How to Share Your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn has become an essential professional networking and career development tool. With over 530 million members, LinkedIn offers invaluable opportunities to build your professional brand, connect with colleagues and peers, showcase your skills and accomplishments, and advance your career. An important part of maximizing LinkedIn is learning how to properly share your profile with your network and beyond.

Sharing your LinkedIn profile enables you to expand your reach, increase your visibility, drive traffic to your profile, and present your professional persona. Whether you’re job searching, looking to attract new clients, or simply aiming to grow your network, sharing your profile is a must. This comprehensive guide will teach you everything you need to know about sharing your LinkedIn profile with elegance and effectiveness.

Before jumping into the how-to’s of sharing your profile, let’s review the key reasons why profile sharing is a beneficial activity:

Expand Your Network

Broadcasting your profile far and wide enables you to connect with new people and expand your network. You never know what sharing opportunities may arise from unexpected places.

Increase Your Visibility

Get your professional brand and accomplishments in front of more eyes. Profile sharing gives you a larger stage to showcase your capabilities.

Attract Career Opportunities

Hiring managers and recruiters are increasingly turning to LinkedIn to source talent. The further your profile travels, the more likely it will land in the right hands.

Establish Thought Leadership

Position yourself as an industry expert by sharing high-quality content and insights from your profile.

Promote Your Business

Entrepreneurs can gain more customers and boost brand awareness. Share your LinkedIn profile to highlight your business and offerings.

Drive Website Traffic

Add links to your website within your profile to funnel visitors towards your other online properties.

Build SEO Value

Wider profile distribution on the web can improve your search engine rankings and search visibility.

Clearly, expanding the reach of your profile offers tremendous upside. Now let’s get to the heart of the matter – how to get your profile in front of more people.

Step 1: Tap “Me“

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Step 2: Tap “view profile”

Step 3: click “More” button

Step 4: Select “share profile via message”

Step 1: Open the LinkedIn app

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Step 2: Tap your profile picture

Step 3: view profile

Step 4: Scroll down and tap Your Profile. It’s under the “Contact” header

Your LinkedIn profile URL is the web address that leads directly to your profile page. It typically follows this format:

linkedin.com/in/yourname

Or:

linkedin.com/pub/yourname

To locate your profile URL, go to your LinkedIn profile and copy the web address from your browser address bar. Sharing this URL enables anyone to access your profile. Here are some popular ways to share your profile URL:

Also read: How to Find Your LinkedIn URL in 2023

Include It In Your Email Signature

Add your LinkedIn URL below your name in the signature of your professional email account. This allows everyone who receives an email from you to click straight to your profile with one click.

List It On Your Resume Or CV

Place your LinkedIn URL on your resume, CV, or cover letters. Hiring managers will appreciate the one-click access to expand on your credentials.

Embed It On Your Professional Website

If you have a professional website or online portfolio, ensure your LinkedIn URL is prominently displayed. This could be in the header navigation or footer area.

Print your LinkedIn URL alongside your name, phone number, and email on networking business cards.

Sprinkle your LinkedIn URL anywhere you have an online presence, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

For ongoing promotion, include your LinkedIn profile as a clickable link in email newsletters and communications.

Reference It In Your Professional Bios

Anytime you have to provide a bio, mention your LinkedIn profile and provide the URL. Use it on company websites, speaker profiles, guest articles, and conference registrations.

These methods make your profile URL readily available to contacts new and old. The more you share it, the more visibility and traffic your profile will accrue.

Social media provides a fast and convenient way to share your LinkedIn profile with expansive networks. Here are some tips for profile sharing on key social platforms:

Composing tweets with a link to your profile is a breeze on Twitter. Write a compelling message teasing the highlights of your profile and include your profile URL shortened using a service like bit.ly. Follow up regularly with new tweets to keep your profile circulating.

Post Your Profile on Facebook

Share your profile in Facebook posts and invite friends and followers to connect with you on LinkedIn. Use Facebook’s link preview to display an eye-catching snapshot from your LinkedIn page.

Pin Your Profile on Pinterest

Pinterest is highly visual but still allows profile sharing. Create eye-catching pins featuring your profile photo, industry graphics, infographics from your profile, and other visuals alongside your URL.

Embed Your Profile on Instagram

Instagram focuses on photos and videos but you can still share your profile URL in your bio area as a clickable link. Update it regularly to keep it current.

Record quick video walkthroughs of your LinkedIn profile and share them on YouTube. Embed your profile URL in the video description.

Blog About Your Profile

Write blog posts on your own website highlighting your LinkedIn presence and best practices for creating a standout profile. Link prominently to your profile.

Consider running LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter ads featuring your profile photo and a strong call to action to check out your profile.

The vast reach of social channels allows you to widely broadcast your profile to relevant audiences. Share and reshare your profile link regularly to maximize exposure.

Adding your LinkedIn profile URL to your resume is an excellent way to provide additional professional context when applying for jobs. Follow these tips for smoothly integrating your profile link:

URL Placement

The best place for your LinkedIn URL is in the contact information header of your resume, underneath your email and phone number. This ensures it’s visible right away.

Customize Your Public Profile URL

To make your profile link more memorable and professional, customize your public profile URL on LinkedIn using your own name:

Go to your LinkedIn Profile
Click the “Edit public profile & URL” pencil icon
Select the URL option
Type in the customized URL you want using your name
Click Set Custom URL

Use a URL Shortener

Shorten your profile link using bitly or ow.ly to avoidtaking up too much resume real estate.

Hyperlink the Text

Make sure the profile text links directly to your URL – don’t just list the URL.

List It On LinkedIn Resumes

If creating a LinkedIn-formatted resume, be sure to add your LinkedIn URL in the designated profile section.

Update Frequently

Keep your LinkedIn profile updated so anyone clicking your resume link sees an accurate representation.

Adding your LinkedIn profile to resumes is a simple yet highly effective way to provide deeper professional insights and background. Take advantage of this easy extra visibility during your job search.

Also read: What does the green dot mean on LinkedIn?

Given LinkedIn and Facebook collectively have billions of users, sharing your LinkedIn profile on Facebook can drive major traffic and connection growth. Here are some Facebook profile-sharing strategies:

Craft Facebook posts that summarize your skills, experience and credentials and directly link to your LinkedIn profile for the full picture.

Cross-Post Your LinkedIn Updates

When creating compelling LinkedIn posts, cross-post them to Facebook to maximize reach. The posts should motivate readers to click through to your profile.

Promote Your Profile in Facebook Groups

Active industry and professional groups on Facebook offer chances to selectively promote your profile to niche audiences.

Run LinkedIn Profile Ads on Facebook

Facebook’s extensive ad targeting options allow you to present your profile to your ideal audiences. Drive clicks to your profile with strong image and text ads.

Tag Your Profile in Comments

When commenting on industry articles and posts, tag your profile to provide helpful context around your perspective and expertise.

Pin Eye-Catching Profile Visuals

Facebook allows image pins. Create beautiful graphics featuring your profile photo, credentials and URL and pin them to your timeline.

Include Your Profile on Your Facebook Page

If you have a Facebook business page, ensure your LinkedIn profile URL is displayed prominently in the about section or company description area.

Facebook’s unmatched global penetration provides a prime opportunity to share your LinkedIn profile far and wide – just be careful not to come across as overly self-promotional. Focus on providing value.

Given LinkedIn’s increasingly mobile usage, it’s important your profile looks great and functions seamlessly on mobile devices. Here are some mobile profile sharing tips:

Optimize Your Profile for Mobile

Carefully review your profile on both iOS and Android devices and tweak sections and settings to ensure compatibility and readability.

LinkedIn’s mobile apps now include one-touch profile-sharing buttons for all major platforms including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and more.

Create QR Codes

Generate unique QR codes for your profile URL and add them to your business cards and other marketing collateral. People can instantly scan your code.

Text and Email Your Profile Link

Make sharing your profile as easy as possible for mobile contacts. Send your profile via text, IM, WhatsApp or email in just a few taps.

Save Your Profile to Mobile Home Screens

On iOS, users can save your profile URL to their home screen for instant one-click access just like an app. Provide instructions on how to do this.

Optimize Your Profile for Voice Search

With the rise of voice assistants like Siri, ensure your profile is discoverable via spoken keyword searches by mobile users.

As more LinkedIn usage shifts to smartphones and tablets, profile sharing must align with mobile behavior. Allow mobile users to engage with and share your profile seamlessly.

Also read: How to Add Promotion on LinkedIn: The Complete 2023 Guide

How to Add Your LinkedIn Profile to Your Email Signature

A LinkedIn-optimized email signature provides a little extra visibility boost with every email you send. Include your profile using the following tips:

Select a Compelling Profile Photo

Your profile photo will be prominently displayed, so choose one that conveys professionalism, confidence, and strong first impressions.

Use a Clear Call to Action

The text should motivate recipients to click and view your full profile, such as “Connect with me on LinkedIn” or “Learn more about my experience”.

Make the Profile Link Clickable

Ensure recipients can click the link directly without having to copy and paste a URL into their browser.

Shorten Your Profile URL

Use Bitly or Owly to condense your profile link so your signature remains clutter-free.

Keep It Brief

A profile link in your signature is great, but avoid crowding out your other contact information. Keep the design clean.

Include Your Email, Phone, and Website Too

A profile link complements other channels like email and websites. Include details for contacting you through other means.

Update it When You Switch Jobs

Remember to update your signature photo, headline, and other profile details when you change jobs or roles.

Email signatures offer low-effort, high-frequency visibility for your LinkedIn profile. This simple integration promotes your brand to everyone in your inbox.

Also read: How to Tag People on LinkedIn to Expand Your Network

Image credit Intero Advisory

Instagram is highly visual – focused on photos and short videos. But there are still a few creative ways to share your LinkedIn profile:

Link Your Profile in Your Bio

Add your LinkedIn URL in the website field of your Instagram bio. It won’t be prominent but still clickable.

Post eye-catching graphics featuring key sections of your profile like credentials, skills, and recommendations.

Cross-Promote with LinkedIn

When you share new photos or accomplishments on LinkedIn, cross-promote those posts on Instagram.

Use Link Stickers in Stories

When using Instagram Stories, add your profile link as a clickable sticker within the frame.

Promote Your Profile in Captions

Mention your experience and credentials in photo captions and encourage viewers to connect with you on LinkedIn.

Run LinkedIn-Themed Ads

Launch Instagram ad campaigns with strong LinkedIn CTAs to drive traffic to your company or personal profile.

Embed Your Profile on Other Sites

Publish blog posts on sites like Medium using rich photos from Instagram and links to expand on your profile.

While not the most natural platform for profile sharing, proactive Instagram promotion can still drive valuable visibility and connections. Get creative with your approach.

The last thing you want when sharing your LinkedIn profile is to come across as self-centered or salesy. Here are some tips for classy, value-focused promotion:

Focus on Helping, Not Selling

Think about how your profile helps colleagues, not how it helps you. Demonstrate your willingness to assist others.

Provide Value up Front

Before dropping your profile link, share useful advice, research insights, trend reports, etc. Don’t lead with the sell.

Select Relevant Contexts

Be selective about appropriate settings to organically work in mentions of your profile – don’t force it.

Use Soft Calls to Action

Invite people to view your profile using diplomatic language like “Feel free to…” or “If interested…” rather than hard “Call me” sales tactics.

Promote Others Alongside Yourself

Balance self-promotion by also sharing and praising profiles of those in your network.

Allow some time between profile mentions to avoid fatigue. Share thoughtfully and occasionally.

Express Gratitude

Thank anyone who views your profile or provides feedback. This fosters community goodwill.

The best profile sharing strategies build relationships and trust while humbly communicating your value. Focus less on the hard sell and more on serving your audience.

LinkedIn Learning’s robust expert-led course library helps professionals gain career-boosting skills and credentials. Sharing these credentials properly on your profile can impress recruiters.

Add Certificates to Your Profile

After completing a LinkedIn Learning course, add the shareable certificate to the Certifications section of your profile via the dropdown “Add Certification” menu.

Display The Certification Logos

Enabling logos makes your certificates easily scannable and adds credibility through clear indication of the issuing institution.

Curate and Feature Your Best Certificates

Rotate highlighted certificates in your Featured section to showcase your latest and most career-relevant credentials.

If currently working through a program, list it under Certifications and note the expected completion date to demonstrate your commitment.

Link to Full Course Descriptions

Provide additional context on the knowledge and competencies gained through each certificate by hyperlinking to the official course pages.

Keep Certificates Updated

Set annual calendar reminders to renew expired credentials and stay on top of new learning requirements in your field.

Continuous learning is a hallmark of top professionals. Spotlight your efforts by seamlessly integrating your latest LinkedIn Learning achievements into your profile.

Also read: How Much is LinkedIn Learning? An In-Depth Guide

Image Credit Business Insider

In addition to self-promotion, sharing the profiles of your employees, colleagues and connections can also provide value to your networks. Here are some best practices: