How to Write a LinkedIn About Section (With Before and After Examples)

A LinkedIn about section that works has five parts: a hook, proof, what you do, who you do it for, and an ask. Most profiles are missing at least the last one: in HookTide's analysis of 6,000+ profiles, only 43.7% of about sections contain any call to action, and just 9.4% include contact info.

This guide walks through the structure with before-and-after rewrites and two full examples you can model. (If you knew this field as the LinkedIn summary: same section, renamed. Everything here applies.)

Why does the about section matter so much?

Two reasons from our data. First, about sections average only 53.9% of their possible score on the typical profile, so a strong one stands out. Second, about-section length shows the strongest content-to-score relationship in our whole dataset (r = 0.556). That is a correlation, not a magic trick: padding will not raise your score, but top-band profiles consistently use the space and weak profiles consistently leave two generic lines.

There is also a mechanical reason: LinkedIn shows roughly the first two lines before the "see more" fold. If those lines are boilerplate, the rest of your space might as well not exist.

The 5-part structure

1. Hook (first two lines). Name the problem you solve or a sharp claim about your work. This is the only part guaranteed to be read; it plays the same role on your profile that your headline plays in search results.

2. Proof. One or two lines of credibility: numbers, years, names, outcomes.

3. What you do. Plainly. A stranger should be able to repeat it back.

4. Who it is for. The narrower you name your audience, the harder the right people nod.

5. Ask. Message me, book a call, follow, apply, email me at [address]. In our data, 56.3% of about sections have no call to action at all.

Before and after

Before (the classic opener):

Experienced professional with a passion for driving results and building meaningful relationships. Proven track record of success in fast-paced environments.

After:

Most B2B ads get scrolled past. I make the ones that get screenshotted. In 6 years running paid social for SaaS brands, my accounts have averaged 3.8x ROAS on $14M of spend.

Before (the résumé dump):

I have worked in logistics for 12 years across warehousing, freight, and last-mile delivery, holding roles of increasing responsibility.

After:

Shipping delays cost mid-size retailers more than bad marketing does. I fix the delays. 12 years in logistics, most recently cutting last-mile costs 18% for a 3,000-order-a-day operation.

Two full examples

Job seeker (marketing)

Growth channels stop working the moment everyone copies them. I find the next one first.

In 5 years across two startups, I took organic from 4% to 31% of new revenue at one and built the other's referral program to 1,100 signups a month.

I do growth marketing for B2C subscription products: acquisition experiments, retention loops, and the analytics to know which is which.

I am looking for a senior growth role at a consumer product with real traction. If that is you, message me here or email jamie@example.com.

Consultant (fractional CFO)

Founders usually meet their numbers twice a month: once in the bank account, once in a panic.

I am a fractional CFO for e-commerce brands doing $2M-$20M. Over 9 years I have built forecasting and cash discipline for 30+ brands, including two through acquisition.

What that looks like: a 13-week cash view you actually check, unit economics per SKU, and a monthly close that takes days, not weeks.

If your finances live in a spreadsheet only you understand, book a call. Link in my featured section.

Which about-section mistakes should you avoid?

In the profiles we analyzed:

• No ask (56.3% of about sections): the reader finishes and nothing happens next.
• The invisible email (90.6% include no contact info): if your goal is inbound, make yourself reachable.
• Third-person bios: "Jordan is a seasoned executive..." reads like a conference program. LinkedIn is a first-person platform.
• The empty two-liner: with about sections scoring 53.9% of max on average, a thin one is a real conversion cost (no ask means no inbound), not a stylistic choice.

The first two of these also sit near the top of the most common LinkedIn profile mistakes.

Want your rewrite done for you? The free LinkedIn profile optimizer analyzes your current about section, and the premium report writes a full replacement using this structure. The stats above come from our study of 6,000+ profiles.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a LinkedIn about section be? LinkedIn allows 2,600 characters. Use enough to cover the five parts, typically 3 to 6 short paragraphs. In our data, longer about sections correlate with higher overall scores (r = 0.556), because strong profiles use the space, not because length itself is scored.

Should the about section be in first person? Yes. It is your voice on your profile. Third person adds distance exactly where you want none.

What should the first line of a LinkedIn about section say? The problem you solve or your sharpest claim. LinkedIn cuts the preview after roughly two lines, so the opener has to earn the click on "see more."

Data points come from 6,000+ profile analyses by HookTide's LinkedIn Profile Analyzer, November 2025 to July 2026. Aggregates only. Example names and figures in the sample about sections are illustrative.