Get right to the point with your headline.
You have a headline beside your handle and name on Polywork. The reason it's called a headline is because it comes at the top, and it's what people see and read first.
Make it count. Write a good headline. Tell us what's in the story to follow.
Use your headline effectively
You have up to 70 characters to use in your headline. So there's room to add a few descriptive words that will interest people, and keywords to highlight your main areas of focus.
People can find you from your different badges, but your headline is what will act as the main hook to catch followers.
Use your headline to describe what you're good at, what you deliver, and why it's worth browsing your profile and connecting with you. Here's a simple formula: "[Job title at Company]: helping X do Y."
Imagine it as a short introduction so that people want to know more.
if you can, state as much of these things as possible.
✴️ What you do ✴️ Who you do it for ✴️ How that helps them ✴️ The results you achieve
S is for specific. Does your headline tell people who you are or what you do? Is it specific?
O os for Optimised. Did you write the headline in a way to help people find you? Is it Optimized with targeted keywords that people will recognise. In time, this may be part of Polywork search.
A is for Abilities. Is the headline unique to your skills and abilities — an authentic reflection of who you are and what you have to offer?
P is for Professional. Will the headline give the reader confidence? Is it professional?
Avoid hyperbole, such as describing yourself as an Acknowledged Expert or that you are Results-Driven. Nobody believes that manure. If you talk in clichés, you'll just come across as being arrogant, insecure, and self-involved.
Your headline is also important because it's cognitively the most important information. People are going to remember more about your headline that any other element. They will make judgements about you based solely on that headline, no matter what your other achievements, work history or updates say.
That's how the human brain works. Like Polywork badges, it categorises and sorts. And it needs and anchor point. Your headline is that anchor, than hook.
You can include a geographical indicators in your main profile section so that people can locate you in the areas or timezones you operate across. People often like to connect with places they know. So if you're in some idyllic small town, give it context with the state, region, country or nearby area to help people identify the place, and get the bigger picture.
Use your headline to sell yourself to your readers! If you want to let people know your job title, add it at the end, and make the most of the real estate at the beginning.
Lead with the main story, and test it to make sure your headline makes sense (or at least intrigues). You have up to 70 characters to work with.
Remember that different mobile phone apps and screen sizes and text size settings all conspire to show your headline differently. So get your most important information out there right up front.
And please use simple language. "Homo sapiens engages with canine" is not as good as "Man bites dog" when it comes to getting attention!
The classic questions people want to know in the lead of a news story are who, what, where, why, when, and very often - how much? So make your headline do the same: introduce an interesting story.
Remember to check the spelling of your Headline. John Espirian uncovered these statistics for terrible spelling errors on LinkedIn in 2019. Don't make the same mistakes on Polywork in 2021!
