LinkedIn is a powerful tool for entrepreneurs, especially in a vibrant and diverse city like Houston.

Whether you’re looking to connect with potential customers, partners, investors, mentors, or peers, having a compelling LinkedIn profile for Houston entrepreneurs can help you stand out from the crowd and achieve your business goals.

But how do you create a LinkedIn profile that showcases your skills, achievements, and personality? How do you optimize your profile for search, networking, and lead generation?

In this blog post, we’ll share some tips and best practices on how to create a LinkedIn profile for Houston entrepreneurs that will help you grow your brand and your business.

Choose a professional and friendly photo

When someone visits your LinkedIn page, they initially see your profile photo. It’s also one of the factors that influence your profile’s visibility in search results.

According to LinkedIn, profiles with photos get 21 times more views and 36 times more messages than those without.

That’s why it’s important to choose a professional and friendly photo that reflects your brand and your industry.

Here are some tips on how to choose a good profile photo:

• Use a high-quality, recent, and clear photo of yourself. Avoid using filters, selfies, or group photos.
• Dress appropriately for your industry and target audience. For example, if you’re a creative entrepreneur, you can show some personality with your outfit and accessories. If you’re a corporate entrepreneur, you might want to wear a suit or business casual attire.
• Smile and look directly at the camera. This will help you convey confidence, warmth, and approachability.
• Use a neutral or simple background that doesn’t distract from your face. You can also use a background that relates to your industry or niche, such as your office, your product, or your logo.
• Crop your photo so that your face takes up 60% of the frame. Make sure your eyes are in the top third of the photo.

Write a catchy and informative headline

Your headline is the second thing that people see when they visit your LinkedIn profile. It’s also one of the factors that influence your profile’s visibility in search results.

LinkedIn says profiles with headlines get 40 times more opportunities than those without.

That’s why it’s important to write a catchy and informative headline that summarizes who you are, what you do, and what value you offer.

Here are some pointers for writing an effective headline:

• Use keywords that relate to your industry, niche, and target audience. For example, if you’re a LinkedIn profile for Houston entrepreneurs, you might want to include words like “Houston”, “entrepreneur”, “founder”, “CEO”, etc.
• Use modifiers that highlight your unique selling proposition, such as your awards, achievements, credentials, or specialties. For example, you can add words like “award-winning”, “best-selling”, “certified”, “expert”, etc.
• Use separators to organize your headline and make it easy to read. Use commas, dashes, pipes, or emojis to separate the different parts of your headline.
• Keep your headline short and sweet. You do not need to use all 220 characters LinkedIn gives you for your headline. Aim for a headline that is concise, clear, and compelling.

Here are some examples of good headlines for LinkedIn Profile for Houston entrepreneurs:

• Houston Entrepreneur & Best-Selling Author | Co-Founder of XYZ Inc. | Developing Creative Solutions for the Medical Field
• Certified LinkedIn Expert | Houston Entrepreneur & Speaker | Teaching Entrepreneurs How to Leverage LinkedIn for Business Success

Craft a compelling and authentic summary

When someone visits your LinkedIn profile, their attention is drawn to your summary, which appears third. It’s also one of the factors that influence your profile’s visibility in search results.

LinkedIn says profiles with summaries get 10 times more opportunities than those without.

That’s why it’s important to craft a compelling and authentic summary that tells your story, showcases your value, and invites your audience to take action.

The following tips will help you develop a strong summary:

• Use the first person and a conversational tone. This will help you connect with your audience and show your personality.
• Start with a hook that grabs your audience’s attention and makes them want to read more. A question, a statistic, a quotation, a narrative, or a strong declaration can all be used.
• Highlight your skills, achievements, and passions. Show your audience what you’re good at, what you’ve accomplished, and what you care about.
• Include relevant keywords that relate to your industry, niche, and target audience. This will help your profile rank higher in search results and attract more views.
• End with a call to action that tells your audience what you want them to do next. You can ask them to visit your website, sign up for your newsletter, book a consultation, or connect with you on LinkedIn.

Here is an example of a good summary of a LinkedIn profile:

“Hello, I’m John Smith, a Houston entrepreneur and a best-selling author. I’m the co-founder of XYZ Inc., a company that creates innovative solutions for the healthcare industry. I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of technology and health, and how it can improve the lives of millions of people around the world. That’s why I studied biomedical engineering at Rice University, where I met my co-founder and friend, Jane Doe. Together, we launched XYZ Inc. in 2021, with the vision of revolutionizing the healthcare industry with cutting-edge technology. Our flagship product is a smart device that monitors and analyzes vital signs, such as blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels, and sends alerts to doctors and patients in real-time. Our device has been proven to reduce hospitalizations, complications, and costs while improving patient outcomes and satisfaction. We’ve also received several patents, grants, and awards for our innovation, such as the Houston Tech Challenge, the National Science Foundation, and the Time Magazine’s Best Inventions. Our company has grown rapidly, and we now have a team of 50 talented and passionate employees and a network of over 1000 doctors and hospitals across the US and Canada. We’re also planning to expand to other markets, such as Europe and Asia, shortly. I’m also the author of the best-selling book, “How to Heal the World with Technology”, where I share my insights and advice on how to create and scale a successful healthcare startup. The book has been featured in several media outlets, such as the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and the Oprah Winfrey Show. I’m also a speaker and a mentor, and I enjoy giving talks and workshops on topics related to healthcare, technology, and entrepreneurship. I’ve spoken at events such as the TEDx, the SXSW, and the Houston Startup Week. I’ve also mentored several aspiring entrepreneurs, especially from underrepresented groups, such as women and minorities. If you want to learn more about me and my work, please visit my website at www.johnsmith.com. You can also follow me on LinkedIn, where I post regular updates and articles on healthcare, technology, and entrepreneurship. Or, if you have any or if you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact me at john@xyz.com.”

Add relevant and engaging media

Your media is the fourth thing that people see when they visit your LinkedIn profile. It’s also one of the factors that influence your profile’s visibility in search results.

According to LinkedIn, profiles with media get 14 times more views than those without.

That’s why it’s important to add relevant and engaging media to your profile, such as photos, videos, slides, documents, or links.

Media can help you showcase your work, demonstrate your expertise, and provide social proof for your claims.

Here are some tips on how to add good media to your profile:

• Choose media that relates to your industry, niche, and target audience. For example, if you’re a LinkedIn profile for Houston entrepreneurs, you might want to add media that shows your products, your projects, your clients, your awards, your events, etc.
• Choose media that is high-quality, clear, and professional. Avoid using media that is blurry, pixelated, or poorly edited.
• Choose media that is relevant, current, and original. Avoid using media that is outdated, irrelevant, or copied from someone else.
• Choose media that is engaging, informative, and persuasive. Avoid using media that is boring, vague, or misleading.
• Add captions and descriptions to your media that explain what it is, why it is important, and what value it offers.

Here are some examples of good media for LinkedIn Profile for Houston entrepreneurs:

• A photo of you holding your best-selling book, with a caption that says: “I’m so proud to be the author of ‘How to Heal the World with Technology’, a book that shares my insights and advice on how to create and scale a successful healthcare startup. You can get your copy here: www.johnsmith.com/book.”

 

• A video of you giving a TEDx talk, with a description that says: “In this talk, I share my story of how I co-founded XYZ Inc., a company that creates innovative solutions for the healthcare industry. I also talk about the challenges and opportunities of being a Houston entrepreneur in the tech sector. You can watch the full talk here: www.johnsmith.com/tedx.”

• A slide deck of your company’s pitch deck, with a description that says: “This is the pitch deck that we used to raise our Series A funding from some of the top investors in the country. It showcases our vision, our product, our traction, and our team. You can view the full deck here: www.johnsmith.com/pitch.”

Showcase your skills and endorsements

Your skills and endorsements are the fifth thing that people see when they visit your LinkedIn profile. They’re also one of the factors that influence your profile’s visibility in search results.

LinkedIn says profiles with skills get 13 times more views than those without.

That’s why it’s important to showcase your skills and endorsements on your profile, as they demonstrate your abilities, credibility, and reputation.

Here are some tips on how to showcase your skills and endorsements on your profile:

• Add skills that relate to your industry, niche, and target audience. For example, if you’re a LinkedIn profile for Houston entrepreneurs, you might want to add skills like “Entrepreneurship”, “Social Media Marketing”, “Healthcare Technology”, etc.
• Add skills that are specific, relevant, and current. Avoid adding skills that are too broad, too niche, or too outdated.
• Add skills that are in demand, unique, or competitive. Avoid adding skills that are too common, too easy, or too saturated.
• Add up to 50 skills to your profile, but prioritize the top three skills that you want to highlight. You can reorder your skills by dragging and dropping them on your profile.
• Ask for endorsements from your connections, especially from those who have worked with you, know you well, or are experts in your field. You can also endorse others for their skills, as this can encourage them to reciprocate.

Here are some examples of good skills and endorsements for LinkedIn Profile for Houston entrepreneurs:

• Entrepreneurship (endorsed by 100+ connections, including Jane Doe, Co-Founder of XYZ Inc., Mark Lee, Investor at ABC Capital, and Lisa Chen, Mentor at Houston Startup Week)

• Social Media Marketing (endorsed by 80+ connections, including Tara Lynn, Founder & CEO of Tara Lynn Media, David Kim, Marketing Manager at DEF Ltd., and Sarah Jones, Blogger at The Social Media Savvy)

• Healthcare Technology (endorsed by 60+ connections, including Dr. James Smith, Chief Medical Officer at GHI Co., Dr. Jennifer Lee, Director of Research at Rice University, and Dr. Robert Johnson, Consultant at JKL Inc.)

Highlight your recommendations and accomplishments

Your recommendations and accomplishments are the sixth thing that people see when they visit your LinkedIn profile. They’re also one of the factors that influence your profile’s visibility in search results.

LinkedIn says profiles with recommendations get 7 times more views than those without.

That’s why it’s important to highlight your recommendations and accomplishments on your profile, as they provide social proof, validation, and recognition for your work.

Here are some tips on how to highlight your recommendations and accomplishments on your profile:

• Ask for recommendations from your connections, especially from those who have worked with you, hired you, or benefited from your work. You can also write recommendations for others, as this can encourage them to return the favor.
• Choose recommendations that are specific, relevant, and positive. Avoid choosing recommendations that are vague, irrelevant, or negative.
• Choose recommendations that highlight your skills, achievements, and personality. Avoid choosing recommendations that are generic, repetitive, or superficial.
• Add up to 10 recommendations to your profile, but prioritize the top three recommendations that you want to showcase. You can reorder your recommendations by dragging and dropping them on your profile.
• Add accomplishments that relate to your industry, niche, and target audience. For example, if you’re a LinkedIn profile for Houston entrepreneurs, you might want to add accomplishments like “Published Author”, “Award Winner”, “Patent Holder”, etc.
• Add accomplishments that are specific, relevant, and current. Avoid adding accomplishments that are too broad, too niche, or too outdated.
• Add accomplishments that are impressive, unique, or competitive. Avoid adding accomplishments that are too common, too easy, or too saturated.
• Add up to 50 accomplishments to your profile, but prioritize the top three accomplishments that you want to highlight. You can reorder your accomplishments by dragging and dropping them on your profile.

Here are some examples of good recommendations and accomplishments for LinkedIn Profile for Houston entrepreneurs:

• Recommendation from Jane Doe, Co-Founder of XYZ Inc.: “John is an amazing co-founder and a brilliant engineer. He has a vision for creating innovative solutions for the healthcare industry, and he has the skills and the drive to make it happen. He is also a great leader and a team player, who always inspires and supports his colleagues. I’m lucky to have him as my partner and my friend.”

• Recommendation from Mark Lee, Investor at ABC Capital: “John is one of the most impressive entrepreneurs I’ve ever met. He has a clear and compelling pitch, a solid and scalable product, and a proven and profitable traction. He is also a savvy and strategic negotiator, who knows how to close a deal and deliver value. I’m proud to be one of his investors and supporters.”

• Recommendation from Lisa Chen, Mentor at Houston Startup Week: “John is a talented and passionate entrepreneur, who always seeks to learn and grow. He is always open to feedback and advice, and he always implements them in his work. He is also a generous and humble mentor, who always shares his knowledge and experience with others. He is a role model and a star in the Houston startup community.”

• Accomplishment: Author of “How to Heal the World with Technology” published.

• Accomplishment: Award Winner of the Houston Tech Challenge, the National Science Foundation, and the Time Magazine’s Best Inventions

• Accomplishment: Patent Holder of 5 patents related to healthcare technology

 

Creating a compelling LinkedIn profile for Houston entrepreneurs is not only a good way to showcase your personal brand and your business, but also a great way to connect with your target audience and grow your network.

By following the tips and best practices in this blog post, you can create a LinkedIn profile that will help you stand out from the crowd and achieve your business goals.

If you need any help with creating or optimizing your LinkedIn profile, please feel free to contact us at Tara Lynn Media. We are an agency that offers high-quality social media management and marketing services for businesses of all sizes and industries.