5 Simple Ways to Stand Out on LinkedIn

If I told you there was a place where 546 million professionals, businesses, influencers, and future customers were hanging out…would you care?

I thought so!

That place is LinkedIn, and over the past several years I’ve seen this platform morph and grow into the incredible tool it is today. LinkedIn has provided some of my greatest professional relationships, countless clients, strategic partnerships, mentors, and even friends.

Here are five easy things you should be doing right now to help you stand out on LinkedIn:


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Write an epic professional summary

Think of your profile as your first impression. It’s your first opportunity to stand out on LinkedIn.

Imagine you’re walking down the street and run into someone you’ve never met. They ask for your life story summarized in under five minutes. Are you going to rattle off a bunch of accolades and personal accomplishments? Or hand them a bulleted sheet of your favorite life moments? If not, then you shouldn’t do that on LinkedIn either.

Check out a few tips from my own profile:

  • Write a narrative. Ditch the bullets and inject some personality. With 2,000 available characters, you can also optimize for search engines. Don’t be scammy, but use your words wisely.
  • Upload rich media: Add pictures and videos to your summary that tell your professional story.

  • Share your mission: If people know your vision and goals, it presents opportunity for alignment.

Make sure your profile picture is accurate

  • Ensure your profile picture is up to date. No one likes to be catfished.
  • Your headshot should take up 60% of the frame.

  • Dress to the audience you are looking to attract. Professional? Casual?

Strengthen your street cred

  • Endorsements are important! They allow others to see what you’re great without you having to tell them, because let’s be real — no one likes a bragger. Remember though, you have to give to receive. Get out there and start endorsing other people. You will start to see the power of reciprocity.

  • Ask for recommendations. Pro tip: make sure you’re asking people that like you and shoot to have at least five.

Get connected

  • The magic number is 500+ connections. This shows other LinkedIn users you’re well connected.

  • When sending a LinkedIn connection request, add a personal message. Keep it brief because you only have 300 characters.
  • I don’t connect with everyone and you shouldn’t either. You have a max connection limit of 30,000. So remember, it’s not how many connections you have, it’s about the quality of those you’re connected to.

Share, share, share

  • Share articles, LinkedIn posts and original content at least once a week.

  • When people come to your profile they will see that you’re an active participant. LinkedIn shows others what you like, comment on and share. This is a great way for your content to have a strong organic reach, but this also means that everything you engage with shows up on your profile. Be careful. 

These simple steps will absolutely get you headed in the right direction so you can stand out on LinkedIn. Happy connecting.


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Marcus Murphy is an executive leader and sales expert who cares deeply about the flourishing and success of entrepreneurs.