<!--
metadata:
  title: "LinkedIn Featured section"
  platform: "linkedin"
  objective: "Guidelines for structuring the Featured carousel to act as visual 'Proof of Work' for tech professionals."
  status: "draft"
  last_updated: "2026-04-28"
  tags: ["linkedin", "featured", "portfolio", "visual"]
  agent_priority: "medium"
-->

# LinkedIn Featured section

> This file details how to leverage the Featured section as a high-conversion lead magnet, emphasizing visual media and direct links to technical artifacts.

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## 1. Overview

The Featured section sits prominently near the top of the profile, just below the About section. It is the most visual component of the LinkedIn interface and serves as your immediate "Proof of Work." For software engineers and tech professionals, this section replaces the need for a recruiter to hunt down your personal website.

## 2. Content constraints

**Rule:** Prioritize visual media over plain text links. Text links often generate generic, poorly formatted preview cards. Use high-quality thumbnails, architectural diagrams, or short video demos (e.g., a screen recording of an app you built) when adding links to the Featured section. Strong visuals usually improve human scanning and conversion compared with plain links.

**Rule:** Directly link to GitHub repositories and live demos. Do not link to generic company homepages. Link directly to the specific GitHub repository you maintain, the specific feature you shipped, or a detailed technical blog post you authored.

**Rule:** Feature your best-performing niche content. If you authored a LinkedIn post that performed well and aligns with your target niche, pin it to the Featured section. This gives new profile visitors a quick proof point for your domain focus.

## 3. Anti-Patterns

### The stale carousel

**What it looks like:** A Featured section containing links to a project from 5 years ago, or a broken link to a startup that no longer exists. **Why it fails:** It signals to both humans and the algorithm that the profile is abandoned or that the user has not produced meaningful work recently. **What to do instead:** Rotate the content in your Featured section at least twice a year to highlight your most recent and relevant achievements.

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*Next step: Sync your history with the ATS in [Experience and skills](./experience-and-skills.md).*
