LinkedIn Profiles with 3-5 Featured items get 40% more profile views than those without any, according to LinkedIn’s internal data
Your LinkedIn profile acts as a filtering mechanism for employers, clients, and partners evaluating your professional credibility. While your headline and About section provide context, the Featured section—positioned directly below your About and above your Experience—functions as a curated portfolio that demonstrates concrete work and measurable results. Most professionals either ignore this section or fill it randomly, failing to recognize it as the highest-impact real estate on their entire profile. This section appears on every profile visit, whether the visitor is logged in or connected to you, making placement and content selection critical decisions.
What You Can Actually Add to Your Featured Section
LinkedIn’s Featured section accepts multiple content types, allowing you to build a narrative that extends far beyond a traditional resume:
- LinkedIn posts you published—original commentary or industry analysis
- Long-form articles on LinkedIn or external publications
- External links to portfolios, case studies, or resource pages
- PDF documents, presentations, and image files
- Slideshows or visual demonstrations of specific projects
This flexibility means you can show actual work samples rather than just describe them. A marketer can feature a campaign breakdown showing 340% ROI improvement. A consultant can display client testimonials with specific before-and-after metrics. A developer can link to live projects they built. Each piece of content demonstrates capability in a way that text descriptions cannot replicate.
Different Strategies Based on Your Professional Role
How you populate your Featured section should directly align with what you’re trying to accomplish professionally.
For job seekers: Feature 3-4 project examples that directly address the skills listed in your target job descriptions. If you’re applying for product management roles, include case studies showing how you shaped product direction or improved user adoption metrics. Include presentations on industry trends, speaking engagements, or certifications that strengthen your candidacy for specific positions. The Featured section should make a recruiter’s job easier by immediately demonstrating fit without requiring them to read your entire Experience section.
For freelancers and consultants: Social proof converts browsers into clients. Add 2-3 client testimonials with specific, measurable results—”increased organic traffic from 12k to 87k monthly visits” carries more weight than “great to work with.” Include case studies linked to your website or PDF documents showing project scope and outcomes. Feature articles about your specific niche or service offerings. Potential clients visiting your profile need immediate evidence that you’ve solved problems similar to theirs.
For executives and business leaders: Feature your highest-performing LinkedIn posts that generated substantive comments and shares, not vanity metrics. Include media mentions from industry publications, press releases about company milestones, and thought leadership articles addressing industry challenges or market shifts. This approach demonstrates both visibility and strategic thinking. Your Featured section reinforces your authority and positions you as someone worth following for industry insights.
For content creators and educators: Feature your most-engaged posts—those with 200+ comments or shares, indicating audience resonance. Link directly to newsletter subscription pages or community platforms where new readers can access your content. Include webinar recordings or educational content samples that showcase your teaching style. Make the conversion path frictionless so profile visitors can immediately join your audience-building channels.
The Technical Process and Strategic Ordering
Adding content takes three minutes: Visit your profile, click “Edit public profile,” scroll to Featured, click the “+” icon, choose your content type, add a title and description, and save. You can add up to 10 items, though research shows that 3-5 carefully selected pieces outperform scattered collections of maximum items. Visitors spend 6-8 seconds scanning your Featured section before scrolling, so prioritize ruthlessly.
The ordering of items matters measurably. Your first Featured item has approximately 60% visibility compared to fifth-position items. Lead with your most impressive, recent accomplishment or highest-performing post—this is your single most valuable piece of real estate. Follow with 2-3 supporting pieces that build cumulative credibility. For example, a job seeker might lead with a recent case study showing ROI improvement, follow with a relevant industry article they published, then add a certifications PDF. The sequence tells a coherent story about capability progression.
Update your Featured section every 60-90 days. When you publish strong content, test it as your lead item for two weeks. Monitor profile view changes and engagement. If a particular piece generates notably higher profile visits, move it forward. This A/B testing approach converts your Featured section from static to dynamic, continuously optimized based on actual engagement data.
Execution Priorities for the Next Week
Start by auditing your best work from the past 12 months. Identify pieces that either generated significant engagement, demonstrated measurable business results, or received direct positive feedback. Rank these five items. Then add your top three to your Featured section this week, with clear titles that communicate concrete outcomes rather than vague positioning. “Increased lead quality 210% through account-based marketing framework” conveys more impact than “thought leadership on account-based marketing.”
If you’re looking to share your expertise or develop your professional writing skills in this space, LinkedIn Daily maintains a write-for-us page where contributors can pitch strategic guidance for LinkedIn users. The platform welcomes perspectives on profile optimization, content strategy, and professional development.
