A Not-So-Boring Guide

Let’s be honest: LinkedIn can feel like the office kitchen where everyone's trying a bit too hard. It's full of buzzwords, humblebrags, and that one guy who just wants to connect but immediately pitches you his life coaching course.

But LinkedIn also happens to be brilliant when you use it right — especially if you're a solo business owner, coach, creative, consultant, or freelancer who craves actual, supportive connection (and maybe the odd client too). So let’s skip the corporate fluff and talk real tips for making your profile pop — with zero cringe.

1. Your Profile = Your Vibe

Think of your profile like your favourite suit on a good hair day. It should feel like you — not like a corporate CV from 2014. I don't care what people say - businesses don't buy from businesses, it's people that buy from people. And they connect with people, not regurgitated HR or sales manuals. So ditch the buzzwords and let your personality show.

Quick Win:

• Banner image: Use one that reflects your brand. Something visual, colourful, or even just a vibe-setting quote.

• Photo: Make sure your face is visible, well-lit, and you look like someone worth talking to at a networking event. That doesn’t have to mean suit and tie — it just means you, turned up a notch. Looking sharp. Lots of people enjoy amending their bio picture to the background to a funky or on-brand colour to stand out. Handy hint, it's better to chat with someone who's face you can see or imagine, not the lil' grey circle, faceless dude.

2. The Tagline

Your headline shouldn’t read like you’re applying for a job at BigCorp™️. It’s your opening line — your opportunity to make a big first impression - the digital version of a wink and a smile

Boring:

“Helping business owners scale with strategy and support.” 🥱

Better:

“Business wingwoman for big ideas | Word wizard | CRM & funnel fixer | ADHD-friendly as hell”

Use words you’d actually say out loud.

You’ve got 220 characters to be unforgettable - go!

3. The About Section (aka Your Not-So-Humble Brag)

This is where you tell your story. Not a War and Peace that Tolstoy would be proud of. Not a razor sharp bullet point list - pew-pew-pew!!!. But the good stuff: what lights you up, how you help, and what makes you stand out.

Start with a bold statement or relatable moment:

....“I never set out to be the go-to girl for sexy strategy and CRM chaos-taming… but here we are.”

Use the middle to talk results and what you offer.
Wrap with an invitation:

....“If you’re craving systems with soul or want to talk digital magic over coffee (real or virtual), hit connect.”

4. Work Experience That Works for You

This isn’t your old-school CV. Don’t just list job titles — explain what you did and why it mattered.

Better still, add some flair - which I imagine you'll want to do, 'cos you're fancy:

• “Built a lead-gen funnel that turned crickets into a £10K launch (while wearing fuzzy socks and managing 7 tabs of chaos).”

• “Designed a website that made my client cry happy tears. No biggie.”

5. Skills, Endorsements, and Asking Nicely

Endorsements are social proof — but most people forget about them. Even more peope feel cringe about asking for them - but do it! Ask for the social proof - your clients love you, why wouldn't they want to say nice things about you?

Make it easy for your clients or co-conspirators to rave about you:

“Hey, would you mind writing a LinkedIn recommendation for me? Something short and snazzy about our CRM chaos rescue?”

Also: update your skills. Add the stuff you actually want to be known for because that's where your potential clients or employers will be looking.

6. Engagement: The Bit That Scares People

You don’t have to post every day or become a LinkedIn thought leader. But show up! React to posts. Comment with something more thoughtful than “Great post!” Share behind-the-scenes of your work. Talk about what you’re learning.

Your people are there — and they’re craving more real.

It's fine to be a lurker, but imagine LinkedIn as though it's a big old room of people. There are lots of groups of people chatting away - do you want to be the one standing around the edge hoping someone invites you into the chat or do you have something valuable to offer? It's only you that has your unique POV - you could make all the difference for a situation or conversation if you would share it.

7. Consistency Not Overload

You don't need to be on LinkedIn for 5.5 hours out of your 8, but consistency is always key. There are loads of really good schedulers that you can use - you can even batch create your content when inspiration strikes. Decide how often you'd like to post - once a week, once a day, twice a day - whatever floats your boat, but set it in your calendar so it gets done. It's also a good idea to schedule regular time - perhaps 20 minutes a day - to look at people, hashtags or conversations of interest and leave thoughtful comments (for the love of cheese, don't just write 'great post' all willy nilly over the shop).

You should know that when you comment, people in your network will see you've commented, people who've interacted with the post will see, as will the people in the network of the author. (This is why LinkedIn is called a social network and is a great place to position yourself as an expert in your field. Please refer to the previous cheese comment...)

8. Custom URL

Ooh yeah, now you're talking!

Please change your URL. Nobody wants to type “linkedin.com/in/jo-smith-93948a019385.” Clean it up. Make it you. Make it snazzy, shareable and memorable.

The NotLuck LinkedIn Vibes Checklist

✅ My headline has pizzazz
✅ My summary sounds like me, not ChatGPT
✅ My face looks friendly, not scary
✅ My experience highlights magic moments, not tasks
✅ I’m connecting, commenting, and actually having fun

Dipping Your Toe Into The World of In-Person Networking?

We gotcha!

It can feel daunting, attending in-person events so check out this blog, 7 Ways to Network Without the Cringe at Local Business Events Near You, which you might find helpful.

When you meet new business connections at networking events, remember to connect with them on LinkedIn - lots of people don't know that the app has a great feature to connect really quickly

Do remember to follow up your conversations with the people you connect with! Here at NotLuck, we have a rather snazzy tool to help you manage your business contacts and keep in touch with them with out so much as typing a text - get in touch to see how it can work for you.

And if you're searching for local business networking events near you in Nottingham, take a look at our NetworkPal - it's a simple reminder service of all the events near you and best of all, it's completely free! Easy peasy!

TL;DR?

You don’t need to be more professional. You need to be more you. That’s what makes people connect, remember, and refer you.

So go give LinkedIn your vibe — the bold, the bright, the brilliant human you actually are.

And if writing it still makes you want to throw your laptop out the window? Come find me or take a look at our social media packages. This is literally what we do.

You might also enjoy reading;

Why you should have a great CRM

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