Quick question: if someone visits your profile for 30 seconds, what do you want them to walk away with?
Your Featured section is your greatest hits album. It's proof. It's a portfolio. It's a conversion mechanism. And most people leave it completely empty.
That's like having a storefront window and filling it with... nothing.
The prime real estate problem:
The Featured section appears right after your About. Anyone who scrolled that far is interested. They're leaning in. This is your moment to show, not tell (LinkedIn Help Center, 2025).
What belongs in your Featured section:
- Your best content - Top-performing posts that showcase your expertise (Content Marketing Institute B2B Report, 2025)
- Lead magnets - Free resources (newsletter signup, ebook, tool)
- Case studies - Client work, project results, before/after
- Media coverage - Podcasts you've been on, articles featuring you
- External content - Your blog, Substack, other publications
The strategy that converts:
Put your most important item first—it gets 3-4x more clicks than the second item (Richard van der Blom, 2025).
For most people, the order should be:
- Lead magnet or newsletter (capture the lead)
- Best-performing post (prove your expertise)
- External credibility (podcast, article, press)
A real example:
Alex is a sales coach. Her Featured section:
- First: "Free Cold Email Templates (10K downloads)"
- Second: A post with 2,000 likes about handling objections
- Third: Her podcast episode on a well-known sales show
Someone lands on her profile. Within 10 seconds, they see she has valuable free resources, proven content that resonates, and external credibility. That's powerful.
Optimizing each item:
- Custom thumbnails - LinkedIn auto-generates mediocre thumbnails. Upload custom images for links.
- Compelling titles - "Free Guide" is weak. "The System That Got Me 100K Followers" is clickable.
- Use all 220 characters - Add context and a clear CTA in descriptions (LinkedIn Help Center, 2025).
How many items?
3-5 is the sweet spot. More than that and visitors won't scroll. Less and you look like you have nothing to show (Richard van der Blom, 2025).
The maintenance rhythm:
Set a monthly reminder. Swap in new content. Remove underperformers. Keep it fresh.
Your Featured section is doing 24/7 marketing for you. Make sure it's showing the right thing.
"The LinkedIn algorithm rewards conversation, not broadcasting. The more genuine replies your post generates, the wider it travels." - Richard van der Blom, LinkedIn Algorithm Researcher, Author of the annual LinkedIn Algorithm Report
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the single best thing to put in my Featured section?
Your highest-value asset that aligns with your current goal. For most, this is a "lead magnet" (a free resource), your most popular LinkedIn post that proves your expertise, or a direct link to your website or booking page (Content Marketing Institute B2B Report, 2025).
How many items should I feature at once?
The "sweet spot" is 3 to 5 items. While you can add more, only the first few are visible without the user having to scroll horizontally. Putting your most important item first is critical, as it receives the vast majority of clicks (Richard van der Blom, 2025).
Can I feature external links like my personal blog?
Yes, but be sure to upload a custom thumbnail image. LinkedIn's auto-generated previews for external links are often poorly cropped or missing images. A custom 1200x627px image will make your featured link look professional and clickable (LinkedIn Help Center, 2025).