Having a LinkedIn banner can be beneficial for promoting your personal brand and increasing engagement on your profile. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the pros and cons of using a LinkedIn banner and provide best practices for creating an effective banner that helps you achieve your goals on the platform.
What is a LinkedIn Banner?
A LinkedIn banner is a large header image that appears at the top of your LinkedIn profile. It serves as a visual introduction to who you are and what you do. Your banner spans the entire width of your profile and is visible on all your profile pages. You can upload your own custom banner or select from LinkedIn’s preset options.
Banners allow you to showcase your personality, industry, interests, accomplishments, and more. They give viewers an immediate understanding of your professional brand and identity. An eye-catching banner can grab attention, convey your value proposition, and encourage viewers to learn more about you.
Should You Use a LinkedIn Banner?
Here are some key benefits of using a LinkedIn banner:
- Make a strong first impression – Banners are one of the first things people notice on your profile. An interesting banner sparks curiosity to view the rest of your profile.
- Reinforce your brand – Banners let you reinforce your professional identity and industry visually. This creates cohesion between your photo, headline, banner, and content.
- Highlight achievements – Banners offer a unique way to showcase accomplishments, certifications, publications, speaking engagements, and media coverage through imagery.
- Increase engagement – Profiles with banners tend to see higher engagement in terms of profile views, connection requests, and messages.
- Stand out – Most LinkedIn members don’t utilize a banner so adding one makes you more memorable.
- Communicate who you are – Banners convey your personality, passions, interests and can make you more relatable.
However, there are a few potential drawbacks to keep in mind:
- Banners take up prime real estate at the top of your profile which could be used for core profile sections.
- Poorly designed banners can have a negative effect and come across as unprofessional.
- Banners don’t display on the mobile app so the impact is limited for mobile users.
- If you change roles or industries frequently, you may have to update your banner regularly.
Best Practices for an Effective Banner
Follow these best practices to create a high-quality LinkedIn banner:
Reflect Your Personal Brand
First, think about the image you want to project and how you want people to perceive you. Your banner should be representative of your professional identity and reinforce your personal branding. All visual elements should tie back to who you are and what makes you unique.
Keep it Simple
Resist the urge to cram too much into your banner. Clean, uncluttered designs are best. Use high-quality images and minimal text to convey your key messages. Too many competing elements will dilute your branding and cause confusion.
Use Professionally Designed Visuals
Invest in custom photography or hire a designer to create graphics for your banner. Original, high-quality visual content is key. Avoid generic stock images or templates. Make sure any text and logos are crisp and readable on both desktop and mobile.
Showcase Achievements Strategically
Consider featuring certifications, media mentions, awards, publications or conferences you’ve spoken at. But be selective – only highlight accomplishments that strengthen your professional narrative.
Align With Your Goals
What do you want your banner to achieve? More profile views? Speaking opportunities? Connections with hiring managers? Align your design with your specific goals on LinkedIn.
Be Consistent with Photo and Headline
Your banner should visually support your profile photo and headline to reinforce consistency. Using similar colors, imagery, and messages creates a cohesive identity.
Update it Regularly
Periodically refresh your banner to showcase new accomplishments, initiatives, and events. This gives repeat visitors a reason to come back to your profile.
Do A/B Testing
Try different banner variations to see what performs best. Test different designs, colors, imagery and messaging. Measure results based on profile views, connections, and engagement.
Check Visibility on Mobile
Ensure your banner is adapted for mobile and key info is still legible on smaller screens. Add a call-to-action prompting visitors to “View on Desktop” to see your full banner.
Types of LinkedIn Banners
Here are some popular LinkedIn banner examples and ideas:
Professional Headshot Banner
A close-up professional headshot flanked by your name and title. Simple but effective for personal branding.
Background Image Banner
A scenic background image representing your location, industry or interests with text overlay of your name/title.
Event Banners
Highlight speaking engagements, conferences, and events you are participating in.
Achievement Collage
Showcase certifications, media features, awards, publications in a collage layout.
Company or Product Banners
For companies – feature office locations, products, logos, and brand imagery.
Data Visualization Banners
Present key stats, metrics, and infographics about your business, performance, or industry.
Ideal LinkedIn Banner Dimensions
LinkedIn banners have the following size dimensions:
- Width: 1,128 pixels
- Height: 191 pixels
This allows your banner to stretch across desktop, tablet and mobile seamlessly. Create your design at the exact 1,128 x 191 pixel size for best results.
Design Tools and Templates
You don’t need fancy design skills to create a stellar LinkedIn banner. Here are some easy tools and templates:
LinkedIn Banner Templates
LinkedIn offers pre-made banner templates you can customize with your own images and text. They have templates for all industries and use cases.
Online Banner Makers
Tools like Canva, Bannersnack and Snappa allow you to easily create banners by dragging and dropping elements. They offer free templates and easy editing.
Graphic Design Services
Hire a freelance graphic designer on Upwork, Fiverr or 99Designs to create a custom banner tailored to your brand.
PowerPoint
Make your banner design in PowerPoint using a 1,128 x 191 pixel slide size. Export your design as a high quality JPG or PNG image file.
Tips for Writing Your Banner Text
Follow these tips when writing text for your LinkedIn banner:
- Lead with your name and professional title
- Keep text short – aim for 5-15 words max
- Highlight specialty areas or unique value proposition
- Use power words that convey expertise
- Avoid jargon and overused buzzwords
- Craft a compelling call-to-action like “Let’s connect!”
Ensure any text on your banner is big and legible. Use a sans serif font in a size 36 point or bigger. Avoid long paragraphs of text that are hard to read.
Do’s and Don’ts
Here are some do’s and don’ts for creating effective LinkedIn banners:
Do:
- Align banner with your personal brand
- Make it eye-catching and memorable
- Showcase achievements and credentials
- Ensure text is readable on mobile
- Revamp your banner periodically
Don’t:
- Use low quality or pixelated images
- Make it overly promotional or like an advertisement
- Use cheesy stock photos or templates
- Overcrowd your banner with too much text
- Leave your banner static for too long
Examples of Effective LinkedIn Banners
Here are some real examples of great LinkedIn banners to inspire your own design:
Ramit Sethi
Ramit uses a simple, clean banner with a professional headshot and clear branding. His concise text quickly communicates his value proposition.
Sophia Amoruso
Sophia’s artistic banner highlights her NYT bestseller while reflecting her fashion brand and personality.
Guy Kawasaki
Guy’s banner showcases his expertise as an author and evangelist using a stylized photo surrounded by book imagery.
Dr. Ivan Misner
Ivan’s vibrant collage banner displays his media features and reinforces his personal brand as a networking guru.
The Bottom Line
A LinkedIn banner is a valuable branding tool when used effectively. The right banner quickly communicates who you are, highlights achievements, and engages your audience.
Focus on reflecting your personal brand through original, high-quality visuals. Align your banner with your goals and profile strategy on LinkedIn. Follow best practices for size, text, design, and consistency. Update your banner regularly to keep it fresh.
With an optimized banner that resonates with your target audience, you can stand out from the crowd and boost engagement on the world’s largest professional networking platform.