How do you write a LinkedIn About section?
Write a LinkedIn About section with a strong hook in the first two lines (the only part visible before "see more"), followed by specific evidence of what you do and results you've driven, then end with a clear call to action. Write in first person, conversational rather than resume-style.
The About section fails most often at the structural level before it fails at the sentence level. LinkedIn truncates the field after roughly two lines, so whatever comes first has to work as a standalone hook — a specific, interesting claim about what you do, not a generic opener like "passionate professional with 10 years of experience." If that opening line doesn't earn the click to "see more," nothing written below it matters.
After the hook, the strongest About sections move quickly into specifics: what you actually do day to day, who you do it for, and concrete evidence of impact — a number, a named outcome, a recognizable client type — rather than a list of adjectives. "I help B2B SaaS companies cut onboarding time by redesigning their first-week user flow" carries far more information than "results-driven product leader passionate about user experience," even though both are the same length.
Tone matters more here than in almost any other profile field. Resume-style third-person writing ("John is a marketing executive with...") reads as stiff and impersonal in a space meant to feel like a person talking. First-person, direct language performs better because it matches how the reader is actually engaging — scanning a profile to decide whether to message a person, not reviewing a formal document. Closing with a specific call to action — what you're open to, or how to reach you — gives an engaged reader an obvious next step instead of leaving them to figure it out themselves.
Key Points
- The first two lines are a hook — write them to earn the "see more" click, not as a generic intro
- Lead with specific results and concrete work rather than adjective-heavy self-description
- Write in first person, conversational tone — not third-person resume language
- Close with a clear call to action stating what you're open to or how to connect
Example
A freelance video editor rewrites their About section from "Creative professional passionate about visual storytelling with 6 years of experience" to open instead with "I edit YouTube videos for creators doing 100K+ monthly views who need a faster turnaround than their current editor" — the specific niche and result in the first line noticeably increases profile-to-message conversion compared to the vague original.
Related Questions
How long should a LinkedIn About section be?
Around 3–5 short paragraphs is typical — long enough to include a hook, specifics, and a call to action, but not so long that it becomes a dense wall of text most readers won't finish.
Should I use bullet points in my LinkedIn About section?
A short bullet list mid-section can work well for listing services or areas of expertise, but the opening hook and closing call to action should stay in prose so the section still reads like a person talking.