12 LinkedIn Headline Templates

Drop-in patterns for 12 different roles. Stack 5-7 unique facts. Pick one and adapt to who you actually are.

Reminder: don't say what you do. Be interesting.

SECTION 011. Founder

Pattern: [Company role] | [Company description] | [Past life] | [Hobby] | [Recognition] | [Cause] | [Self-deprecating beat]

Example:

Founder & CEO at Acme | Building tools for operators | Previously: Stripe, Series B startup | 5x sub-2:00 marathon (slowing down) | Forbes 30u30 | Mentor at Lighthouse | Bad golfer

SECTION 022. Real Estate Broker

Pattern: [Specialty] | [Market] | [Achievement] | [Industry rec] | [Side identity] | [Family/lifestyle] | [Self-deprecating beat]

Example:

Senior VP Tenant Rep | Boston Office Market | $350M+ leased | CCIM | Boston College alum | Hockey dad | Above average Italian food eater

SECTION 033. Coach

Pattern: [Coaching focus] | [Past life] | [Specialty] | [Method] | [Audience] | [Personal beat]

Example:

Executive Coach for first-time CEOs | Former: Series B founder, McKinsey | Strategic coaching, not life coaching | Long walks, hard truths | Working with 12 leaders this year | Reformed surfer

SECTION 044. Recruiter

Pattern: [Specialty] | [Industry] | [Location] | [Years] | [Recognition] | [Side identity] | [Self-deprecating beat]

Example:

Executive Search | Lateral attorneys to Top 100 firms | NY market | 14 years placing partners | Featured in The American Lawyer | Former defense attorney | Coffee snob

SECTION 055. Marketing Leader

Pattern: [Role] | [Company stage] | [Past wins] | [Specialty] | [Cause] | [Personal beat]

Example:

CMO @ Ramp-stage SaaS | Took last company from $5M to $50M ARR | Demand gen + brand at scale | LGBTQ+ tech mentor | Father of three weird artists | Awful at fantasy football

SECTION 066. Sales Leader

Pattern: [Role] | [Industry] | [Track record] | [Specialty] | [Side identity] | [Self-deprecating beat]

Example:

CRO at TaxStack | Building the first $50M ARR sales org | Previously: HubSpot, Stripe | Built 4 sales teams from 0 to first $10M | Pickleball comeback story (work in progress) | Red Sox fan, optimistic

SECTION 077. Financial Advisor / RIA

Pattern: [Role] | [Firm] | [Specialty] | [AUM tier] | [Credentials] | [Cause] | [Personal beat]

Example:

Wealth Advisor at Sentry Capital | Helping operators after exits | $200M AUM | CFA, CFP | Board: Boys & Girls Club Boston | Father, runner, occasional bourbon enthusiast

SECTION 088. Lawyer

Pattern: [Role] | [Firm] | [Specialty] | [Type of clients] | [Recognition] | [Cause] | [Personal beat]

Example:

Partner at Aspen Law | M&A and Fund Formation | Series B and Series C founders | Chambers ranked | Pro bono: First-Generation Founders | Boxer (the sport, not the dog)

SECTION 099. Investor

Pattern: [Role] | [Fund] | [Stage / thesis] | [Past wins] | [Operating background] | [Cause] | [Personal beat]

Example:

Partner at Skylight Ventures | Pre-seed and Seed | AI infrastructure thesis | Previously: VP Product at Cloudflare | Backed: 20+ founders, mostly weird ones | Mentor at Y Combinator | Mediocre rock climber, getting better

SECTION 1010. Speaker / Author

Pattern: [Title] | [Topic] | [Best work] | [Stages] | [Operating credibility] | [Cause] | [Personal beat]

Example:

Author of Don't Sell, Connect | Speaking on outbound, sales, and humanity | TEDx Boston, World Economic Forum | Built and sold a sales tech company | Founder of Send Me The Mic (mentorship) | Bad cook, working on it

SECTION 1111. Agency Principal

Pattern: [Role] | [Agency] | [Specialty] | [Notable clients/wins] | [Background] | [Cause] | [Personal beat]

Example:

Founder of Dovetail Marketing | Brand and growth for B2B SaaS | Helped 40+ companies cross $10M ARR | Previously: VP Marketing at HubSpot | TEDx Boston speaker | Founder of Dyslexia Mentors | Has read every Murakami novel, including the bad ones

SECTION 1212. Consultant / Operator-in-residence

Pattern: [Role] | [Past wins] | [Current focus] | [Industries] | [Side identity] | [Personal beat]

Example:

Strategic Advisor | Took 3 companies from sub-$5M to $50M+ ARR | Currently working with 4 founders | SaaS and AI infrastructure focus | Long-distance hiker | Convinced bourbon is the answer to most problems

SECTION 13How to use

• Copy the pattern that matches your role
• Replace each segment with a real fact about you
• Aim for 5-7 segments total (not 8+)
• Use | or · as separators
• Keep it under 220 characters
• Read it out loud , does it sound like you, or like a stranger?
• Include one self-deprecating beat to humanize
• Avoid: corporate-speak, vague claims, "transforming X" or "passionate about Y", emojis if you're over 35

SECTION 14What gets edited out

• "Helping companies achieve their goals"
• "Passionate about [vague topic]"
• "Driven, results-oriented professional"
• Anything you'd put on a job application
• Job titles you've already retired
• "Currently building..." with no specifics