SOVE7GN
CEO LinkedIn profile: what belongs in each field, and the three a buyer actually reads
Updated 9 November 2026 · Written by Naman Dhiman, co-founder of SOVE7GN, who runs the campaigns and reviews the clips
A buyer checking out a CEO on LinkedIn reads three things: the photo, the headline, and the first two lines of the About section before it truncates. Everything else on the profile is there to confirm a decision that those three already made, which is why a CEO profile should be written from the top down and why "CEO at [company]" as a headline wastes the most valuable line you own.
Short answer: Photo that looks like you on a call. Headline that names the company and who it serves, not just your title. First two lines of About written as the answer to "what does your company do and for whom". Featured section holding the three things you want a buyer to click. Banner at 1584 x 396. Custom URL claimed. Then keep the profile still and let posts do the moving.
What does a buyer actually read?
In order, and it is a short list:
- The photo. Face filling most of the frame, recent, lit from the front. A conference stage shot from 30 metres away is not a profile photo.
- The headline. It follows your name everywhere on LinkedIn: in comments, in search, in the "People also viewed" rail. It is the only field that travels.
- The first two lines of About. LinkedIn truncates the About section, so write those two lines as if they are the whole thing.
Everything below that gets read by people doing diligence: a procurement lead, a journalist, a candidate, an investor. Write for them second.
Field by field
| Field | What a CEO should put | The common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | Head and shoulders, recent, neutral background | A cropped group photo or a logo |
| Headline | Company, who it serves, and the outcome: "CEO at [company]. We cut claims processing time for mid-market insurers." | "CEO. Entrepreneur. Speaker. Investor." as a list of labels |
| Banner | One line naming the buyer and the problem, 1584 x 396, lower-left kept clear | A skyline, or six client logos |
| About, first two lines | What the company does and for whom, in plain words | A life story that starts in childhood |
| About, rest | How you got here, what you believe about the market, what you are working on now, and one line on how to reach you | A list of adjectives |
| Featured | Three items: the company page or site, one talk or podcast, one piece of proof a buyer would want | Empty, or a four-year-old press release |
| Experience, current role | Two or three lines on the company, not on you: size, market, what it sells | Blank |
| Experience, past roles | One line each. They establish credibility, not identity | Full job descriptions from 2009 |
| Skills and endorsements | Leave the top three relevant to the business | 40 skills endorsed by nobody relevant |
| Recommendations | Two or three from people a buyer would recognize as real | None, or ten from 2012 |
| Custom URL | Claimed, short, your name | The default string of digits |
The headline is worth rewriting three times. Write it, read it out loud, and ask whether a stranger could repeat your company's purpose from it.
What about the custom URL?
Claim it. LinkedIn's help page says a custom public profile URL must be 3 to 100 characters, cannot include spaces, symbols, special characters or the word "LinkedIn", is case insensitive, is first come first served, and can be changed up to five times in six months, after which you wait six months. A previous custom URL stays linked to you for six months unless you unlink it, and an unlinked URL is hidden for seven days before someone else can claim it (LinkedIn Help: custom public profile URL, checked 9 November 2026).
Practical consequence: if you are going to change your URL, do it rarely and deliberately, because the five-changes-in-six-months limit is real and because anything you printed on a card or a slide stops resolving once the old URL is unlinked and claimed.
What belongs in Featured?
Three items, no more, chosen for one buyer:
- The company, so nobody has to search for it.
- One talk, podcast or video where you sound like yourself. This is the item that does the most work, because it answers "would I want to be in a meeting with this person".
- One piece of proof: a case study page, a report you published, a standard you helped write.
Refresh it when any of the three goes stale. Not weekly.
How do you keep a CEO profile current without writing posts?
The honest answer: you cannot, and you should not try to. A profile is static. What tells a buyer that you are present and thinking is the stream of recent activity under it, and an empty activity feed makes a good profile look abandoned.
The version that survives a CEO's calendar is to record rather than write. Everything you already say in public is raw material: a podcast appearance, a conference talk, a webinar, an internal all-hands you are allowed to use. Cut each into short clips that carry one idea, and post two or three a week. Our page on CEO thought leadership video lists which moments make a clip and which must never leave the room, and LinkedIn video for B2B founders has the specs and cadence.
What does not work: a ghostwriter posting in your voice about topics you did not raise. Buyers who meet you later notice the mismatch, and so do your own employees.
What a CEO profile should not do
- Sell in the About section. A CEO profile that reads like a sales page makes the company look small.
- Carry a job-seeking frame. "Open to opportunities" on a sitting CEO's profile raises questions you do not want raised.
- List every board and advisory seat. Three is credibility; twelve is a question about focus.
- Hide the company. If a stranger has to scroll to learn what you sell, fix the headline.
Where SOVE7GN fits
We do the recording-to-posting half. You send us footage you already have, we cut it, you approve 2 example clips before anything goes live, we go live within 48 hours, and everything posts on your own accounts. One hour of long video usually gives 12 to 20 clips, which is most of a month. Entry is $2,000 a month for 2 clips a day; Growth is $4,000 for 4. See how we work with founder-led businesses, the consultant LinkedIn banner guide for the one image on this list, or book a 30-minute call.
Questions people ask
What should a CEO's LinkedIn headline say?
The company, who it serves and the outcome it delivers. The headline travels with your name across LinkedIn, so it should work without the rest of the profile.
How long should a CEO's About section be?
Long enough to cover what the company does, how you got here and what you are working on now. Write the first two lines as a standalone answer, because LinkedIn truncates the rest.
Should a CEO use a ghostwriter for LinkedIn?
For editing, yes. For inventing opinions you have never expressed, no. Recording what you already say in public and clipping it keeps the voice yours and takes less of your time than approving drafts.
Can I change my LinkedIn URL?
Yes, up to five times in six months, after which you wait six months. The URL must be 3 to 100 characters with no spaces, symbols or the word "LinkedIn".
Want a straight answer for your videos?
Book a 30-minute call. Send us a link first and we'll tell you which plan fits and how many clips we can make.
Book a call See plans and pricing- Consultant LinkedIn bannerBanner size, the dead zone, and five layouts that say what a consultant does.
- LinkedIn video for foundersLinkedIn video specs, captions and a clip map that turns podcasts and talks into posts.
- CEO thought leadership videoThe four clip types worth posting, what stays off camera, and a weekly cadence.