Using LinkedIn to Build a Personal Brand: The Do’s and Don’ts.

In today’s digital era, establishing a strong personal brand isn’t just for influencers or celebrities—it’s a must for professionals. When it comes to professional networking, personal branding on LinkedIn can be your most powerful tool. With over 900 million users, LinkedIn offers a golden opportunity to showcase your skills, values, and expertise to the right audience.

Whether you're a job seeker, entrepreneur, or industry expert, your LinkedIn profile is your online business card, résumé, and networking tool all rolled into one. But with great power comes great responsibility—and to truly stand out, you need to know the do’s and don’ts of LinkedIn branding.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore how to build an authentic and effective personal brand on LinkedIn. Let’s dive in.

Why Personal Branding on LinkedIn Matters

Personal branding on LinkedIn helps you establish credibility, increase trust, and open doors to new opportunities. Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room. On LinkedIn, it’s how you present yourself through your profile, content, and interactions.

A strong personal brand can:

• Position you as a thought leader in your industry
• Attract recruiters, clients, and collaborators
• Enhance your LinkedIn visibility
• Build meaningful professional relationships

But to make this happen, you need to go beyond just having a profile—you need to use LinkedIn strategically.

The Do’s of Building a Personal Brand on LinkedIn

1. Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile: The first step in LinkedIn profile optimization is creating a complete, compelling, and professional presence. Here’s how to do that:

• Use a high-quality profile picture: Profiles with photos get 21x more profile views.
• Write a powerful headline: Instead of just listing your job title, use your headline to describe what you do and the value you bring. For example, “Helping SaaS companies grow with data-driven marketing strategies.”
• Craft a compelling About section: Tell your story. Highlight your strengths, career journey, and what you’re passionate about. Include relevant primary and secondary keywords naturally.
• Customize your URL: A personalized LinkedIn URL looks professional and is easier to share.
• Add featured media: Showcase your work through presentations, videos, or links.

All these elements work together to enhance your LinkedIn profile optimization and create a strong first impression.

1. Develop a Strategic LinkedIn Content Strategy: To build your personal brand, you must be seen—and that means showing up consistently with valuable content. A thoughtful LinkedIn content strategy includes:

• Sharing original posts, articles, or videos that reflect your expertise
• Posting consistently (2–3 times a week)
• Engaging with trending industry topics
• Using relevant hashtags to boost LinkedIn visibility
• Encouraging engagement by asking questions or sharing your opinions

Mix up your content—educational, inspirational, behind-the-scenes, or personal stories—to humanize your brand and keep your audience engaged.

1. Be Authentic and Relatable: People connect with people, not resumes. Showcasing your personality, values, and even vulnerabilities can go a long way. Share your wins, but don’t shy away from talking about your challenges and learnings. This makes your personal brand more relatable and trustworthy.
2. Engage with Others Meaningfully: Building a personal brand isn’t just about pushing out content—it’s also about engaging with your community. That means:

• Commenting thoughtfully on others’ posts
• Congratulating peers on milestones
• Sharing insights in niche discussions or industry groups
• Responding to comments on your own posts

Being active and generous in your interactions boosts your LinkedIn visibility and positions you as someone who adds value.

1. Use Keywords Strategically: Using the right keywords boosts your discoverability. When people search for specific skills or expertise, LinkedIn’s algorithm looks at the keywords in your profile, headlines, and content.

Be sure to include your primary keywords like personal branding on LinkedIn and LinkedIn profile optimization, as well as secondary keywords such as LinkedIn content strategy or LinkedIn visibility—but always in a natural, relevant context.

1. Ask for (and Give) Recommendations: Recommendations from colleagues, clients, or managers enhance credibility. Don’t hesitate to request recommendations from people you’ve worked with—and always be willing to return the favor. These testimonials act like social proof and reinforce your personal brand’s authenticity and reliability.
2. Keep Your Profile Updated: Your LinkedIn profile should evolve with your career. Update it regularly to reflect new roles, certifications, achievements, and skills. This helps maintain LinkedIn visibility and ensures you don’t miss out on potential opportunities.

The Don’ts of Personal Branding on LinkedIn

1. Don’t Be Inconsistent: Inconsistency in your voice, message, or posting frequency confuses your audience and weakens your brand. Whether you post once a week or three times a week, stick to a rhythm. Be consistent in your messaging—your tone, values, and what you stand for.
2. Don’t Treat LinkedIn Like Facebook or Instagram: LinkedIn is a professional platform. While personal stories can add relatability, overly casual content or irrelevant posts (like vacation selfies) can hurt your credibility. Balance is key. Share personal insights with a professional takeaway—this approach helps humanize your brand without compromising professionalism.
3. Don’t Oversell or Spam: Nobody wants to connect with someone who’s constantly pitching their services. Personal branding is about providing value first—sales will follow naturally.

Avoid:

• Sending salesy DMs immediately after connecting
• Commenting just to drop links
• Posting only promotional content

Instead, focus on nurturing trust and offering real insights.

1. Don’t Ignore Analytics: If you’re not analyzing what’s working, you’re missing valuable insights. LinkedIn provides analytics on profile views, post performance, and audience demographics.

Use this data to:

• Refine your LinkedIn content strategy
• Double down on what works
• Experiment with new formats or times of posting

Tracking your progress helps you grow your brand with intention.

1. Don’t Use Buzzwords Without Substance: Words like “innovative,” “hardworking,” or “strategic thinker” are everywhere, but they mean nothing without context. Instead of buzzwords, show your value through specific achievements, metrics, and case studies. For example, rather than saying “I’m results-driven,” write: “Increased qualified leads by 40% in Q2 by launching a targeted email campaign.”

Bonus Tips to Supercharge Your LinkedIn Brand

• Leverage LinkedIn Creator Mode: This feature helps you highlight your content, follow relevant hashtags, and increase your LinkedIn visibility.
• Use Multimedia: Break the monotony of text with visuals—videos, infographics, carousels, and images often perform better than plain text posts.
• Collaborate with Industry Peers: Tag fellow professionals in posts, co-host LinkedIn Lives, or write guest articles to tap into new audiences.

Conclusion

Personal branding on LinkedIn is a long-term investment in your professional future. By optimizing your profile, sharing thoughtful content, and engaging authentically, you can attract new opportunities, build lasting connections, and stand out in your industry.

But remember, it’s not just about looking good online—it’s about being intentional, consistent, and valuable.

Ready to Elevate Your LinkedIn Presence? If you're serious about building your personal brand on LinkedIn but are not sure where to begin, let’s make it simple for you. Download our FREE LinkedIn Personal Branding Checklist to start optimizing your profile and strategy today. It’s time to be seen, be heard, and be unforgettable on LinkedIn.