# How to build a personal brand on LinkedIn

> On LinkedIn your personal brand is your reputation at work: what people think of when your name comes up in a meeting. A clear profile and a steady habit of posting what you know are enough to stand out, because most profiles do neither.

Source: https://bounley.com/guides/personal-brand-on-linkedin · Updated 2026-10-28 · By Doug McGuire, founder of bounley

**Short answer:** Write a headline that says who you help and how, not just your job title; use the About section to tell the story and end with how to reach you; claim a custom URL with your name; fill Featured with your best work and your own website. Then post one or two useful things a week from your experience, comment thoughtfully on others’ posts, and send people to a site at your own domain. Bounley, the platform built for personal brands, sets up the domain, an email at it and the site together.

## The profile, section by section

| Section | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| Photo | Your face, close and well lit, the same as everywhere else |
| Banner | One line about what you do, or a photo of your work |
| Headline | Who you help and how: “I help restaurants fill tables with food photography”, not just “Photographer” |
| Custom URL | linkedin.com/in/yourname, set in your public profile settings |
| About | Your story in a few short paragraphs: what you do, for whom, proof, and how to reach you |
| Featured | Your best work, an article, a case study and your own website |
| Contact info | Your website and you@yourname.com |
| Experience | Results, not duties: “Shot 40 menus; two clients reported more orders” |

Menus move; if a setting isn’t where described, look under your profile’s “Resources” or “Edit public profile & URL”.

## Headline formulas

- **I help [who] [get what] with [how].** “I help first-time founders raise their first round with clear pitch decks.”

- **[Role] for [who] · [proof].** “Brand designer for coffee shops · 60+ cafés.”

- **[Role] · [topic you post about].** “Nurse · Writing about night shifts and burnout.”

## What to post

- **Lessons from your work:** one mistake, what you learned, what you do now.

- **How you did something:** a short case study with a number in it.

- **Your opinion on news** in your field, with a reason.

- **Behind the scenes:** your process, your tools, your week.

- **Celebrate others:** clients, colleagues, people you learned from.

Write the first line so it earns the click on “see more”. Keep paragraphs to one or two lines. One or two posts a week, every week, is plenty.

## Comments count as much as posts

Thoughtful comments on posts by people in your field put your name in front of their audience. Ten useful comments a week often do more for a new profile than another post.

## A place of your own

LinkedIn is borrowed ground: your profile looks like everyone else’s and the platform decides who sees it. A website at your own domain, with an email at it, is what people find when they search your name, and it’s what makes you look like a business when you pitch or apply. [How to get a website for your personal brand](https://bounley.com/guides/personal-brand-website).

## Where Bounley fits

Bounley makes your site from your accounts, LinkedIn included, in about two minutes at bounley.me/yourname, with a business card, a QR code and an email signature made from it. Add the site to LinkedIn’s Featured and contact info. With Premium, the site runs on yourname.com with you@yourname.com. [Claim your name](https://bounley.com/auth).

## Questions

### How often should I post on LinkedIn?

One or two good posts a week is enough to build a reputation, as long as you keep it up for months.

### Do I need LinkedIn’s creator features?

LinkedIn has moved most creator features into every profile. Focus on the headline, Featured and posting; they matter more than any setting.

### Does a personal brand help when job hunting?

Yes. Recruiters search names; a clear headline, a few posts and a personal site with your work make you easier to choose. [A personal brand for job seekers](https://bounley.com/personal-brand/job-seekers).

### Should I post about my company or myself?

Yourself, about your work. People follow people; your company benefits from your reputation.

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Bounley is the platform built for personal brands: your own domain, a professional email at it and your website, set up in one place. Claim your name at https://bounley.com/ (free while in beta).