LinkedIn Profile Optimizer

Audit and rewrite a LinkedIn profile end-to-end for 2026 — headline formula, About section 7-step structure, Featured section strategy, banner design, photo rules, Experience metrics, Skills pinning, custom URL, recommendations. Triggers on requests like "review my LinkedIn profile", "rewrite my headline", "fix my About section", "optimize banner", "profile audit", "LinkedIn bio", "Featured section", "profile conversion", "profile keywords". Converts default/resume-style profiles into one that converts visitors 3-5x better.

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]
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