EP #059: The Best LinkedIn Profile Strategy for Thought Leaders

Most executives and professionals treat their LinkedIn profile like a résumé.

But if you’re a thought leader, investor, consultant, or CEO, your profile should be optimized for influence—not just job searching.

Your profile is your credibility page. It should establish authority, build trust, and position you as the go-to expert in your field.

Here’s how to craft a LinkedIn profile that drives influence, not just impressions.

Why Your Profile Should Be Optimized for Influence, Not Job Searching

Your LinkedIn profile is more than a career summary.

A well-optimized profile:
✔️ Builds trust with your audience (clients, investors, partners)
✔️ Drives inbound opportunities (speaking invites, press, leads)
✔️ Positions you as an industry expert—without sounding self-promotional

If your profile is just a list of job titles and responsibilities, you’re missing an opportunity to shape the conversation in your industry.

Let’s fix that.

The Key Sections That Establish Authority and Trust

To position yourself as a thought leader, your profile needs:
📌 A Clear, Authority-Driven Headline
📌 An “About” Section That Sells Your Expertise
📌 A Featured Section That Showcases Your Best Work
📌 An Experience Section That Goes Beyond a Résumé

1️⃣ Optimize Your Headline for Influence

Your headline is what people see first—on your profile, in search results, and when you comment.

💡 Instead of this 👎:
“Founder | Consultant | Speaker”

✅ Try this instead 👍:
“Helping CEOs Build Thought Leadership & Influence on LinkedIn | Founder, Executive Presence”

👉 Why this works:
• Clear value proposition (who you help + what you do)
• Positions you as an expert (not just a job title)
• Invites curiosity and connection

2️⃣ Turn Your “About” Section into an Authority Statement

Most “About” sections are either too vague or too self-promotional.

The best ones:
✔️ Tell a clear story (why you do what you do)
✔️ Highlight credibility markers (experience, results, industries served)
✔️ Show how you can help your audience

💡 Example of an Authority-Driven About Section:
🚀 I help CEOs turn LinkedIn into a business growth engine.

✔️ Worked with 200+ CEOs to build thought leadership
✔️ Analyzed 25,000+ LinkedIn posts to refine winning strategies
✔️ Helped clients increase inbound leads by 3-5x

🔗 Want to work together? Let’s connect: [yourwebsite.com]

👉 Why this works: It’s concise, credibility-driven, and audience-focused.

3️⃣ Use the Featured Section to Showcase Your Best Work

The Featured section is underutilized by 90% of LinkedIn users—but it’s prime real estate for thought leaders.

Use it to highlight:
📌 High-performing LinkedIn posts (thought leadership content)
📌 Speaking engagements or podcast appearances
📌 Media features or press coverage
📌 Case studies or client success stories

💡 Example:
If you were featured in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, or TechCrunch, add it to your Featured section to build credibility instantly.

4️⃣ Go Beyond a Résumé in Your Experience Section

Instead of listing responsibilities, showcase impact.

💡 Instead of this 👎:
“Responsible for executive coaching and thought leadership strategy.”

✅ Try this instead 👍:
🔹 Founder | Executive Presence (2022 - Present)
Helping CEOs build LinkedIn influence & thought leadership.
✔️ Advised 200+ CEOs across tech, finance, and consulting
✔️ Helped clients raise $500M+ through strategic LinkedIn positioning
✔️ Featured in Forbes, Business Insider, and TechCrunch

👉 Why this works:
• Tangible impact (numbers, results, credibility markers)
• Clear positioning (who you help + how)
• Easy to scan (bullet points > paragraphs)

How to Position Yourself as an Industry Leader—Without Sounding Self-Promotional

One of the biggest concerns I hear:
👉 “I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging.”

Here’s the key: Make it about your audience.

🚫 Instead of this:
“I’ve been featured in Forbes and have worked with Fortune 500 CEOs.”

✅ Try this:
“I help CEOs scale their LinkedIn presence—using insights from 200+ executives and 25,000+ LinkedIn posts.”

You’re still showing credibility—but in a way that is helpful, not self-congratulatory.

Final Thoughts: Your LinkedIn Profile is Your Digital Reputation

If you want to be seen as a trusted industry voice, your profile needs to:
✔️ Position you as a leader (Headline, About, Experience)
✔️ Build credibility (Featured section, media, client results)
✔️ Be audience-focused (How do you help? What’s your expertise?)

Your LinkedIn profile is your brand.

If you optimize it for authority and influence, it will open doors to new opportunities, partnerships, and inbound leads.

PS: Know a CEO who should be sharing their knowledge on LinkedIn? Send them this newsletter!

PPS: Are you a CEO who needs support sharing your insights on LinkedIn? That’s what we do for a living… let me know if we can help.

PPPS: Want to go deeper? Check out my CEO’s Guide to LinkedIn. This 83-page PDF contains everything I know about LinkedIn… and it’s 100% free.

— Justin

Justin M. Nassiri | Founder & CEO
M: 650.353.1138 | E: [email protected]
250 Fillmore St Suite 150, Denver, CO 80206
www.ExecutivePresence.io

Executive Presence specializes in helping top-tier executives boost their visibility, activate their network, and position themselves as thought leaders via our premium, fully-managed LinkedIn service.

Our unique process involves ex-McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants conducting monthly hour-long interviews with our clients, and turning them into impactful daily LinkedIn posts to establish their unique voice and authority. On average, our clients see a 500% bump in engagement in their first 30 days with us. Data is continuously analyzed to improve engagement and identify impactful messaging that you can use for conferences, podcasts, and internal communications.