In this video, Lorraine K. Lee—editorial director at Prezi and former LinkedIn news editor—shares her expertise on building visibility on LinkedIn by optimizing three core sections of a profile. She begins by establishing her credibility, citing six years as a LinkedIn news editor, work on special projects, and experience creating LinkedIn’s first newsletter and video series featuring notable figures. She then outlines three actionable tips: (1) Write a strong, keyword‑rich headline that includes 3‑4 descriptive phrases about what you do and what you want to be known for, using industry‑specific terms to improve search rankings; (2) Develop a rich, multi‑paragraph summary that tells your personal story, highlights achievements, goals, and even personal interests to make you more relatable and searchable; (3) Add a 30‑second video cover story—a new LinkedIn feature signaled by an orange ring around the profile picture—to give viewers a quick, human introduction. She recaps the three steps, encourages viewers to connect with her on LinkedIn, and thanks the audience.
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Hi everyone, and thank you for tuning in to this video about how to build visibility on LinkedIn. My name is Lorraine and I'm the editorial director at Prezi, and I was previously an editor at LinkedIn. Now, there are so, so many things that I could talk about for how to leverage LinkedIn well, but today I'll be talking about how to optimize your profile. But before I begin, I wanted to share a little bit more about myself and what makes me qualified to talk about LinkedIn. I was a news editor for LinkedIn for six years, where I wrote the daily rundown for a U.S. audience. I also worked on the special projects team, where I reported for our LinkedIn Lists franchise. I created the strategy for our LinkedIn News social channels, and I was editorial lead for LinkedIn's first ever newsletter product. I also created and hosted its Female Founders video series, where I had the chance to interview powerhouse women, including. Phenomenal woman founder Mina Harris, who also happens to be Vice President Kamala Harris's niece. Esther Wojcicki, an author and mom to the YouTube and 23andMe CEOs. And Chelsea Clinton. Needless to say, after 6 years at LinkedIn, I am very passionate about the company and the product, and I'm so excited to share some of the tips with you here today. So as I mentioned before, today we'll be talking about optimizing your profile. The first thing you'll want to do is create a strong headline. So what you see here is what you will see on a lot of people's profiles. They are very literal and write what their current job is, but there is so much more you can include and should include. And this is going to be especially important if you're looking for a new job because the keywords in your headline will impact how you appear in search results. So basically, the more keywords, the better. I recommend at least 3 to 4 headlines to describe what you do and what you want to be known for. So for example, here's what an after could look like. Yes, I still have my job, but I also talk about the virtual keynote speaking I do, the work I do leading an ERG, and my former work experience as well, since LinkedIn is a well-known company and I want to highlight that. Now I've also seen more descriptive headlines with phrases like branding for rebellious businesses, building products that help people find jobs, and helping our customers help their customers. So this is your chance to really get creative with it and to share what you do and see what resonates with your audience. Now the second area we'll want to talk about regarding your profile is your summary section. Creating a rich summary is also really important again for search on Google and LinkedIn. But it's also a chance for you to show more of who you are. So I would recommend writing a few paragraphs, and you can see on mine I have about 5. And the summary is a chance to talk about the more personal side of you. Why are you in a certain industry and what drives you? What are your biggest achievements and what are your goals? It's a place where you can really shine and tell your story beyond just the resume. Now in my summary, I've decided to also add an even more personal touch as well and talk about some activities I like to do outside of work. Even though LinkedIn is a site for professionals, we're all still people, so I think adding details like these can help, can help others feel more connected to you. Now once you have your summary down, you'll want to make sure you create a video cover story. So this is a fairly new feature to LinkedIn, and it's a great way for others to feel like they've met you before having actually met you. So you'll have 30 seconds to say whatever it is you want about who you are, what job you're looking for, and what experience you bring to the table. I think we know that video is many people's preferred medium, so it's time to take advantage of this feature. And you'll know if people have a video cover story if they have that orange ring around their profile pictures. So there you have it. Those are my 3 top tips for optimizing your profile. Let's do a quick recap. To optimize your profile, you'll want to Write a compelling summary, elaborate on your headline, and create a video cover story. I hope this was helpful for you today. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, and I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you so much.
