal Brand

You can effectively influence how people view your brand and improve your reputation in the workplace by carefully choosing and curating the content for your Featured Section. How people view your personal brand can be greatly influenced by the Featured Section.

• First Impression: The tone of your entire profile is established by the content you highlight. A strong, favorable first impression is produced by a feature section that is carefully chosen.
• Brand Identity: Your personal brand is reflected in the kind of content you select. For example, showcasing creative projects reveals your artistic side, while featuring thought leadership articles establishes you as an authority.
• Credibility and Expertise: You can demonstrate your credibility and expertise by showcasing your excellent work, such as published articles or client endorsements.
• Engagement: Adding visually appealing content to your profile, like infographics or videos, can increase interaction.
• Call to Action: You can increase your digital footprint by directing visitors to your website, portfolio, or other online platforms through the Featured Section.

Conclusion

LinkedIn’s Featured section is an effective way to highlight your abilities, successes, and brand identity. Since it’s the first thing visitors see, it’s imperative that you curate excellent content that supports your career objectives.

Think about incorporating a variety of content formats, including presentations, videos, articles, and testimonies. Make sure the content entices users to explore your profile further and is optimized for desktop and mobile devices. You can create credibility, draw in new business, and make a good first impression by carefully selecting your featured section.